Method and apparatus for discontinuously covered average ephemeris

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and apparatus for discontinuously covered average ephemeris. One embodiment of the present disclosure provides a user equipment (UE), which may include: a transceiver; and a processor coupled with the transceiver and configured to: receive, with the transceiver, a first configuration message including a first configuration and a first average ephemeris; and identifying the first average ephemeris in the first configuration message based on the first configuration.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) 5G wireless communication technology, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for averaging ephemeris for discontinuous coverage. Background Art

[0002] In a network with discontinuous coverage, the UE may be located in an area or time period where no serving cell is available. The UE may be provided with information of discontinuous coverage, where multiple types of information (e.g., average ephemeris or instantaneous) may be provided in the same message in the same format or in different formats.

[0003] Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide a solution for providing and identifying information for discontinuous coverage, and more specifically, it would be advantageous to provide an average ephemeris for providing and identifying discontinuous coverage. Summary of the invention

[0004] One embodiment of the present disclosure provides a user equipment (UE), which may include: a transceiver; and a processor, which is coupled to the transceiver and configured to: receive a first configuration message including a first configuration and a first average ephemeris with the transceiver; and identify the first average ephemeris in the first configuration message based on the first configuration.

[0005] In some embodiments, the first configuration message comprises a system information block (SIB) dedicated for discontinuous coverage or a dedicated signaling message for discontinuous coverage.

[0006] In some embodiments, the first configuration includes at least one of: an ephemeris type indication indicating at least one ephemeris type; at least two information elements, wherein each information element is dedicated to one ephemeris type; a validity time of the first average ephemeris; an epoch time associated with the first average ephemeris; an average duration associated with the first average ephemeris; a start service time associated with the first average ephemeris; one or more identifiers of a radio access network (RAN) node associated with the first average ephemeris; an identifier of a RAN node group associated with the first average ephemeris; or a format of the first average ephemeris.

[0007] In some embodiments, the format includes at least one of a Simplified General Perturbation 4 (SGP4) format ephemeris or a Two Row Elements (TLE) format ephemeris.

[0008] In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to identify the first average ephemeris based on at least one of the following conditions being met: the ephemeris type indication indicates an average ephemeris type; an information element in the at least two information elements indicates that the average ephemeris is included in the first configuration message; the value of the validity time is greater than a first threshold; the unit of the epoch time is greater than a second threshold; the unit of the epoch time is seconds; the epoch time is a time offset from the start of the day or the current week; the start service time is a time offset from the start of the day or the current week; the average duration is included in the first configuration; the two or more identifiers of the RAN nodes are included in the first configuration; the identifier of a RAN node group is included in the first configuration; or the format of the ephemeris included in the first configuration message corresponds to the format of the first average ephemeris; the format of the ephemeris included in the first configuration message is a simplified general perturbation 4 (SGP4) format ephemeris or a two-row element (TLE) format.

[0009] In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to apply at least a portion of the first configuration to the first average ephemeris of discontinuous coverage, wherein applying the at least a portion of the first configuration includes at least one of: determining that the first average ephemeris is valid before the validity time; applying the epoch time to the first average ephemeris; determining that the first average ephemeris is an average ephemeris during the average duration; determining that the first average ephemeris is associated with one or more RAN nodes having the one or more identifiers; or determining that the first average ephemeris is associated with a RAN node group having the identifier of a RAN node group.

[0010] In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to: maintain a validity timer for the first average ephemeris, wherein the validity timer starts at the epoch time and expires at the validity time.

[0011] In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to obtain a second configuration and a second average ephemeris in response to at least one of: receiving a second configuration message for updating average ephemeris; expiration of a validity timer for the first average ephemeris; a predicted interruption period of network coverage has passed; waking up from a power saving mode after a network coverage interruption; selecting or reselecting to a cell after a network coverage interruption; completing random access to a cell after a network coverage interruption; or identifying a failure to access the first average ephemeris in the first configuration message.

[0012] In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to: transmit a request for the second average ephemeris to a base station (BS) and receive the second configuration and the second average ephemeris in dedicated signaling; or receive a system information block including the second configuration and the second average ephemeris.

[0013] In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to perform at least one of: predicting coverage continuity based on the first average ephemeris; disabling neighbor cell measurement triggering; or stopping ongoing measurements for neighbor cells.

[0014] In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to prioritize, de-prioritize, or exclude the neighboring cell in a cell reselection evaluation procedure based on average ephemeris from the neighboring cell.

[0015] Another embodiment of the present disclosure provides a BS, which may include: a transceiver; and a processor, which is coupled with the transceiver and configured to: generate a first configuration message including a first configuration and a first average ephemeris; and transmit the first configuration message with the transceiver.

[0016] In some embodiments, the first configuration message includes a SIB dedicated for discontinuous coverage or a dedicated signaling message for discontinuous coverage.

[0017] In some embodiments, the first configuration includes at least one of: an ephemeris type indication indicating at least one ephemeris type; at least two information elements, each of which is dedicated to one ephemeris type; a validity time of the first average ephemeris; an epoch time associated with the first average ephemeris; an average duration associated with the first average ephemeris; a start service time associated with the first average ephemeris; one or more identifiers of a RAN node associated with the first average ephemeris; an identifier of a RAN node group associated with the first average ephemeris; or a format of the first average ephemeris.

[0018] In some embodiments, the format includes at least one of an SGP4 format ephemeris or a TLE format ephemeris.

[0019] In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to: receive a request for the second average ephemeris to a BS and transmit the second configuration and the second average ephemeris in dedicated signaling; or transmit a system information block including the second configuration and the second average ephemeris.

[0020] In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to: transmit a second configuration message for updating the average ephemeris.

[0021] Yet another embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method performed by a UE, which may include: receiving a first configuration message including a first configuration and a first average ephemeris; and identifying the first average ephemeris in the first configuration message based on the first configuration.

[0022] Yet another embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method performed by a BS, which may include: generating a first configuration message including a first configuration and a first average ephemeris; and transmitting the first configuration message. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] In order to describe the manner in which the advantages and features of the present application can be obtained, the description of the present application is presented by reference to specific embodiments of the present application illustrated in the accompanying drawings. These drawings depict only example embodiments of the present application and therefore should not be considered to limit its scope.

[0024] Figure 1 Depicted is an NTN network according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 2A and 2B Two exemplary satellite ephemeris formats according to some embodiments of the present disclosure are respectively described.

[0026] Figure 3 A flow chart illustrating a method for averaging ephemeris for discontinuous coverage performed by a UE and a BS according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0027] Figure 4 A simplified block diagram illustrating an exemplary apparatus according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The detailed description of the accompanying drawings is intended as a description of the currently preferred embodiments of the present invention and is not intended to represent the only form in which the present invention can be practiced. It should be understood that the same or equivalent functions can be accomplished by different embodiments that are intended to be included in the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0029] Although the operations are depicted in a particular order in the figures, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that such operations need not be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order or require all of the illustrated operations to be performed in order to achieve the desired result; sometimes, one or more operations may be skipped. In addition, the figures may schematically depict one or more example processes in the form of a flow chart. However, other operations not depicted may be incorporated into the schematically illustrated example processes. For example, one or more additional operations may be performed before, after, simultaneously with, or between any of the illustrated operations. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous.

[0030] Reference will now be made in detail to some embodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. To facilitate understanding, embodiments are provided under specific network architectures and new service scenarios (e.g., 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) 5G (NR), 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE), etc.). It is considered that with the development of network architectures and new service scenarios, all embodiments in the present disclosure are also applicable to similar technical problems; and in addition, the terms cited in the present disclosure may be changed, which should not affect the principles of the present disclosure.

[0031] NTN network refers to a network or network segment that uses radio frequency resources onboard satellites. Satellites in NTN may include low earth orbit (LEO) satellites orbiting the earth, medium earth orbit (MEO) satellites, geosynchronous orbit (GEO) satellites with a fixed position relative to the earth, and highly elliptical orbit (HEO) satellites. In some scenarios, satellites in NTN may also include microsatellite platforms (also known as cube satellites) with limited size and power and low-density satellite constellations. The microsatellite platforms have limited link budgets and discontinuous coverage, and UEs may remain in the discontinuous coverage for a long time without being able to detect satellite cells.

[0032] Figure 1 Depicted is an NTN network according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0033] like Figure 1 As shown in FIG. 1 , the NTN network 100 includes at least one user equipment (UE) 101 and at least one RAN node (eg, satellite 102), or alternatively, an unmanned aerial system (UAS) platform 102. Figure 1 Only one UE 101 and satellite / UAS platform 102 are depicted in FIG. 1 , but it is contemplated that any number of UEs 101 and satellite / UAS platforms 102 may be included in the wireless communication system 100 .

[0034] UE 101 may include a computing device, such as a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, a smart TV (e.g., a TV connected to the Internet), a set-top box, a game console, a security system (including a security camera), a car computer, a network device (e.g., a router, a switch, a modem), or the like. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, UE 101 may include a portable wireless communication device, a smart phone, a cellular phone, a flip phone, a device with a subscriber identity module, a personal computer, a selective call receiver, or any other device capable of sending and receiving communication signals on a wireless network. In some embodiments, UE 101 includes a wearable device, such as a smart watch, a fitness bracelet, an optical head-mounted display, or the like. In addition, UE 101 may be referred to as a subscriber unit, a mobile device, a mobile station, a user, a terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a fixed terminal, a subscriber station, a user terminal, a device, or other terms used in the art. UE 101 may communicate directly with satellite 102 via a service link.

[0035] Satellite 102 may include a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, a medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite, a geosynchronous orbit (GEO) satellite, and a highly elliptical orbit (HEO) satellite. UAS platform 102 may include an unmanned aerial system (UAS), which includes a tethered UAS and a lighter-than-air UAS (LTA), a heavier-than-air UAS (HTA), and a high altitude platform UAS (HAP). Hereinafter, in the present disclosure, satellite 102 is used to illustrate the technical solution. However, those skilled in the art may know that the same technology may also be applied to a UAS platform.

[0036] Still refer to Figure 1 , the satellite 102 provides a geographical cell for serving the UE 101 located in the geographical cell. Figure 1 In the example, UE 101 may be a normal mobile terminal 101, which may wirelessly communicate with a satellite / UAS platform 102 via a communication link (e.g., a service link or a radio link according to an NR access technology (e.g., an NR-Uu interface)). Figure 1, the satellite 102 also communicates with the gateway 103 or the earth station via a communication link, which may be a feeder link or a radio link according to the NR access technology or other technology. According to various embodiments, the satellite 102 may be implemented with a transparent or regenerative payload. When the satellite carries a "transparent" payload, it only performs RF filtering, frequency conversion and / or amplification of the onboard signal. Therefore, the waveform signal repeated by the payload remains unchanged. When the satellite carries a regenerative payload, in addition to performing RF filtering, frequency conversion and amplification, it also performs other signal processing functions, such as demodulation / decoding, switching and / or routing, encoding / decoding and onboard modulation / demodulation. In other words, for a satellite with a regenerative payload (i.e., all or part of the base station functions (e.g., gNB, eNB, etc.) are implemented on board. Hereinafter, in the present disclosure, the satellite 102 may also be referred to as a RAN node 102, which may include a satellite with a regenerative payload or a satellite with a regenerative payload. The RAN node 102 may be used as an access node, while in some other embodiments of the present disclosure, the satellite 102 may also be used as a BS.

[0037] A typical terrestrial communication network includes one or more base stations (generally referred to as "BSs") located on the earth (i.e., not in the air or on air), each providing geographic radio coverage, and UEs that can transmit and receive data within the radio coverage. In a terrestrial communication network, the BS and the UE can communicate with each other via a communication link, for example, via a downlink radio frame from the BS to the UE or via an uplink radio frame from the UE to the BS.

[0038] return Figure 1 , gateway 103 may be coupled to a data network, such as, for example, the Internet, a terrestrial public switched telephone network, a mobile phone network, or a private server network, etc. Gateway 103 communicates with satellite 102 via a feeder link, which includes both a feeder uplink from gateway 103 to satellite 102 and a feeder downlink from satellite 102 to gateway 103. Although a single gateway 103 is shown, some implementations will include many gateways, such as 5, 10, or more. One embodiment includes only one gateway. UE 101 communicates with satellite 102 via a service link, which has both an uplink from UE 101 to BS and a downlink from BS to UE 101.

[0039] In some embodiments, Figure 1Communications within a system of follows a nominal round-trip direction, whereby data is received from a data network (e.g., the Internet) through a gateway and transmitted to a UE 101 through a forward path. In one example, communications through the forward path include transmitting data from the gateway to a satellite 102 through an uplink of a feeder link through a first signal path on the satellite and transmitting from the satellite 102 to the UE 101 through a downlink of a service link. Data may also be sent from the UE 101 to the gateway through a return path. In one example, communications through the return path may include transmitting data from the UE 101 to the satellite 102 through an uplink of a service link through a second signal path on the satellite 102 and transmitting from the satellite 102 to the gateway through a downlink of a feeder link.

[0040] The wireless communication system 100 is compatible with any type of network capable of sending and receiving wireless communication signals. For example, the wireless communication system 100 is compatible with wireless communication networks, cellular telephone networks, networks based on time division multiple access (TDMA), networks based on code division multiple access (CDMA), networks based on orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), LTE networks, networks based on 3GPP, 3GPP 5G networks, satellite communication networks, high altitude platform networks, and / or other communication networks.

[0041] In one embodiment, the wireless communication system 100 is compatible with NR of the 3GPP protocol, wherein the BS transmits on the DL using an OFDM modulation scheme, and the UE 101 transmits on the UL using a single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) scheme or an OFDM scheme. However, more generally, the wireless communication system 100 may implement some other open or proprietary communication protocols, such as WiMAX and other protocols.

[0042] In other embodiments, the RAN nodes (e.g., satellite 102) may communicate using other communication protocols, such as the IEEE 802.11 family of wireless communication protocols. In some embodiments, the RAN nodes 102 may communicate via licensed spectrum, while in other embodiments, the RAN nodes 102 may communicate via unlicensed spectrum. The present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the implementation of any particular wireless communication system architecture or protocol. In another embodiment, the RAN nodes 102 may communicate with the UE 101 using 3GPP 5G protocols.

[0043] In NTN, discontinuous coverage may occur in the spatial and / or temporal domains due to sparse satellite constellations and satellite mobility, and discontinuous coverage may be cell-specific for a particular area or UE-specific related to the UE location or the UE's subscription to the operator. This may result in additional and unnecessary power consumption, which is critical at least for Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

[0044] Unlike temporary coverage interruptions in TN, in NTN, coverage interruptions are expected to last for a longer duration (e.g., the interruption may last for hours) and are predictable with the help of satellite assistance information provided by the network to the UE. Ephemeris is information that describes satellite orbits, positions, movements, or the like in multiple parameters. Satellite assistance information in discontinuous coverage prediction (which may include instantaneous ephemeris of the serving RAN node (e.g., satellite) and / or instantaneous ephemeris of neighboring RAN nodes (or next upcoming RAN nodes) and mean ephemeris or average ephemeris of the serving RAN node and / or average ephemeris of neighboring RAN nodes) may be provided to the UE to improve the accuracy of the prediction of discontinuous coverage. The information of discontinuous coverage may be included in a system information block, such as SIBYY or SIB32, which may be different from the SIB of IoT NTN.

[0045] In NTNs, especially those with LEO or fast-moving satellites, ephemeris data is used to indicate the trajectory and position coordinates of the satellites. The serving satellite ephemeris can be indicated to the UE to calculate the distance to the satellite and, therefore, the propagation delay can be determined, which is very important for uplink time synchronization in NTNs. Ephemeris can also be used to calculate the satellite velocity to the UE, which is very important for uplink frequency synchronization. This is also true for HAPS in NTNs.

[0046] The instantaneous satellite ephemeris used in the NTN can be expressed in the following two satellite ephemeris formats: 1) position and velocity state vector ephemeris format; or 2) orbit parameter ephemeris format.

[0047] Figure 2A and 2B Two satellite ephemeris formats according to some embodiments of the present disclosure are described respectively. For satellite systems, either format or both formats can be applied to represent the position of satellites, while for HAPS without satellite orbits, only the position and velocity state vector ephemeris format is applied.

[0048] Specifically, in Figure 2A In the present invention, satellite 102 orbits the earth. The origin of the coordinate system is the center of the earth. The coordinate system has three axes: x-axis, y-axis and z-axis.

[0049] Figure 2A Describes the position and velocity state vector ephemeris format, where the satellite ephemeris is represented by the position and velocity state vector {x, y, z, Δx, Δy, Δz}, and

[0050] -x is the coordinate value on the x-axis;

[0051] -y is the coordinate value on the y-axis;

[0052] -z is the coordinate value on the z-axis;

[0053] -Δx is the velocity value on the x-axis;

[0054] -Δy is the velocity value on the y-axis; and

[0055] -Δz is the velocity value on the z-axis.

[0056] The payload of the position and velocity state vector ephemeris format is 17 bytes, i.e. 17×8=136 bits. Of the 136 bits, 78 bits are used for position (in meters (m)), i.e. parameters {x, y, z}. The position range is determined by GEO, from -42200 kilometers (km) to +42200km. The quantization step size of the position is 1.3m. 54 bits are used for velocity, in meters / second (m / s), and the velocity range is determined by LEO@600km, from -8000m / s to +8000m / s.

[0057] Figure 2B Describes the orbital parameters ephemeris format. That is, the satellite ephemeris is expressed in orbital parameters. Figure 2B In FIG. 1 , satellite 102 is a GEO satellite with a fixed position relative to the earth. The origin of the coordinate system is the center of the earth. The coordinate system has three axes: x-axis, y-axis and z-axis. The payload of the position and velocity state vector ephemeris format is 18 bytes, i.e. 18×8=144 bits. The orbital parameters include:

[0058] 1. Semi-major axis α, the unit of the semi-major axis is m, the bit size of the semi-major axis is 33 bits, and the range of α values ​​is from 6500

[0059] km to 43000km;

[0060] 2. Eccentricity e, the eccentricity bit size is 19 bits, and the eccentricity value is not greater than 0.015, that is, ≤0.015;

[0061] 3. The pericenter angle ω, the unit of the pericenter angle is radians, the bit size of the pericenter angle is 24 bits, and the range of ω values ​​is from 0 to 2π;

[0062] 4. The longitude of the ascending node Ω. The unit of the longitude of the ascending node is radians. The bit size of the longitude of the ascending node is 21 bits, and the value of Ω ranges from 0 to 2π.

[0063] 5. The inclination angle i, the unit of inclination angle is radian, the bit size of inclination angle is 20 bits, and the value of i ranges from -π / 2 to +π / 2;

[0064] 6. The mean anomaly angle M at the epoch time. The unit of the mean anomaly angle is radians. The bit size of the mean anomaly angle is 24 bits.

[0065] And the value of M ranges from 0 to 2π.

[0066] For mobile satellites or HAPS, some or all of the parameters in the ephemeris change over time. With the satellite (or HAPS) ephemeris associated with a time point (i.e., epoch time), the UE can calculate the satellite (or HAPS) position at the current or future time point as long as it is valid. In order to ensure the accuracy and validity of the calculation, the epoch time and validity duration of the serving satellite (or HAPS) ephemeris must be provided to the UE. Other information related to uplink time synchronization, including the common TA and its rate of change, can also be indicated with the epoch time and validity duration to ensure the accuracy and validity of uplink time synchronization.

[0067] For the average ephemeris, it can be used as Figure 2B The average orbit parameters shown in , or it may also use a different format, such as TLE format, SGP4 format or other format that is different from the format of the instantaneous ephemeris. For example, an ephemeris example in TLE format may be:

[0068] "Example (STARLINK-24)

[0069] 1 44238U 19029D 22110.17352234+.00059956 00000-0 22428-2 0 9998

[0070] 2 44238 53.0075 22.2422 0005474 141.6880 218.4507 15.26762826 160969”

[0071] The first line of the ephemeris in TLE format contains: "44238U 19029D 22110.17352234+.0005995600000-0 22428-2 0 9998", and the second line of the ephemeris in TLE format contains "44238 53.007522.24220005474 141.6880 218.4507 15.26762826 160969", and the meanings of these symbols are shown in the following table:

[0072] Table 1 TLE ephemeris

[0073]

[0074]

[0075] In row 2, columns 9 to 16, the parameter "inclination" has the same Figure 2B The same meaning as parameter "i" in the orbital parameter ephemeris format shown in .

[0076] In row 2, columns 18 to 25, the parameter "Longitude of ascending node" has the same meaning as Figure 2B The parameter "ascending node longitude Ω" in the orbital parameter ephemeris format shown in .

[0077] In row 2, columns 27 to 33, the parameter "eccentricity" has the same Figure 2B The parameter "eccentricity e" has the same meaning as the parameter shown in the orbital parameter ephemeris format.

[0078] In row 2, columns 35 to 42, the parameter "pericenter" has the same Figure 2B The parameter "periax angle ω" in the orbital parameter ephemeris format shown in FIG.

[0079] In row 2, columns 44 to 51, the parameter "anomaly angle" has the same Figure 2B The parameter "mean anomaly M" in the orbital parameter ephemeris format shown in FIG.

[0080] In row 2, columns 53 to 63, the parameter "Period / day" can be derived as follows Figure 2B The parameter "semi-major axis α" in orbital parameter ephemeris format is shown in .

[0081] Table 2 below shows the comparison of instantaneous ephemeris with average ephemeris.

[0082] Table 2 Comparison of instantaneous ephemeris and average ephemeris

[0083]

[0084] In summary, the BS (or network) can signal two types of ephemeris to the UE - instantaneous ephemeris and average ephemeris. The average ephemeris parameters can be transmitted in the same format as the instantaneous ephemeris in the same configuration message (e.g., orbit parameter ephemeris format with 18 bytes of payload) or in a different format (e.g., TLE format as shown in Table 1 above, SGP4 format, or other formats).

[0085] The UE may always assume that average ephemeris exists and derive the average ephemeris (and any tradeoff between instantaneous ephemeris and average ephemeris) by the network implementation.

[0086] At the UE side, in the received configuration message, both instantaneous ephemeris and average ephemeris are available as Figure 2BThe orbital parameters are represented in the ephemeris format shown in , and both can be included in the same configuration message (e.g., SIBYY). Therefore, the UE needs to identify the average ephemeris in the configuration message to achieve discontinuous coverage prediction. In addition, the UE may also need to know when to obtain or re-acquire the average ephemeris if the average ephemeris is updated or expired. It may be necessary to specify the UE behavior that depends on the configuration message and the presence or absence of the average ephemeris in the configuration message for prediction.

[0087] As a dedicated SIB for discontinuous coverage scenarios in IoT NTNs, the presence or absence of the dedicated SIB itself can reveal the coverage situation (e.g., discontinuous coverage or continuous coverage) from the network perspective. If a dedicated SIB exists, the presence or absence of average ephemeris therein can also reveal more details of the coverage discontinuity (e.g., discontinuous coverage common to all UEs in the cell or only specific UEs). UE behavior may need to be specified or enhanced based on the presence or absence of a new SIB or average ephemeris in the new SIB, including whether the UE can trigger a dedicated mechanism designed for discontinuous coverage, whether the UE can request UE-specific assistance information to predict coverage discontinuity, whether the UE can select a cell with discontinuous or continuous coverage, or whether the UE needs to align with the network regarding coverage discontinuity. These behaviors are related to the reception of the new SIB and possibly the reception of the average ephemeris in the dedicated SIB.

[0088] In particular, the prediction derived from the average ephemeris may be more accurate, and from an implementation perspective, the UE may need to transform the received average ephemeris into a common format, such as TLE. In addition, because the TLE format contains more information of the satellite ephemeris, it may be possible to support pre-configured average ephemeris in TLE format.

[0089] Figure 3 A flow chart illustrating a method for averaging ephemeris for discontinuous coverage performed by a UE and a BS according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0090] In operation 301, the BS may generate a first configuration message that may be dedicated to discontinuous coverage. The first configuration message may include a first configuration and a first average ephemeris. The first configuration message may be a system information block (e.g., SIBYY (also known as SIY32)) or dedicated signaling (e.g., RRC signaling) that includes a first configuration of a first average ephemeris for discontinuous coverage and also includes the first average ephemeris for discontinuous coverage. The first average ephemeris may be associated with a serving RAN node, a neighboring RAN node (or an upcoming RAN node), one or more RAN nodes, or a group of RAN nodes, or the like.

[0091] The first configuration of the average ephemeris may include at least one of the following:

[0092] 1. Ephemeris type indication, which indicates one or more types of ephemeris, as follows:

[0093] Case 1-1: The ephemeris type indication may include a 1-bit indication and indicate two types of ephemeris of the serving RAN node (or neighboring RAN node) as follows:

[0094] One value (e.g., "0") may indicate instantaneous ephemeris; and

[0095] Another value (eg, "1") may indicate average ephemeris.

[0096] For the 1-bit indication, whether it is associated with a serving RAN node or a neighboring RAN node is based on configuration, pre-configuration or default configuration or the like.

[0097] Case 1-2: The ephemeris type indication may include a 2-bit indication and indicate three types of ephemeris, as follows:

[0098] The first value (e.g., “00”) may indicate the instantaneous ephemeris of the neighboring RAN node;

[0099] The second value (eg, "01") may indicate the average ephemeris of the serving RAN node; and

[0100] The third value (eg, "10") may indicate an average ephemeris of neighboring RAN nodes.

[0101] Regarding the instantaneous ephemeris of the serving neighboring RAN node, it may be dedicated to the UE in another configuration message (eg SIB1).

[0102] Case 1-3: The ephemeris type indication may include a 2-bit indication and indicate four types of ephemeris, as follows:

[0103] The first value (e.g., “00”) may indicate the instantaneous ephemeris of the neighboring RAN node;

[0104] The second value (e.g., "01") may indicate the average ephemeris of the serving RAN node;

[0105] A third value (eg, "10") may indicate the average ephemeris of neighboring RAN nodes; and

[0106] A fourth value (eg, "11") may indicate the instantaneous ephemeris of the serving RAN node.

[0107] 2. At least two information elements, each dedicated to one ephemeris type.

[0108] Case 2-1: Contains two information elements, the first information element corresponds to the instantaneous ephemeris of the serving RAN node (or the neighboring RAN node), and the second information element corresponds to the average ephemeris of the serving RAN node (or the neighboring RAN node).

[0109] Case 2-2: Contains three information elements, the first information element corresponds to the instantaneous ephemeris of the neighboring RAN node, the second information element corresponds to the average ephemeris of the serving RAN node, and the third information element corresponds to the average ephemeris of the neighboring RAN node.

[0110] Case 2-3: Contains four information elements, the first information element corresponds to the instantaneous ephemeris of the neighboring RAN node, the second information element corresponds to the average ephemeris of the serving RAN node, the third information element corresponds to the average ephemeris of the neighboring RAN node; and the fourth information element corresponds to the instantaneous ephemeris of the serving RAN node.

[0111] Each information element may include one bit, and one value of the bit may indicate the presence of the corresponding ephemeris in the first configuration message, and another value may indicate that the corresponding ephemeris is not included in the first configuration message. For example, for case 2-1, the first information element may include one bit, one value of the bit indicates that the instantaneous ephemeris of the serving RAN node is included in the first configuration message, and another value of the bit indicates that the instantaneous ephemeris of the serving RAN node is not included in the first configuration message. Similarly, the second information element may also include one bit, one value of the bit indicates that the average ephemeris of the serving RAN node is included in the first configuration message, and another value of the bit indicates that the average ephemeris of the serving RAN node is not included in the first configuration message.

[0112] 3. Validity time of the first average ephemeris.

[0113] The validity time of the first average ephemeris may indicate how long the first average ephemeris may be considered valid.

[0114] In other words, the first average ephemeris remains valid until the validity time.

[0115] Compared to the value (or granularity) of the validity time of the instantaneous ephemeris which may be expressed in units such as seconds or minutes, the value (or granularity) of the validity time of the first average ephemeris may be expressed in much longer units such as hours or days.

[0116] In case the first configuration does not include a validity time for the first average ephemeris, it may imply that the first average ephemeris may be considered valid until the next update.

[0117] 4. The epoch time associated with the first mean ephemeris.

[0118] The epoch time may indicate a point in time or a duration associated to the first average ephemeris. Similarly, the value (or granularity) of the epoch time associated with the first average ephemeris may be expressed in much longer units, such as seconds or minutes, compared to the value (or granularity) of the epoch time associated with the instantaneous ephemeris, which may be expressed in units such as frames or subframes.

[0119] In the case where the first configuration does not contain an epoch time associated with the first average ephemeris, this may imply that the time point at which the first configuration message is received may be considered to be the epoch time associated with the first average ephemeris. Alternatively, the epoch time associated with the instantaneous ephemeris may be used as the epoch time associated with the first configuration.

[0120] 5. The average duration associated with the first average ephemeris.

[0121] The average duration may refer to the duration over which the parameter values ​​of the average ephemeris are averaged. For example, the duration may be the last day, the last week, the last month, etc.

[0122] 6. The starting service time associated with the first average ephemeris.

[0123] The start service time may refer to the start service time from when one or more RAN nodes may provide service to the UE and the one or more RAN nodes may be associated with the first average ephemeris.

[0124] 7. The future duration associated with the first average ephemeris.

[0125] The future duration may refer to a duration in which the parameter value of the average ephemeris is predicted. For example, the duration may be the next day, the next week, the next month, etc.

[0126] 8. IDs of multiple RAN nodes associated to the first average ephemeris.

[0127] Multiple RAN nodes (e.g., including Figure 1 The ID of the satellite 102 in the RAN node and the parameters of the first average ephemeris are associated with the plurality of satellites. The number of the plurality of RAN nodes may be an integer equal to or greater than 1.

[0128] 9. The ID of the RAN node group associated to the first average ephemeris.

[0129] For example, an ID of a RAN node (eg, satellite) group and a parameter of the first average ephemeris are associated with the satellite group. The satellite group may include satellites in a satellite constellation. The number of RAN nodes included in the RAN node group may be an integer equal to or greater than 1.

[0130] 10. The format of the first average ephemeris.

[0131] The first average ephemeris may be expressed in TLF format or SGP4 format or other formats.

[0132] In operation 302, the BS may transmit a first configuration message including a first configuration and a first average ephemeris. In some embodiments, the BS may transmit the first configuration message in a SIB such as SIBYY (i.e., SIB32), i.e., the BS may broadcast the first configuration message in the SIB. In some other embodiments, the first configuration message may be dedicated signaling for discontinuous coverage of the UE. For example, the BS may transmit the first configuration message after receiving a request for the first configuration message from the UE, and in response, the BS may transmit dedicated signaling to the UE.

[0133] In operation 303, after receiving the first configuration message including the first configuration and the first average ephemeris, the UE may identify the first average ephemeris in the first configuration message based on the first configuration.

[0134] Specifically, the UE may identify the first average ephemeris as follows:

[0135] 1. The UE may identify the first average ephemeris based on the ephemeris type indication.

[0136] For the above case 1-1, that is, the first configuration includes a 1-bit ephemeris type indication. In the case where the 1-bit ephemeris type indication indicates the average ephemeris of the serving RAN node (or the neighboring RAN node), the UE can identify the average ephemeris of the serving RAN node (or the neighboring RAN node). In the case where the 1-bit indication indicates the instantaneous ephemeris of the serving RAN node (or the neighboring RAN node), the UE can therefore identify the instantaneous ephemeris of the serving RAN node (or the neighboring RAN node).

[0137] For the above situation 1-2, that is, the first configuration includes a 2-bit ephemeris type indication. In the case where the 2-bit indication indicates the following:

[0138] a first value (e.g., “00”) indicating the instantaneous ephemeris of the neighboring RAN node, and the UE may identify the instantaneous ephemeris of the neighboring RAN node in the first configuration message;

[0139] a second value (e.g., “01”) indicating the average ephemeris of the serving RAN node, and the UE may identify the average ephemeris of the serving RAN node in the first configuration message; and

[0140] A third value (eg, "10") indicating the average ephemeris of the neighboring RAN nodes, and the UE may identify the average ephemeris of the neighboring RAN nodes in the first configuration message.

[0141] For the above cases 1-3, that is, the first configuration includes a 2-bit ephemeris type indication. In the case where the 2-bit indication indicates the following:

[0142] a first value (e.g., “00”) indicating the instantaneous ephemeris of the neighboring RAN node, and the UE may identify the instantaneous ephemeris of the neighboring RAN node in the first configuration message;

[0143] a second value (e.g., “01”) indicating an average ephemeris of the serving RAN node, and the UE may identify the average ephemeris of the serving RAN node in the first configuration message;

[0144] a third value (e.g., "10") indicating an average ephemeris of a neighboring RAN node, and the UE may identify the average ephemeris of the neighboring RAN node in the first configuration message; and

[0145] A fourth value (eg, "11") indicates the instantaneous ephemeris of the serving RAN node, and the UE may identify the instantaneous ephemeris of the serving RAN node in the first configuration message.

[0146] 2. The UE may identify a first average ephemeris based on at least two information elements.

[0147] Specifically, for each of the at least two information elements, the UE may determine a value of the information element, and when the value of the information element indicates that the corresponding ephemeris exists, the UE may identify the corresponding ephemeris in the first configuration message; when the value of the information element indicates that the corresponding ephemeris is not included in the first configuration message, the UE may not identify the corresponding ephemeris in the first configuration message.

[0148] 3. The UE may identify the first average ephemeris based on the validity time of the first average ephemeris.

[0149] As described above, the value (or granularity) of the validity time of the average ephemeris may be expressed in much longer units.

[0150] A threshold of the validity time may be defined, configured or preconfigured, and when the value of the validity time is greater than the threshold of the validity time, the UE may consider the ephemeris associated with the validity time to be an average ephemeris. For example, the threshold of the validity time may be configured as: one hour.

[0151] For example, if the UE determines that the validity time of the ephemeris is one day, which is greater than a threshold, the UE may thus identify that the ephemeris associated with the validity time is the first average ephemeris.

[0152] 4. The UE may identify the first average ephemeris based on the unit of epoch time.

[0153] As described above, the value (or granularity) of a unit of epoch time may be expressed in much longer units.

[0154] A threshold value of the epoch time may be defined, configured or preconfigured, and when the value of the epoch time is greater than the threshold value of the epoch time, the UE may consider the ephemeris associated with the epoch time to be the average ephemeris. For example, the threshold value of the epoch time may be configured to be: one second.

[0155] For example, if the UE determines that the epoch time of the ephemeris is one minute, which is greater than the threshold value of the epoch time, the UE may thus identify that the ephemeris associated with the epoch time is the first average ephemeris.

[0156] In some other embodiments, the epoch time may be a time offset from the beginning of the current day or week, so the UE may recognize that the ephemeris associated with the epoch time is the first average ephemeris.

[0157] 5. In the case where the first configuration includes at least one of the following:

[0158] i. the average duration associated with the first average ephemeris;

[0159] ii. the future duration associated with the first average ephemeris;

[0160] iii. IDs of multiple RAN nodes associated to the average ephemeris; or

[0161] iv. The ID of the RAN node group associated to the average ephemeris.

[0162] The instantaneous ephemeris is not associated with the average duration, the future duration, the IDs of the plurality of RAN nodes, or the ID of the RAN node group, and therefore the UE may identify that the ephemeris associated with any of the average duration, the future duration, the IDs of the plurality of RAN nodes, or the ID of the RAN node group is the first average ephemeris.

[0163] 6. The UE may identify the first average ephemeris based on the format of the first average ephemeris.

[0164] The average ephemeris may be expressed in a TLF format (or an SGP4 format), and if the ephemeris is expressed in a TLF format (or an SGP4 format), the UE may identify the ephemeris as the first average ephemeris.

[0165] 7. The UE may identify the first average ephemeris based on the start service time associated with the first average ephemeris.

[0166] In the case where the starting service time is a time offset of the beginning of the day or current week, the UE may determine that the format associated with the ephemeris may be the SGP4 format, which may be used by the average ephemeris but not by the instantaneous ephemeris. Thus, the UE may identify that the ephemeris associated with the epoch time is the first average ephemeris.

[0167] After identifying the first average ephemeris, the UE may apply the indication value in the first configuration to the first average ephemeris. Specifically, the UE may take at least one of the following operations:

[0168] 1. The UE may apply a validity time to the first average ephemeris, i.e., the UE considers that the first average ephemeris is valid for discontinuous coverage prediction before the indicated validity time.

[0169] 2. The UE may apply the epoch time to the first average ephemeris. Assume that the indicated epoch time is T e , which implies that the starting validity time of the first average ephemeris is T e Time T e It may be: a past time, for example, before the time when the UE receives the first configuration message; or a future time, for example, after the time when the UE receives the first configuration message.

[0170] 3. Regarding the average duration associated with the first average ephemeris, the UE may consider that the indication value of the first average ephemeris is averaged over the average duration.

[0171] 4. Regarding the future duration associated with the first average ephemeris, the UE may consider the indication value of the first average ephemeris to be predicted for the future duration.

[0172] 5. With respect to the IDs of the multiple RAN nodes associated with the average ephemeris, the UE may consider that the indication value of the first average ephemeris is averaged for the multiple RAN nodes.

[0173] 6. With respect to the ID of the RAN node group associated to the average ephemeris, the UE may consider the indication value of the first average ephemeris to be averaged for the RAN node group.

[0174] In some embodiments, the UE may acquire or reacquire the second average ephemeris and the associated second configuration. The first average ephemeris or the second average ephemeris is the average ephemeris of the discontinuous coverage of the UE. However, due to the movement of the RAN node, the movement of the UE and / or different times, the first average ephemeris and the second average ephemeris may be different. In some cases, for example, while the first average ephemeris is still valid, the first average ephemeris and the second average ephemeris may be the same. Similarly, the corresponding first configuration and the corresponding second configuration may be different or the same. The UE may acquire or reacquire the second average ephemeris and the associated second configuration in the following cases:

[0175] Case 3-1: The UE receives a second configuration message including an indication of an update of the configuration message indicating discontinuous coverage, such as SIBYY or SIY32. The second configuration message may include SIB1 or a paging message or other messages.

[0176] After receiving the second configuration message, the UE may receive a configuration message, such as SIBYY in the next opportunity, and identify an average ephemeris that is different from the previously received average ephemeris.

[0177] Case 3-2: The validity period of the first average ephemeris received in the first configuration message has passed, that is, the first average ephemeris is no longer valid, and the UE may acquire or reacquire the second average ephemeris and the associated second configuration.

[0178] Case 3-3: The UE does not identify any average ephemeris. For example, the BS may not include the average ephemeris in the first configuration message. In this case, the UE may acquire or reacquire the second average ephemeris and the associated second configuration. Case 3-4: The predicted interruption period of network coverage has passed. The UE may be in network coverage and may acquire or reacquire the second average ephemeris and the associated second configuration.

[0179] Case 3-5: UE wakes up from energy saving mode after network coverage interruption The UE may be in network coverage and may acquire or reacquire the second average ephemeris and the associated second configuration.

[0180] Case 3-6: UE selects or reselects to a cell after network coverage interruption. The UE may be in network coverage of the selected or reselected cell, and may acquire or reacquire the second average ephemeris and the associated second configuration.

[0181] Case 3-7: The UE has completed random access to a cell after network coverage is interrupted. The UE may have accessed the network.

[0182] And the second average ephemeris and the associated second configuration may be acquired or reacquired.

[0183] For an averaged ephemeris, such as the first averaged ephemeris or the second averaged ephemeris, if the validity time is included in the corresponding configuration of the averaged ephemeris, the UE may maintain a validity timer. The indicated validity time in the configuration is simply denoted as "T".

[0184] The configuration associated with the average ephemeris also contains the epoch time T e And the epoch time T e If the time is in the future, the UE may e Start the validity timer for the averaged ephemeris, with the indicated validity time length T, i.e., the validity timer will expire at the indicated future epoch time T e starts and has length T. If the epoch time T e If it is not a future time, the UE can receive the configuration message at the time T r Start the validity timer for the average ephemeris, the length of the validity time indicated is TTe , that is, the validity timer is T r and has a length of T–(T r –T e ). When the timer is running, the UE may not reacquire the updated average ephemeris and the corresponding updated average ephemeris configuration. In the case where the configuration does not include the epoch time, the UE may use the epoch time of the instantaneous ephemeris as the epoch time of the average ephemeris.

[0185] Alternatively, the configuration associated with the average ephemeris does not include the epoch time T e In the case of , the UE may regard the reception time of the configuration message as the start time of the validity timer, and the length of the validity timer is T, that is, the validity timer is at the reception time T r Starts with length T.

[0186] In some embodiments, after receiving a configuration message (e.g., SIB32) for discontinuous coverage from a serving cell or SIB1 from a serving cell that schedules a SIB dedicated to discontinuous coverage (e.g., SIB32), the UE may trigger coverage discontinuity prediction based on the average ephemeris of the discontinuous coverage included in the configuration message. For example, the UE may calculate the duration of the coverage interruption, the UE may determine the coverage discontinuity area, or the like. In some embodiments, the UE may disable neighbor cell measurement triggering in idle mode (e.g., RRC idle mode), inactive mode (e.g., RRC inactive mode), or connected mode (e.g., RRC connected mode). For example, based on the configuration message for discontinuous coverage, the UE determines that there are no neighbor cells, so the UE may disable neighbor cell measurement triggering. If the UE is performing neighbor cell measurements, the UE may stop ongoing measurements of neighbor cells in idle mode (e.g., RRC idle mode), inactive mode (e.g., RRC inactive mode), or connected mode (e.g., RRC connected mode).

[0187] In some other embodiments, after receiving the first configuration message including the first average ephemeris and the associated first configuration, the UE determines information associated with discontinuous coverage, which may include: some neighboring cells will continue to provide services to the UE, some neighboring cells will stop providing services to the UE, or the like. Based on the information, during the cell reselection evaluation procedure, the UE may prioritize certain neighboring cells, such as neighboring cells that will continue to provide services to the UE; the UE may de-prioritize certain neighboring cells, such as neighboring cells that may continue to provide services to the UE within a period of time; or the UE may exclude neighboring cells that may stop providing services to the UE.

[0188] Correspondingly, at the BS side, the BS may generate a configuration message (e.g., a first configuration message) including an average ephemeris (e.g., a first average ephemeris) and an associated first configuration (e.g., a first configuration) and broadcast the configuration message in an SIB or transmit the configuration message to the UE in a dedicated message. In some embodiments, the BS may receive a request from the UE requesting the average ephemeris and its associated configuration. The request may include associated satellite ID, duration, or UE location information (e.g., coordinates, region, country, or other geo-fence, etc.). The BS may then transmit a response including the requested average ephemeris and the associated configuration to the UE based on the request, for example, the average ephemeris transmitted to the UE may be associated with the satellite ID, duration, or UE location information.

[0189] Figure 4 A simplified block diagram illustrating an exemplary apparatus according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0190] like Figure 4 4, an example of an apparatus 400 may include at least one processor 404 and at least one transceiver 402 coupled to the processor 404. The apparatus 400 may be a UE or a BS or any other device having similar functionality.

[0191] Although elements are described in the singular in this figure, such as at least one transceiver 402 and processor 404, the plural form is contemplated unless limitation to the singular form is explicitly stated. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transceiver 402 may be divided into two devices, such as a receiving circuit system and a transmitting circuit system. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the device 400 may further include an input device, a memory, and / or other components.

[0192] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the device 400 may be a UE. The transceiver 402 and the processor 404 may interact with each other to perform Figures 1 to 3 In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the device 400 may be a BS. The transceiver 402 and the processor 404 may interact with each other to perform Figures 1 to 3 The operation of the BS described in any one of .

[0193] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the apparatus 400 may further include at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

[0194] For example, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may store computer-executable instructions that cause the processor 404 to implement the method described above with respect to the UE. For example, when the computer-executable instructions are executed, the processor 404 interacts with the transceiver 402 to perform Figures 1 to 3 Operation of the UE described in any one of .

[0195] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may store computer-executable instructions for causing the processor 404 to implement the method described above with respect to the BS. For example, when the computer-executable instructions are executed, the processor 404 interacts with the transceiver 402 to perform Figures 1 to 3 The operation of the BS described in any one of .

[0196] The methods of the present disclosure may be implemented on a programmed processor. However, the controller, flow charts, and modules may also be implemented on a general or special purpose computer, a programmed microprocessor or microcontroller and peripheral integrated circuit components, an integrated circuit, a hardware electronic or logic circuit (e.g., a discrete component circuit), a programmable logic device, or the like. In general, any device having a finite state machine capable of implementing the flow charts shown in the figures may be used to implement the processing functions of the present disclosure.

[0197] Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to specific embodiments of the present disclosure, it is apparent that many substitutions, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, the various components of the embodiments may be interchangeable, added, or substituted in other embodiments. Moreover, all of the elements shown in each figure are not necessary for the operation of the disclosed embodiments. For example, a person skilled in the art of the disclosed embodiments will be able to make and use the teachings of the present disclosure by simply adopting the elements of the independent claims. Therefore, the embodiments of the present disclosure set forth herein are intended to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0198] In the present disclosure, for example, the relational terms of "first", "second" and the like can be used alone to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action, without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. The term "comprises / comprising" or any other variation thereof is intended to encompass non-exclusive inclusions, so that the process, method, article or equipment including the element list not only includes those elements but also may include other elements that are not explicitly listed or inherent to this process, method, article or equipment. The elements beginning with "a / an" or the like do not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article or equipment including the element without more constraints. Moreover, the term "another" is defined as at least the second or more. As used herein, the terms "include", "have" and the like are defined as "include".

Claims

1. A user equipment UE, comprising: Transceiver; and a processor coupled to the transceiver and configured to: receiving, with the transceiver, a first configuration message including a first configuration and a first average ephemeris; and The first average ephemeris in the first configuration message is identified based on the first configuration. 2 . The UE according to claim 1 , wherein the first configuration message comprises a system information block (SIB) dedicated for discontinuous coverage or a dedicated signaling message for discontinuous coverage.

3. The UE of claim 1, wherein the first configuration comprises at least one of: an ephemeris type indication, which indicates at least one ephemeris type; at least two information elements, wherein each information element is specific to an ephemeris type; The validity period of the first average ephemeris; an epoch time associated with said first average ephemeris; an average duration associated with said first average ephemeris; a starting service time associated with the first average ephemeris; one or more identifiers of a Radio Access Network, RAN, node associated with said first average ephemeris; an identifier of a group of RAN nodes associated with said first average ephemeris; or The format of the first average ephemeris.

4. The UE of claim 3, wherein the format comprises at least one of a Simplified General Perturbed (4SGP4) format ephemeris or a two-row-element (TLE) format ephemeris.

5. The UE of claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured to identify the first average ephemeris based on at least one of the following conditions being satisfied: The ephemeris type indication indicates an average ephemeris type; An information element in the at least two information elements indicates that an average ephemeris is included in the first configuration message; The value of the validity time is greater than a first threshold; The unit of the epoch time is greater than a second threshold; The unit of the epoch time is seconds; The epoch time is a time offset from the beginning of the current day or week; The starting service time is a time offset from the start of the current day or the current week; said average duration being included in said first configuration; the two or more identifiers of the RAN nodes being comprised in the first configuration; said identifier of a group of RAN nodes being comprised in said first configuration; or The format of the ephemeris included in the first configuration message corresponds to the format of the first average ephemeris; The format of the ephemeris included in the first configuration message is a simplified general perturbation 4SGP4 format ephemeris or a two-row element TLE format.

6. The UE of claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured to apply at least a portion of the first configuration to the first average ephemeris of discontinuous coverage, wherein applying the at least a portion of the first configuration comprises at least one of: determining that the first average ephemeris is valid before the validity time; applying the epoch time to the first average ephemeris; determining that the first average ephemeris is an average ephemeris during the averaging duration; determining that the first average ephemeris is associated with one or more RAN nodes having the one or more identifiers; or It is determined that the first average ephemeris is associated with a RAN node group having the identifier of the RAN node group.

7. The UE of claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured to: A validity timer is maintained for the first average ephemeris, wherein the validity timer starts at the epoch time and expires at the validity time.

8. The UE of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to obtain a second configuration and a second average ephemeris in response to at least one of: receiving a second configuration message for updating the average ephemeris; expiration of a validity timer for said first average ephemeris; The predicted disruption in network coverage has passed; wake up from power saving mode after network coverage is lost; Selecting or reselecting to a cell after a network coverage interruption; Complete random access to a cell after a network coverage interruption; or Identifying the first average ephemeris in the first configuration message fails.

9. The UE of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to: transmitting a request for the second average ephemeris to a base station BS and receiving the second configuration and the second average ephemeris in dedicated signaling; or A system information block including the second configuration and the second average ephemeris is received.

10. The UE of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to perform at least one of the following: predicting coverage continuity based on the first average ephemeris; Disable neighbor cell measurement trigger; or Stop ongoing measurements on neighboring cells.

11. A base station BS, comprising: Transceiver; and a processor coupled to the transceiver and configured to: generating a first configuration message including a first configuration and a first average ephemeris; and The first configuration message is transmitted with the transceiver. 12 . The BS of claim 11 , wherein the first configuration message comprises a system information block (SIB) dedicated for discontinuous coverage or a dedicated signaling message for discontinuous coverage.

13. The BS of claim 11, wherein the first configuration comprises at least one of: an ephemeris type indication, which indicates at least one ephemeris type; at least two information elements, wherein each information element is specific to an ephemeris type; The validity period of the first average ephemeris; an epoch time associated with said first average ephemeris; an average duration associated with said first average ephemeris; a starting service time associated with the first average ephemeris; one or more identifiers of a Radio Access Network, RAN, node associated with said first average ephemeris; an identifier of a group of RAN nodes associated with said first average ephemeris; or The format of the first average ephemeris.

14. The BS of claim 13, wherein the format comprises at least one of a Simplified General Perturbed (4) (SGP4) format ephemeris or a two-row-element (TLE) format ephemeris.

15. A method performed by a user equipment UE, comprising: Receiving a first configuration message including a first configuration and a first average ephemeris; and The first average ephemeris in the first configuration message is identified based on the first configuration.

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