Cell reselection requirements with satellite priority

Abstract

Example embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to methods, devices, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for cell reselection requirements with satellite priority. The method comprises the following steps: determining at least one first candidate satellite which can be used for adjacent cell measurement currently; determining at least one target satellite to be measured in the neighbor cell measurement based at least on the number of the at least one first candidate satellite and a respective priority of: the at least one first candidate satellite, or at least one second candidate satellite that will become available within the first time interval; and performing neighbor cell measurements on the at least one target satellite.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various example embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly to methods, devices, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for cell reselection requirements utilizing satellite priorities. Background Art

[0002] Internet of Things (IoT) and eMTC Enhanced Machine Type Communications (eMTC) are expected to be low-cost devices with limited capabilities and deployed in greater numbers (e.g. in a network of sensors). An important aspect of this type of devices is that for most applications their batteries are expected to last very long (months to years). To this end, the UE must see optimization of its air interface to limit energy consumption. Summary of the invention

[0003] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a first device is provided. The first device includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, enable the first device to at least: determine at least one first candidate satellite currently available for neighboring cell measurement; determine at least one target satellite to be measured in neighboring cell measurement based on at least the number of the at least one first candidate satellite and the corresponding priorities of the following items: at least one first candidate satellite, or at least one second candidate satellite that will become available within a first time interval; and perform neighboring cell measurement on the at least one target satellite.

[0004] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: determining at least one first candidate satellite currently available for neighbor cell measurement; determining at least one target satellite to be measured in the neighbor cell measurement based at least on the number of the at least one first candidate satellite and the corresponding priority of the following: the at least one first candidate satellite, or at least one second candidate satellite that becomes available within a first time interval; and performing neighbor cell measurement on the at least one target satellite.

[0005] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, a first device is provided. The first device includes: a component for determining at least one first candidate satellite currently available for neighboring cell measurement; a component for determining at least one target satellite to be measured in the neighboring cell measurement based on at least the number of the at least one first candidate satellite and the corresponding priority of the following items: at least one first candidate satellite, or at least one second candidate satellite that becomes available within a first time interval; and a component for performing neighboring cell measurement on the at least one target satellite.

[0006] In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon, and the instructions are used to cause a device to at least execute the method according to the second aspect.

[0007] It should be understood that the invention summary is not intended to identify the key features or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present invention will become readily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0009] Figure 1 An exemplary communication environment in which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented is shown;

[0010] Figure 2 A flowchart showing a method implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0011] Figure 3 A flowchart showing a method implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0012] Figure 4 shows a simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0013] Figure 5 A block diagram of an exemplary computer-readable medium according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0014] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] The principle of the present invention will now be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described only for the purpose of illustration, and help those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, without implying any limitation to the scope of the present disclosure. In addition to the embodiments described below, the embodiments described herein can be implemented in various ways.

[0016] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0017] References in this disclosure to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc., indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in conjunction with an embodiment, it is considered to be within the knowledge of those skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments (whether or not explicitly described).

[0018] It should be understood that, although the terms "first", "second", etc. in front of nouns etc. may be used in this article to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element, and they do not limit the order of the nouns. For example, without departing from the scope of the example embodiments, the first element may be referred to as the second element, and similarly, the second element may be referred to as the first element. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0019] As used herein, “at least one of: ” and “at least one of ” and similar expressions (wherein a list of two or more elements is connected by “and” or “or”) refer to at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0020] As used herein, unless expressly stated otherwise, "in response to A" performing a step does not mean that The step is not performed immediately after "A" occurs, but may include one or more intermediate steps.

[0021] The terms used herein are used only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that when used herein, the terms "comprises", "comprising", "has", "having", "includes", and / or "including" specify the presence of features, elements, and / or parts, etc., but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, parts, and / or combinations thereof.

[0022] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) hardware circuit implementation only (e.g., implementation only in analog and / or digital circuits), and (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software such as (where applicable): (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry and software / firmware, and (ii) any portion of a hardware processor (including a digital signal processor) with software, software and memory that work together to enable a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions; and (c) A hardware circuit and / or processor that requires software (eg, firmware) for operation, such as a microprocessor or portion of a microprocessor, but the software may not be present when not required for operation.

[0023] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of only a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to a particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0024] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that complies with any suitable communication standard, for example, New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced LTE (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), Enhanced Machine Type Communication (eMTC), etc. In addition, the communication between the terminal device and the network device in the communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation communication protocol, including but not limited to the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G), sixth generation (6G) communication protocol and / or any other protocol currently known or developed in the future. The embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. In view of the rapid development of communication, there are of course future types of communication technologies and systems that can implement the present disclosure. It should not be considered that the scope of the present disclosure is limited to the above-mentioned system.

[0025] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network via which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services from it. A network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), such as a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), a NR NB (also referred to as a gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a repeater, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a low-power node such as a femto, a micro), a non-terrestrial network (NTN) or a non-terrestrial network device (such as a satellite network device, a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite and a geosynchronous orbit (GEO) satellite, an aircraft network device, etc.), depending on the terminology and technology applied. In some example embodiments, a radio access network (RAN) split architecture includes a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) at an IAB donor node. An IAB node includes a mobile terminal (IAB-MT) portion that behaves like a UE toward a parent node, and a DU portion of an IAB node behaves like a base station toward a next-hop IAB node.

[0026] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. As an example and not limitation, the terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, a user equipment (UE), a subscriber station (SS), a portable subscriber station, a mobile station (MS) or an access terminal (AT). The terminal device may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a voice over IP (VoIP) phone, a wireless local loop phone, a tablet computer, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable computer, a desktop computer, an image capture terminal device such as a digital camera, a game terminal device, a music storage and playback facility, a vehicle-mounted wireless terminal device, a wireless endpoint, a mobile station, a laptop embedded device (LEE), a laptop mounted device (LME), a USB dongle, a smart device, a wireless user equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable device, a head mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, medical equipment and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial equipment and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial and / or automatic processing chain environments), consumer electronic devices, equipment operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. The terminal device may also correspond to the mobile terminal (MT) part of an IAB node (eg, a relay node).In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0027] As used herein, the terms "resource", "transmission resource", "resource block", "physical resource block" (PRB), "uplink resource" or "downlink resource" may refer to any resource used to perform communication (e.g., communication between a terminal device and a network device), such as a resource in the time domain, a resource in the frequency domain, a resource in the spatial domain, a resource in the code domain, or any other combination of time domain, frequency domain, spatial domain and / or code domain resources to achieve communication. In the following, unless explicitly stated, resources in the frequency domain and the time domain will be used as examples of transmission resources for describing some example embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be noted that the example embodiments of the present disclosure are also applicable to other resources in other domains.

[0028] Figure 1 An example communication environment 100 is shown in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. Figure 1 As shown, the communication network 100 may include a first device 110, which may be, for example, a terminal device. In some example embodiments, the terminal device may also be discussed as a UE.

[0029] Communication network 100 may also include network devices 120-1, 120-2, 120-3. In some example embodiments, the network devices may be discussed as BSs, gNBs, or eNBs. Figure 1 As shown, the network devices 120-1, 120-2, 120-3 may be hosted in the satellite (regenerative architecture) or relayed via the satellite (transparent architecture).

[0030] In some cases, the first device 110 can communicate with the network device 120-1 (hereinafter also referred to as satellite 120-1) within the coverage 101 of the network device 120-1, for example, the geographic area of ​​the first device 110 is served by the satellite beam or cell from the network device 120-1. For the purpose of discussion, the coverage 101 is also referred to as the service cell 101, which can be, for example, a non-terrestrial network cell.

[0031] In some cases, network device 120-2 and network device 120-3 may be considered as neighboring network devices (hereinafter also referred to as satellite 120-2 and satellite 120-3, respectively). Accordingly, coverage of network device 120-2 and coverage of network device 120-3 may be considered as neighboring cells.

[0032] The communication network 100 may be a non-terrestrial network (NTN) network or a network having an NTN structure. There may be different types of satellite orbits that have been studied for NTN access, including low earth orbit (LEO) satellites orbiting about 600 km above the earth. It should be understood that any other suitable type of satellite may also be used for the NTN structure.

[0033] It should be understood that Figure 1 The number of network devices and terminal devices shown in FIG. 1 is given for illustrative purposes and does not imply any limitation. Communication network 100 may include any suitable number of network devices and terminal devices.

[0034] In some example embodiments, the link from network device 120 to terminal device 110 may be referred to as a downlink (DL), and the link from terminal device 110 to network device 120 may be referred to as an uplink (UL). In the DL, network device 120 is a transmit (TX) device (or transmitter), and terminal device 110 is a receive (RX) device (or receiver). In the UL, terminal device 110 is a TX device (or transmitter), and network device 120 is an RX device (or receiver).

[0035] The communication in the communication environment 100 may be implemented according to any suitable communication protocol, including but not limited to cellular communication protocols of the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), fifth generation (5G), sixth generation (6G), etc., wireless local area network communication protocols such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, etc., and / or any other protocol currently known or developed in the future. In addition, the communication may use any suitable wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division duplex (FDD), time division duplex (TDD), multiple input multiple output (MIMO), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDM), discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) and / or any other technology currently known or developed in the future.

[0036] As mentioned above, IoT and eMTC devices are expected to be low-cost devices. An important aspect of this type of device is that their batteries are expected to last for a very long time (months to years) for most applications. To this end, the UE must see optimization of its air interface to limit energy consumption.

[0037] A UE in idle mode is required to perform frequent measurements in both the serving cell and neighboring cells to ensure that the UE can perform cell reselection to a better cell when radio quality degrades, for example to be able to monitor paging and initiate mobile originated traffic.

[0038] In NTN, when using LEO (Low Earth Orbit) satellites, the high speed of the satellites (up to 7.5 km / s relative to the Earth) results in very high frequency Doppler shifts observed by UEs in the DL signal. The values ​​of frequency Doppler shifts in NTN are much higher than those observed in terrestrial networks, up to ±24 ppm (parts per million) with an absolute instantaneous variation of up to 0.27 ppm / s.

[0039] refer to Figure 1 , assuming that Figure 1 If three LEO satellites (network devices 120-1, 120-2, 120-3) in provide coverage for the same DL frequency at the UE side (ie, the first device 110), the incoming signals from the three satellites will be seen by the UE at different center frequencies.

[0040] Therefore, in NTN, it is agreed that the UE must be provided with information about neighboring satellites so that the UE can re-tune its receiver to collect measurements about neighboring satellites appropriately and in a timely manner. It is important to note that this is captured in the demodulation requirements for the UE, where the DL shift is modeled as only residual DL Doppler, where most of the Doppler compensation is assumed to be performed on the UE side. The relevant protocols are listed below: Table 1

[0041] Furthermore, it is established that mobility requirements will only apply to the UE if information about neighboring cells is specifically transmitted to the UE. The relevant protocols are listed below: Table 2

[0042] Regarding the additional information to be transmitted to the first device 110 so that it can readjust, the relevant protocols are listed as follows: Table 3

[0043] In addition, some additional agreements are made as follows: Table 4

[0044] Current specifications establish requirements for how fast a UE must measure, detect and evaluate neighbor cells, which can be listed as follows (similar specifications can also be found for eMTC UEs). Table 5

[0045] In order to limit the power consumption of IoT devices, several enhancements are made during the cell reselection process to minimize the first apparatus 110 activities.

[0046] For example, it has recently been agreed that IoT / eMTC devices (i.e., UEs) in NTN need to measure a minimum of 2 satellites (one serving satellite and one neighboring satellite). In addition, the ability to measure more than 2 devices is optional for the first device 110 implementation. The following lists the relevant protocols: Table 6

[0047] In addition, for each frequency layer, the two satellites do not have to be the same. The relevant protocols are listed below: Table 7

[0048] It is also discussed that the UE may be configured with multiple neighbor cell satellites. In this case, it is important for the UE to know which of the multiple satellites must be selected for measurement, because the UE is required to detect neighbor cells above a certain receive power level threshold within a certain time window, and the UE will be subject to this requirement for "unselected" satellites. The selection cannot be random, because the UE is required to detect cells from the selected source satellite within a given time period (if the cell is at a detectable level), and the UE is not required to do the same towards neighbor cells from different target satellites.

[0049] Therefore, some example embodiments of the present disclosure propose a mechanism for cell reselection using satellite priority. In this solution, the first device 110 determines at least one first candidate satellite that is currently available for neighboring cell measurement. Then, the first device 110 determines at least one target satellite to be measured in the neighboring cell measurement based at least on the number of at least one first candidate satellite and the corresponding priority of the following items: at least one first candidate satellite, or at least one second candidate satellite that will become available within a first time interval. Then, the first device 110 performs neighboring cell measurement on the at least one target satellite.

[0050] Based on this solution, the first device 110 can prioritize satellites by firstly according to the availability of satellites when neighbor cell measurement is triggered. In this way, the number of satellites to be measured in neighbor cell measurement can be limited, and thus the power saving of UE can be further enhanced.

[0051] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0052] Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a method implemented at the first device 110 according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, Figure 1 The process 200 is described from the perspective of the first device 110 in FIG.

[0053] In the NTN, the first device 110 in a radio resource control (RRC) idle state may be configured with or receive (eg, in system information) information about more than one different neighboring satellites for one or more of its frequency layers.

[0054] The first device 110 in RRC idle may continue to perform serving cell measurements until the criteria for performing neighboring cell measurements are met. At block 210, if the first device 110 determines that the preparation for initiating neighboring cell measurements is met, the first device 110 may begin measuring neighboring cells. For example, the criteria for performing neighboring cell measurements may be the power of the serving cell signal or the position of different satellites transmitted by the first device 110. In some embodiments, measurements of neighboring cellular satellites may be triggered at different points in time.

[0055] Then, the first device 110 may determine at least one first candidate satellite that is currently available for neighbor cell measurement. At block 220, the first device 110 may determine whether there is more than one candidate satellite that is currently available for neighbor cell measurement (hereinafter, the currently available candidate satellite may be referred to as a first candidate satellite). The availability information may be an estimate of coverage in the location of the first device 110 provided via occupied area information broadcast by a serving cell and / or an initial time point at which a neighboring satellite may start providing coverage in an area.

[0056] In some example embodiments, if there is only one first candidate satellite (e.g. Figure 1 If the satellite 120-2 shown in FIG. 1 is currently available for neighboring cell measurement, then at block 230, the first device 110 may determine one or more other candidate satellites (e.g., Figure 1 In some embodiments, the first time interval may be referred to as a time window T. detect and can be configured by the network or defined in the specification.

[0057] If so, the first device 110 may suspend neighbor cell measurements until at least one second candidate satellite becomes available at block 250. That is, if the first device 110 cannot complete detection before a new higher priority satellite becomes available, the first device 110 may not start measuring neighbor satellites.

[0058] If there is no second candidate satellite with a higher priority within the first time interval, then at block 240 , the first device 110 may perform measurements on only one candidate satellite that is currently available.

[0059] If the first device 110 can determine more than one candidate satellite (e.g., Figure 1 2 and 3) are currently available for neighboring cell measurement, then at block 260, the first device 110 may determine whether to assign corresponding priorities to the plurality of candidate satellites. If corresponding priorities are assigned to the plurality of candidate satellites, then at block 270, the first device 110 may also determine whether the corresponding priorities assigned to the plurality of candidate satellites are different. The fact that the corresponding priorities are different may indicate that there is no "connection" between those candidate satellites.

[0060] In some embodiments, the priorities of multiple candidate satellites may be explicitly indicated, for example by signaling a parameter defining the priority as an absolute value. In some other embodiments, the priorities of more than two candidate satellites may be implicitly assigned, for example by configuring the order of presentation in a list.

[0061] If the first device 110 determines that the respective priorities assigned to the plurality of candidate satellites are different, the first device 110 may select at least one target satellite to be measured in the neighbor cell measurement from the plurality of candidate satellites based on the ranking of the respective priorities at block 280. For example, one or more candidate satellites having the highest priority may be selected.

[0062] If the first device 110 determines that no priority is assigned to the plurality of candidate satellites or that at least two of the plurality of candidate satellites have the highest and equal priority, then the first device 110 may, as an option, determine one or more candidate satellites associated with cells having a higher priority than cells on other first candidate satellites from the plurality of candidate satellites. The first device 110 may then perform neighbor cell measurements on the one or more candidate satellites associated with the cells having the higher priority.

[0063] For example, the first device 110 may derive an association between a corresponding cell and a plurality of candidate satellites, for example, through a physical cell identifier (PCI) list of each satellite.

[0064] If the first device 110 determines that no priority is assigned to the plurality of candidate satellites or that at least two of the plurality of candidate satellites have the highest and equal priority, then as an option, at block 290, the first device 110 selects at least one target satellite to be measured based on other information, which may also be referred to as a secondary criterion. For example, the secondary criterion may be defined in a specification and / or configured by a network device.

[0065] For example, the secondary criteria may include location information of the first device 110 and the plurality of first candidate satellites, corresponding available frequencies in each of the plurality of first candidate satellites, and / or corresponding periods during which the plurality of first candidate satellites are available to the first device 110 .

[0066] In some embodiments, the location information of the first device 110 and the plurality of first candidate satellites may refer to the distance between the first device 110 and the plurality of first candidate satellites. For example, the first device 110 may select a satellite that is closest to the first device 110.

[0067] Alternatively, instead of satellite positions, the first device 110 may check distances to one or more reference positions of satellite / cell footprints provided via network signaling.

[0068] In addition, the position information of the first device 110 and the plurality of first candidate satellites may refer to a moving direction of the plurality of first candidate satellites relative to the first device 110. Therefore, the selection may also be performed in a “moving direction,” where the first device 110 selects a satellite that is most advantageously moving over time for the first device 110 (e.g., approaching the first device 110 rather than moving away from it).

[0069] It is also possible that the first device 110 may also take into account its own movement / trajectory, if known.

[0070] In addition, the first device 110 may detect ) to determine the respective positions of the first device and the plurality of first candidate satellites at the end of T. This criterion is similar to the above criterion, however, instead of using a satellite that is currently closer to the first device 110, the first device 110 may select a satellite that is closer to the first device 110 in the future (e.g., at T detect In this sense, the first device 110 can benefit from knowing the distance between the first device 110 and the satellite at T detect The direction of movement within the window.

[0071] If the secondary criteria relate to the respective available frequencies in each of the plurality of first candidate satellites, the first device 110 may select to measure satellites that provide more frequency coverage layers. In addition, assuming that the sets of frequency layers across satellites are different, the first device 110 may be allowed to select to measure satellites that are broadcasting frequency layers that have a high priority for the first device 110 in each frequency layer.

[0072] If the secondary criterion relates to the respective periods (i.e., dwell times) that multiple first candidate satellites are available to the first device, the first device 110 may select a satellite that will be available for a longer period of time. For example, the decision may be based on estimates of footprint coverage and satellite movement at the location of the first device 110 and / or based on the broadcast of parameters t-service and t-service-start for different satellites. The first device 110 may also take into account its own movement / trajectory, if known.

[0073] In some other embodiments, it may be the case that the first device 110 selects a satellite for neighbor cell measurement and after some (long) time, a different neighbor satellite with a higher priority becomes available, or a neighbor satellite with equal priority becomes ranked higher according to one of the secondary criteria. In this case, the first device 110 may follow the re-switching criteria for neighbor cell measurement as follows.

[0074] In some embodiments, if no detectable cells are currently identified on the satellite currently being measured, the first device 110 needs to immediately (after some processing time required for retuning) begin measuring a new higher ranked satellite.

[0075] In some other embodiments, if a detectable cell is identified on the satellite currently being measured, the first device 110 is required to detect ] (which may also be referred to as the second time interval) plus the processing time required for retuning, where K1 is a network configuration parameter.

[0076] It is also possible that the first device 110 selects a high priority satellite but cannot identify a cell (no cell above the detectable level), in which case if [K2*T detect ] (which may also be referred to as a third time interval), if no detectable cell is identified, the first device 110 also needs to stop measuring higher priority satellites and measure lower priority satellites, where K2 is a network configuration parameter.

[0077] In this solution of the present disclosure, a method is proposed to perform prioritization of neighboring satellites to be selected for UE measurements, as well as how to handle measurement requirements and "switching" of measurements when the UE has to change the satellite to be measured (e.g. due to satellite movement or the occurrence of radio blocking).

[0078] The importance of the defined method lies in the fact that the UE must be able to detect and evaluate neighbor cells within the time constraints defined in the specification. This time constraint currently varies with the number of satellites measured (including the serving satellite). Therefore, the method described in this article is applicable even if the UE has the ability to measure across several (more than 2) satellites, where adaptation is required.

[0079] In some embodiments, when neighbor cell measurements are triggered, the UE will first prioritize satellites by their availability. In addition, under certain conditions, the UE may skip measurements on neighbor satellites if a higher priority neighbor satellite becomes available soon.

[0080] The UE may then follow the priorities across satellites to be implemented by the network. If no indication of satellite priority is provided, then when the UE can distinguish between PCI lists in different satellites, the UE may select the satellite that broadcasts the cell with the highest priority (in terms of frequency layer priority) among the cells to be measured by the UE.

[0081] When no priorities are explicitly provided to the UE, or when there is a "tie" between priority levels, the UE will choose a secondary method for prioritization, such as based on position / distance / direction of movement, position / distance at the end of a time window, available frequencies on each satellite and / or expected dwell time in a cell.

[0082] Finally, when the UE has selected a cell according to the priority rules, but no cell is found above the detectable level within a given period of time, the UE will stop measuring on that satellite and initiate measurements on the next satellite on the list. If a new satellite is available, the UE can re-evaluate the criteria. Likewise, a switching period is also provided when a higher ranked satellite becomes available for measurement by the UE.

[0083] In this way, the number of satellites to be measured in neighbor cell measurements may be limited and thus power saving of the UE may be further enhanced.

[0084] Figure 3 A flowchart of an example method 300 implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, Figure 1 The perspective description method 300 of the first device 110 in FIG.

[0085] At block 310 , the first device 110 determines at least one first candidate satellite that is currently available for neighbor cell measurement.

[0086] At block 320, the first device 110 determines at least one target satellite to be measured in neighbor cell measurement based at least on the number of the at least one first candidate satellite and the respective priorities of: the at least one first candidate satellite or the at least one second candidate satellite that will become available within the first time interval.

[0087] At block 330 , the first device 110 performs neighbor cell measurements on at least one target satellite.

[0088] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may determine whether at least one second candidate satellite becomes available within a first time interval, wherein the at least one second candidate satellite has a corresponding priority higher than a priority of the first candidate satellite; and if it is determined that the at least one second candidate satellite will become available within the first time interval, suspend neighbor cell measurements until the at least one second candidate satellite becomes available.

[0089] In some example embodiments, if it is determined that no second candidate satellite will become available within the first time interval, the first device 110 may perform neighbor cell measurements on a single first candidate satellite.

[0090] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may determine whether the respective priorities assigned to the plurality of first candidate satellites are different. If it is determined that the respective priorities assigned to the plurality of first candidate satellites are different, at least one target satellite to be measured is selected from the plurality of first candidate satellites based on the ranking of the respective priorities of the plurality of first candidate satellites.

[0091] In some example embodiments, if it is determined that at least two first candidate satellites among a plurality of first candidate satellites have the highest and equal priority, the first device 110 may select one or more first candidate satellites associated with cells having a priority higher than that of cells on other first candidate satellites from the plurality of first candidate satellites as at least one target satellite to be measured.

[0092] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus 110 may determine an association between a cell and one or more first candidate satellites based on respective physical cell identifiers PCIs of the one or more first candidate satellites.

[0093] In some example embodiments, if it is determined that at least two first candidate satellites among the plurality of first candidate satellites have the highest and equal priority, the first device 110 may select at least one target satellite to be measured from the plurality of first candidate satellites based on information including at least one of the following: position information of the first device and the plurality of first candidate satellites, corresponding available frequencies in each of the plurality of first candidate satellites, and corresponding periods in which the plurality of first candidate satellites are available to the first device.

[0094] In some example embodiments, the location information includes at least one of: respective locations of the first device and the plurality of first candidate satellites at present or at the end of the first time interval, respective distances between the first device and the plurality of first candidate satellites at present or at the end of the first time interval, or respective moving directions of the plurality of first candidate satellites relative to the first device.

[0095] In some example embodiments, if it is determined that no detectable cells are identified based on the neighbor cell measurements of the at least one target satellite, the first device 110 may perform additional neighbor cell measurements on one or more additional candidate satellites having a higher priority than the at least one target satellite after the required retuning time interval.

[0096] In some example embodiments, if it is determined that there are one or more additional candidate satellites having a higher priority than the at least one target satellite, the first device 110 may perform additional neighbor cell measurements on the one or more additional candidate cells within the second time interval regardless of whether a detectable cell is identified.

[0097] In some example embodiments, if it is determined that no detectable cells are identified based on neighbor cell measurements of the at least one target satellite within the third time interval, the first device 110 may perform additional neighbor cell measurements on one or more additional candidate satellites having a lower priority than the at least one target satellite.

[0098] In some example embodiments, the respective priority is indicated via signaling or an order of listing of the at least one candidate satellite in the configuration.

[0099] In some example embodiments, the first device is capable of performing any of the methods 300 (eg, Figure 1 The first device 110 in the method 300 may include a component for performing the corresponding operation of the method 300). The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit or a software module. The first device may be implemented as or included in Figure 1 In the first device 110.

[0100] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus includes: means for determining at least one first candidate satellite currently available for neighbor cell measurement; means for determining at least one target satellite to be measured in the neighbor cell measurement based at least on the number of the at least one first candidate satellite and the respective priorities of: the at least one first candidate satellite, or at least one second candidate satellite that will become available within a first time interval; and means for performing neighbor cell measurement on the at least one target satellite.

[0101] In some example embodiments, the at least one first candidate satellite includes a first candidate satellite, and wherein the first apparatus further comprises: means for determining whether at least one second candidate satellite becomes available within the first time interval, wherein the at least one second candidate satellite has a corresponding priority higher than a priority of the first candidate satellite; and means for suspending neighbor cell measurements until the at least one second candidate satellite becomes available if it is determined that the at least one second candidate satellite will become available within the first time interval.

[0102] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for performing neighbor cell measurements on the single first candidate satellite if it is determined that no second candidate satellite will become available within the first time interval.

[0103] In some example embodiments, the at least one first candidate satellite includes a plurality of first candidate satellites, and wherein the first device further includes: a component for determining whether corresponding priorities assigned to the plurality of first candidate satellites are different; and a component for selecting at least one target satellite to be measured from the plurality of first candidate satellites based on a ranking of the corresponding priorities of the plurality of first candidate satellites if it is determined that the corresponding priorities assigned to the plurality of first candidate satellites are different.

[0104] In some example embodiments, the first device also includes: if it is determined that at least two first candidate satellites among the plurality of first candidate satellites have the highest and equal priority, select one or more first candidate satellites associated with cells having a priority higher than that of cells on other first candidate satellites from the plurality of first candidate satellites as a component for measuring the at least one target satellite.

[0105] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for determining an association between the cell and the one or more first candidate satellites based on respective physical cell identifiers PCIs of the one or more first candidate satellites.

[0106] In some example embodiments, the first device further includes: means for selecting at least one target satellite to be measured from the plurality of first candidate satellites based on information including at least one of the following if it is determined that at least two of the plurality of first candidate satellites have the highest and equal priority: means for position information of the first device and the plurality of first candidate satellites, means for corresponding available frequencies in each of the plurality of first candidate satellites, and means for corresponding periods in which the plurality of first candidate satellites are available for the first device.

[0107] In some example embodiments, the location information includes at least one of: a component for respective locations of the first device and the plurality of first candidate satellites currently or at the end of the first time interval, a component for respective distances between the first device and the plurality of first candidate satellites currently or at the end of the first time interval, or a component for respective moving directions of the plurality of first candidate satellites relative to the first device.

[0108] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for performing additional neighbor cell measurements on one or more additional candidate satellites having a higher priority than the at least one target satellite after a required retuning time interval if it is determined that no detectable cells were identified based on the neighbor cell measurements on the at least one target satellite.

[0109] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for performing additional neighbor cell measurements on the one or more additional candidate cells within a second time interval, regardless of whether a detectable cell is identified, if it is determined that there are one or more additional candidate satellites having a higher priority than the at least one target satellite.

[0110] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for performing additional neighbor cell measurements on one or more additional candidate satellites having a lower priority than the at least one target satellite if it is determined that no detectable cells are identified based on the neighbor cell measurements of the at least one target satellite within the third time interval.

[0111] In some example embodiments, the respective priority is indicated via signaling or an order of listing of the at least one candidate satellite in the configuration.

[0112] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for performing the method 300 or other operations in some example embodiments of the first apparatus 110. In some example embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the execution of the first apparatus.

[0113] Figure 4 4 is a simplified block diagram of a device 400 suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The device 400 may be provided to implement a communication device, such as Figure 1 The first device 110 shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the device 400 includes one or more processors 410, one or more memories 420 coupled to the processor 410, and one or more communication modules 440 coupled to the processor 410.

[0114] The communication module 440 is used for two-way communication. The communication module 440 has one or more communication interfaces to facilitate communication with one or more other modules or devices. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary to communicate with other network elements. In some example embodiments, the communication module 440 may include at least one antenna.

[0115] Processor 410 may be of any type suitable for the local technology network, and may include one or more of the following: a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. Device 400 may have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips that are time slaved to a clock synchronized with a main processor.

[0116] The memory 420 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 424, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, compact disk (CD), digital video disk (DVD), optical disk, laser disk, and other magnetic storage and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 422 and other volatile memories that will not persist for the duration of a power outage.

[0117] The computer program 430 includes computer executable instructions executed by the associated processor 410. The instructions of the program 430 may include instructions for performing the operations / actions of some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The program 430 may be stored in a memory, such as ROM 424. The processor 410 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading the program 430 into the RAM 422.

[0118] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by a program 430 so that the device 400 may execute the Figures 2 to 3 Any process of the present disclosure discussed. The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

[0119] In some example embodiments, program 430 may be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium that may be included in device 400 (such as in memory 420) or in other storage devices accessible by device 400. Device 400 may load program 430 from the computer-readable medium to RAM 422 for execution. In some example embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include any type of non-transitory storage medium, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. The term "non-transitory" as used herein is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal), not a limitation on data storage persistence (e.g., RAM versus ROM).

[0120] Figure 5 An example of a computer readable medium 500 is shown, which may be in the form of a CD, DVD or other optical storage disc. The computer readable medium 500 has a program 430 stored thereon.

[0121] Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, and other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software, which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other graphical representations, it should be understood that, as non-limiting examples, the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0122] Some example embodiments of the present disclosure also provide at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium (such as, non-volatile computer-readable medium). The computer program product includes computer executable instructions, such as those computer executable instructions executed in a device on a target physical or virtual processor included in a program module to perform any method as described above. Typically, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules can be combined or split between program modules as needed in various embodiments. The machine executable instructions for the program modules can be executed in local or distributed devices. In distributed devices, program modules can be located in local and remote storage media.

[0123] The program code for performing the method of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The program code can be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer or other programmable data processing device so that the program code, when executed by the processor or controller, causes the realization of the functions / operations specified in the flow chart and / or block diagram. The program code can be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as an independent software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0124] In the context of the present disclosure, computer program codes or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus or processor to perform various processes and operations as described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer readable media, etc.

[0125] The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable medium may include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, devices or equipment, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of computer readable storage media will include an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0126] In addition, although the operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring the specific order shown or in a sequential order to perform these operations, or to perform all the described operations, to achieve the desired results. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing can be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of this disclosure, but should be interpreted as descriptions of features that may be specific to a particular embodiment. Unless explicitly stated, certain features described in the context of a separate embodiment may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. On the contrary, unless explicitly stated, the different features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments individually or in any suitable sub-combination.

[0127] Although the disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

[0128] Some examples of this application are provided below.

[0129] Example 1. A first device comprises: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to at least: determine at least one first candidate satellite currently available for neighboring cell measurement; determine at least one target satellite to be measured in the neighboring cell measurement based at least on the number of the at least one first candidate satellite and the corresponding priority of the following items: the at least one first candidate satellite, or at least one second candidate satellite that will become available within a first time interval; and perform the neighboring cell measurement on the at least one target satellite.

[0130] Example 2. A first device according to Example 1, wherein the at least one first candidate satellite includes a first candidate satellite, and wherein the first device is caused to: determine whether the at least one second candidate satellite becomes available within the first time interval, wherein the at least one second candidate satellite has a corresponding priority higher than a priority of the first candidate satellite; and if it is determined that the at least one second candidate satellite will become available within the first time interval, suspend the neighboring cell measurement until the at least one second candidate satellite becomes available.

[0131] Example 3. The first apparatus of Example 2, wherein the first apparatus is caused to:

[0132] If it is determined that no second candidate satellite will become available within the first time interval, the neighbor cell measurement is performed on the first candidate satellite.

[0133] Example 4. A first device according to Example 1, wherein the at least one first candidate satellite includes multiple first candidate satellites, and wherein the first device is caused to: determine whether the corresponding priorities assigned to the multiple first candidate satellites are different; and if it is determined that the corresponding priorities assigned to the multiple first candidate satellites are different, select the at least one target satellite to be measured from the multiple first candidate satellites based on the sorting of the corresponding priorities of the multiple first candidate satellites.

[0134] Example 5. The first apparatus of Example 4, wherein the first apparatus is caused to:

[0135] If it is determined that at least two first candidate satellites among the plurality of first candidate satellites have the highest and equal priorities, one or more first candidate satellites associated with cells having a priority higher than that of cells on other first candidate satellites are selected from the plurality of first candidate satellites as the at least one target satellite to be measured.

[0136] Example 6. The first apparatus of Example 5, wherein the first apparatus is caused to:

[0137] An association between the cell and the one or more first candidate satellites is determined based on respective physical cell identifiers PCIs of the one or more first candidate satellites.

[0138] Example 7. The first apparatus of Example 4, wherein the first apparatus is caused to:

[0139] If it is determined that at least two of the multiple first candidate satellites have the highest and equal priority, the at least one target satellite to be measured is selected from the multiple first candidate satellites based on information including at least one of the following: position information of the first device and the multiple first candidate satellites, corresponding available frequencies in each of the multiple first candidate satellites, and corresponding periods in which the multiple first candidate satellites can be used by the first device.

[0140] Example 8. A first device according to Example 7, wherein the position information includes at least one of the following: the corresponding positions of the first device and the multiple first candidate satellites at present or at the end of the first time interval, the corresponding distances between the first device and the multiple first candidate satellites at present or at the end of the first time interval, or the corresponding moving directions of the multiple first candidate satellites relative to the first device.

[0141] Example 9. A first device according to Example 1, wherein the first device is further configured to: if it is determined that no detectable cell is identified based on the neighboring cell measurement of the at least one target satellite, after a required retuning time interval, perform additional neighboring cell measurements on one or more additional candidate satellites having a higher priority than the at least one target satellite.

[0142] Example 10. A first device according to Example 1, wherein the first device is further configured to: if it is determined that there are one or more additional candidate satellites having a higher priority than the at least one target satellite, perform additional neighboring cell measurements on the one or more additional candidate cells within a second time interval, regardless of whether a detectable cell is identified.

[0143] Example 11. A first device according to Example 1, wherein the first device is further configured to: if it is determined that the neighboring cell measurement of the at least one target satellite within a third time interval does not identify a detectable cell, perform additional neighboring cell measurements on one or more additional candidate satellites having a lower priority than the at least one target satellite.

[0144] Example 12. A first apparatus according to any one of Examples 1 to 11, wherein the respective priority is indicated via signaling or an order of at least one candidate satellite listed in a configuration.

[0145] Example 13. A method comprising: determining at least one first candidate satellite currently available for neighboring cell measurement; determining at least one target satellite to be measured in the neighboring cell measurement based at least on the number of the at least one first candidate satellite and the corresponding priority of the following items: the at least one first candidate satellite, or at least one second candidate satellite that becomes available within a first time interval; and performing the neighboring cell measurement on the at least one target satellite.

[0146] Example 14. A first device, comprising: a component for determining at least one first candidate satellite currently available for neighboring cell measurement; a component for determining at least one target satellite to be measured in the neighboring cell measurement based at least on the number of the at least one first candidate satellite and the corresponding priority of the following items: the at least one first candidate satellite, or at least one second candidate satellite that becomes available within a first time interval; and a component for performing the neighboring cell measurement on the at least one target satellite.

[0147] Example 15. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon, the instructions being configured to cause an apparatus to at least perform the method of claim 14.

Claims

1. A first device for communication, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to at least: Determining at least one first candidate satellite that is currently available for neighboring cell measurement; Determining at least one target satellite to be measured in the neighboring cell measurement based at least on the number of the at least one first candidate satellite and the respective priorities of: the at least one first candidate satellite, or at least one second candidate satellite that will become available within the first time interval; and The neighbor cell measurements are performed on the at least one target satellite.

2. The first apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one first candidate satellite comprises a first candidate satellite, and wherein the first apparatus is caused to: determining whether the at least one second candidate satellite becomes available within the first time interval, wherein the at least one second candidate satellite has a corresponding priority higher than a priority of the first candidate satellite; and If it is determined that the at least one second candidate satellite will become available within the first time interval, the neighbor cell measurement is suspended until the at least one second candidate satellite becomes available.

3. The first device according to claim 2, wherein the first device is configured to: If it is determined that no second candidate satellite will become available within the first time interval, the neighbor cell measurement is performed on the first candidate satellite.

4. The first apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one first candidate satellite comprises a plurality of first candidate satellites, and wherein the first apparatus is caused to: determining whether respective priorities assigned to the plurality of first candidate satellites are different; and If it is determined that the respective priorities assigned to the plurality of first candidate satellites are different, the at least one target satellite to be measured is selected from the plurality of first candidate satellites based on a ranking of the respective priorities of the plurality of first candidate satellites.

5. The first device according to claim 4, wherein the first device is configured to: If it is determined that at least two first candidate satellites among the plurality of first candidate satellites have the highest and equal priorities, one or more first candidate satellites associated with cells having a priority higher than that of cells on other first candidate satellites are selected from the plurality of first candidate satellites as the at least one target satellite to be measured.

6. The first device according to claim 4, wherein the first device is configured to: If it is determined that at least two first candidate satellites among the plurality of first candidate satellites have the highest and equal priorities, the at least one target satellite to be measured is selected from the plurality of first candidate satellites based on information including at least one of the following: position information of the first device and the plurality of first candidate satellites, a corresponding available frequency in each first candidate satellite of the plurality of first candidate satellites, The plurality of first candidate satellites may be used for corresponding periods of the first device.

7. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is further caused to: If it is determined that no detectable cells are identified based on the neighbor cell measurements for the at least one target satellite, additional neighbor cell measurements are performed for one or more additional candidate satellites having a higher priority than the at least one target satellite after a required retuning time interval.

8. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is further configured to: If it is determined that there are one or more additional candidate satellites having a higher priority than the at least one target satellite, additional neighbor cell measurements are performed on the one or more additional candidate cells within a second time interval regardless of whether a detectable cell is identified.

9. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is further caused to: If it is determined that the neighbor cell measurements of the at least one target satellite within a third time interval did not identify a detectable cell, additional neighbor cell measurements are performed on one or more additional candidate satellites having a lower priority than the at least one target satellite.

10. A method for communication, comprising: Determining at least one first candidate satellite that is currently available for neighboring cell measurement; Determining at least one target satellite to be measured in the neighboring cell measurement based at least on the number of the at least one first candidate satellite and the respective priorities of: the at least one first candidate satellite, or at least one second candidate satellite that becomes available within the first time interval; and The neighbor cell measurements are performed on the at least one target satellite.

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