Switching method and communication device

Abstract

The invention provides a switching method and a communication device. The switching efficiency and the success rate can be improved. The method comprises the following steps that: terminal equipment acquires first measurement configuration information and second measurement configuration information, and further measures a first type of downlink reference signals according to first position information and the first measurement configuration information; and / or, according to the second position information and the second measurement configuration information, measuring the second type of downlink reference signals to obtain a measurement result; and determining whether to perform cell switching according to the measurement result.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a switching method and a communication device. Background Art

[0002] With the development of satellite networks, the overall trend of satellite networks is ultra-dense and heterogeneous. The scale of satellite networks has grown from 66 satellites in the Iridium constellation to 720 satellites in the OneWeb constellation, and finally extended to the 12,000+ Starlink ultra-dense low earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation. Secondly, satellite networks are heterogeneous, from traditional single-layer communication networks to multi-layer communication networks, the functions of communication satellite networks are also becoming more complex and diversified, and are gradually compatible with and support functions such as navigation enhancement, earth observation, and multi-dimensional information on-orbit processing.

[0003] In a beam-hopping satellite system, satellites use beam hopping to provide regional coverage in a time-sharing manner. The movement of satellites can trigger group handovers of terminal devices in a certain area (i.e., multiple terminal devices in the area initiate handovers almost simultaneously). Existing cell handover designs target handovers triggered by the movement of terminal devices and are not suitable for group handovers caused by satellite movement. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present application provides a switching method and a communication device, which can improve the switching / reselection efficiency and success rate by designing a variety of measurement configurations for cell switching to adapt to group switching caused by satellite movement or switching or reselection triggered by terminal device movement.

[0005] In the first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a switching method, which can be executed by a terminal device. The terminal device here can refer to the terminal device itself, or a processor, module, chip, or chip system that implements the method in the terminal device. The method includes: the terminal device obtains first measurement configuration information and second measurement configuration information, and measures the first type of downlink reference signal according to the first location information and the first measurement configuration information; and / or, according to the second location information and the second measurement configuration information, measures the second type of downlink reference signal to obtain a measurement result; wherein the first measurement configuration information is used to configure the transmission resources of the first type of downlink reference signal, the second measurement configuration information is used to configure the transmission resources of the second type of downlink reference signal, and the first type of downlink reference signal and the second type of downlink reference signal are used for cell switching; further, the terminal device can determine whether to perform cell switching according to the measurement result. In the above design, the terminal device measures multiple types of downlink reference signals based on multiple measurement configurations, and flexibly and quickly determines whether to perform cell switching.

[0006] In one possible design, the first type of downlink reference signal is used for cell switching triggered by network device movement, and the second type of downlink reference signal is used for cell switching triggered by terminal equipment. In the above design, considering the switching of terminal equipment groups caused by the movement of network equipment (such as satellites), configuring the measurement configuration of downlink reference signals dedicated to cell switching can improve the switching efficiency and success rate.

[0007] In one possible design, the terminal device may measure the first type of downlink reference signal from the target network device according to the measurement time corresponding to the first position information in the first measurement configuration information. Exemplarily, the first position information may refer to the wave position where the terminal device is located, that is, it can be understood that in this design, the network device may separately configure the corresponding measurement time for different wave positions to reduce the measurement interference between the wave positions and improve the accuracy of the measurement results.

[0008] In one possible design, the first measurement configuration information is used to configure multiple transmission resources of the first type of downlink reference signal, and at least two of the multiple transmission resources of the first type of downlink reference signal have different activation times. Based on such a design, the terminal device can measure the first type of downlink reference signal on multiple transmission resources in a time-sharing manner.

[0009] Exemplarily, the multiple transmission resources of the first type of downlink reference signal include a first transmission resource corresponding to the first cell group, and a second transmission resource corresponding to the second cell group. The terminal device can measure the first type of downlink reference signal from the first cell group according to the measurement time corresponding to the first location information in the first transmission resource during the activation time of the first transmission resource; or, the terminal device can measure the first type of downlink reference signal from the second cell group according to the measurement time corresponding to the first location information in the second transmission resource during the activation time of the second transmission resource. Such a design can be applied to the scenario where the terminal device cyclically switches between the first cell group and the second cell group. Only one measurement configuration is required, which can simplify the measurement configuration process and mobility management and improve switching efficiency.

[0010] In one possible design, the first measurement configuration information is used to configure a first signal quality threshold, and the first signal quality threshold is determined based on the L1 / L2 mobility management configuration of the terminal device; if the signal quality of the first downlink reference signal included in the measurement result is greater than or equal to the first signal quality threshold, the terminal device can determine to perform cell switching. Such a design is applied in the scenario of L1 / L2 mobility management, which can reduce the communication interruption time caused by satellite movement.

[0011] In one possible design, the terminal device can measure the second type of downlink reference signal according to the second measurement configuration information when the distance between the second location information and the first reference location in the serving cell is greater than the first threshold; and / or the terminal device can measure the second type of downlink reference signal according to the second measurement configuration information when the distance between the second location information and the second reference location in the neighboring cell is less than the second threshold. Based on such a design, the terminal device can quickly determine whether to perform a cell switch caused by its own movement, thereby improving the switching efficiency.

[0012] In one possible design, the second measurement configuration information is further used to configure one or more of the following: a first reference position, a first threshold, a second reference position, and a second threshold.

[0013] In a possible design, a transmission resource of the first type of downlink reference signal includes one or more of the following: a time domain resource corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, a transmission period of the first type of downlink reference signal, a sequence corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, a polarization mode corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, a frequency domain resource corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, a beam identifier corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, a receiving window corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, and a receiving window offset corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal. Such a design can assist the terminal device in performing signal measurement during cell switching and improve switching efficiency.

[0014] In one possible design, the first measurement configuration information is used to configure a first access resource associated with a first type of downlink reference signal, and the first access resource is different from a second access resource associated with a second type of downlink reference signal. By designing access resources for terminal device group switching triggered by network device movement, the success rate of terminal device group switching can be improved.

[0015] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a switching method, which can be executed by a network device, where the network device can refer to the network device itself, or a processor, module, chip, or chip system in the network device that implements the method, and the method includes: the network device determines first measurement configuration information and second measurement configuration information; and sends the first measurement configuration information and the second measurement configuration information. The first measurement configuration information is used to configure the transmission resources of the first type of downlink reference signal, the second measurement configuration information is used to configure the transmission resources of the second type of downlink reference signal, and the first type of downlink reference signal and the second type of downlink reference signal are used for cell switching.

[0016] In one possible design, the first type of downlink reference signal is used for cell switching triggered by network device movement, and the second type of downlink reference signal is used for cell switching triggered by terminal equipment.

[0017] In one possible design, the first measurement configuration information includes a measurement time corresponding to the first location information.

[0018] In a possible design, the first measurement configuration information is used to configure multiple transmission resources of a first type of downlink reference signal, and activation times of at least two of the multiple transmission resources of the first type of downlink reference signal are different.

[0019] In one possible design, the multiple transmission resources of the first type of downlink reference signal include a first transmission resource corresponding to the first cell group, and a second transmission resource corresponding to the second cell group; wherein the first transmission resource is different from the second transmission resource; the first transmission resource includes a measurement time corresponding to the first position information, and the second transmission resource includes a measurement time corresponding to the first position information.

[0020] In one possible design, the first measurement configuration information is used to configure a first signal quality threshold, the first signal quality threshold is determined based on the L1 / L2 mobility management configuration of the terminal device, and the first signal quality threshold is used by the terminal device to determine whether to perform a cell switch.

[0021] In one possible design, the second measurement configuration information is used to configure one or more of the following parameters: a first reference position in a serving cell, a first threshold, a second reference position in a neighboring cell, and a second threshold; wherein the one or more parameters configured by the second measurement configuration information are used by the terminal device to determine whether to perform measurement of a second type of downlink reference signal.

[0022] In one possible design, a transmission resource of a first type of downlink reference signal includes one or more of the following: a time domain resource corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, a transmission period of the first type of downlink reference signal, a sequence corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, a polarization mode corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, a frequency domain resource corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, a beam identifier corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, a receiving window corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, and a receiving window offset corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal.

[0023] In one possible design, the first measurement configuration information is used to configure a first access resource associated with a first type of downlink reference signal, and the first access resource is different from a second access resource associated with a second type of downlink reference signal.

[0024] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which may be a terminal device, or a device, module, or chip in a terminal device, or a device that can be used in conjunction with a terminal device. In one design, the communication device may include a module that performs a one-to-one correspondence between the method / operation / step / action described in the first aspect, and the module may be a hardware circuit, or software, or a combination of a hardware circuit and software. In one design, the communication device may include a processing module and a communication module.

[0025] A communication module is used to obtain first measurement configuration information and second measurement configuration information; wherein the first measurement configuration information is used to configure transmission resources for a first type of downlink reference signal, the second measurement configuration information is used to configure transmission resources for a second type of downlink reference signal, and the first type of downlink reference signal and the second type of downlink reference signal are used for cell switching; a processing module is used to measure the first type of downlink reference signal according to the first position information and the first measurement configuration information; and / or, measure the second type of downlink reference signal according to the second position information and the second measurement configuration information to obtain a measurement result; and determine whether to perform cell switching according to the measurement result.

[0026] In one possible design, the first type of downlink reference signal is used for cell switching triggered by network device movement, and the second type of downlink reference signal is used for cell switching triggered by terminal equipment.

[0027] In one possible design, the processing module is specifically used to measure a first type of downlink reference signal from a target network device according to a measurement time corresponding to the first location information in the first measurement configuration information.

[0028] In a possible design, the first measurement configuration information is used to configure multiple transmission resources of a first type of downlink reference signal, and activation times of at least two of the multiple transmission resources of the first type of downlink reference signal are different.

[0029] In one possible design, the multiple transmission resources of the first type of downlink reference signal include a first transmission resource corresponding to the first cell group and a second transmission resource corresponding to the second cell group, and the processing module is specifically used to: within the activation time of the first transmission resource, according to the measurement time corresponding to the first position information in the first transmission resource, measure the first type of downlink reference signal from the first cell group; or, within the activation time of the second transmission resource, according to the measurement time corresponding to the first position information in the second transmission resource, measure the first type of downlink reference signal from the second cell group.

[0030] In one possible design, the first measurement configuration information is used to configure a first signal quality threshold, and the first signal quality threshold is determined based on the L1 / L2 mobility management configuration of the terminal device; the processing module is specifically used to: if the signal quality of the first downlink reference signal included in the measurement result is greater than or equal to the first signal quality threshold, determine to perform cell switching.

[0031] In one possible design, the processing module, when measuring the second type of downlink reference signal according to the second position information and the second measurement configuration information, is specifically used to: when the distance between the second position information and the first reference position in the serving cell is greater than the first threshold, measure the second type of downlink reference signal according to the second measurement configuration information; and / or, when the distance between the second position information and the second reference position in the neighboring cell is less than the second threshold, measure the second type of downlink reference signal according to the second measurement configuration information.

[0032] In one possible design, the second measurement configuration information is further used to configure one or more of the following: a first reference position, a first threshold, a second reference position, and a second threshold.

[0033] In one possible design, a transmission resource of a first type of downlink reference signal includes one or more of the following: a time domain resource corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, a transmission period of the first type of downlink reference signal, a sequence corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, a polarization mode corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, a frequency domain resource corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, a beam identifier corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, a receiving window corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, and a receiving window offset corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal.

[0034] In one possible design, the first measurement configuration information is used to configure a first access resource associated with a first type of downlink reference signal, and the first access resource is different from a second access resource associated with a second type of downlink reference signal.

[0035] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which may be a network device, or a device, module, or chip in a network device, or a device that can be used in conjunction with a network device. In one design, the communication device may include a module that executes the method / operation / step / action described in the second aspect, and the module may be a hardware circuit, or software, or a combination of a hardware circuit and software. In one design, the communication device may include a processing module and a communication module.

[0036] The processing module is used to determine the first measurement configuration information and the second measurement configuration information; the communication module is used to send the first measurement configuration information and the second measurement configuration information. The first measurement configuration information is used to configure the transmission resources of the first type of downlink reference signal, the second measurement configuration information is used to configure the transmission resources of the second type of downlink reference signal, and the first type of downlink reference signal and the second type of downlink reference signal are used for cell switching.

[0037] In one possible design, the first type of downlink reference signal is used for cell switching triggered by network device movement, and the second type of downlink reference signal is used for cell switching triggered by terminal equipment.

[0038] In one possible design, the first measurement configuration information includes a measurement time corresponding to the first location information.

[0039] In a possible design, the first measurement configuration information is used to configure multiple transmission resources of a first type of downlink reference signal, and activation times of at least two of the multiple transmission resources of the first type of downlink reference signal are different.

[0040] In one possible design, the multiple transmission resources of the first type of downlink reference signal include a first transmission resource corresponding to the first cell group, and a second transmission resource corresponding to the second cell group; wherein the first transmission resource is different from the second transmission resource; the first transmission resource includes a measurement time corresponding to the first position information, and the second transmission resource includes a measurement time corresponding to the first position information.

[0041] In one possible design, the first measurement configuration information is used to configure a first signal quality threshold, the first signal quality threshold is determined based on the L1 / L2 mobility management configuration of the terminal device, and the first signal quality threshold is used by the terminal device to determine whether to perform a cell switch.

[0042] In one possible design, the second measurement configuration information is used to configure one or more of the following parameters: a first reference position in a serving cell, a first threshold, a second reference position in a neighboring cell, and a second threshold; wherein the one or more parameters configured by the second measurement configuration information are used by the terminal device to determine whether to perform measurement of a second type of downlink reference signal.

[0043] In one possible design, a transmission resource of a first type of downlink reference signal includes one or more of the following: a time domain resource corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, a transmission period of the first type of downlink reference signal, a sequence corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, a polarization mode corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, a frequency domain resource corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, a beam identifier corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, a receiving window corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, and a receiving window offset corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal.

[0044] In one possible design, the first measurement configuration information is used to configure a first access resource associated with a first type of downlink reference signal, and the first access resource is different from a second access resource associated with a second type of downlink reference signal.

[0045] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, the communication device includes a processor, and is used to implement the method described in the first aspect above. The processor is coupled to a memory, and the memory is used to store instructions and data. When the processor executes the instructions stored in the memory, the method described in the first aspect above can be implemented. Optionally, the communication device may also include a memory; the communication device may also include a communication interface, and the communication interface is used for the device to communicate with other devices. Exemplarily, the communication interface may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module, pin or other type of communication interface.

[0046] In one possible device, the communication device includes:

[0047] A memory for storing instructions;

[0048] A communication interface, used to obtain first measurement configuration information and second measurement configuration information; wherein the first measurement configuration information is used to configure transmission resources of a first type of downlink reference signal, the second measurement configuration information is used to configure transmission resources of a second type of downlink reference signal, and the first type of downlink reference signal and the second type of downlink reference signal are used for cell switching;

[0049] The processor is used to measure a first type of downlink reference signal according to first location information and first measurement configuration information; and / or, to measure a second type of downlink reference signal according to second location information and second measurement configuration information to obtain a measurement result; and determine whether to perform a cell switch based on the measurement result.

[0050] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, the communication device includes a processor, and is used to implement the method described in the second aspect above. The processor is coupled to a memory, and the memory is used to store instructions and data. When the processor executes the instructions stored in the memory, the method described in the second aspect above can be implemented. Optionally, the communication device may also include a memory; the communication device may also include a communication interface, and the communication interface is used for the device to communicate with other devices. Exemplarily, the communication interface may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module, pin or other type of communication interface.

[0051] In one possible device, the communication device includes:

[0052] A memory for storing instructions;

[0053] A processor, configured to determine first measurement configuration information and second measurement configuration information; wherein the first measurement configuration information is used to configure transmission resources of a first type of downlink reference signal, the second measurement configuration information is used to configure transmission resources of a second type of downlink reference signal, and the first type of downlink reference signal and the second type of downlink reference signal are used for cell switching;

[0054] The communication interface is used to send the first measurement configuration information and the second measurement configuration information.

[0055] In a seventh aspect, the present disclosure provides a communication system, comprising a communication device as described in the third aspect or the fifth aspect; and a communication device as described in the fourth aspect or the sixth aspect.

[0056] In an eighth aspect, the present disclosure further provides a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method provided in any one of the first to second aspects above.

[0057] In a ninth aspect, the present disclosure further provides a computer program product, comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enable the computer to execute the method provided in any one of the first to second aspects above.

[0058] In the tenth aspect, the present disclosure further provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which a computer program or instruction is stored. When the computer program or instruction is executed on a computer, the computer executes the method provided in any one of the first to second aspects above.

[0059] In the eleventh aspect, the present disclosure further provides a chip, which is used to read a computer program stored in a memory and execute the method provided in any one of the first to second aspects above, or the chip includes a circuit for executing the method provided in any one of the first to second aspects above.

[0060] In a twelfth aspect, the present disclosure further provides a chip system, which includes a processor for supporting a device to implement the method provided in any one of the first to second aspects above. In a possible design, the chip system also includes a memory, which is used to store programs and data necessary for the device. The chip system can be composed of a chip, or it can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0061] The effects of the solutions provided in any of the second to twelfth aspects above can be referred to the corresponding description in the first aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0062] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the land network communication system in the embodiment of the present application;

[0063] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the NTN communication system architecture in an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the 5G satellite communication system architecture in an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the satellite communication system architecture in an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the beam hopping communication process in an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of switching of a group of transmitting terminal devices in beam hopping communication in an embodiment of the present application;

[0068] Figure 7 A flowchart of a switching method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0069] Figure 8 One of the schematic diagrams of the scenario of group switching triggered by satellite movement;

[0070] Fig. 9 One of the schematic diagrams of the scenario of group switching triggered by satellite movement;

[0071] Fig.10 This is one of the structural diagrams of the communication device in the embodiment of the present application;

[0072] Fig.11 This is one of the structural diagrams of the communication device in the embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0073] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the embodiments of the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0074] The at least one (item) involved in the embodiments of the present application as follows indicates one (item) or more (items). More than one (item) refers to two (items) or more than two (items). "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. The character " / " generally indicates that the related objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. In addition, it should be understood that although the terms first, second, etc. may be used to describe each object in the embodiments of the present application, these objects should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish each object from each other.

[0075] The terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof mentioned in the following description of the embodiments of the present application are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product or device comprising a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but optionally also includes other steps or units that are not listed, or optionally also includes other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices. It should be noted that, in the embodiments of the present application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to represent examples, illustrations or explanations. Any method or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of the present application should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other methods or designs. Specifically, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present related concepts in a concrete manner.

[0076] The technology provided in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as satellite communication systems, high altitude platform station (HAPS) communication systems, drones and other non-terrestrial network (NTN) systems; for example, integrated communication and navigation (IcaN) systems, global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) and ultra-dense low-orbit satellite communication systems. The communication system used in the embodiments of the present application can be integrated with the ground communication system. For example: the ground communication system can be a fourth generation (4G) communication system (for example, a long term evolution (LTE) system), a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, a fifth generation (5G) communication system (for example, a new radio (NR) system), and future mobile communication systems such as 6G communication systems.

[0077] A network element in a communication system may send a signal to another network element or receive a signal from another network element. The signal may include information, signaling, or data. The network element may also be replaced by an entity, a network entity, a device, a communication device, a communication module, a node, a communication node, etc. The network element is used as an example for description in the embodiments of the present application.

[0078] For example, the ground communication system may include at least one terminal device and at least one network device. The network device may send a downlink signal to the terminal device, and / or the terminal device may send an uplink signal to the network device. In addition, it can be understood that if the communication system includes multiple terminal devices, multiple terminal devices may also send signals to each other, that is, the signal sending network element and the signal receiving network element may both be terminal devices.

[0079] Figure 1 The architecture of a mobile communication system is shown. The communication system 100 may include a network device 110 and terminal devices 101 to 106. It should be understood that the communication system 100 may include more or fewer network devices or terminal devices. The network device or terminal device may be hardware, or software divided from the function, or a combination of the above two. In addition, the terminal devices 104 to 106 may also form a communication system, for example, the terminal device 105 may send downlink data to the terminal device 104 or the terminal device 106. The network device and the terminal device may communicate through other devices or network elements. The network device 110 may send downlink data to the terminal devices 101 to 106, and may also receive uplink data sent by the terminal devices 101 to 106. Of course, the terminal devices 101 to 106 may also send uplink data to the network device 110, and may also receive downlink data sent by the network device 110.

[0080] The network device 110 is a node in a radio access network (RAN), which can also be called a base station, or a RAN node (or device). At present, some examples of access network devices 101 are: evolved node B (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), node B (NB), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home base station (e.g., home evolved NodeB, or home Node B, HNB), baseband unit (BBU), access point (AP) in a wireless fidelity (WIFI) system, wireless relay node, wireless backhaul node, transmission point (TP) or transmission reception point (TRP), satellite, drone, etc. The network device can also be a base station (next generation NodeB, gNB) or TRP or TP in a 5G system, or one or a group of (including multiple antenna panels) antenna panels of a base station in a 5G system. In addition, the network device may also be a network node constituting a gNB or TP, such as a BBU, or a distributed unit (DU). Alternatively, the network device may also be a device-to-device (D2D) communication system, a machine-to-machine (M2M) communication system, an Internet of Things (IoT), a vehicle network communication system, or a device that performs network-side functions in other communication systems. The network device 110 may also be a network device in a possible future communication system. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the network device.

[0081] Terminal devices 101 to 106, which may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent or user device, are devices that provide voice or data connectivity to users, and may also be IoT devices. For example, terminal devices 101 to 106 include handheld devices and vehicle-mounted devices with wireless communication functions. At present, the terminal devices 101 to 106 may be: mobile phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices (e.g., smart watches, smart bracelets, pedometers, etc.), vehicle-mounted devices (e.g., cars, bicycles, electric vehicles, airplanes, ships, trains, high-speed trains, etc.), virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, smart home devices (e.g., refrigerators, televisions, air conditioners, electric meters, etc.), smart robots, workshop equipment, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in remote medical surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, flying devices (e.g., smart robots, hot air balloons, drones, airplanes), etc. The terminal devices 101 to 106 may also be other devices having terminal functions. For example, the terminal devices 101 to 106 may also be devices that serve as terminal functions in D2D communications.

[0082] based on Figure 1The description of the ground communication system architecture shown in the figure illustrates that a non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication system can be applied to the embodiments of the present application. NTN includes nodes such as satellite networks, high-altitude platforms and drones, and has significant advantages such as global coverage, long-distance transmission, flexible networking, convenient deployment and no geographical restrictions. It has been widely used in maritime communications, positioning navigation, disaster relief, scientific experiments, video broadcasting and earth observation and other fields. The ground 5G network and satellite network are integrated with each other, complementing each other's strengths and weaknesses, and together form a global seamless coverage of the sea, land, air, space and ground integrated integrated communication network to meet the user's ubiquitous and various business needs. In the embodiment of the present application, NTN communication takes satellite communication as an example, or the NTN communication system takes a satellite system as an example. As Figure 2 As shown, the NTN communication system includes a satellite 201 and a terminal device 202. The explanation of the terminal device 202 can refer to the relevant description of the above-mentioned terminal devices 101 to 106. The satellite 201 can also be called a high-altitude platform, a high-altitude aircraft, or a satellite base station. In terms of the NTN communication system in connection with the terrestrial network communication system, the satellite 201 can be regarded as one or more network devices in the terrestrial network communication system architecture. The satellite 201 provides communication services to the terminal device 202, and the satellite 201 can also be connected to the core network device. The structure and functions of the network device 201 can also refer to the above-mentioned description of the network device 201. The communication method between the satellite 201 and the terminal device 202 can also refer to the above-mentioned Figure 1 The solution in the embodiment of the present application can also be directly applied to the ground communication network or slightly modified in a way that can be thought of by those skilled in the art, and will not be repeated here.

[0083] Taking 5G as an example, a 5G satellite communication system architecture is as follows: Figure 3 As shown in the figure, ground terminal equipment accesses the network through the 5G new air interface, and the 5G base station is deployed on the satellite and connected to the ground core network through a wireless link. At the same time, there is a wireless link between satellites to complete the signaling interaction and user data transmission between base stations. Figure 3 The devices and interfaces in the are described as follows:

[0084] 5G core network: user access control, mobility management, session management, user security authentication, billing and other services. It consists of multiple functional units, which can be divided into functional entities of control plane and data plane. Access and mobility management unit (AMF) is responsible for user access management, security authentication, and mobility management. User plane unit (UPF) is responsible for managing the transmission of user plane data, traffic statistics and other functions.

[0085] Ground station: responsible for forwarding signaling and business data between satellite base stations and 5G core network.

[0086] 5G New Radio: The wireless link between the terminal and the base station.

[0087] Xn interface: The interface between 5G base stations, mainly used for signaling interactions such as switching.

[0088] NG interface: The interface between the 5G base station and the 5G core network, which mainly interacts with the core network's NAS and other signaling, as well as the user's business data.

[0089] like Figure 4 As shown, it is a schematic diagram of another possible satellite communication system architecture applicable to the present application. If the satellite communication system is compared with the terrestrial communication system, the satellite can be regarded as one or more network devices on the ground, such as base stations. Access point 1, access point 2, and even access point 3 to access point n (not shown in the figure), the satellite provides communication services to the terminal equipment, and the satellite can also be connected to the core network equipment (such as access and mobility management function (AMF). The satellite can be a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite or a non-geostationary earth orbit (NGEO) satellite.

[0090] As an example, Figure 4 The satellite communication system in the example includes satellite 401, satellite 402 and satellite 403. Each satellite can provide communication services, navigation services and positioning services to the terminal device through multiple beams. The satellite in this scenario can be a LEO satellite. The satellite uses multiple beams to cover the service area. Different beams can communicate through one or more of time division, frequency division and space division. The satellite communicates wirelessly with the terminal device by broadcasting communication signals and navigation signals. The satellite can communicate wirelessly with the ground station equipment, such as Figure 4 The satellite 403 is shown connected to the ground station equipment. The satellite mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be a satellite base station, or may include an orbital receiver or a repeater for relaying information, or may be a network side device carried on a satellite.

[0091] Among them, some examples of ground station equipment are as follows: equipment in the core network (CN) of the existing mobile communication architecture (such as the 3GPP access architecture of the 5G network) or equipment in the core network of the future mobile communication architecture. The core network provides an interface to the data network as a bearer network, providing communication connection, authentication, management, policy control and data service bearing for the user equipment (UE). Among them, CN may further include: access and mobility management function (AMF), session management function (SMF), authentication server function (AUSF), policy control function (PCF), user plane function (UPF) and other network elements. Among them, the AMF network element is used to manage the access and mobility of the UE, and is mainly responsible for the authentication of the UE, the mobility management of the UE, the paging of the UE and other functions.

[0092] Satellite communication systems include transparent satellite architecture and non-transparent satellite architecture. Transparent transmission is also called bent-pipe forwarding transmission: the signal only undergoes frequency conversion, signal amplification and other processes on the satellite, and the satellite is transparent to the signal, as if it does not exist. Non-transparent transmission is also called regenerative (on-board access / processing) transmission: the satellite has some or all base station functions. For example, Figure 4 Satellite 401 and satellite 402 in the figure are non-transparent satellite architectures, and satellite 403 is a transparent satellite architecture. In addition, the satellite can operate in a quasi earth-fixed mode or a satellite-fixed mode.

[0093] The network devices in the terrestrial communication system and the satellites in the NTN communication system are uniformly regarded as network devices. The device for realizing the function of the network device can be a network device; it can also be a device that can support the network device to realize the function, such as a chip system, which can be installed in the network device. When describing the technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present application below, the technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present application is described by taking the device for realizing the function of the network device as a satellite as an example. It can be understood that when the method provided by the embodiment of the present application is applied to a terrestrial network communication system, the actions performed by the satellite can be applied to the base station or network device for execution.

[0094] In the embodiment of the present application, the device for realizing the function of the terminal device may be a terminal device; or it may be a device capable of supporting the terminal device to realize the function, such as a chip system, a hardware circuit, a software module, or a hardware circuit plus a software module, which may be installed in the terminal device or used in combination with the terminal device. In the embodiment of the present application, the chip system may be composed of a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices. In the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application is described by taking the case where the device for realizing the function of the terminal device is a terminal device as an example.

[0095] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the application scenarios of the present application are introduced below. The business scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application. Ordinary technicians in this field can know that with the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0096] The coverage of a satellite can reach thousands or even tens of thousands of kilometers, while the coverage of a beam can reach tens or even thousands of kilometers. In order to support wide-area coverage of satellites, a satellite is usually equipped with dozens, hundreds, or even more beams. In order to alleviate the contradiction between the small payload and wide coverage of a single satellite, beam hopping can be used for regional coverage. That is, a satellite can be equipped with more beams to cover a wider area, but only a smaller number of beams are used for regional coverage in the same time unit, and multiple beams used in different time units can cover a wider area. For example, see Figure 5 As shown in the figure, a satellite is configured with 16 beams to cover a wider area, but only 4 beams are used for regional coverage in one time unit. In time unit T1, four beams numbered 0, 1, 4, and 5 are used for regional coverage; in time unit T2, four beams numbered 2, 3, 6, and 7 are used for regional coverage. Similarly, all areas covered by a single satellite (i.e., the areas corresponding to the 16 beams) are served in a time-sharing manner through T1, T2, T3, and T4. A time unit can be tens of milliseconds, a few milliseconds, or even a smaller time granularity. In a satellite communication network, a satellite is configured with multiple beams. The beam configured by the satellite refers to the shape formed by the electromagnetic wave emitted by the satellite antenna on the surface of the earth, just like the beam of a flashlight has a certain range; or the signal emitted by the satellite is not 360° radiation, but a signal wave concentrated in a certain direction. In one possible design, a beam configured by the satellite corresponds to a cell; in another possible design, two or more beams configured by the satellite correspond to a cell.

[0097] In a beam-hopping satellite communication system, the movement of the satellite will cause group switching of terminal devices in a certain zone. Figure 6 As shown, the UE cluster in a single beam position in area Z2 is denoted as UE-G1, and UE-G1 contains multiple UEs. At time T1, UE-G1 is served by one or more beams of satellite SAT-2; at time T2, the movement of satellite SAT-2 causes the beam position to be unable to be served, and one or more beams of satellite SAT-1 take over the service of UE-G1. Therefore, a group switch occurs for UE-G1. In addition, due to the fast movement speed of the satellite, about 7.5km / s, the frequency of group switching is about every time / several seconds to tens of seconds. In other words, in the beam-hopping satellite system, terminal device group switching triggered by satellite movement becomes the norm. Among them, terminal device group switching can also be described as UE group switching, user group switching, etc.

[0098] At present, the cell switching of the ground network is mainly triggered by the movement of the terminal device. Generally, the network device can send the measurement configuration corresponding to the service cell and the neighboring cell to the terminal device, and the UE measures the cell signal quality according to the measurement configuration, such as measuring the reference signal received power (reference signal received power, RSRP), the reference signal received quality (reference signal received quality, RSRQ) and the reference signal or signal to interference plus noise ratio (signal to interference plus noise ratio, SINR) One or more. The terminal device reports the measurement result to the network device, and the network device selects a suitable neighboring cell based on the received measurement result, and exchanges user switching related context information, access control and reserved resources and other information. Then the network device sends the switching related control information to the terminal device through the service cell, and completes the access process in the new cell. If the existing cell switching design is used in the beam-hopping satellite system, the efficiency and success rate of the group switching caused by the satellite movement will be low.

[0099] Based on this, the embodiments of the present application provide a switching method and device, which designs different measurement configurations for group switching caused by satellite motion and cell switching triggered by terminal device movement, is suitable for a variety of communication scenarios, helps terminal devices flexibly select appropriate measurement configurations for cell switching, and can improve the efficiency and success rate of cell switching. Figure 7 This switching method will be described in detail.

[0100] Figure 7 A switching method is illustrated, and the switching method includes the following process.

[0101] S701: A network device sends first measurement configuration information to a terminal device.

[0102] Among them, the first measurement configuration information is used to configure the transmission resources of the first type of downlink reference signal. The first type of downlink reference signal is used for cell switching, and the cell switching includes cell switching of a terminal device in a connected state, or cell reselection of a terminal device in an idle state or an inactive state. It can be understood that the cell reselection here is a special case of cell switching. Optionally, in a beam-hopping satellite system, the first type of downlink reference signal is used for cell switching triggered by satellite movement, or described as: the first type of downlink reference signal is used for terminal device group switching triggered by network device movement. It can be understood that the network device is a service satellite or ground device of the terminal device.

[0103] In one possible design, the first measurement configuration information is used to configure the transmission resources of the first type of downlink reference signal from the target network device; wherein the target network device may be an adjacent satellite of the current service satellite, and the adjacent satellite is about to replace the current service satellite to provide services for the terminal device. Figure 8 As shown in the figure, the network device serves multiple wave positions (i.e., geographical areas) through at least one cell. At the first time, the network device (SAT-K) provides services to the terminal device at wave position bw#b through cell PCI-K1. As the satellite moves, the adjacent satellite (SAT-L) will take over the service to the terminal device at wave position bw#b through cell PCI-LI. It can be understood that the service satellite and adjacent satellite corresponding to different times are different.

[0104] In a specific implementation, the network device may negotiate with the target network device to determine the transmission resources of the first type of downlink reference signal. Exemplarily, the transmission resources of the first type of downlink reference signal include one or more of the following: the time domain resources corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, the transmission period of the first type of downlink reference signal, the sequence corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, the polarization mode corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, the frequency domain resources corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, the beam corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, the receiving window corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, and the receiving window offset corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal. It can be understood that the receiving window offset refers to the offset between the receiving window corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal and the reference receiving window.

[0105] Optionally, the time domain resources occupied by the first type of downlink reference signal can use a bitmap to represent the sending position of the first type of downlink reference signal in the time domain. The transmission period of the first type of downlink reference signal is related to the motion state of the satellite, and the transmission period of the first type of downlink reference signal can be determined by the latitude position involved in the motion trajectory of the satellite. For example, different periods can be used at low latitudes and high latitudes, where low latitudes can indicate latitudes within 50 degrees north and south latitudes, and high latitudes correspond to latitudes above 50 degrees north and south latitudes. For example, the period corresponding to the low latitude position is 30s, and the period corresponding to the high latitude position is 5s.

[0106] Optionally, the receiving window corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal can be represented by the time-frequency resources occupied by the receiving window, or by the offset between the receiving window and the reference receiving window. In one possible implementation, the time domain resources of the receiving window are at the cell level, that is, terminal devices on all wave positions covered by a cell can measure the first type of downlink reference signal based on the receiving window. In another possible implementation, the time domain resources of the receiving window are at the wave position level, and different wave positions correspond to different receiving windows. Exemplarily, in the case of being represented by the offset between the receiving window and the reference receiving window, the network device configures the receiving window corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal in the first measurement configuration information, specifically including: the network device indicates the time-frequency resources of the reference receiving window and the offsets corresponding to multiple wave positions in the first measurement configuration information, and the offsets corresponding to different wave positions are different. Optionally, the network device can also indicate the first access resource associated with the first type of downlink reference signal in the first configuration information, and the first access resource is used for cell switching triggered by satellite motion. Among them, the first access resource may include one or more of the following: the period of access opportunity (random access channel occasion, RO), the frequency domain resources of RO, the preamble index, the mask index, the access beam identifier, the ephemeris information of the target network device (adjacent satellite), and the paging configuration. Considering that satellite movement will normally cause terminal device group switching, that is, multiple terminal devices may need to periodically switch cells together. Then in a possible design, the access opportunity (random access channel occasion, RO) in the first access resource can be greater than the access opportunity in the random access resource, and the period of RO in the first access resource is also greater than the period of RO in the random access resource.

[0107] Optionally, the first downlink reference signal may be a synchronization signal block (SSB) for cell switching triggered by satellite motion. To distinguish it from the SSB used for random access, in an embodiment of the present application, the SSB used for cell switching triggered by satellite motion is recorded as HO-SSB, and the SSB used for random access is recorded as NR-SSB. Of course, other names may also be used to distinguish the two types of SSBs, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited to this. Similarly, in an embodiment of the present application, the RO in the first access resource is recorded as HO-RO to distinguish it from the RO in the random access resource. In another possible design, the first measurement configuration information is used to configure multiple transmission resources of the first type of downlink reference signal, and the activation time of at least two of the multiple transmission resources of the first type of downlink reference signal is different. Optionally, at least two transmission resources are activated cyclically. In a specific implementation, a timer for activation may be configured for multiple transmission resources of the first downlink reference signal. Such a design can be applied to a scenario in which a terminal device switches cyclically between multiple cell groups due to satellite movement. It can be understood that a cell group is composed of multiple cells, which may also be referred to as a cell set.

[0108] Taking the example of a terminal device cyclically switching between the first cell group and the second cell group, the network device can configure the first transmission resource and the second transmission resource of the first reference signal through the first measurement configuration information, where the first transmission resource corresponds to the first cell group and the second transmission resource corresponds to the second cell group. In the scenario where satellite movement triggers cell switching, the terminal device can switch between the first cell group and the second cell group based on the first transmission resource or the second transmission resource, and different satellites can provide services for the terminal device through the first cell group or the second cell group. Fig. 9 As shown in the figure, the terminal device is located at wave position bw#b, and the satellite SAT-L1 provides services to the terminal device through PCI-Y2 from T1 to T2, and completes the switching from PCI-Y2 to PCI-Y1 at T2; the satellite SAT-K1 provides services to the terminal device through PCI-Y1 from T3 to T5, and completes the switching from PCI-Y1 to PCI-Y2 at T5; the satellite SAT-M1 provides services to the terminal device through PCL-Y2 at T6. By designing the measurement configuration information corresponding to the cell group, the terminal device can reuse the measurement configuration information in the scenario of cyclic switching between multiple cell groups, that is, only one measurement configuration is required, which can simplify the measurement configuration process and mobility management and improve switching efficiency. It can be understood that the cyclic switching of the terminal device between multiple cell groups can be triggered by the movement of different satellites.

[0109] Optionally, the network device may also indicate in the first configuration information that the first cell group is associated with a second access resource and the second cell group is associated with a third access resource, and the second access resource / third access resource is used for cell switching triggered by satellite motion. For details, please refer to the description of the aforementioned first access resource. Exemplarily, if the terminal device determines to perform a cell switch based on the first transmission resource associated with the first cell group, then the target cell may be accessed based on the second access resource associated with the first cell group; if the terminal device determines to perform a cell switch based on the third transmission resource associated with the second cell group, then the target cell may be accessed based on the third access resource associated with the first cell group.

[0110] In addition, in the above two possible designs, the network device may also configure a trigger condition for the terminal device to determine whether to perform a cell handover. For example, the network device may determine conditional handover (CHO) information based on the mobility management configuration of layer 1 (L1) / layer 2 (L2), such as the CHO information indicating that a cell handover is performed when the measurement result of the reference signal measured by the terminal device meets the set conditions. It can be understood that the L1 / L2 mobility management configuration refers to the management configuration of inter-cell mobility centered on L1 / L2. In the L1 / L2 mobility management configuration, the measurement results obtained by the terminal device measuring the first type of downlink reference signal may include one or more of the following: reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal quality (RSRQ), and reference signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR). The CHO information that the network device can configure for the terminal device may include thresholds (or threshold values) corresponding to various measurement results. For example, the network device can configure an RSRP threshold for RSRP, and then the terminal device performs cell switching when it determines that the L1-RSRP obtained by measuring the first type of downlink reference signal is greater than or equal to the L1-RSRP threshold; for example, the network device can configure an RSRQ threshold for RSRQ, and then the terminal device performs cell switching when it determines that the L1-RSRQ obtained by measuring the first type of downlink reference signal is greater than or equal to the L1-RSRQ threshold; for another example, the network device can configure an SINR threshold for SINR, and then the terminal device performs cell switching when it determines that the L1-SINR obtained by measuring the first type of downlink reference signal is greater than or equal to the L1-SINR threshold.

[0111] Based on this, in a possible design, the network device may also indicate the CHO information corresponding to the aforementioned L1 / L2 mobility management configuration in the first measurement configuration information. For example, the first measurement configuration information may include one or more of the following: a first signal quality threshold (used to measure RSRQ), a first signal power threshold (used to measure RSRP), and a first signal signal to interference and noise ratio threshold (used to measure SINR).

[0112] S702: The network device sends second measurement configuration information to the terminal device.

[0113] The second measurement configuration information is used to configure the transmission resources of the second type of downlink reference signal, and the second type of downlink reference signal is used for cell switching, for example, the second type of downlink reference signal is used for cell switching triggered by terminal device movement. Optionally, the second type of downlink reference signal can be NR-SSB, that is, the SSB used for cell switching triggered by terminal device movement can be the same as the SSB used for random access.

[0114] In a specific implementation, the transmission resources of the second type of downlink reference signal include one or more of the following: time domain resources corresponding to the second type of downlink reference signal, transmission period of the second type of downlink reference signal, sequence corresponding to the second type of downlink reference signal, polarization mode corresponding to the second type of downlink reference signal, frequency domain resources corresponding to the second type of downlink reference signal, beam corresponding to the second type of downlink reference signal, receiving window corresponding to the second type of downlink reference signal, receiving window offset corresponding to the second type of downlink reference signal. Optionally, the network device may be a service satellite or ground device of the terminal device, and the network device may broadcast the second measurement configuration information within the coverage of one or more beams of the service satellite. As an example, Figure 8 The terminal device on bw#b can receive the aforementioned second measurement configuration information. Figure 8 The figure also illustrates a terminal device on bw#6, which can receive the aforementioned second measurement configuration information.

[0115] In a specific implementation, the transmission resource of the second type of downlink reference signal is different from the transmission resource of the first type of downlink reference signal (such as one or more of the corresponding time domain, frequency domain, polarization domain, spatial domain, code domain, etc.) Such a design can avoid resource conflicts between the two cell switchings, and also facilitate the terminal device to distinguish the first type of downlink reference signal from the second type of downlink reference signal.

[0116] Optionally, the network device may further indicate in the second measurement configuration information that the second type of downlink reference signal is associated with a second access resource. Optionally, the second access resource may be a random access resource, denoted as RO. The second access resource is different from the aforementioned first random access resource, for example, a HO-RO period in the first access resource is also greater than a RO period in the second access resource.

[0117] In addition, optionally, the network device may also configure a trigger condition for the terminal device to determine whether to perform a cell handover. For example, the network device may determine conditional handover (CHO) information based on the mobility management configuration of layer 1 (L1) / layer 2 (L2), such as the CHO information indicating that a cell handover is performed when the measurement result of the reference signal measured by the terminal device meets the set conditions. It can be understood that the L1 / L2 mobility management configuration refers to the management configuration of inter-cell mobility centered on L1 / L2. In the L1 / L2 mobility management configuration, the measurement result obtained by the terminal device measuring the second type of downlink reference signal may include one or more of the following: reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal quality (RSRQ), and reference signal signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR). The CHO information that the network device can configure for the terminal device may include thresholds (or threshold values) corresponding to various measurement results. For example, the network device can configure an RSRP threshold for RSRP, and then the terminal device performs cell switching when it determines that the RSRP obtained by measuring the second type of downlink reference signal is greater than or equal to the RSRP threshold; for example, the network device can configure an RSRQ threshold for RSRQ, and then the terminal device performs cell switching when it determines that the RSRQ obtained by measuring the second type of downlink reference signal is greater than or equal to the RSRQ threshold; for another example, the network device can configure an SINR threshold for SINR, and then the terminal device performs cell switching when it determines that the SINR obtained by measuring the second type of downlink reference signal is greater than or equal to the SINR threshold.

[0118] Based on this, in a possible design, the network device may also indicate the CHO information corresponding to the aforementioned L1 / L2 mobility management configuration in the second measurement configuration information. For example, the second measurement configuration information may include one or more of the following: a second signal quality threshold (used to measure RSRQ), a second signal power threshold (used to measure RSRP), and a second signal signal to interference and noise ratio threshold (used to measure SINR). It can be understood that the second signal quality threshold is the same as or different from the first signal quality threshold, the second signal power threshold is the same as or different from the first power quality threshold, and the second signal signal to interference and noise ratio threshold is the same as or different from the first signal signal to interference and noise ratio threshold, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0119] It is understandable that the embodiment of the present application does not limit the execution order between S701 and S702.

[0120] Furthermore, the terminal device can decide to execute steps S703 and / or S704 based on its own location information. For example, S703 can be executed when the wave position of the terminal device is included in the area where the satellite mobile triggers group switching, and S704 can be executed when the terminal device itself moves.

[0121] S703: The terminal device measures the first type of downlink reference signal according to the first location information and the first measurement configuration information.

[0122] The first location information may refer to the wave position where the terminal device is located. Figure 8 or Fig. 9 It shows that the terminal device is at wave position bw#b, which is included in the area where the satellite mobile triggers group switching.

[0123] Corresponding to the description in S701, if the first measurement configuration information configures a transmission resource of the first type of downlink reference signal, the terminal device can measure the first type of downlink reference signal from the adjacent satellite according to the measurement time corresponding to the first position information (wavelength position) in the first measurement configuration information. Figure 8 The terminal device at the wave position bw#b indicated in the figure can measure the first type of downlink reference signal from SAT-L according to the measurement time corresponding to bw#b.

[0124] If the first measurement configuration information configures the first transmission resource and the second transmission resource of the first type of downlink reference signal, the first transmission resource corresponds to the first cell group, and the second transmission resource corresponds to the second cell group; then during the activation time of the first transmission resource, the terminal device can measure the first type of downlink reference signal from the first cell group according to the measurement time corresponding to the first location information in the first transmission resource; or, during the activation time of the second transmission resource, the terminal device can measure the first type of downlink reference signal from the second cell group according to the measurement time corresponding to the first location information in the second transmission resource. For example Fig. 9 Schematically, at time T2, the transmission resources corresponding to the cell group PCI-Y1 are in an activated state, and the terminal equipment on the wave position bw#b can measure the first type of downlink reference signal from PCI-Y1 according to the measurement time corresponding to bw#b in the transmission resources corresponding to PCI-Y1, or it can also be understood as measuring the first type of downlink reference signal sent by SAT-K1 through PCI-Y1. At time T5, the transmission resources corresponding to the cell group PCI-Y2 are in an activated state, and the terminal equipment on the wave position bw#b can measure the first type of downlink reference signal from PCI-Y2 according to the measurement time corresponding to bw#b in the transmission resources corresponding to PCI-Y2, or it can also be understood as measuring the first type of downlink reference signal sent by SAT-M1 through PCI-Y2.

[0125] S704: The terminal device measures the second type of downlink reference signal according to the second location information of the terminal device and the second measurement configuration information.

[0126] The second location information refers to the current geographical location of the terminal device, and may be implemented as GNSS location information, for example.

[0127] In one possible design, if the distance between the second location information of the terminal device and the first reference location in the serving cell is greater than a first threshold, the terminal device measures the second type of downlink reference signal according to the second measurement configuration information. The first reference location may be the center point of the serving cell or the center point of the serving wave position.

[0128] In another possible design, if the distance between the second location information of the terminal device and the first reference location in the serving cell is greater than a first threshold, and the distance between the second location information of the terminal device and the second reference location in the neighboring cell is less than a second threshold, the terminal device measures the second type of downlink reference signal according to the second measurement configuration information. The second reference location may be the center point of the neighboring cell.

[0129] Optionally, the network device may indicate one or more of the first reference position, the second reference position, the first threshold, and the second threshold in the second measurement configuration information. It is understandable that the first threshold and the second threshold may be the same or different, and this is not limited in the present embodiment.

[0130] S705, the terminal device determines whether to perform a cell switch based on the measurement result. Exemplarily, when the terminal device executes S703, the measurement result includes the signal quality of the first downlink reference signal. In one possible design, the terminal device decides to perform a cell switch when it determines that the signal quality of the first downlink reference signal is greater than or equal to the aforementioned first signal quality threshold. The cell switch is a group switch triggered by satellite movement. In another possible design, the terminal device may report the signal quality of the first type of downlink reference signal to the network device. When the network device determines that the signal quality of the first type of downlink reference signal is greater than or equal to the first signal quality threshold, it may trigger the terminal device to perform a cell switch through L1 / L2 control signaling. Optionally, the L1 / L2 control signaling may be a media access control layer control element (MAC-CE).

[0131] Further, the terminal device can access the target cell based on the first access resource described in S701. In one possible implementation, the network device can configure the first access resource associated with the first type of downlink reference signal for the terminal device through a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). Accordingly, the terminal device can blindly detect the aforementioned PDCHH using a blind detection scrambling code on the control resource set CORESET associated with the received first type of downlink reference signal, thereby determining the first access resource. Optionally, the blind detection scrambling code can be a dedicated ID of the terminal device, such as a radio network temporary identity (RNTI) or a group radio network temporary identity (G-RNTI) corresponding to the geographical area where the terminal device is located. It can be understood that multiple terminal devices in the same geographical area can use the same G-RNTI for blind detection.

[0132] Exemplarily, when the terminal device executes S704, the measurement result includes the signal quality of the second downlink reference signal. In one possible design, when the terminal device determines that the signal quality of the second downlink reference signal is greater than or equal to the aforementioned second signal quality threshold, the terminal device decides to perform a cell switch, and the cell switch is a group switch triggered by satellite movement. In another possible design, the terminal device may report the signal quality of the second type of downlink reference signal to the network device, and when the network device determines that the signal quality of the second type of downlink reference signal is greater than or equal to the second signal quality threshold, the terminal device may be triggered to perform a cell switch through L1 / L2 control signaling. Optionally, the L1 / L2 control signaling may be a media access control layer control element (MAC-CE).

[0133] Further, the terminal device can access the target cell based on the second access resource described in S701. In one possible implementation, the network device can configure the second access resource associated with the second type of downlink reference signal for the terminal device through a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). Accordingly, the terminal device can blindly detect the aforementioned PDCHH using a blind detection scrambling code on the control resource set CORESET associated with the received second type of downlink reference signal, thereby determining the second access resource. Optionally, the blind detection scrambling code can be a dedicated ID of the terminal device, such as a radio network temporary identity (RNTI) or a group radio network temporary identity (G-RNTI) corresponding to the geographical area where the terminal device is located. It can be understood that multiple terminal devices in the same geographical area can use the same G-RNTI for blind detection.

[0134] The above method provided in the embodiment of the present application designs a dedicated reference signal measurement configuration for group switching caused by satellite movement, which facilitates the terminal device to flexibly and quickly determine group switching or switching triggered by terminal device movement, thereby improving switching efficiency and success rate.

[0135] Based on the same idea, see Fig.10, the embodiment of the present application provides a communication device 1000, which includes a processing module 1001 and a communication module 1002. The communication device 1000 can be a terminal device, or a communication device applied to a terminal device or used in combination with a terminal device, and capable of implementing a communication method executed by the terminal device side; or, the communication device 1000 can be a network device, or a communication device applied to a network device or used in combination with a network device, and capable of implementing a communication method executed by the network device.

[0136] The communication module may also be referred to as a transceiver module, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a transceiver device, etc. The processing module may also be referred to as a processor, a processing board, a processing unit, or a processing device, etc. Optionally, the communication module is used to perform the sending operation and the receiving operation on the terminal device side or the network device side in the above method, and the device used to implement the receiving function in the communication module may be regarded as a receiving unit, and the device used to implement the sending function in the communication module may be regarded as a sending unit, that is, the communication module includes a receiving unit and a sending unit.

[0137] When the communication device 1000 is applied to a terminal device, the processing module 1001 can be used to implement Figure 7 The processing function of the terminal device in the example described above, the communication module 1002 can be used to implement Figure 7 The transceiver function of the terminal device in the example. Optionally, the communication device can also be understood by referring to the third aspect in the content of the invention and the possible designs in the third aspect.

[0138] When the communication device 1000 is applied to a network device, the processing module 1001 can be used to implement Figure 7 The processing function of the network device in the example described above, the communication module 1002 can be used to implement Figure 7 The transceiver function of the network device in the example. Optionally, the communication device can also be understood by referring to the fourth aspect of the invention and the possible designs in the fourth aspect.

[0139] In addition, it should be noted that, in one possible design, the aforementioned communication module and / or processing module may be implemented through a virtual module, for example, the processing module may be implemented through a software function unit or a virtual device, and the communication module may be implemented through a software function or a virtual device. In another possible design, the processing module or the communication module may also be implemented through a physical device, for example, if the device is implemented using a chip / chip circuit, the communication module may be an input / output circuit and / or a communication interface, performing input operations (corresponding to the aforementioned receiving operations) and output operations (corresponding to the aforementioned sending operations); the processing module is an integrated processor or microprocessor or integrated circuit.

[0140] The division of modules in the embodiments of the present application is schematic and is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. In addition, each functional module in each example of the embodiments of the present application may be integrated into a processor, or may exist physically separately, or two or more modules may be integrated into one module. The above-mentioned integrated modules may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules.

[0141] Based on the same technical concept, the embodiment of the present application also provides a communication device 1100. For example, the communication device 1100 can be a chip or a chip system. Optionally, in the embodiment of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0142] The communication device 1100 can be used to implement the functions of any network element in the communication system described in the above examples. The communication device 1100 may include at least one processor 1110. Optionally, the processor 1110 is coupled to a memory, and the memory may be located within the device; or, the memory may be integrated with the processor; or, the memory may be located outside the device. For example, the communication device 1100 may also include at least one memory 1120. The memory 1120 stores the necessary computer programs, computer programs or instructions and / or data for implementing any of the above examples; the processor 1110 may execute the computer program stored in the memory 1120 to complete the method in any of the above examples.

[0143] The communication device 1100 may also include a communication interface 1130, and the communication device 1100 may exchange information with other devices through the communication interface 1130. Exemplarily, the communication interface 1130 may be a transceiver, a circuit, a bus, a module, a pin, or other types of communication interfaces. When the communication device 1100 is a chip-type device or circuit, the communication interface 1130 in the device 1100 may also be an input-output circuit, which may input information (or receive information) and output information (or send information), and the processor may be an integrated processor or a microprocessor or an integrated circuit or a logic circuit, and the processor may determine the output information based on the input information.

[0144] The coupling in the embodiment of the present application is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms, and is used for information exchange between devices, units or modules. The processor 1110 may cooperate with the memory 1120 and the communication interface 1130. The specific connection medium between the above-mentioned processor 1110, the memory 1120 and the communication interface 1130 is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0145] Optional, see Fig.11The processor 1110, the memory 1120 and the communication interface 1130 are connected to each other via a bus 1040. The bus 1040 may be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus. The bus may be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, Fig.11 Only one thick line is used in the diagram, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0146] In the embodiments of the present application, the processor may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component, and may implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams of the embodiments of the present application. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the method of the embodiment applied in conjunction with the embodiment of the present application may be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware processor, or may be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor.

[0147] In the embodiment of the present application, the memory may be a non-volatile memory, such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), etc., or a volatile memory (volatile memory), such as a random access memory (RAM). The memory is any other medium that can be used to carry or store a desired program code in the form of an instruction or data structure and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory in the embodiment of the present application may also be a circuit or any other device that can implement a storage function, for storing program instructions and / or data.

[0148] In a possible implementation, the communication device 1100 can be applied to a terminal device. Specifically, the communication device 1100 can be a terminal device, or a device that can support a terminal device and implement the functions of the terminal device in any of the above-mentioned examples. The memory 1120 stores a computer program (or instruction) and / or data that implements the functions of the terminal device in any of the above-mentioned examples. The processor 1110 can execute the computer program stored in the memory 1120 to complete the method executed by the terminal device in any of the above-mentioned examples. If the communication device is applied to a terminal device, the communication interface in the communication device 1100 can be used to interact with a network device, send information to the network device, or receive information from the network device.

[0149] In another possible implementation, the communication device 1100 can be applied to a network device. Specifically, the communication device 1100 can be a network device, or a device that can support a network device and implement the functions of the network device in any of the above-mentioned examples. The memory 1120 stores a computer program (or instruction) and / or data that implements the functions of the network device in any of the above-mentioned examples. The processor 1110 can execute the computer program stored in the memory 1120 to complete the method executed by the network device in any of the above-mentioned examples. If the communication device is applied to a network device, the communication interface in the communication device 1100 can be used to interact with a terminal device, send information to the terminal device, or receive information from the terminal device.

[0150] Since the communication device 1100 provided in this example can be applied to a network device to complete the method executed by the cell on the network device side, or applied to a terminal device to complete the method executed by the terminal device, the technical effects that can be obtained can refer to the above method examples and will not be repeated here.

[0151] The technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a terminal device, a network device or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from a website site, a computer, a server or a data center by wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (digital subscriber line, DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode to another website site, computer, server or data center. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or a data center that includes one or more available media integrated. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a digital video disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium, etc.

[0152] In the embodiments of the present application, under the premise of no logical contradiction, the examples may reference each other, for example, the methods and / or terms between method embodiments may reference each other, for example, the functions and / or terms between device embodiments may reference each other, for example, the functions and / or terms between device examples and method examples may reference each other.

[0153] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the embodiments of the present application without departing from the scope of the embodiments of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the embodiments of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the embodiments of the present application and their equivalents, the embodiments of the present application are also intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A switching method, characterized in that: include: Acquire first measurement configuration information and second measurement configuration information; wherein the first measurement configuration information is used to configure transmission resources of a first type of downlink reference signal, the second measurement configuration information is used to configure transmission resources of a second type of downlink reference signal, and the first type of downlink reference signal and the second type of downlink reference signal are used for cell switching; Measuring the first type of downlink reference signal according to the first location information and the first measurement configuration information; and / or measuring the second type of downlink reference signal according to the second location information and the second measurement configuration information to obtain a measurement result; Whether to perform cell switching is determined according to the measurement result.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first type of downlink reference signal is used for cell switching triggered by network device movement, and the second type of downlink reference signal is used for cell switching triggered by terminal equipment.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The measuring the first-type downlink reference signal according to the first location information and the first measurement configuration information includes: The first type of downlink reference signal from the target network device is measured according to the measurement time corresponding to the first location information in the first measurement configuration information.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The first measurement configuration information is used to configure a plurality of transmission resources of the first-type downlink reference signal, and activation time of at least two transmission resources of the plurality of transmission resources of the first-type downlink reference signal is different.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The multiple transmission resources of the first type of downlink reference signal include first transmission resources corresponding to the first cell group and second transmission resources corresponding to the second cell group, and the measuring the first type of downlink reference signal according to the first location information and the first measurement configuration information includes: During the activation time of the first transmission resource, according to the measurement time corresponding to the first location information in the first transmission resource, measuring the first type of downlink reference signal from the first cell group; During the activation time of the second transmission resource, the first type of downlink reference signal from the second cell group is measured according to the measurement time corresponding to the first location information in the second transmission resource.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The first measurement configuration information is used to configure a first signal quality threshold, where the first signal quality threshold is determined based on an L1 / L2 mobility management configuration of the terminal device; The determining whether to perform cell switching according to the measurement result includes: If the signal quality of the first downlink reference signal included in the measurement result is greater than or equal to the first signal quality threshold, it is determined to perform cell switching.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The measuring the second-type downlink reference signal according to the second location information and the second measurement configuration information includes: When the distance between the second location information and the first reference location in the serving cell is greater than a first threshold, measuring the second-type downlink reference signal according to the second measurement configuration information; and / or, When the distance between the second location information and the second reference location in the neighboring cell is less than a second threshold, the second-type downlink reference signal is measured according to the second measurement configuration information.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The second measurement configuration information is further used to configure one or more of the following: the first reference position, the first threshold, the second reference position, and the second threshold.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: A transmission resource of the first type of downlink reference signal includes one or more of the following: a time domain resource corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, a transmission period of the first type of downlink reference signal, a sequence corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, a polarization mode corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, a frequency domain resource corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, a beam identifier corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, a receiving window corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, and a receiving window offset corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The first measurement configuration information is used to configure a first access resource associated with the first-type downlink reference signal, and the first access resource is different from a second access resource associated with the second-type downlink reference signal.

11. A switching method, characterized in that: include: Determine first measurement configuration information and second measurement configuration information; wherein the first measurement configuration information is used to configure transmission resources of a first type of downlink reference signal, the second measurement configuration information is used to configure transmission resources of a second type of downlink reference signal, and the first type of downlink reference signal and the second type of downlink reference signal are used for cell switching; The first measurement configuration information and the second measurement configuration information are sent.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The first type of downlink reference signal is used for cell switching triggered by network device movement, and the second type of downlink reference signal is used for cell switching triggered by terminal equipment.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that: The first measurement configuration information includes a measurement time corresponding to the first location information.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that: The first measurement configuration information is used to configure a plurality of transmission resources of the first-type downlink reference signal, and activation time of at least two transmission resources of the plurality of transmission resources of the first-type downlink reference signal is different.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The multiple transmission resources of the first type of downlink reference signal include a first transmission resource corresponding to the first cell group and a second transmission resource corresponding to the second cell group; wherein the first transmission resource is different from the second transmission resource; the first transmission resource includes a measurement time corresponding to the first position information, and the second transmission resource includes a measurement time corresponding to the first position information.

16. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, characterized in that: The first measurement configuration information is used to configure a first signal quality threshold, the first signal quality threshold is determined based on the L1 / L2 mobility management configuration of the terminal device, and the first signal quality threshold is used by the terminal device to determine whether to perform a cell switch.

17. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 16, characterized in that: The second measurement configuration information is used to configure one or more of the following parameters: a first reference position in a serving cell, a first threshold, a second reference position in a neighboring cell, and a second threshold; wherein the one or more parameters configured by the second measurement configuration information are used by the terminal device to determine whether to perform measurement of the second type of downlink reference signal.

18. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 17, characterized in that: A transmission resource of the first type of downlink reference signal includes one or more of the following: a time domain resource corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, a transmission period of the first type of downlink reference signal, a sequence corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, a polarization mode corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, a frequency domain resource corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, a beam identifier corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, a receiving window corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal, and a receiving window offset corresponding to the first type of downlink reference signal.

19. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 18, characterized in that: The first measurement configuration information is used to configure a first access resource associated with the first-type downlink reference signal, and the first access resource is different from a second access resource associated with the second-type downlink reference signal.

20. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A communication module for receiving and sending data; A processing module, used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-10, or the method according to any one of claims 11-19 through the communication module.

21. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A processor, the processor is coupled to a memory, and the processor is used to call computer program instructions stored in the memory to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-10, or to execute the method according to any one of claims 11-19.

22. A communication system, characterized in that: include: Terminal device, used to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10; A network device, used to implement the method according to any one of claims 11 to 19.

23. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores instructions, and when the instructions are executed on a computer, the computer is enabled to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 19.

24. A chip, characterized in that: The chip is coupled to a memory, and the chip reads a computer program stored in the memory to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 19.

25. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises: a computer program code, and when the computer program code is executed, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 19 is implemented.

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