Communication method and device, terminal equipment, network equipment and storage medium

Abstract

The invention discloses a communication method and device, terminal equipment, network equipment and a storage medium, and relates to the technical field of wireless communication. The terminal equipment provided by the invention can receive the service ephemeris information and the first adjacent star ephemeris information according to the first period, and receive the second adjacent star ephemeris information according to the second period. The second period is greater than the first period. The receiving periods of the service ephemeris information and the adjacent star ephemeris information are respectively controlled, so that the real-time requirement of the terminal equipment on the service ephemeris information can be met, the receiving frequency of the terminal equipment on the second adjacent star ephemeris information can be reduced, and the power consumption of the terminal equipment is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, apparatus, terminal equipment, network equipment and storage medium. Background Art

[0002] Non-terrestrial networks (NTN) refer to networks that use transmission equipment on satellites or space-borne aircraft as relay nodes or base stations. As a supplement to terrestrial communication networks, NTN can be used in scenarios such as emergency communications. In remote areas or areas with insufficient services that are not covered by the public land mobile network (PLMN), services can be provided through NTN to improve network performance.

[0003] After the terminal device resides in the NTN network, it can receive the system information block 1 (SIB1) sent by the network device. SIB1 carries the scheduling information and broadcast mode of SIB19. The terminal device can parse the scheduling information and broadcast mode of SIB19 from SIB1 and receive SIB19 according to the scheduling information and broadcast mode of SIB19.

[0004] NTN usually uses transmission equipment on satellites or space-borne vehicles as network equipment. SIB19 carries the service ephemeris information and neighboring ephemeris information of the terminal device. SIB19 also carries a timer parameter value. The terminal device periodically schedules receiving resources to receive SIB19 according to the timer parameter value carried in SIB19, and updates the service ephemeris information and neighboring ephemeris information. If the timer value carried in SIB19 is small, the terminal device will frequently receive ephemeris information, which will increase the power consumption of the terminal device. Summary of the invention

[0005] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, apparatus, terminal equipment, network equipment, and storage medium, which can reduce the power consumption of the terminal equipment.

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a terminal device or a chip in the terminal device. The method may include: receiving a first system information block SIB sent by a network device according to a first period; receiving a second SIB sent by a network device according to a second period. Wherein, the network device is located on a satellite corresponding to a service area where the terminal device currently resides; the first SIB includes service ephemeris information and first neighboring ephemeris information; the service ephemeris information is the ephemeris information of the satellite to which the network device belongs; the first neighboring ephemeris information includes the ephemeris information of the first part of the neighboring satellites of the satellite to which the network device belongs; the second SIB includes the second neighboring ephemeris information; the second neighboring ephemeris information includes the ephemeris information of the second part of the neighboring satellites of the satellite to which the network device belongs; and the second period is greater than the first period.

[0007] In the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device receives the service ephemeris information and the first neighboring ephemeris information according to the first period, and receives the second neighboring ephemeris information according to the second period. The second period is greater than the first period. By controlling the reception period of the service ephemeris information and the neighboring ephemeris information respectively, it is possible to meet the real-time demand of the terminal device for the service ephemeris information, reduce the frequency of the terminal device receiving the second neighboring ephemeris information, and reduce the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0008] In one possible implementation, the first period may adopt a preconfigured value, and the second period may also adopt a preconfigured value. In another possible implementation, the first period is a first parameter carried in a first SIB, and the second period is a second parameter carried in a second SIB. In another possible implementation, the first period may adopt a preconfigured value, and the second period is a second parameter carried in a second SIB. In another possible implementation, the first period is a first parameter carried in a first SIB, and the second period may adopt a preconfigured value.

[0009] The values ​​of the first period and the second period can be flexibly configured in different ways.

[0010] In a possible implementation, when the terminal device is in an idle state, the first period uses a preconfigured first value; when the terminal device is in a connected state, the first period uses a preconfigured second value, wherein the first value is greater than the second value.

[0011] In the above implementation, considering that the terminal device may need to interact frequently with the network device in the connected state, the reception period of the first SIB in the connected state is less than the reception period of the first SIB in the idle state, that is, the first value is greater than the second value. By dynamically configuring different reception periods in different states, the terminal device can reduce the frequency of receiving the first SIB in the idle state, thereby further saving the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0012] In a possible implementation, when the terminal device is in an idle state, the second period uses a preconfigured third value; when the terminal device is in a connected state, the second period uses a preconfigured fourth value, wherein the third value is greater than the fourth value.

[0013] In the above implementation, by dynamically configuring different second part periods in different states, the receiving period in the idle state is the third value, and the receiving period in the connected state is the fourth value. The third value is greater than the fourth value. Therefore, in the idle state, the terminal device can reduce the frequency of receiving the second SIB, thereby further saving the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0014] In a possible implementation manner, the first SIB is SIB1bis, and the second SIB is SIB19; or, the first SIB is SIB19, and the second SIB is SIB1bis.

[0015] In a possible implementation, the communication method may further include: when no signal of the network device is monitored, or the signal strength of the network device is monitored to be lower than a set strength threshold, determining a first duration and a first neighboring star according to the received ephemeris information of the first neighboring star and the ephemeris information of the second neighboring star received most recently, and initiating a cell search for the first neighboring star according to the first duration; the first duration is the shortest duration required for the corresponding service areas of the first part of the neighboring stars and the second part of the neighboring stars to cover the location of the terminal device; the first neighboring star is a neighboring star whose corresponding service area covers the location of the terminal device after the shortest duration.

[0016] In the above implementation, when the signal of the service satellite is lost, the terminal device can determine the first duration and the first neighboring satellite based on the received neighboring satellite ephemeris information, and start the cell search for the first neighboring satellite based on the first duration, which is conducive to reducing the cell search time and allowing the terminal device to re-resident in the NTN network as soon as possible.

[0017] In a possible implementation, if the first duration is less than or equal to the set duration threshold, a cell search for the first neighboring satellite is initiated according to the first duration. For example, the terminal device may wait for the first duration and initiate a cell search for the first neighboring satellite before or after the first neighboring satellite arrives.

[0018] In the above implementation, if the first duration is less than or equal to the set duration threshold, that is, the first neighboring satellite can be reached in a very short time, the terminal device can wait for the first neighboring satellite to arrive without performing a full network search, and directly perform a cell search for the first neighboring satellite. On the one hand, it can reduce the power consumption of the full network search, further saving the power consumption of the terminal device, and on the other hand, it can save the time spent on indiscriminate cell search in the whole network. When the first neighboring satellite arrives, the cell search for the first neighboring satellite is performed at the first time, which is conducive to reducing the cell search time and allowing the terminal device to re-resident in the NTN network as soon as possible.

[0019] In a possible implementation, after determining the first duration, if the first duration is greater than the set duration threshold, a full network search is performed; based on the first duration, the full network search is terminated, and a cell search for the first neighboring satellite is started.

[0020] In the above implementation, before or after the first neighbor satellite arrives, if the whole network search is unsuccessful, the whole network search can be stopped, and a cell search can be performed for the first neighbor satellite as soon as the first neighbor satellite arrives, which is beneficial to reducing the cell search time and allowing the terminal device to re-resident on the NTN network as soon as possible.

[0021] In a possible implementation, if the first duration is greater than a set duration threshold and less than a set information validity time, the entire network search is terminated according to the first duration, and a cell search is performed for the first neighboring satellite; wherein the information validity time is the duration during which the ephemeris information of the first neighboring satellite is in a valid state.

[0022] In the second aspect, the embodiment of the present application also provides a communication method, which can be executed by a terminal device or a chip in the terminal device. The method may include: when the signal of the network device cannot be detected, or the signal strength of the network device is detected to be lower than the set strength threshold, determine the first duration and the first neighboring star according to the received neighboring star ephemeris information; the neighboring star ephemeris information includes the ephemeris information of the neighboring star of the satellite to which the network device belongs; the first duration is the shortest duration required for the corresponding service area of ​​the neighboring satellite of the satellite to which the network device belongs to cover the location of the terminal device; the first neighboring satellite is the neighboring satellite whose corresponding service area covers the location of the terminal device after the shortest duration; and start the cell search for the first neighboring satellite according to the first duration.

[0023] In a possible implementation manner, if the fastest arrival time of the neighboring satellite is less than or equal to a set time threshold, a cell search for the first neighboring satellite is initiated according to a first time.

[0024] In a possible implementation, after determining the first duration, if the first duration is greater than the set duration threshold, a full network search is performed; based on the first duration, the full network search is terminated, and a cell search for the first neighboring satellite is started.

[0025] In a possible implementation, if the first duration is greater than a set duration threshold and less than a set information validity time, the entire network search is terminated according to the first duration, and a cell search is performed for the first neighboring satellite; wherein the information validity time is the duration during which the ephemeris information of the first neighboring satellite is in a valid state.

[0026] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication method, which can be executed by a network device or a chip in the network device. The method may include:

[0027] Sending a first system information block SIB to a terminal device residing in a service area corresponding to a satellite to which the network device belongs; the first SIB includes service ephemeris information and first neighboring ephemeris information; the service ephemeris information is ephemeris information of the satellite to which the network device belongs; the first neighboring ephemeris information includes ephemeris information of a first part of neighboring satellites of the satellite to which the network device belongs;

[0028] A second SIB is sent to a terminal device residing in a service area corresponding to a satellite to which the network device belongs; the second SIB includes ephemeris information of a second neighboring star; and the second neighboring star ephemeris information includes ephemeris information of a second part of neighboring stars of the satellite to which the network device belongs.

[0029] In a possible implementation manner, the first SIB is SIB1bis, and the second SIB is SIB19; or, the first SIB is SIB19, and the second SIB is SIB1bis.

[0030] In one possible implementation, the network device may send the first SIB to terminal devices residing in a service area corresponding to the satellite to which the network device belongs according to a third period; and send the second SIB to terminal devices residing in a service area corresponding to the satellite to which the network device belongs according to a fourth period, wherein the third period and the fourth period may be the same or different.

[0031] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, applied to a terminal device, the communication device comprising:

[0032] The first receiving module is used to receive a first system information block SIB sent by the network device according to a first period; the first SIB includes service ephemeris information and first neighboring ephemeris information; the network device is located on a satellite corresponding to a service area where the terminal device currently resides; the service ephemeris information is ephemeris information of a satellite to which the network device belongs; and the first neighboring ephemeris information includes ephemeris information of a first part of neighboring satellites of the satellite to which the network device belongs;

[0033] The second receiving module is used to receive the second SIB sent by the network device according to the second period; the second SIB includes the ephemeris information of the second neighboring star; the second neighboring star ephemeris information includes the ephemeris information of the second part of the neighboring stars of the satellite to which the network device belongs; the second period is greater than the first period.

[0034] In a possible implementation manner, the first period is a preconfigured value, or the first period is a first parameter carried in the first SIB;

[0035] The second period is a preconfigured value, or the second period is a second parameter carried in the second SIB.

[0036] In a possible implementation, when the terminal device is in an idle state, the first period uses a preconfigured first value; when the terminal device is in a connected state, the first period uses a preconfigured second value; the first value is greater than the second value.

[0037] In a possible implementation, when the terminal device is in an idle state, the second period uses a preconfigured third value; when the terminal device is in a connected state, the second period uses a preconfigured fourth value; the third value is greater than the fourth value.

[0038] In a possible implementation manner, the first SIB is SIB1bis, and the second SIB is SIB19; or, the first SIB is SIB19, and the second SIB is SIB1bis.

[0039] In a possible implementation, the communication device may further include:

[0040] The calculation module is used to determine the first duration and the first neighboring star according to the received ephemeris information of the first neighboring star and the ephemeris information of the second neighboring star when the signal of the network device cannot be monitored or the signal strength of the monitored network device is lower than the set strength threshold; the first duration is the shortest duration required for the corresponding service areas of the first part of the neighboring stars and the second part of the neighboring stars to cover the location of the terminal device; the first neighboring star is the neighboring star whose corresponding service area covers the location of the terminal device after the shortest duration;

[0041] The search module is configured to start a cell search for a first neighboring satellite according to a first duration.

[0042] In a possible implementation manner, the search module may be specifically configured to: if the first duration is less than or equal to the set duration threshold, initiate a cell search for the first neighboring satellite according to the first duration.

[0043] In a possible implementation, the search module may also be configured to: if the first duration is greater than a set duration threshold, perform a full network search; if based on the first duration, terminate the full network search, and perform a cell search for the first neighboring satellite.

[0044] In a possible implementation, the search module may be specifically configured to: if the first duration is greater than a set duration threshold and less than a set information validity time, terminate the full network search according to the first duration, and perform a cell search for the first neighboring satellite; the information validity time is the duration during which the ephemeris information of the first neighboring satellite is in a valid state.

[0045] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which is applied to a terminal device. The communication device may include:

[0046] A calculation module, for determining a first duration and a first neighboring star according to the received neighboring star ephemeris information when no signal of the network device is detected or the signal strength of the network device is lower than a set strength threshold; the neighboring star ephemeris information includes the ephemeris information of the neighboring star of the satellite to which the network device belongs; the first is the shortest duration required for the corresponding service area of ​​the neighboring star of the satellite to which the network device belongs to cover the location of the terminal device, and the first neighboring star is the neighboring star whose corresponding service area covers the location of the terminal device after the shortest duration;

[0047] The search module is configured to start a cell search for a first neighboring satellite according to a first duration.

[0048] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which is applied to a network device. The communication device may include:

[0049] A first sending module is used to send a first system information block SIB to a terminal device residing in a service area corresponding to the satellite to which the network device belongs; the first SIB includes service ephemeris information and first neighboring ephemeris information; the service ephemeris information is the ephemeris information of the satellite to which the network device belongs; the first neighboring ephemeris information includes the ephemeris information of a first part of neighboring satellites of the satellite to which the network device belongs;

[0050] The second sending module is used to send a second SIB to a terminal device residing in a service area corresponding to the satellite to which the network device belongs; the second SIB includes ephemeris information of a second neighboring star; the second neighboring star ephemeris information includes ephemeris information of a second part of neighboring stars of the satellite to which the network device belongs.

[0051] In a possible implementation manner, the first SIB is SIB1bis, and the second SIB is SIB19; or, the first SIB is SIB19, and the second SIB is SIB1bis.

[0052] In a possible implementation, the first sending module is specifically configured to send the first SIB to a terminal device residing in a service area corresponding to the satellite to which the network device belongs according to a third period;

[0053] The second sending module is specifically used to send the second SIB to the terminal equipment residing in the service area corresponding to the satellite to which the network equipment belongs according to the fourth period.

[0054] In the seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a terminal device, including a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program that can be executed on the processor, and when the computer program is executed by the processor, the processor implements any one of the methods provided in the first aspect.

[0055] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a terminal device, comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program that can be run on the processor, and when the computer program is executed by the processor, the processor implements any one of the methods provided in the second aspect.

[0056] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a network device, comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program that can be run on the processor, and when the computer program is executed by the processor, the processor implements any one of the methods provided in the third aspect.

[0057] In the tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions, and the computer-executable instructions are used to enable a computer to execute any one of the methods provided in the first aspect, the second aspect or the third aspect above.

[0058] In the eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, comprising computer executable instructions, which are used to enable a computer to execute any one of the methods provided in the first aspect, the second aspect or the third aspect.

[0059] The technical effects that can be achieved in any of the second to eleventh aspects mentioned above can refer to the description of the beneficial effects in the first aspect mentioned above, and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0060] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of another communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of a wireless communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] Figure 4 An interaction diagram between a terminal device and a network device during a communication process provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] Figure 5 An interaction diagram between a terminal device and a network device during another communication process provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] Figure 6 A flow chart of a communication method performed by a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] Figure 7 A flow chart of a communication method performed by a network device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] Figure 8 A flowchart of another communication method performed by a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0068] Fig. 9 A flowchart of another communication method performed by a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0069] Fig.10 A structural block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0070] Fig.11 A structural block diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0071] Fig.12 A structural block diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0072] Fig.13 A structural block diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0073] Fig.14 A schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0074] Fig.15 A schematic diagram of the structure of a network device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0075] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The terms used in the implementation method section of the present application are only used to explain the specific embodiments of the present application, and are not intended to limit the present application.

[0076] Before introducing the specific solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application, some terms in the present application are explained to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art, and the terms in the present application are not limited.

[0077] (1) Synchronization signal block (SSB): It includes three parts: primary synchronization signal (PSS), secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and physical broadcast channel (PBCH). SSB can be understood as a broadcast channel used for synchronization and cell search. Among them, the broadcast channel can be simply understood as a channel that the base station often sends regardless of the user, and any terminal device may search for it. Synchronization and cell search are also for terminals. If a terminal device wants to access a new radio (NR) cell, it needs to search for the cell and then synchronize. Through cell search, the terminal device can obtain: time and frequency synchronization; the physical identity (ID) of the cell and the length of the cyclic prefix; and the standard of the cell, etc.

[0078] In the embodiments of the present application, "multiple" refers to two or more than two. In view of this, in the embodiments of the present application, "multiple" can also be understood as "at least two". "At least one" can be understood as one or more, for example, one, two or more. For example, including at least one means including one, two or more, and there is no restriction on which ones are included. For example, including at least one of A, B and C, then A, B, C, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C may be included. "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. In addition, the character " / ", unless otherwise specified, generally indicates that the previously associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0079] Unless otherwise specified, the ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application are used to distinguish multiple objects and are not used to limit the order, timing, priority or importance of the multiple objects.

[0080] The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to the field of NTN communication, which usually uses transmission equipment on satellites or space-borne aircraft as relay nodes or base stations. Since satellites or space-borne aircraft have a wide range of service coverage capabilities and can reduce sensitivity to physical attacks and natural disasters, NTN can promote network services in areas where ground 5G network services cannot be covered, such as isolated or remote mountainous areas, on airplanes or ships, and in areas where ground 5G network services are insufficient, such as suburban and rural areas, to improve and compensate for the performance of ground networks in an economical and efficient manner.

[0081] Figure 1 A communication system applicable to the embodiment of the present application is shown, and the communication system may include at least one network device (such as Figure 1 110a, 110b, 110c), and may also include at least one terminal device (such as Figure 1 120a, 120b, 120c, 120d, 120e, 120f in FIG. 120b). Network devices may be connected to each other via wired or wireless means. Figure 1 This is just a schematic diagram. The communication system may also include other network devices, such as wireless relay equipment and wireless backhaul equipment.

[0082] In the embodiments of the present application, a terminal device is a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user. The terminal device may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), terminal, access terminal, terminal unit, terminal station, mobile station (MS), remote station, remote terminal, terminal device (MT), wireless communication device, customer premise equipment (CPE) or terminal agent, etc.

[0083] For example, the terminal device may be a handheld device with a wireless connection function, or a vehicle with a communication function, a vehicle-mounted device (such as a vehicle-mounted communication device, a vehicle-mounted communication chip), etc. At present, some examples of terminal devices are: mobile phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistant (PDA) devices, handheld devices with wireless communication functions, computing devices or other processing devices connected to wireless modems, tablet computers, computers with wireless transceiver functions, laptops, PDAs, mobile Internet devices (MID), wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, 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, etc.

[0084] A network device is a device that connects a terminal device to a wireless network in a mobile communication system. As a node in a wireless access network, a network device may also be referred to as a base station, a radio access network (RAN) node (or device), an access point (AP), or an access network (AN) device. In an embodiment of the present application, the network device may be a satellite base station or a node device installed on a satellite.

[0085] In some deployments, the network device may include a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU). The CU implements some functions of the network device, and the DU implements some functions of the network device. For example, the CU is responsible for processing non-real-time protocols and services, and implementing the functions of the radio resource control (RRC) and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layers. The DU is responsible for processing physical layer protocols and real-time services, and implementing the functions of the radio link control (RLC) layer, the media access control (MAC) layer, and the physical (PHY) layer. The information of the RRC layer will eventually become the information of the PHY layer, or it will be converted from the information of the PHY layer. Therefore, under this architecture, high-level signaling (such as RRC layer signaling) can also be considered to be sent by the DU. It can be understood that the network device can be a device including one or more of a CU node, a DU node, and an AAU node. In addition, the CU can be divided into a network device in the RAN, and the CU can also be divided into a network device in the core network (CN), which is not limited in this application.

[0086] In a possible scenario, multiple RAN devices (or RAN nodes) collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving random access, and different RAN nodes respectively implement part of the functions of the base station. For example, the RAN node can be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). The CU and DU can be set separately, or can also be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU) or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0087] Figure 2 The schematic diagram of the architecture of an NTN communication system applicable to the embodiment of the present application is shown. The communication system may include a terminal device and a network device (for example, Figure 2The communication link between the network devices is a feedback link (or feeder link); the communication link between the network device and the terminal device is a service link.

[0088] The network device 201 may be a gateway station (also called a ground station, earth station, or a gateway station), which may be used to connect a terminal device to a core network. The network device 202 may be a satellite base station or a high altitude platform station (HAPS), etc. In an embodiment of the present application, the communication mode of the network device 202 may include a regenerative mode and a transparent mode. When the communication mode of the network device 202 is the regenerative mode, the network device 202 may be used as a base station for wireless communication. For example, the network device 202 may be a base station for wireless communication using an artificial earth satellite or a high altitude aircraft, etc., to process communication signals. When the communication mode of the network device 202 is the transparent mode, the network device 201 may be used as a base station for wireless communication, and the network device 202 may be used as a relay for these base stations to transparently transmit signals between the network device 201 and the terminal device.

[0089] It should be understood that Figure 2 Only one network device 201 and one network device 202 are shown. In actual use, multiple network devices 201 and / or one network device 202 may be used as needed. Each network device 202 may provide services to one or more terminal devices, each network device 202 may correspond to one or more network devices 201, and each network device 201 may correspond to one or more network devices 202, which is not specifically limited in this application. In addition, Figure 2 The communication system may also include other devices, for example, the communication system may also include wireless relay equipment and wireless backhaul equipment, etc.

[0090] Figure 3 The structure diagram of a wireless communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. The wireless communication device may be a terminal device or a network device in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 3As shown, the wireless communication device may include multiple components, such as: application subsystem 320, memory 330, massive storage 310, baseband subsystem 340, radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), radio frequency front end (RFFE) device 350, and antenna (ANT). The various components can be coupled through various interconnection buses or other electrical connection methods.

[0091] Figure 3 In , ANT_1 represents the first antenna, ANT_N represents the Nth antenna, and N is a positive integer greater than 1. Tx represents the transmission path, Rx represents the reception path, and different numbers represent different paths. Each path can represent a signal processing channel. Among them, FBRx represents the feedback reception path, PRx represents the main reception path, and DRx represents the diversity reception path. HB represents high frequency, and LB represents low frequency, and the two refer to the relative high and low frequencies. BB represents baseband. It should be understood that Figure 3 The marks and components are for illustration purposes only and are only used as one possible implementation method. The embodiments of the present application also include other implementation methods.

[0092] Among them, the application subsystem may include one or more processors. Multiple processors may be multiple processors of the same type, or may include a combination of multiple types of processors. In this application, the processor may be a general-purpose processor or a processor designed for a specific field. For example, the processor may be a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), or a microcontroller (MCU). The processor may also be a graphics processing unit (GPU), an image signal processor (ISP), an audio signal processor (ASP), and an AI processor specially designed for artificial intelligence (AI) applications. AI processors include but are not limited to neural network processing units (NPUs), tensor processing units (TPUs), and processors called AI engines.

[0093] RF integrated circuits (including RFIC 1, and one or more optional RFIC 2) and RFFE devices can together form an RF subsystem. Depending on the signal reception or transmission path, the RF subsystem can also be divided into an RF receive path and an RF transmit path. Among them, the RF receive channel can receive the RF signal through the antenna, process the RF signal (such as amplification, filtering and down-conversion) to obtain a baseband signal, and pass it to the baseband subsystem. The RF transmit channel can receive the baseband signal from the baseband subsystem, process the baseband signal (such as up-conversion, amplification and filtering) to obtain an RF signal, and finally radiate the RF signal into space through the antenna. RF integrated circuits can be called RF processing chips or RF chips.

[0094] Similar to the RF subsystem, which mainly processes RF signals, the baseband subsystem mainly processes baseband signals. The baseband subsystem can extract useful information or data bits from the baseband signal, or convert the information or data bits into baseband signals to be sent. These information or data bits can be data representing user data such as voice, text, video, or control information. For example, the baseband subsystem can implement signal processing operations such as modulation and demodulation, encoding, and decoding. For different wireless access technologies, such as 5G NR and 4G LTE, the baseband signal processing operations are not exactly the same.

[0095] Similar to the application subsystem, the baseband subsystem may also include one or more processors. In addition, the baseband subsystem may also include one or more hardware accelerators (HAC). Hardware accelerators can be used to specifically complete some sub-functions with high processing overhead, such as data packet assembly and parsing, data packet encryption and decryption, etc. These sub-functions can also be implemented using general-purpose processors, but due to performance or cost considerations, it may be more appropriate to use hardware accelerators. In a specific implementation, the hardware accelerator is mainly implemented using an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). Of course, the hardware accelerator may also include one or more relatively simple processors, such as an MCU.

[0096] The baseband subsystem can be integrated into one or more chips, which can be called a baseband processing chip or a baseband chip. The baseband subsystem can be a standalone chip, which can be called a modem or a modem chip. The baseband subsystem can be manufactured and sold in units of modem chips. Modem chips are sometimes also called baseband processors or mobile processors. In addition, the baseband subsystem can be further integrated into a larger chip, which can be manufactured and sold in units of larger chips. This larger chip can be called a system chip, a chip system, or a system on a chip (SoC), or simply a SoC chip. The software components of the baseband subsystem can be built into the hardware components of the chip before the chip leaves the factory, or can be imported from other non-volatile memories into the hardware components of the chip after the chip leaves the factory, or these software components can be downloaded and updated online through the network.

[0097] In addition, the wireless communication device may also include a memory, such as Figure 3 In the application subsystem and the baseband subsystem, one or more caches can be included respectively. In the specific implementation, the memory can be divided into volatile memory and non-volatile memory (NVM). Volatile memory refers to a memory in which the data stored inside will be lost when the power supply is interrupted. At present, volatile memory is mainly random access memory (RAM), including static random access memory (SRAM) and dynamic random access memory (DRAM). Non-volatile memory refers to a memory in which the data stored inside will not be lost even if the power supply is interrupted. Common non-volatile memories include read-only memory (ROM), optical disks, magnetic disks, and various memories based on flash memory technology. Generally speaking, volatile memory can be used for memory and cache, and non-volatile memory, such as flash memory, can be used for large-capacity storage.

[0098] It should be noted that the communication system shown in the drawings of the embodiments of the present application does not constitute a limitation on the communication system to which the embodiments of the present application can be applied. Therefore, the method provided in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to communication systems of various standards. In addition, it should be noted that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the names of the network elements in the communication system. For example, in communication systems of different standards, each network element may have other names; for another example, when multiple network elements are integrated into the same physical device, the physical device may also have other names.

[0099] The network architecture and 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. A person of ordinary skill in the art can appreciate that with the evolution of the network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0100] In the NTN communication system, satellite base stations are used as access network devices (such as base stations) in the communication system to provide communication servers for some areas such as oceans and forests. Unlike ground base stations, satellite base stations move faster than the ground and the signal propagation distance is longer. In the NTN communication system, each satellite can generally cover a large area. Under a given link budget and system resources, the satellite side can improve the coverage area of ​​a single beam through beam design to improve the coverage of the entire satellite.

[0101] At present, network equipment can broadcast different SSBs for different communication areas and distinguish them by the index of the SSB. Generally, different SSB indexes represent downlink synchronization signals in different beam directions, covering and serving different areas. The terminal device can receive the SSB sent by the network device. After receiving the SSB, the terminal device completes timing synchronization, and parses the time-frequency position of the system information block 1 (SIB1) from the SSB, receives SIB1 according to the parsed time-frequency position, parses the cell information and the scheduling information and broadcast mode of SIB19 from SIB1, receives SIB19 according to the scheduling information and broadcast mode of SIB19, and obtains the service ephemeris information and neighboring ephemeris information of the terminal device from SIB19. The service ephemeris information refers to the ephemeris information of the satellite to which the current network device to which the terminal device is accessing or has accessed, and can also be referred to as the ephemeris information of the current service area where the terminal device resides. The neighboring ephemeris information refers to the ephemeris information of the satellite adjacent to the satellite to which the current network device belongs, or the ephemeris information of the adjacent service area of ​​the current service area.

[0102] SIB19 also carries a timer parameter value. The terminal device periodically schedules receiving resources to receive SIB19 and updates the service ephemeris information and neighboring ephemeris information according to the timer parameter value carried in SIB19. In order to meet the real-time demand of the terminal device for service ephemeris information, the timer value carried in SIB19 is usually small, which will cause the terminal device to frequently receive service ephemeris information and neighboring ephemeris information, increasing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0103] Based on this, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method for adjusting the reception frequency of service ephemeris information and neighboring ephemeris information to reduce the power consumption of a terminal device. In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device receives a first SIB sent by a service satellite according to a first period, and the first SIB includes service ephemeris information and first neighboring ephemeris information. The terminal device receives a second SIB sent by a service satellite according to a second period, and the second SIB includes second neighboring ephemeris information. The second period is greater than the first period. By controlling the reception periods of the service ephemeris information and the neighboring ephemeris information respectively, it is possible to meet the real-time requirements of the terminal device for the service ephemeris information, and reduce the reception frequency of the terminal device for some neighboring ephemeris information, thereby reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0104] In the embodiment of the present application, the process of the terminal device receiving the first SIB is as follows: Figure 4 As shown, the following steps may be included:

[0105] S401, the terminal device resides on the NTN network and remains in an idle state.

[0106] In some embodiments, after the terminal device is turned on, the value pre-configured for the first period is read. For example, the value of the first period can be pre-configured and saved in the non-volatile (NV) memory of the terminal device. After the terminal device is turned on, the value pre-configured for the first period can be read from the NV memory. The terminal device resides on the NTN network by accessing the network device on the service satellite. When the terminal device has no business data to be transmitted, the terminal device remains in an idle (IDLE) state. Among them, the service satellite can be understood as the satellite corresponding to the service area where the terminal device currently resides.

[0107] S402, the terminal device starts receiving the first SIB.

[0108] S403, the network device sends a first SIB to the terminal device.

[0109] The terminal device receives the first SIB sent by the network device. Exemplarily, the terminal device may first receive the SSB sent by the network device, parse the time-frequency position of the first SIB from the SSB, and receive the first SIB according to the parsed time-frequency position. The first SIB carries service ephemeris information and first neighboring ephemeris information. In this way, compared with obtaining service ephemeris information and neighboring ephemeris information from SIB19 in the related art, service ephemeris information and first neighboring ephemeris information can be obtained faster, so that the terminal device can use service ephemeris information during random access.

[0110] The first SIB may be any type of SIB. For example, in one embodiment, the first SIB may be SIB1bis, and in another embodiment, the first SIB may be SIB19 or SIB19bis.

[0111] The first SIB carries service ephemeris information and first neighboring ephemeris information. Service ephemeris information is the ephemeris information of the satellite to which the network device of the terminal device belongs, and the satellite to which the network device belongs can be called a service satellite. The first neighboring ephemeris information may include the ephemeris information of the first part of the neighboring satellites of the service satellite. Exemplarily, it is assumed that the service satellite of the terminal device is satellite A5, and satellite A5 has 7 neighboring satellites, namely satellite A1, satellite A2, satellite A3, satellite A4, satellite A6, satellite A7 and satellite A8. The first neighboring ephemeris information may include the ephemeris information of 3 neighboring satellites, namely satellite A1, satellite A2 and satellite A3. The ephemeris information of any satellite may include the maximum time advance (TA) parameter, timing information, scheduling parameters, satellite polarization information, etc., and the service ephemeris information may also include the satellite out-of-service time and cell reference point, etc. The terminal device can communicate with the service satellite based on the received service ephemeris information, and when the service satellite loses contact, select the neighboring satellite that can be accessed based on the received neighboring ephemeris information to reconnect and reside in the NTN network.

[0112] S404, the terminal device saves the service ephemeris information and the first neighboring ephemeris information in the first SIB, and starts the T430 timer.

[0113] The terminal device may save the received service ephemeris information and the first neighboring ephemeris information to a set first storage space, and start a T430 timer whose duration is the first period mentioned above.

[0114] In some embodiments, the duration of the T430 timer can be a preconfigured value, and the terminal device can read the value preconfigured for the first period when it is turned on. Exemplarily, the duration of the T430 timer can be set according to the performance and business requirements of the terminal device, and different timer durations can be set for different business states of the terminal device. For example, when the terminal device is in an idle state, the duration of the T430 timer can adopt a preconfigured first value; when the terminal device is in a connected state, the duration of the T430 timer can adopt a preconfigured second value. Taking into account that the time and frequency accuracy requirements of the connected state are higher and more accurate ephemeris information is required, the period in the connected state is smaller than the period in the idle state, that is, the first value is larger than the second value.

[0115] In other embodiments, the first SIB may carry a first parameter in addition to the service ephemeris information and the first neighboring ephemeris information, and the duration of the T430 timer may adopt the first parameter carried in the first SIB. The first parameter may be a ntn-UlSyncValidityDuration parameter, which is a parameter for determining the duration of the ephemeris reception cycle.

[0116] S405, the T430 timer times out, and the terminal device restarts the reception of the first SIB.

[0117] In some embodiments, the duration of the T430 timer may adopt a preconfigured value. If the current terminal device is in an idle state, the duration of the T430 timer adopts a preconfigured first value. After the duration corresponding to the first value has passed, the T430 timer times out, and the terminal device restarts the reception of the first SIB. If the current terminal device is in a connected state, the duration of the T430 timer adopts a preconfigured second value. After the duration corresponding to the second value has passed, the T430 timer times out, and the terminal device restarts the reception of the first SIB. Since the first value is greater than the second value, in the idle state, the terminal device can reduce the frequency of receiving the first SIB, thereby reducing power consumption. Therefore, by dynamically configuring the duration of the T430 timer, the power consumption of the terminal device can be further saved.

[0118] In other embodiments, the duration of the T430 timer may adopt a first parameter carried in the first SIB. After the duration corresponding to the first parameter has elapsed, the T430 timer times out and the terminal device restarts reception of the first SIB.

[0119] S406: The network device sends a new first SIB to the terminal device.

[0120] S407: The terminal device updates the stored service ephemeris information and the first neighboring ephemeris information according to the new first SIB.

[0121] The terminal device receives the new first SIB, obtains the service ephemeris information and the first neighboring ephemeris information carried in the new first SIB, and uses the new service ephemeris information and the first neighboring ephemeris information to update the service ephemeris information and the first neighboring ephemeris information stored in the first storage space, completing the ephemeris information update process. In addition, the terminal device restarts the T430 timer, waits for the T430 timer to time out, and then starts receiving the first SIB again, thereby periodically receiving the first SIB.

[0122] In the embodiment of the present application, the process of the terminal device receiving the second SIB is as follows: Figure 5 As shown, the following steps may be included:

[0123] S501, the terminal device resides on the NTN network and remains in an idle state.

[0124] In some embodiments, after the terminal device is powered on, it reads the value pre-configured for the second period. The terminal device establishes a connection with the network device, resides on the NTN network, and remains in an idle state.

[0125] S502, the terminal device starts receiving the second SIB.

[0126] S503: The network device sends a second SIB to the terminal device.

[0127] The second SIB may be any type of SIB. For example, in one embodiment, the second SIB may be SIB19, and in another embodiment, the second SIB may be SIB1bis or SIB19bis.

[0128] The second SIB carries the ephemeris information of the second neighboring star. The ephemeris information of the second neighboring star may include the ephemeris information of the second part of the neighboring stars of the service satellite. Exemplarily, it is assumed that the service satellite of the terminal device is satellite A5, and satellite A5 has 7 neighboring stars, namely satellite A1, satellite A2, satellite A3, satellite A4, satellite A6, satellite A7 and satellite A8. The ephemeris information of the first neighboring star may include the ephemeris information of 3 neighboring stars, namely satellite A1, satellite A2 and satellite A3, and the ephemeris information of the second neighboring star may include the ephemeris information of 4 neighboring stars, namely satellite A4, satellite A6, satellite A7 and satellite A8.

[0129] S504: The terminal device saves the second neighboring star ephemeris information in the second SIB and starts the T430' timer.

[0130] The terminal device can save the received second neighboring star ephemeris information to the set second storage space, and start the T430' timer. The duration of the T430' timer is the second period mentioned above. The second period is greater than the first period mentioned above.

[0131] In some embodiments, the duration of the T430' timer can be a preconfigured value, and the terminal device can read the preconfigured value for the second period when it is turned on. Exemplarily, the duration of the T430' timer can be set according to the performance and business requirements of the terminal device, and different timer durations can be set for different business states of the terminal device. For example, when the terminal device is in an idle state, the duration of the T430' timer can adopt a preconfigured third value; when the terminal device is in a connected state, the duration of the T430' timer can adopt a preconfigured fourth value. Taking into account that the terminal device may need to interact frequently with the network device in the connected state, the period in the connected state is shorter than the period in the idle state, that is, the third value is greater than the fourth value.

[0132] In some other embodiments, the second SIB may carry a second parameter in addition to the second neighboring star ephemeris information, and the duration of the T430' timer may adopt the second parameter carried in the second SIB.

[0133] S505, T430' timer times out, and the terminal device restarts receiving the second SIB.

[0134] In some embodiments, the duration of the T430' timer may adopt a preconfigured value. If the current terminal device is in an idle state, the duration of the T430' timer adopts a preconfigured third value. After the duration corresponding to the third value has passed, the T430' timer times out, and the terminal device restarts the reception of the second SIB. If the current terminal device is in a connected state, the duration of the T430' timer adopts a preconfigured fourth value. After the duration corresponding to the fourth value has passed, the T430' timer times out, and the terminal device restarts the reception of the second SIB. Since the third value is greater than the fourth value, in the idle state, the terminal device can reduce the frequency of receiving the second SIB, thereby reducing power consumption. Therefore, by dynamically configuring the duration of the T430' timer, the power consumption of the terminal device can be further saved.

[0135] In other embodiments, the duration of the T430' timer may adopt a second parameter carried in the second SIB. After the duration corresponding to the second parameter has elapsed, the T430' timer times out and the terminal device restarts reception of the second SIB.

[0136] S506: The network device sends a new second SIB to the terminal device.

[0137] S507: The terminal device updates the saved second neighboring star ephemeris information according to the new second SIB.

[0138] The terminal device receives the new second SIB, obtains the second neighboring star ephemeris information carried in the new second SIB, and uses the new second neighboring star ephemeris information to update the second neighboring star ephemeris information stored in the second storage space. The terminal device restarts the T430' timer, waits for the T430' timer to time out, and then starts receiving the second SIB again, thereby periodically receiving the second SIB.

[0139] In the above embodiment, the communication method performed by the terminal device is as follows: Figure 6 As shown, the following steps may be included:

[0140] S601: The terminal device receives the first SIB sent by the network device according to the first period.

[0141] The first SIB includes service ephemeris information and first neighboring ephemeris information. The first neighboring ephemeris information includes ephemeris information of the first part of neighboring satellites of the satellite to which the current network device of the terminal device belongs.

[0142] S602: The terminal device receives the second SIB sent by the network device according to the second period.

[0143] The second SIB includes the ephemeris information of the second neighboring star. The ephemeris information of the second neighboring star includes the ephemeris information of the second part of the neighboring stars of the satellite to which the current network device corresponding to the terminal device belongs. The second period is greater than the first period.

[0144] The embodiment of the present application divides the neighboring star ephemeris information into two parts: the first neighboring star ephemeris information carried by the first SIB and the second neighboring star ephemeris information carried by the second SIB. The two parts of the neighboring star ephemeris information are stored separately, respectively in the first storage space and the second storage space. After receiving the first SIB, the first neighboring star ephemeris information stored in the first storage space is updated; after receiving the second SIB, the second neighboring star ephemeris information stored in the second storage space is updated. The second period can be greater than the first period, that is, the frequency of the terminal device receiving the second neighboring star ephemeris information can be lower, thereby saving power consumption of the terminal device.

[0145] In other embodiments, after the terminal device is turned on, it resides on the NTN network and remains in an idle state. The terminal device can receive the first SIB sent by the network device according to the first cycle. The first SIB includes service ephemeris information and first neighboring ephemeris information. According to the scheduling parameters and satellite polarization information in the service ephemeris information, the terminal device can determine the satellite to which the network device belongs, that is, the center point position of the service area corresponding to the service satellite and the radius of the service area, thereby determining the area covered by the service area corresponding to the service satellite. Combined with the current position of the terminal device, the terminal device can predict whether it is currently close to the coverage boundary of the service area corresponding to the service satellite. If the difference between the distance between the current position of the terminal device and the center point position of the service area and the radius of the service area is less than the set distance threshold, the terminal device can determine that it is currently close to the coverage boundary of the service area corresponding to the service satellite. At this time, the terminal device needs to use the neighboring ephemeris, can start the measurement of the neighboring satellite, and receive the second SIB, which includes the second neighboring ephemeris information.

[0146] In the above embodiment, the terminal device receives the ephemeris information of the second neighboring star only when it is close to the coverage boundary of the service area corresponding to the service satellite. When it is not close to the coverage boundary of the service area corresponding to the service satellite, there is no need to receive the ephemeris information of the second neighboring star, which can save network resources and further save power consumption of the terminal device.

[0147] In the above embodiment, the communication method performed by the network device is as follows: Figure 7 As shown, the following steps may be included:

[0148] S701, a network device sends a first SIB to a terminal device residing in a service area corresponding to a satellite to which the network device belongs.

[0149] The first SIB includes service ephemeris information and first neighboring ephemeris information. The service ephemeris information is the ephemeris information of the satellite to which the network device belongs. The first neighboring ephemeris information includes the ephemeris information of the first part of neighboring satellites of the satellite to which the network device belongs.

[0150] S702: The network device sends a second SIB to a terminal device residing in a service area corresponding to a satellite to which the network device belongs.

[0151] The second SIB includes the ephemeris information of the second neighboring star. The ephemeris information of the second neighboring star includes the ephemeris information of the second part of neighboring stars of the satellite to which the network device belongs.

[0152] In an optional embodiment, the network device may send the first SIB to terminal devices residing in a service area corresponding to the satellite to which the network device belongs according to the third period, that is, the network device may broadcast the first SIB according to the third period, and all terminal devices located in the service area corresponding to the satellite to which the network device belongs may receive the first SIB broadcast by the network device according to their own receiving frequency.

[0153] Similarly, the network device can send the second SIB to the terminal devices residing in the service area corresponding to the satellite to which the network device belongs according to the fourth period, that is, the network device can broadcast the second SIB according to the fourth period, and all terminal devices located in the service area corresponding to the satellite to which the network device belongs can receive the second SIB broadcast by the network device according to their own receiving frequency. Among them, the third period and the fourth period can be the same or different. The third period and the fourth period are smaller than the first period, and the third period and the fourth period are smaller than the second period, that is, the frequency of the network device broadcasting the first SIB is higher than the frequency of the terminal device receiving the first SIB, and the frequency of the network device broadcasting the second SIB is higher than the frequency of the terminal device receiving the second SIB.

[0154] In some embodiments, when the signal of the service satellite is lost, if a neighboring satellite arrives soon and its ephemeris information is still valid when the neighboring satellite arrives, the neighboring satellite search can be started directly when the neighboring satellite arrives to re-enter the service area as soon as possible. Figure 8 A communication method performed by a terminal device in a network loss (signal loss of a service satellite) state is shown, and the method may include the following steps:

[0155] S801, when the signal of the service satellite is lost, the terminal device determines the fastest arrival time to the neighboring satellite and the fastest arrival time to the neighboring satellite according to the received ephemeris information of the first neighboring satellite and the received ephemeris information of the second neighboring satellite.

[0156] When the terminal device cannot detect the signal of the network device, or detects that the signal strength of the network device is lower than the set strength threshold, the terminal device determines that the signal of the service satellite is lost. At this time, the terminal device can determine the fastest arrival at the neighboring star and the fastest arrival time of the neighboring star based on the ephemeris information of the first neighboring star received most recently and the ephemeris information of the second neighboring star received most recently. Among them, the fastest arrival neighboring star is the neighboring star whose corresponding service area covers the location of the terminal device in the first part of the neighboring stars and the second part of the neighboring stars of the service satellite, and the time required is the shortest. The fastest arrival time of the neighboring star is the time required for the fastest arrival service area corresponding to the neighboring star to cover the location of the terminal device. Among them, the fastest arrival time of the neighboring star can be called the first time, and the fastest arrival neighboring star can be called the first neighboring star corresponding to the first time.

[0157] Exemplarily, the terminal device may determine the arrival time of each neighboring star in the first part of neighboring stars according to the ephemeris information of the first neighboring star received the most recently, and determine the arrival time of each neighboring star in the second part of neighboring stars according to the ephemeris information of the second neighboring star received the most recently. Both the first part of neighboring stars and the second part of neighboring stars may be referred to as neighboring stars of the service satellite. Among the arrival times of all neighboring stars, the neighboring star with the shortest arrival time is taken as the fastest arrival neighboring star, and the arrival time of the fastest arrival neighboring star is taken as the fastest arrival time of the neighboring star.

[0158] In some embodiments, the terminal device may also sort the neighboring satellites of the service satellite according to the arrival time of each neighboring satellite in ascending order.

[0159] In some embodiments, the terminal device may start a cell search for the fastest neighboring satellite according to the fastest arrival time of the neighboring satellite. For example, the terminal device may start a cell search for the fastest neighboring satellite before or after the fastest arrival time of the neighboring satellite. The cell search for the fastest neighboring satellite may be understood as performing a cell search for the frequency point corresponding to the fastest neighboring satellite.

[0160] In other embodiments, after determining the fastest arrival time at the neighboring satellite and the fastest arrival time at the neighboring satellite, the terminal device may execute step S802.

[0161] S802, the terminal device determines whether the fastest arrival time of the neighboring satellite is greater than the set time threshold; if yes, execute step S803; if not, execute step S805.

[0162] Exemplarily, the duration threshold may be set to 1 second.

[0163] S803, the terminal device performs a network-wide search.

[0164] S804: The terminal device ends the whole network search based on the fastest arrival time of the neighboring satellite, and uses the fastest arriving neighboring satellite as the satellite to be searched. Then, step S806 is executed.

[0165] For example, assuming that the time threshold is set to 1 second, the fastest arrival time of the neighboring satellite is 3 seconds, 3 seconds>1 second, at this time, the fastest arrival time of the neighboring satellite is greater than the set time threshold, and the terminal device can determine that the neighboring satellite will not arrive soon. The terminal device can perform a full network search, that is, a cell search is performed cyclically for the possible frequencies of the service areas of all satellites. Exemplarily, if the fastest arrival time of the neighboring satellite is greater than the set time threshold, the radio resource control (RRC) layer of the terminal device starts a full network search and notifies the physical (PHY) layer of the terminal device to perform a cell search. If the PHY layer cell search fails, the RRC layer can be notified of the cell search failure information. In some embodiments, if the full network search is not successful after the fastest arrival time of the neighboring satellite, that is, after 3 seconds, the terminal device can perform a cell search for the fastest arriving neighboring satellite. In some embodiments, the terminal device can also end the full network search before and after the fastest arrival time of the neighboring satellite, and perform a cell search for the fastest arriving neighboring satellite.

[0166] In some embodiments, if the fastest arrival time of the neighboring satellite is about to be reached, or, after the fastest arrival time of the neighboring satellite, the full network search has not been successful, and the ephemeris information of the fastest arrival neighboring satellite is still in a valid state, the terminal device can perform a cell search for the fastest arrival neighboring satellite. Exemplarily, if the fastest arrival time of the neighboring satellite is less than or equal to the set information validity time, the terminal device can determine that the ephemeris information of the fastest arrival neighboring satellite is in a valid state. The set information validity time can be 5 minutes. Exemplarily, if the fastest arrival time of the neighboring satellite is about to be reached, or, after the fastest arrival time of the neighboring satellite, the full network search has not been successful, the RRC layer can determine that the fastest arrival neighboring satellite has arrived, and the ephemeris information of the fastest arrival neighboring satellite is in a valid state, then the RRC layer notifies the PHY layer to start the cell search for the fastest arrival neighboring satellite.

[0167] S805, before or after the fastest arrival time of the neighboring satellite, the terminal device uses the fastest arriving neighboring satellite as the satellite to be searched.

[0168] S806: The terminal device performs a cell search for the satellite to be searched.

[0169] If the fastest arrival time of the neighboring satellite is less than or equal to the set time threshold, the terminal device may not perform a full network search. Since the set time threshold is less than the set information validity time, when the fastest arrival time of the neighboring satellite is less than or equal to the set time threshold, it must be less than the information validity time. The terminal device can wait and perform a cell search for the fastest arriving neighboring satellite when the fastest arrival time of the neighboring satellite is about to be reached, or after the fastest arrival time of the neighboring satellite has passed. For example, assuming that the set time threshold is 1 second, the fastest arrival time of the neighboring satellite is 0.8 seconds, and 0.8 seconds < 1 second, the terminal device may not perform a full network search. After waiting for 0.7 seconds or 0.8 seconds, the fastest arrival neighboring satellite arrives, and the terminal device can perform a cell search for the fastest arrival neighboring satellite.

[0170] S807, whether the search is successful; if not, execute step S808, if so, execute step S809.

[0171] S808, the terminal device takes the next neighboring satellite that is about to arrive as the satellite to be searched, and waits for the next neighboring satellite that is about to arrive to arrive; then returns to execute step S806.

[0172] In some embodiments, if the search for the fastest arriving neighboring satellite is unsuccessful, the terminal device may determine the next neighboring satellite to be reached in order of the arrival time of each neighboring satellite from small to large. If the arrival time of the next neighboring satellite to be reached is less than or equal to the set information validity time, it means that the ephemeris information of the next neighboring satellite to be reached is in a valid state, and a cell search may be performed for the next neighboring satellite to be reached, and the above steps are repeated until the cell search is successful and the terminal device resides in the NTN network. After the cell search is successful, the terminal device may reside in the optimal cell searched. Exemplarily, the information validity time corresponding to all neighboring satellites may be the same, or different neighboring satellites may correspond to different information validity times.

[0173] In other embodiments, the fastest neighboring satellite search and the full network search may be performed alternately. Exemplarily, when the search for the fastest neighboring satellite is unsuccessful, the terminal device may determine the next neighboring satellite to be reached in the order of the arrival time of each neighboring satellite from small to large. If the arrival time of the next neighboring satellite to be reached is less than or equal to the set information validity time, it means that the ephemeris information of the next neighboring satellite to be reached is in a valid state, and the terminal device may perform a full network search, and when the next neighboring satellite to be reached arrives, perform a cell search for the next neighboring satellite to be reached, and repeat the above steps until the cell search is successful and the terminal device resides in the NTN network.

[0174] S809, the terminal device resides in the NTN network.

[0175] If the search for the fastest neighboring satellite is successful, the terminal device can reside in the service area corresponding to the fastest neighboring satellite, or the terminal device can reside in the optimal cell searched. Exemplarily, after the PHY layer of the terminal device successfully searches for the fastest neighboring satellite cell, it can notify the RRC layer of the success of the neighboring satellite search. At this time, the terminal device can reside in the service area corresponding to the fastest neighboring satellite or the optimal cell searched. If the terminal device resides in the service area corresponding to the fastest neighboring satellite, it can receive the fastest ephemeris information of the neighboring satellite sent by the network device on the fastest neighboring satellite, and use the newly received ephemeris information to overwrite the originally saved ephemeris information.

[0176] In some embodiments, if the signal of the serving satellite is lost, after the terminal device determines the fastest arrival time of the neighboring satellite, if the fastest arrival time of the neighboring satellite is less than or equal to the set information validity time, the timer T can be started, and the duration of the timer T is determined according to the fastest arrival time of the neighboring satellite. If the fastest arrival time of the neighboring satellite is greater than the set duration threshold, the terminal device performs a full network search. If the timer T times out and the full network search is unsuccessful, the terminal device performs a cell search for the fastest arriving neighboring satellite.

[0177] If the fastest arrival time of the neighboring satellite is less than or equal to the set time threshold, the terminal device will not start the whole network search temporarily, wait for the timer T to time out, and search for the cell for the fastest arrival neighboring satellite. Since the set time threshold is less than the information validity time, if the fastest arrival time of the neighboring satellite is less than or equal to the set time threshold, the fastest arrival time of the neighboring satellite must be less than the information validity time, that is, when the fastest arrival neighboring satellite search is successful, the ephemeris information of the fastest arrival neighboring satellite is in a valid state. Therefore, when the fastest arrival neighboring satellite search is successful, the terminal device can reside in the service area corresponding to the fastest arrival neighboring satellite.

[0178] In other embodiments, if the signal of the service satellite is lost, after the terminal device determines the fastest arrival time of the neighboring satellite, it can start timer T1, and determine the duration of timer T1 according to the fastest arrival time of the neighboring satellite. At the same time, the terminal device can start timer T2, and use the set information validity time as the duration of timer T2. If the fastest arrival time of the neighboring satellite is greater than the set duration threshold, the terminal device performs a full network search. If timer T1 times out and the full network search is unsuccessful, at this time timer T2 has not timed out, indicating that the ephemeris information of the fastest arrival neighboring satellite is in a valid state, and the terminal device can perform a cell search for the fastest arrival neighboring satellite. If the fastest arrival time of the neighboring satellite is less than or equal to the set duration threshold, the terminal device temporarily does not start the full network search and waits for timer T1 to time out. At this time, timer T2 has not timed out, indicating that the ephemeris information of the fastest arrival neighboring satellite is in a valid state, and the terminal device can perform a cell search for the fastest arrival neighboring satellite. If timer T2 times out and the terminal device still fails to successfully search for the cell of the fastest arriving neighboring satellite, the ephemeris information of the fastest arriving neighboring satellite is in an invalid state, and the terminal device performs a full network search, or the terminal device performs a cell search for the next neighboring satellite that is about to arrive.

[0179] In an optional embodiment, the network device may send service ephemeris information and neighboring ephemeris information to the terminal device via a SIB. The terminal device may receive the SIB sent by the network device according to the ephemeris reception period. The SIB includes service ephemeris information and neighboring ephemeris information; wherein the network device is located on the satellite corresponding to the service area where the terminal device currently resides; the service ephemeris information is the ephemeris information of the satellite to which the network device belongs, that is, the ephemeris information of the service satellite; the neighboring ephemeris information may include the ephemeris information of the neighboring satellites of the service satellite. The process of the terminal device receiving the SIB sent by the network device according to the ephemeris reception period can be referred to. Figure 4 The process shown is executed and will not be repeated here.

[0180] Fig. 9 The embodiment shows a communication method performed by a terminal device in a network-lost state. The method may include the following steps:

[0181] S901, when the signal of the service satellite is lost, the terminal device determines the fastest arrival time to the neighboring satellite and the fastest arrival time to the neighboring satellite based on the received ephemeris information of the neighboring satellite.

[0182] When the terminal device cannot detect the signal of the network device, or the signal strength of the network device is lower than the set strength threshold, the terminal device determines that the signal of the service satellite is lost. At this time, the terminal device can determine the fastest arrival at the neighboring satellite and the fastest arrival time of the neighboring satellite based on the most recently received neighboring satellite ephemeris information. Among them, the fastest arrival neighboring satellite is the neighboring satellite of the service satellite whose corresponding service area covers the location of the terminal device in the shortest time. The fastest arrival time of the neighboring satellite is the time required for the fastest arrival of the service area corresponding to the neighboring satellite to cover the location of the terminal device.

[0183] In some embodiments, the terminal device may also sort the neighboring satellites of the service satellite according to the arrival time of each neighboring satellite in ascending order.

[0184] S902, the terminal device determines whether the fastest arrival time of the neighboring satellite is greater than the set time threshold; if yes, execute step S903; if not, execute step S905.

[0185] Exemplarily, the duration threshold may be set to 1 second.

[0186] S903, the terminal device performs a network-wide search.

[0187] S904: The terminal device ends the whole network search based on the fastest arrival time of the neighboring satellite, and uses the fastest arriving neighboring satellite as the satellite to be searched. Then, step S906 is executed.

[0188] S905, before or after the fastest arrival time of the neighboring satellite, the terminal device uses the fastest arriving neighboring satellite as the satellite to be searched.

[0189] S906: The terminal device performs a cell search for the satellite to be searched.

[0190] S907, whether the search is successful; if not, execute step S908, if so, execute step S909.

[0191] S908, the terminal device takes the next neighboring satellite that is about to arrive as the satellite to be searched, and waits for the next neighboring satellite that is about to arrive to arrive; then returns to execute step S906.

[0192] In some embodiments, if the search for the fastest neighboring satellite is unsuccessful, the terminal device may determine the next neighboring satellite to be reached in the order of the arrival time of each neighboring satellite from small to large. If the arrival time of the next neighboring satellite to be reached is less than or equal to the set information validity time, it means that the ephemeris information of the next neighboring satellite to be reached is in a valid state, and a cell search may be performed for the next neighboring satellite to be reached, and the above steps are repeated until the cell search is successful and the terminal device resides in the NTN network. After the cell search is successful, the terminal device may reside in the optimal cell searched.

[0193] In other embodiments, the fastest neighboring satellite search and the full network search may be performed alternately. Exemplarily, when the search for the fastest neighboring satellite is unsuccessful, the terminal device may determine the next neighboring satellite to be reached in the order of the arrival time of each neighboring satellite from small to large. If the arrival time of the next neighboring satellite to be reached is less than or equal to the set information validity time, it means that the ephemeris information of the next neighboring satellite to be reached is in a valid state, and the terminal device may perform a full network search, and when the next neighboring satellite to be reached arrives, perform a cell search for the next neighboring satellite to be reached, and repeat the above steps until the cell search is successful and the terminal device resides in the NTN network.

[0194] S909, the terminal device resides in the NTN network.

[0195] In the above embodiment, when the signal of the service satellite is lost, if the fastest neighboring satellite can be reached in a very short time, the terminal device does not perform a full network search, and directly performs a cell search for the fastest neighboring satellite before or after the fastest neighboring satellite arrives. On the one hand, it can reduce the power consumed by performing a full network search, further saving the power consumption of the terminal device, and on the other hand, it can save the time spent on performing an indiscriminate cell search in the whole network. When the fastest neighboring satellite arrives, the cell search for the fastest neighboring satellite is performed immediately, which is conducive to reducing the cell search time and allowing the terminal device to re-resident on the NTN network as soon as possible.

[0196] Based on the same design concept as the above method embodiment, the present application embodiment also provides a communication device. The communication device can be applied to a terminal device, such as Figure 1 or Figure 2 The communication device can be used to implement the functions of the above method embodiment, so the beneficial effects of the above method embodiment can be achieved. Fig.10 As shown, the communication device 1000 may include a first receiving module 1001 and a second receiving module 1002 .

[0197] Among them, the first receiving module 1001 is used to receive the first system information block SIB sent by the network device according to the first period; the first SIB includes service ephemeris information and first neighboring star ephemeris information; the network device is located on the satellite corresponding to the service area where the terminal device currently resides; the service ephemeris information is the ephemeris information of the satellite to which the network device belongs; the first neighboring star ephemeris information includes the ephemeris information of the first part of the neighboring stars of the satellite to which the network device belongs.

[0198] The second receiving module 1002 is used to receive the second SIB sent by the network device according to the second period; the second SIB includes the second neighboring star ephemeris information; the second neighboring star ephemeris information includes the ephemeris information of the second part of the neighboring stars of the satellite to which the network device belongs; the second period is greater than the first period.

[0199] In some embodiments, Fig.11 As shown, the communication device 1000 may also include a calculation module 1003 and a search module 1004. The calculation module 1003 is used to determine the first duration and the first neighboring satellite according to the received ephemeris information of the first neighboring satellite and the ephemeris information of the second neighboring satellite when the signal of the network device cannot be detected or the signal strength of the network device is detected to be lower than the set strength threshold; the first duration is the shortest duration required for the corresponding service area of ​​the first part of the neighboring satellites and the second part of the neighboring satellites to cover the location of the terminal device; the first neighboring satellite is the neighboring satellite whose corresponding service area covers the location of the terminal device after the shortest duration. The search module 1004 is used to start a cell search for the first neighboring satellite according to the first duration.

[0200] It should be noted that, in other embodiments, the first receiving module 1001 can be used to execute any step in the communication method, the second receiving module 1002 can be used to execute any step in the communication method, the calculation module 1003 can be used to execute any step in the communication method, and the search module 1004 can be used to execute any step in the communication method. The steps that the first receiving module 1001, the second receiving module 1002, the calculation module 1003, and the search module 1004 are responsible for implementing can be specified as needed, and the first receiving module 1001, the second receiving module 1002, the calculation module 1003, and the search module 1004 respectively implement different steps in the communication method to realize all functions of the communication device.

[0201] Each functional module in the embodiment of the present application can be integrated into one processor, or each module can exist physically separately, or two or more modules can be integrated into one module. The above integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units.

[0202] Based on the same design concept as the above method embodiment, the present application embodiment also provides a communication device. The communication device can be applied to a terminal device, such as Figure 1 or Figure 2 In any terminal device shown in FIG. 1 . The communication device can be used to implement the above Fig. 9 The functions of the method embodiment shown in the figure can thus achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiment. Fig.12 As shown, the communication device 1200 may include a calculation module 1201 and a search module 1202 .

[0203] Among them, the calculation module 1201 is used to determine the first time duration and the first neighboring star according to the received neighboring star ephemeris information when the signal of the network device cannot be monitored or the signal strength of the network device is monitored to be lower than the set strength threshold; the neighboring star ephemeris information includes the ephemeris information of the neighboring stars of the satellite to which the network device belongs, the first time duration is the shortest time duration required for the corresponding service area of ​​the neighboring stars of the satellite to which the network device belongs to cover the location of the terminal device; the first neighboring star is a neighboring star whose corresponding service area covers the location of the terminal device after the shortest time duration.

[0204] The search module 1202 is configured to start a cell search for a first neighboring satellite according to a first duration.

[0205] It should be noted that, in other embodiments, the calculation module 1201 can be used to execute any step in the communication method, and the search module 1202 can be used to execute any step in the communication method. The steps that the calculation module 1201 and the search module 1202 are responsible for implementing can be specified as needed, and the calculation module 1201 and the search module 1202 respectively implement different steps in the communication method to realize all functions of the communication device.

[0206] Each functional module in the embodiment of the present application can be integrated into one processor, or each module can exist physically separately, or two or more modules can be integrated into one module. The above integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units.

[0207] Based on the same design concept as the above method embodiment, the present application embodiment also provides a communication device. The communication device can be applied to network equipment, such as Figure 1 or Figure 2 In any one of the network devices shown. The communication device can be used to implement the above Figure 7 The functions of the method embodiment shown in the figure can thus achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiment. Fig.13 As shown, the communication device 1300 may include a first sending module 1301 and a second sending module 1302 .

[0208] The first sending module 1301 is used to send a first system information block SIB to a terminal device residing in a service area corresponding to the satellite to which the network device belongs; the first SIB includes service ephemeris information and first neighboring ephemeris information; the service ephemeris information is the ephemeris information of the satellite to which the network device belongs; the first neighboring ephemeris information includes the ephemeris information of the first part of neighboring satellites of the satellite to which the network device belongs;

[0209] The second sending module 1302 is used to send a second SIB to a terminal device residing in a service area corresponding to the satellite to which the network device belongs; the second SIB includes ephemeris information of a second neighboring star; the second neighboring star ephemeris information includes ephemeris information of a second part of neighboring stars of the satellite to which the network device belongs.

[0210] It should be noted that, in other embodiments, the first sending module 1301 can be used to execute any step in the communication method, and the second sending module 1302 can be used to execute any step in the communication method. The steps that the first sending module 1301 and the second sending module 1302 are responsible for implementing can be specified as needed, and the first sending module 1301 and the second sending module 1302 respectively implement different steps in the communication method to realize all functions of the communication device.

[0211] Each functional module in the embodiment of the present application can be integrated into one processor, or each module can exist physically separately, or two or more modules can be integrated into one module. The above integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units.

[0212] Based on the same technical concept as the above method embodiment, a terminal device is also provided in the embodiment of the present application. The terminal device can be Figure 1 or Figure 2 Any terminal device shown in . The terminal device can be used to implement the above Figure 6 , Figure 8 or Fig. 9 The functions of the method embodiment shown can therefore achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiment.

[0213] In some embodiments, the structure of the terminal device 1400 can be as follows: Fig.14 As shown, it includes a processor 1401 and a memory 1402 connected to the processor 1401. The processor 1401 and the memory 1402 can be connected to each other through a bus. The processor 1401 can be a general-purpose processor, such as a microprocessor, or other conventional processors. The bus can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc.

[0214] Among them, the memory 1402 can be used to store software programs and modules, and the processor 1401 executes various functional applications and data processing of the terminal device 1400 by running the software programs and modules stored in the memory 1402, such as the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0215] The memory 1402 may mainly include a program storage area and a data storage area, wherein the program storage area may store an operating system, at least one application program, etc.; the data storage area may be used to store user data, etc. In addition, the memory 1402 may include a high-speed random access memory, and may also include a non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device, a flash memory device, or other volatile solid-state storage devices.

[0216] The processor 1401 in the terminal device 1400 is used to run the computer instructions or programs stored in the memory 1402 to perform the functions in any of the above method embodiments. In some embodiments, the processor 1401 may include one or more processing units, and different processing units may be independent devices or integrated in one or more processors. The processor 1401 may also include a controller, which may generate an operation control signal according to the instruction operation code and the timing signal to complete the control of fetching and executing instructions.

[0217] In one embodiment, the terminal device 1400 may further include a communication module, and the communication module is used to communicate with the network device.

[0218] In other embodiments, the network device may also use Figure 3 The structure shown will not be described in detail here.

[0219] It is to be understood that the structure illustrated in the embodiment of the present application does not constitute a specific limitation on the network device. In other embodiments of the present application, the chip may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or split certain components, or arrange the components differently. The illustrated components may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0220] Based on the same technical concept as the above method embodiment, the present application embodiment also provides a network device, which can be set in a satellite. The network device can be Figure 1 or Figure 2 Any one of the network devices shown in . The network device can be used to implement the above Figure 7 The functions of the method embodiment shown can therefore achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiment.

[0221] In some embodiments, the structure of the network device 1500 can be as follows: Fig.15As shown, it includes a processor 1501 and a memory 1502 connected to the processor 1501. The processor 1501 and the memory 1502 can be connected to each other through a bus. The processor 1501 can be a general-purpose processor, such as a microprocessor, or other conventional processors. The bus can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc.

[0222] Among them, the memory 1502 can be used to store software programs and modules, and the processor 1501 executes various functional applications and data processing of the network device 1500 by running the software programs and modules stored in the memory 1502, such as the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0223] The memory 1502 may mainly include a program storage area and a data storage area, wherein the program storage area may store an operating system, at least one application program, etc.; the data storage area may be used to store user data, etc. In addition, the memory 1502 may include a high-speed random access memory, and may also include a non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device, a flash memory device, or other volatile solid-state storage devices.

[0224] The processor 1501 in the network device 1500 is used to run the computer instructions or programs stored in the memory 1502 to perform the functions in any of the above method embodiments. In some embodiments, the processor 1501 may include one or more processing units, and different processing units may be independent devices or integrated in one or more processors. The processor 1501 may also include a controller, which may generate an operation control signal according to the instruction operation code and the timing signal to complete the control of fetching and executing instructions.

[0225] In one embodiment, the network device 1500 may further include a communication module, and the communication module is used to communicate with the terminal device.

[0226] In other embodiments, the network device may also use Figure 3 The structure shown will not be described in detail here.

[0227] It is to be understood that the structure illustrated in the embodiment of the present application does not constitute a specific limitation on the network device. In other embodiments of the present application, the chip may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or split certain components, or arrange the components differently. The illustrated components may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0228] The present application also provides a computer program product, which includes computer executable instructions. In one embodiment, the computer executable instructions are used to enable a computer to execute the functions of the above method embodiment.

[0229] The computer executable instructions may be stored in a computer readable storage medium. The present application also provides a computer readable storage medium, wherein the computer readable storage medium stores the executable instructions. In one embodiment, the computer executable instructions are used to enable a computer to execute the functions in the above method embodiment.

[0230] The computer-readable storage medium provided in the embodiments of the present application may be a random access memory (RAM), a flash memory, a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a register, a hard disk, a mobile hard disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of computer-readable storage medium known in the art.

[0231] Computer executable instructions may be stored in a computer readable storage medium or transferred from one computer readable storage medium to another computer readable storage medium. For example, the computer program or instructions may be transferred from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center by wired or wireless means. The computer readable storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, or a magnetic tape; it may also be an optical medium, such as a digital video disc (DVD); it may also be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid state drive.

[0232] In each embodiment of the present application, if there is no special explanation and logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced to each other, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any of their variations are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, for example, including a series of steps or units. Methods, systems, products or devices are not necessarily limited to those steps or units clearly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0233] Although the present application has been described in conjunction with specific features and embodiments thereof, it is apparent that various modifications and combinations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Accordingly, the present specification and the accompanying drawings are merely exemplary illustrations of the schemes defined by the appended claims, and are deemed to have covered any and all modifications, variations, combinations or equivalents within the scope of the present application.

[0234] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the present application without departing from the scope 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 present application and their equivalents, the present application is also intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a terminal device, the method comprises: According to a first cycle, a first system information block SIB sent by a network device is received; the first SIB includes service ephemeris information and first neighboring ephemeris information; the network device is located on a satellite corresponding to a service area currently resident; the service ephemeris information is ephemeris information of a satellite to which the network device belongs; the first neighboring ephemeris information includes ephemeris information of a first part of neighboring satellites of the satellite to which the network device belongs; According to the second cycle, a second SIB sent by the network device is received; the second SIB includes the ephemeris information of a second neighboring star; the second neighboring star ephemeris information includes the ephemeris information of a second part of neighboring stars of the satellite to which the network device belongs; the second cycle is greater than the first cycle.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first period is a preconfigured value, or the first period is a first parameter carried in the first SIB; The second period is a preconfigured value, or the second period is a second parameter carried in the second SIB.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that When the terminal device is in an idle state, the first period adopts a preconfigured first value; when the terminal device is in a connected state, the first period adopts a preconfigured second value; the first value is greater than the second value.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that: When the terminal device is in an idle state, the second period adopts a preconfigured third value; when the terminal device is in a connected state, the second period adopts a preconfigured fourth value; the third value is greater than the fourth value.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The first SIB is SIB1bis, and the second SIB is SIB19; or, the first SIB is SIB19, and the second SIB is SIB1bis.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The method further comprises: When the signal of the network device cannot be detected, or the signal strength of the network device is detected to be lower than a set strength threshold, a first duration and a first neighboring star are determined according to the received ephemeris information of the first neighboring star and the ephemeris information of the second neighboring star; the first duration is the shortest duration required for the corresponding service areas of the first part of neighboring stars and the second part of neighboring stars to cover the location of the terminal device; the first neighboring star is a neighboring star whose corresponding service area covers the location of the terminal device after the shortest duration; A cell search for the first neighboring satellite is initiated according to the first duration.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The initiating a cell search for the first neighboring satellite according to the first duration includes: If the first duration is less than or equal to the set duration threshold, a cell search for the first neighboring satellite is initiated according to the first duration.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The initiating a cell search for the first neighboring satellite according to the first duration includes: If the first duration is greater than the set duration threshold, a full network search is performed; According to the first duration, the whole network search is terminated, and a cell search for the first neighboring satellite is started.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The step of ending the whole network search according to the first duration and starting a cell search for the first neighboring satellite includes: If the first arrival time is greater than the set time threshold and less than the set information validity time, the whole network search is terminated according to the first time, and a cell search is performed for the first neighboring satellite; the information validity time is the time during which the ephemeris information of the first neighboring satellite is in a valid state.

10. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a terminal device, the method comprises: When the signal of the network device cannot be detected, or the signal strength of the network device is detected to be lower than the set strength threshold, the first duration and the first neighboring star are determined according to the received neighboring star ephemeris information; the neighboring star ephemeris information includes the ephemeris information of the neighboring star of the satellite to which the network device belongs; the first duration is the shortest duration required for the corresponding service area of ​​the neighboring stars of the satellite to which the network device belongs to cover the location of the terminal device; the first neighboring star is the neighboring star whose corresponding service area covers the location of the terminal device after the shortest duration; A cell search for the first neighboring satellite is initiated according to the first duration.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The initiating a cell search for the first neighboring satellite according to the first duration includes: If the first duration is less than or equal to the set duration threshold, a cell search for the first neighboring satellite is initiated according to the first duration.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The initiating a cell search for the first neighboring satellite according to the first duration includes: If the first duration is greater than the set duration threshold, a full network search is performed; According to the first duration, the whole network search is terminated, and a cell search for the first neighboring satellite is started.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The step of ending the whole network search according to the first duration and starting a cell search for the first neighboring satellite includes: If the first arrival time is greater than the set time threshold and less than the set information validity time, the whole network search is terminated according to the first time, and a cell search is performed for the first neighboring satellite; the information validity time is the time during which the ephemeris information of the first neighboring satellite is in a valid state.

14. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a network device, the method comprises: Sending a first system information block SIB to a terminal device residing in a service area corresponding to the satellite to which the network device belongs; the first SIB includes service ephemeris information and first neighboring ephemeris information; the service ephemeris information is the ephemeris information of the satellite to which the network device belongs; the first neighboring ephemeris information includes the ephemeris information of a first part of neighboring satellites of the satellite to which the network device belongs; A second SIB is sent to a terminal device residing in a service area corresponding to the satellite to which the network device belongs; the second SIB includes ephemeris information of a second neighboring star; the second neighboring star ephemeris information includes ephemeris information of a second part of neighboring stars of the satellite to which the network device belongs.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The first SIB is SIB1bis, and the second SIB is SIB19; or, the first SIB is SIB19, and the second SIB is SIB1bis.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that The sending a first system information block SIB to a terminal device residing in a service area corresponding to a satellite to which the network device belongs includes: According to a third period, sending the first SIB to a terminal device residing in a service area corresponding to the satellite to which the network device belongs; The sending of the second SIB to the terminal device residing in the service area corresponding to the satellite to which the network device belongs includes: According to a fourth cycle, the second SIB is sent to a terminal device residing in a service area corresponding to the satellite to which the network device belongs.

17. A communication device, characterized in that: Applied to a terminal device, the device comprises: A first receiving module is used to receive a first system information block SIB sent by a network device according to a first period; the first SIB includes service ephemeris information and first neighboring ephemeris information; the network device is located on a satellite corresponding to a service area currently resident; the service ephemeris information is ephemeris information of the satellite to which the network device belongs; the first neighboring ephemeris information includes ephemeris information of a first part of neighboring satellites of the satellite to which the network device belongs; The second receiving module is used to receive a second SIB sent by the network device according to a second period; the second SIB includes the ephemeris information of a second neighboring star; the second neighboring star ephemeris information includes the ephemeris information of a second part of neighboring stars of the satellite to which the network device belongs; the second period is greater than the first period.

18. The device according to claim 17, characterized in that When the terminal device is in an idle state, the first period adopts a preconfigured first value; when the terminal device is in a connected state, the first period adopts a preconfigured second value; the first value is greater than the second value.

19. The device according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that The first SIB is SIB1bis, and the second SIB is SIB19; or, the first SIB is SIB19, and the second SIB is SIB1bis.

20. A communication device, characterized in that: Applied to a terminal device, the device comprises: A calculation module, configured to determine a first duration and a first neighboring star according to received neighboring star ephemeris information when no signal of the network device is detected or the signal strength of the network device is detected to be lower than a set strength threshold; the neighboring star ephemeris information includes ephemeris information of neighboring stars of the satellite to which the network device belongs; the first duration is the shortest duration required for the corresponding service area of ​​the neighboring stars of the satellite to which the network device belongs to cover the location of the terminal device; the first neighboring star is a neighboring star whose corresponding service area covers the location of the terminal device after the shortest duration; A search module is configured to start a cell search for the first neighboring satellite according to the first duration.

21. A communication device, characterized in that: Applied to network equipment, the device comprises: A first sending module is used to send a first system information block SIB to a terminal device residing in a service area corresponding to the satellite to which the network device belongs; the first SIB includes service ephemeris information and first neighboring ephemeris information; the service ephemeris information is the ephemeris information of the satellite to which the network device belongs; the first neighboring ephemeris information includes the ephemeris information of a first part of neighboring satellites of the satellite to which the network device belongs; The second sending module is used to send a second SIB to a terminal device residing in a service area corresponding to the satellite to which the network device belongs; the second SIB includes ephemeris information of a second neighboring star; the second neighboring star ephemeris information includes ephemeris information of a second part of neighboring stars of the satellite to which the network device belongs.

22. A terminal device, characterized in that: including a processor and a memory; The memory stores a computer program; The processor is used to read the computer program stored in the memory and execute the following steps: According to a first cycle, a first system information block SIB sent by a network device is received; the first SIB includes service ephemeris information and first neighboring ephemeris information; the network device is located on a satellite corresponding to a service area currently resident; the service ephemeris information is ephemeris information of a satellite to which the network device belongs; the first neighboring ephemeris information includes ephemeris information of a first part of neighboring satellites of the satellite to which the network device belongs; According to the second cycle, a second SIB sent by the network device is received; the second SIB includes the ephemeris information of a second neighboring star; the second neighboring star ephemeris information includes the ephemeris information of a second part of neighboring stars of the satellite to which the network device belongs; the second cycle is greater than the first cycle.

23. The terminal device according to claim 22, characterized in that: When the terminal device is in an idle state, the first period adopts a preconfigured first value; when the terminal device is in a connected state, the first period adopts a preconfigured second value; the first value is greater than the second value.

24. The terminal device according to claim 22 or 23, characterized in that: The first SIB is SIB1bis, and the second SIB is SIB19; or, the first SIB is SIB19, and the second SIB is SIB1bis.

25. A terminal device, characterized in that: including a processor and a memory; The memory stores a computer program; The processor is used to read the computer program stored in the memory and execute the following steps: When the signal of the network device cannot be detected, or the signal strength of the network device is detected to be lower than the set strength threshold, the first duration and the first neighboring star are determined according to the received neighboring star ephemeris information; the neighboring star ephemeris information includes the ephemeris information of the neighboring star of the satellite to which the network device belongs; the first duration is the shortest duration required for the corresponding service area of ​​the neighboring stars of the satellite to which the network device belongs to cover the location of the terminal device; the first neighboring star is the neighboring star whose corresponding service area covers the location of the terminal device after the shortest duration; A cell search for the first neighboring satellite is initiated according to the first duration.

26. A network device, characterized in that: including a processor and a memory; The memory stores a computer program; The processor is used to read the computer program stored in the memory and execute the following steps: Sending a first system information block SIB to a terminal device residing in a service area corresponding to the satellite to which the network device belongs; the first SIB includes service ephemeris information and first neighboring ephemeris information; the service ephemeris information is the ephemeris information of the satellite to which the network device belongs; the first neighboring ephemeris information includes the ephemeris information of a first part of neighboring satellites of the satellite to which the network device belongs; A second SIB is sent to a terminal device residing in a service area corresponding to the satellite to which the network device belongs; the second SIB includes ephemeris information of a second neighboring star; the second neighboring star ephemeris information includes ephemeris information of a second part of neighboring stars of the satellite to which the network device belongs.

27. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: Computer executable instructions are stored, and the computer executable instructions are used to enable a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, or the method according to any one of claims 14 to 16.

28. A computer program product, characterized in that The method comprises computer executable instructions, wherein the computer executable instructions are used to enable a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, or the method according to any one of claims 14 to 16.

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