Measurement method and communication device

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a measurement method and a communication device, and the method comprises the steps: receiving first time information which is used for indicating the switching execution time of terminal equipment; and determining a measurement timing configuration used in the handover, and measuring a reference signal of the target cell according to the measurement timing configuration. Thus, the measurement timing configuration used in the switching executed based on the first time information can be determined, and the reference signal of the target cell is measured according to the measurement timing configuration to complete downlink synchronization, so that blind search of the reference signal of the target cell in the switching executed based on the first time information is avoided, and the user experience is improved. Therefore, the efficiency of measuring the target cell is improved, and the power consumption of the terminal equipment is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] Cell handover is a basic process in wireless communication. In order to maintain communication quality, the terminal device can switch the serving cell according to the measurement resource configuration sent by the network side during the movement.

[0003] However, in a non-terrestrial network (NTN), during a handover process, a terminal device may blindly search for a reference signal of a target cell, resulting in low efficiency of the terminal device in searching for the target cell and high power consumption of the terminal device. Summary of the invention

[0004] The measurement method and communication device provided by the embodiments of the present application can improve the efficiency of terminal equipment in searching for target cells and reduce the power consumption of the terminal equipment.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the embodiments of the present application adopt the following technical solutions:

[0006] In a first aspect, a measurement method is provided, which can be performed by a first device, and the first device can be a terminal device, or a device including a terminal device, or a module or unit of the terminal device, such as a processor, a chip, a chip system, a chip circuit, or a circuit of the terminal device. The following is an example of the method being performed by the terminal device. The method includes: receiving first time information, the first time information is used to indicate the time when the terminal device performs switching; determining a measurement timing configuration used in the switching; and measuring a reference signal of a target cell according to the measurement timing configuration.

[0007] Because in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can determine the measurement timing configuration used in the switching performed based on the first time information, and measure the reference signal of the target cell according to the measurement timing configuration to complete downlink synchronization, thereby avoiding blind search for the reference signal of the target cell in the switching performed based on the first time information, thereby improving the efficiency of measuring (or searching) the target cell and reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0008] In a possible implementation, the measurement timing configuration is determined according to any one of the following: the time domain position of the reference signal of the source cell of the terminal device, or the first measurement timing configuration among the multiple measurement timing configurations configured in the source cell, and the frequency corresponding to the first measurement timing configuration is the same as the frequency of the target cell. It can be understood that the measurement timing configuration may refer to the measurement timing configuration of the target cell, and the measurement timing configuration is the measurement timing configuration used in the handover performed based on the first time information. Among them, the handover performed based on the first time information may refer to a handover without layer 3 (layer 3, L3) signaling, and the L3 signaling may refer to a radio resource control (radio resource control, RRC) reconfiguration message including a ReconfigurationWithSync information element, that is, an RRC reconfiguration message carrying the measurement timing configuration of the target cell, and the RRC reconfiguration message may also be referred to as a handover command. Of course, handover without L3 signaling may also be referred to as handover without / no L3 handover command handover, time-based handover, or handover with unchanged physical cell identity (physical ID, PCI), etc., and the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0009] Further, the measurement timing configuration may indicate a measurement window for the terminal device to measure a reference signal, and the measurement timing configuration may include: a period of the measurement window, an offset of the measurement window, and a length of the measurement window. The reference signal indicated by the measurement timing configuration may be a synchronization signal block (SSB), a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), a user equipment specific reference signal (US-RS), a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), or a reference signal introduced subsequently, etc., and the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this. In other words, the terminal device may determine the measurement timing configuration used in the L3 signaling-free handover based on the measurement configuration sent by the source cell or the time domain configuration of the reference signal sent by the source cell, so as to avoid blindly searching for the reference signal of the target cell, improve the efficiency of measuring (or searching) the target cell, and reduce the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the period in the measurement timing configuration may be a first period, and the length of the measurement window in the measurement timing configuration may be equal to the first period. The first period may be 5 ms, or the first period may be the period of the reference signal of the source cell. It can be understood that 5 ms is the minimum period for the access network (radio access network, RAN) device to send a reference signal, so that the reference signal of the target cell can be avoided from being missed. Furthermore, the period in the measurement timing configuration is equal to the length of the measurement window, which is equivalent to a blind search for the reference signal of the target cell, and the reference signal of the target cell can be further avoided from being missed.

[0011] In a possible implementation, the method provided in the first aspect further includes:

[0012] At the first moment corresponding to the first time information, the offset in the measurement timing configuration is adjusted to obtain a first offset, and the first offset is used to determine the timing of measuring the reference signal of the target cell. It should be understood that the first moment may be the start moment of the terminal device performing the switch; or, the first moment may be a moment near the start moment of the terminal device performing the switch. For example, the near moment may be the sum of the start moment of the terminal device performing the switch and the time offset value, and the time offset value may be ±1ms, ±2ms, ±3ms, or other time values, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application. It can be understood that the terminal device adjusts the offset in the measurement timing configuration (i.e., the offset of the measurement window), which may refer to the terminal device determining the propagation delay difference at the first moment, adjusting the offset in the measurement timing configuration according to the propagation delay difference, and then obtaining the first offset. Among them, the propagation delay difference may include a service link (service link, SL) transmission delay difference, or an SL transmission delay difference and a feeder link (feeder link, FL) transmission delay difference. That is to say, the terminal device can adjust the offset in the measurement timing configuration according to the start time of the switching, or the measurement results corresponding to the time near the start time (such as the propagation delay difference), so as to improve the accuracy of the determined measurement time, thereby improving the efficiency of the terminal device in measuring the target cell and reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0013] In a possible implementation, the method provided in the first aspect further includes:

[0014] Receive indication information from the source access network device, where the indication information is used to indicate the measurement timing configuration. That is, the source access network device can determine, from the perspective of the network side, the measurement timing configuration used in the handover performed based on the first time information, and indicate it to the terminal device, so that the terminal device can determine the measurement timing configuration, thereby avoiding blind search of the reference signal of the target cell, improving the measurement efficiency of the terminal device, and reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0015] In a second aspect, a measurement method is provided, which can be performed by a second device, and the second device can be an access network RAN ​​device, or a device including a RAN device, or a module or unit of the RAN device, such as a processor, a chip, a chip system, a chip circuit, or a circuit of the RAN device. The following is an example of the method being performed by the RAN device. The method includes: sending first time information, the first time information is used to indicate the time when the terminal device performs switching; determining a measurement timing configuration used in the switching, the measurement timing configuration is used to measure the reference signal of the target cell; sending indication information, the indication information is used to indicate the measurement timing configuration.

[0016] Since in the embodiment of the present application, the RAN device (or referred to as the source RAN device, or referred to as the service RAN device) can indicate to the terminal device that the measurement timing configuration used in the switching performed based on the first time information can enable the terminal device to measure the reference signal of the target cell according to the measurement timing configuration to complete downlink synchronization, thereby avoiding blind search for the reference signal of the target cell in the switching performed based on the first time information, thereby improving the efficiency of measuring (or searching) the target cell and reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0017] In a third aspect, a measurement method is provided, which can be performed by a second device, and the second device can be an access network RAN ​​device, or a device including a RAN device, or a module or unit of a RAN device, such as a processor, a chip, a chip system, a chip circuit, or a circuit of a RAN device. The following is an example of the method being performed by a RAN device. The method includes: sending first time information, the first time information is used to indicate the time when the terminal device performs switching; sending indication information, the indication information is used to indicate a measurement timing configuration, and the measurement timing configuration is used to measure a reference signal of a target cell.

[0018] Among them, the technical effect of the third aspect can refer to the above-mentioned second aspect and will not be repeated here.

[0019] In combination with the first aspect to the third aspect, in a possible implementation, the first time information may indicate the start time of the terminal device to perform the handover. That is, at a specific time indicated by the first time information, the terminal device performs the handover at the specific time. For example, the RAN device sends the T1 time, and the terminal device starts to perform the handover after the T1 time arrives.

[0020] In combination with the first aspect and the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the first time information may indicate a time range for the terminal device to perform switching. That is, the first time information may indicate a time range, so that the terminal device can perform switching within the time range. For example, the first time information may indicate a time range [t1, t2], and then the terminal device can perform switching at any time within the time range [t1, t2]; or, the terminal device can perform switching at time t1; or, the terminal device can perform switching at time t2; or, the terminal device can stop connecting to the source cell at time t1 until it starts synchronizing with the target cell at time t2. Alternatively, the terminal device may suspend the access stratum (AS) function at time t1 until it starts synchronizing with the target cell at time t2.

[0021] In combination with the first aspect and the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the first time information may be included in a system message. That is, the source RAN device may broadcast the first time information to the terminal device in the source cell through a system message. For example, the first time information may be included in a system information block (SIB) 11 or SIB19. Among them, the first time information may be the time (t-Service) at which the satellite stops covering the cell in SIB19. It can be understood that the t-Service in SIB19 can also be used to instruct the terminal device to perform switching when the time is reached, that is, the present application can reuse the time to instruct the terminal device to perform switching without L3 signaling.

[0022] In combination with the first aspect to the third aspect, in a possible implementation, during the switching, the source cell of the terminal device has the same physical cell identifier PCI as the target cell. Since the PCI of the source cell is the same as that of the target cell, for the terminal device, the cell before and after the switching may be the same cell, that is, the switching performed by the terminal device according to the first time information may be a satellite switching corresponding to a ground stationary cell. For example, taking a satellite whose working mode is a transparent mode as an example, before and after the switching of the ground stationary cell, since the satellite only undertakes functions such as signal amplification, the base station (cell) accessed by the terminal device before and after the switching remains unchanged. Furthermore, the configuration of the ground stationary cell may remain unchanged before and after the switching.

[0023] In combination with the first aspect to the third aspect, in a possible implementation, during the handover, the PCIs of the source cell and the target cell of the terminal device are different. For the satellite handover scenario corresponding to the above-mentioned ground stationary cell, the PCI of the cell is different before and after the satellite handover, and the other cell configurations are the same. In this scenario, the RAN device can also send the PCI of the target cell to the terminal device, instructing the terminal device to switch to the target cell corresponding to the PCI in the handover performed based on the first time information, so as to reduce interference. It can be understood that the RAN device does not need to send a handover command to the terminal device.

[0024] In combination with the first aspect to the third aspect, in a possible implementation, the first time information includes the time when the source NTN device stops covering the terminal device, and / or the time when the target NTN device starts covering the terminal device. It can be understood that the NTN device can be a satellite, a ship, a high-altitude platform, or a drone, etc., and the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this. Exemplarily, taking the NTN device as a satellite as an example, the source NTN device can be a source satellite or a service satellite, and the target NTN device can refer to a target satellite. Among them, the source satellite device stops covering the terminal device, which means: the time when the source satellite stops covering the area where the terminal device is located, or the remaining time when the source satellite stops covering the terminal device. The time when the target satellite starts covering the terminal device may refer to: the start time when the target satellite starts to provide coverage for the area where the terminal device is located, or the remaining time when the target satellite starts to provide coverage for the area where the terminal device is located, etc., and the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0025] In combination with the first aspect to the third aspect, in a possible implementation, the first time information includes the time when the source satellite stops covering the cell accessed by the terminal device, and / or the time when the target satellite starts covering the cell accessed by the terminal device. Among them, the cell accessed by the terminal device may be a ground stationary cell, a ground mobile cell, or other types of cells that evolve subsequently, and the embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this. For example, the first time information may include the time T1 when the source satellite stops covering, and the time T2 when the target cell starts covering. For another example, the first time information includes the time T1 when the source satellite stops covering, and the duration (duration). Among them, the time when the source satellite stops covering is the sum of the time T1 when the source satellite stops covering and the duration (for example, T1+duration). It can be understood that the terminal device can start measuring the target cell at T2 to synchronize with the target cell. Alternatively, the terminal device does not release the AS configuration of the terminal device after disconnecting from the source cell; or, the terminal device suspends the AS function until T2. That is, through the first time information, the terminal device can be instructed to perform a switching process when or after the source satellite stops serving, or the terminal device can perform a switching process when or after the target satellite starts providing service.

[0026] It can be understood that for the terminal device to perform the switching process after the source satellite stops providing service or after the target satellite starts providing service, the specific time of starting the switching can be determined by the terminal device. For example, for the satellite switching corresponding to the cell (such as a ground stationary cell or a ground mobile cell), in the hard switching scenario, that is, the time when the source satellite leaves the source cell is before the time when the target satellite starts to cover the target cell, the terminal device can perform the switching process when the target satellite starts to provide service. For another example, in the soft switching scenario, that is, the time when the source satellite leaves the source cell is after the time when the target satellite starts to cover the target cell, the terminal device can perform the switching process when the source satellite stops providing service.

[0027] In combination with the first aspect to the third aspect, in a possible implementation, the indication information is included in the proprietary signaling; or, the indication information is included in the system message. It can be understood that for the indication information to be included in the proprietary signaling, the proprietary signaling can be RRC signaling, that is, the indication information can be carried by the RRC setup (RRC set up) message, or carried by the RRC resume (RRCresume) message, or carried by the RRC reconfiguration (RRC reconfiguration) message, and the embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this. It can also be understood that the measurement timing configuration in the proprietary signaling can be a parameter specific to the terminal device level, that is, the measurement timing configuration can be determined by the source RAN device according to the PDD reported by the terminal device, which can improve the matching degree between the measurement window and the reference signal, thereby improving the efficiency of the terminal device measuring the target cell. For the indication information to be included in the system information, the system message can be SIB1, or SIB19, or other system messages, and the embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this. In addition, the measurement timing configuration in the system message is a cell-level parameter, that is, the measurement timing configuration is a measurement timing configuration that does not take into account the propagation delay difference between the terminal device and the serving cell and the neighboring cell. The terminal device needs to determine the propagation delay difference and adjust the offset in the measurement timing configuration according to the propagation delay difference to obtain the actual offset, and determine the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing configuration according to the actual offset.

[0028] That is to say, in the switching performed based on the first time information (i.e., switching without L3 signaling), the source RAN device can indicate to the terminal device the measurement timing configuration used in the switching without L3 signaling through proprietary signaling or system messages, and then the terminal device can measure the target cell according to the measurement timing configuration, thereby avoiding blind search for the reference signal of the target cell, improving the measurement efficiency of the terminal device, and reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0029] In combination with the first aspect to the third aspect, in a possible implementation, the indication information is included in the proprietary signaling; the indication information is also used to indicate whether to adjust the offset in the measurement timing configuration. It can be understood that according to whether the measurement timing configuration is determined based on the propagation delay difference (PDD) between the serving cell and the neighboring cell reported by the terminal device, it can be divided into two types, and then the indication information is used to indicate whether to adjust the offset in the measurement timing configuration, and the terminal device can be instructed to adjust the measurement timing configuration that is not determined based on the PDD reported by the terminal device, and the terminal device can be instructed not to adjust the measurement timing configuration determined based on the PDD reported by the terminal device, thereby increasing the flexibility of the measurement timing configuration.

[0030] In combination with the first aspect and the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the indication information is also used to indicate that at the first moment corresponding to the first time information, the offset in the measurement timing configuration is adjusted. It can be understood that the first moment corresponding to the first time information may be the start moment of the terminal device performing the switch; or, the first moment may be a moment near the start moment of the terminal device performing the switch. In addition, adjusting the offset in the measurement timing configuration may refer to the terminal device determining the propagation delay difference at the first moment, adjusting the offset in the measurement timing configuration according to the propagation delay difference, thereby obtaining the first offset, and determining the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing configuration according to the first offset. In other words, the terminal device can adjust the offset in the measurement timing configuration according to the measurement result corresponding to the start moment of the switch, or the moment near the start moment (such as the propagation delay difference), so as to improve the accuracy of the determined measurement time, thereby improving the efficiency of the terminal device in measuring the target cell and reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0031] In combination with the first aspect to the third aspect, in a possible implementation, the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing configuration is determined according to the standard time associated with the target cell and / or the source cell. That is to say, the terminal device can determine the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing configuration according to the standard time associated with the target cell and / or the source cell, and then can determine the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing configuration without relying on the timing information of the source cell, so that when the terminal device cannot keep synchronization with the source cell, the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing can be accurately determined, thereby improving the efficiency of the terminal device in measuring (or searching) the target cell and reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0032] In combination with the first aspect to the third aspect, in a possible implementation, the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing configuration is determined according to the standard time associated with the target cell, including: the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing configuration is determined according to the standard time when the access network device of the target cell sends a reference signal. In other words, the terminal device can determine the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing configuration according to the standard time when the access network device of the target cell sends a reference signal, and then can determine the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing configuration without relying on the timing information of the source cell or other cells (such as the target cell, or neighboring cells, etc.), so that when the terminal device cannot keep synchronization with the source cell (or service cell), the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing can be accurately determined.

[0033] In combination with the first aspect to the third aspect, in a possible implementation, the measurement timing corresponding to the measurement timing configuration is determined according to the standard time associated with the source cell, including: the measurement timing corresponding to the measurement timing configuration is determined according to the correspondence between the timing information of the source cell and the standard time. In other words, the terminal device can determine the measurement timing corresponding to the measurement timing configuration according to the standard time based on the correspondence between the timing information of the source cell and the standard time, and then can accurately determine the measurement timing corresponding to the measurement timing when the terminal device cannot be synchronized with the source cell.

[0034] In a fourth aspect, a measurement method is provided, which can be performed by a first device, and the first device can be a terminal device, or a device including a terminal device, or a module or unit of the terminal device, such as a processor, chip, chip system, chip circuit, or circuit of the terminal device. The following is an illustration of the method being performed by a terminal device as an example. The method includes: obtaining a measurement timing configuration, the measurement timing configuration is used to measure a reference signal of a cell to be measured; at a first moment, adjusting an offset in the measurement timing configuration to obtain a first offset, the first moment being determined according to the start moment of the terminal device performing the measurement; and determining, according to the first offset, a measurement timing corresponding to the measurement timing configuration.

[0035] In the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can adjust the offset in the measurement timing configuration according to the start time of the measurement, or the measurement result corresponding to the time near the start time (such as the propagation delay difference), thereby improving the accuracy of the determined measurement time, thereby improving the measurement efficiency of the terminal device and reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0036] In a fifth aspect, a measurement method is provided, which can be performed by a first device, and the first device can be a terminal device, or a device including a terminal device, or a module or unit of the terminal device, such as a processor, chip, chip system, chip circuit, or circuit of the terminal device. The following is an illustration of the method being performed by a terminal device as an example. The method includes: receiving indication information, and determining a measurement timing corresponding to a measurement timing configuration according to the indication information. The indication information is used to indicate a standard time associated with a cell to be measured and / or a serving cell. The measurement timing configuration is used to indicate a measurement window for a terminal device to measure a reference signal, and the measurement timing configuration may include at least one of the following: a standard time associated with a cell to be measured, a standard time associated with a serving cell, a period of a measurement window, an offset of a measurement window, or a length of a measurement window.

[0037] In the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can determine the standard time associated with the cell to be measured and / or the source cell according to the indication information, and determine the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing configuration, and thus can determine the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing configuration without relying on the timing information of the source cell (or service cell) or other cells (such as secondary cells, target cells, or neighboring cells, etc.). In the case that the terminal device cannot keep in synchronization with the source cell, the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing can be accurately determined, thereby improving the efficiency of the terminal device in measuring (or searching) the target cell and reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0038] In a sixth aspect, a measurement method is provided, which can be performed by a second device, and the second device can be an access network RAN ​​device, or a device including a RAN device, or a module or unit of a RAN device, such as a processor, a chip, a chip system, a chip circuit, or a circuit of a RAN device. The following is an example of the method being performed by a RAN device. The method includes: generating indication information, and sending the indication information. The indication information is used to indicate a standard time associated with a cell to be measured and / or a serving cell.

[0039] Among them, the technical effects of the sixth aspect can refer to the above-mentioned fifth aspect and will not be repeated here.

[0040] In the seventh aspect, a communication device is provided for implementing the above-mentioned various methods. The communication device may be the first device in any of the above aspects or any of its implementations, or a device including the first device, or a device included in the first device, such as a chip; or, the communication device may be the second device in any of the above aspects or any of its implementations, or a device including the second device, or a device included in the second device, such as a chip. The communication device includes a module, unit, or means corresponding to the implementation of the above method, and the module, unit, or means may be implemented by hardware, software, or by hardware executing the corresponding software implementation. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the above functions.

[0041] In some possible designs, the communication device may include a processing module and a transceiver module. The transceiver module, which may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, is used to implement the sending and / or receiving functions in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof. The transceiver module may be composed of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver or a communication interface. The processing module may be used to implement the processing functions in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof.

[0042] In some possible designs, the transceiver module includes a sending module and a receiving module, which are respectively used to implement the sending and receiving functions in any of the above aspects and any possible implementation methods thereof.

[0043] In an eighth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: at least one processor; the processor is used to execute a computer program or instruction so that the communication device executes the method described in any one of the above aspects.

[0044] In a possible implementation, the communication device further includes the memory. Optionally, the memory is coupled to the processor, the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory may be independent of the processor. Optionally, the processor is used to execute a computer program or instruction stored in the memory.

[0045] In a possible implementation, the memory is independent of the communication device.

[0046] In a possible implementation, the communication device further includes a communication interface, and the communication interface is used to communicate with a module outside the communication device.

[0047] The communication device may be the first device in any of the above aspects or any of its implementations, or a device including the first device, or a device included in the first device, such as a chip; or, the communication device may be the second device in any of the above aspects or any of its implementations, or a device including the second device, or a device included in the second device, such as a chip.

[0048] In a ninth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, in which a computer program or instruction is stored. When the computer-readable storage medium is run on a communication device, the communication device can execute the method described in any one of the above aspects or any one of its implementation methods.

[0049] In a tenth aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided, which, when executed on a communication device, enables the communication device to execute the method described in any one of the above aspects or any one of its implementations.

[0050] In an eleventh aspect, a communication device (for example, the communication device may be a chip or a chip system) is provided, wherein the communication device includes a processor for implementing the functions involved in any of the above aspects or any of its implementation methods.

[0051] In some possible designs, the communication device includes a memory for storing necessary program instructions and data.

[0052] In some possible designs, when the device is a chip system, it can be composed of a chip or include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0053] It can be understood that when the communication device provided in any one of the seventh to eleventh aspects is a chip, the above-mentioned sending action / function can be understood as output, and the above-mentioned receiving action / function can be understood as input.

[0054] Among them, the technical effects brought about by any design method in the seventh to eleventh aspects can refer to the technical effects brought about by the different design methods in the above-mentioned first to sixth aspects, and will not be repeated here.

[0055] In a twelfth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising: a first device in any of the above aspects or any of its implementations, and a second device in any of the above aspects or any of its implementations. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0056] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a network architecture of a non-terrestrial network NTN provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0057] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a centralized unit CU and a distributed unit DU separation architecture provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of an NTN-based access network RAN ​​architecture provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 ;

[0059] Figure 4This is a schematic diagram of a RAN architecture based on NTN provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 ;

[0060] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a RAN architecture based on NTN provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 3 ;

[0061] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a RAN architecture based on NTN provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 4 ;

[0062] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a ground stationary cell switching provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of a traditional switching process provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] Fig. 9 It is a schematic diagram of the propagation delay difference between a terminal device and a serving cell and a neighboring cell provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] Fig.10 This is a flow chart of a measurement method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 ;

[0066] Fig.11 This is a flow chart of a measurement method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 ;

[0067] Fig.12 This is a flow chart of a measurement method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 3 ;

[0068] Fig.13 This is a flow chart of a measurement method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 4 ;

[0069] Fig.14 This is a schematic diagram of a communication device structure provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 ;

[0070] Fig.15 This is a schematic diagram of a communication device structure provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0071] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application, a brief introduction to the relevant technologies of the embodiments of the present application is first given. The brief introduction is as follows:

[0072] First, non-terrestrial networks (NTN):

[0073] Since traditional terrestrial networks (TN), such as new radio (NR) systems (also known as fifth generation (5G) systems) or the Internet of Things (IoT), cannot provide seamless coverage for terminal devices (for example, in scenarios where base stations cannot be deployed in physical areas such as the sea, desert, and air for communication), NR systems, IoT systems, and future next-generation communication systems (such as sixth generation (6G) communication systems) can introduce NTN to provide seamless coverage services for terminal devices.

[0074] NTN can deploy part or all of the functions of the base station on non-terrestrial network equipment (such as ships, high-altitude platforms, drones or satellites) to provide communication coverage for terminal devices to improve the reliability of the communication system. It should be noted that for ease of understanding, the following description uses satellites as non-terrestrial network equipment as an example, and it should not be understood that the NTN-RAN equipment in this application is limited to satellites. This is a unified description and will not be repeated below.

[0075] For example, Figure 1 1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture of an NTN provided in an embodiment of the present application. The network architecture may include: terminal equipment, an access network (radio access network, AN), and a core network (core network, CN), which are introduced below respectively.

[0076] 1.1、Terminal equipment:

[0077] In a possible implementation, the terminal device may be a device for implementing a wireless communication function, such as a terminal or a chip that can be used in a terminal, etc. The terminal may be a user equipment (UE), an access terminal, a terminal unit, a terminal station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a terminal agent or a terminal device, etc. in a 5G network or a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN). The access terminal may be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, a VR terminal device, an AR terminal device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, etc. In a possible implementation, the terminal device may be mobile or fixed.

[0078] 1.2 RAN:

[0079] RAN exists between the terminal device and CN, providing a communication connection between the two. RAN equipment is an entity used to send signals, or receive signals, or both send signals and receive signals.

[0080] In a possible implementation, the RAN device may also be referred to as an access node, a RAN entity, a RAN node, or a device having a base station processing function, etc. For example, the RAN device may include a non-terrestrial network device (or NTN-RAN device) and a TN-RAN device, and the NTN-RAN device may be a base station or part of the base station function deployed on a non-terrestrial device (such as a satellite, a high-altitude platform, or a drone, etc.) to provide coverage for the terminal device. The TN-RAN device may include a base station in an NR system (such as a next-generation node B (gNodeB, gNB)), or one or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) of a base station in a 5G system, or a network node constituting a gNB, a transmission point (transmission and reception point, TRP or transmission point, TP) or a transmission measurement function (transmission measurement function, TMF), such as a baseband unit (building base band unit, BBU), or a centralized unit (centralized unit, CU) or a distributed unit (distributed unit, DU), an RSU with a base station function, or a wired access gateway, or a CN network element of 5G. Alternatively, the TN-RAN device may also include an access point (AP) in a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) system, a wireless relay node, a wireless backhaul node, various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations (also called small stations), relay stations, access points, wearable devices, vehicle-mounted devices, etc. Alternatively, the RAN device may also include: a next-generation mobile communication system, such as a 6G access network device, such as a 6G base station, or in a next-generation mobile communication system, the network device may also have other naming methods, which are all covered within the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application, and the present application does not make any limitation on this.

[0081] In a possible implementation, the RAN device may include a CU, a DU, a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). The RAN device may also include an active antenna unit (AAU). 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 / or 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 AAU implements some physical layer processing functions, radio frequency processing, and related functions of active antennas. Since the information of the RRC layer will eventually become the information of the PHY layer, or be converted from the information of the PHY layer, under this architecture, high-level signaling, such as RRC signaling, can also be considered to be sent by the DU, or by the DU and the AAU. It is understandable that the RAN device may be a device including one or more of a CU node, a DU node, and an AAU node. In addition, the CU may be divided into a network device in the RAN, or may be divided into a network device in the CN, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0082] In a possible implementation, the centralized unit CU may also be divided into a control plane (CU-CP) and a user plane (CU-UP). Figure 2As shown, CU-CP is responsible for control plane functions, mainly including RRC and PDCP (i.e. PDCP-C) corresponding to the control plane. PDCP-C is mainly responsible for encryption and decryption, integrity protection, data transmission, etc. of control plane data. CU-UP is responsible for user plane functions, mainly including the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer and PDCP (i.e. PDCP-U) corresponding to the user plane. SDAP is mainly responsible for processing the data of the core network and mapping the flow to the bearer. PDCP-U is mainly responsible for encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, sequence number maintenance, data transmission, etc. of the data plane. CU-CP and CU-UP are connected through the E1 interface. CU-CP represents the RAN device connected to the core network through the NG interface. The control plane, i.e. F1-C, is connected to DU through the F1 interface. CU-UP is connected to DU through the F1 interface user plane, i.e. F1-U. Of course, another possible implementation is that PDCP-C is also in CU-UP.

[0083] It should be understood that in different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in an open radio access network (O-RAN or ORAN) system, CU may also be referred to as an open CU (open CU, O-CU), DU may also be referred to as an open DU (openDU, O-DU), CU-CP may also be referred to as an open CU-CP (open CU-CP, O-CU-CP), CU-UP may also be referred to as an open CU-UP (open CU-UP, O-CU-UP), and RU may also be referred to as an open RU (open RU, O-RU). For the convenience of description, the embodiments of the present application are described by taking CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU as examples. Any of the units in the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in the embodiments of the present application may be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0084] 1.3, CN:

[0085] CN is mainly responsible for maintaining the subscription data of the mobile network and providing functions such as session management, mobility management, policy management and security authentication for terminal devices. For details, please refer to the relevant protocols of 3GPP and will not be repeated here.

[0086] Exemplarily, NTN can be classified according to the working mode of the satellite, such as transparent mode architecture and regenerative mode architecture. Among them, the role of the satellite in the transparent mode architecture is to perform radio frequency filtering, frequency conversion and amplification; that is, in the transparent satellite architecture, the satellite is mainly used as a layer 1 (layer 1, L1) relay device to regenerate the physical layer signal (i.e., radio frequency filtering, frequency conversion and amplification processing), without other higher protocol layers. The regenerative mode can refer to the satellite as a base station, with some or all of the data processing capabilities of the base station.

[0087] Several examples of NTN-based RAN architecture are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0088] For example, Figure 3 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an NTN-based RAN architecture (NTN-based NG-RAN architectures) provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 3 As shown, the RAN architecture (or called the next-generation RAN (NG-RAN)) is a transparent satellite architecture (architecture with transparent satellite), including: a remote radio unit (RRU) and a base station. Among them, the RRU may include a satellite and an NTN gateway. The working mode of the satellite may be a transparent mode, that is, the satellite acts as a layer 1 relay (layer 1 relay) between the terminal device and the base station. For example, the satellite is used to regenerate the PHY layer signal, that is, the satellite may not have the function of the high-level protocol layer (such as the RRC layer). It can be understood that the transmission link between the satellite and the terminal device can be called a service link (SL).

[0089] The transmission link between the satellite and the NTN gateway may be referred to as a feeder link (FL). The NTN gateway may be deployed together with the base station or separately, which is not specifically limited in this application.

[0090] It should be understood that the feeder link is understood as the transmission link between the satellite and the base station. When the NTN gateway and the base station are deployed separately, the FL may include the transmission link between the satellite and the NTN gateway, and the transmission link between the NTN network element and the base station.

[0091] like Figure 3As shown, the terminal device can access the base station via satellite, and then access the core network (CN) through the base station, such as the fifth generation core network (5G CN). 5G CN can communicate with the data network (DN).

[0092] Figure 4 FIG. 1 is another schematic diagram of an NTN-based RAN architecture provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 4 As shown in FIG. 1 , the RAN architecture is a regenerative satellite architecture without an inter-satellite link (ISL). Figure 3 The differences between the transparent satellite architectures shown are: Figure 4 The satellite in the communication network has the capability of a base station, and the satellite can serve as a RAN device to provide services to the terminal device. Among them, ISL can refer to the transmission link between satellites. ISL can be a wireless interface or an optical interface. The specific ISL can be defined by 3GPP, for example, using an Xn interface, which is not specifically limited.

[0093] Furthermore, the interface between the satellite and the NTN gateway may be a satellite radio interface (SRI).

[0094] Figure 5 FIG. 1 is another schematic diagram of a RAN architecture based on NTN provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 5 As shown, the RAN architecture is a regenerative satellite architecture with ISL. Figure 4 The differences between the architectures shown are: Figure 5 There is an ISL in the architecture, that is, satellite #1 and satellite #2 can transmit through the ISL.

[0095] Figure 6 FIG. 1 is another NTN-based RAN architecture diagram provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 6 As shown, the RAN architecture is Figure 3 The differences between the transparent satellite architectures shown are: Figure 6 The satellite in the system has some processing functions of the base station, such as the DU function of the RAN device. The satellite can serve as the DU of the RAN device, and the base station can serve as the CU of the RAN device.

[0096] It is understandable that the above is an introduction using satellites as an example, and satellites may also be replaced by other non-ground network devices, such as ships, high-altitude platforms, or drones.

[0097] The following is an introduction to the cells in NTN.

[0098] Satellites can be divided into two categories according to their orbital altitude: high-orbit satellites and medium- and low-orbit satellites.

[0099] For medium and low-orbit satellites, the areas covered by the services provided by medium and low-orbit satellites (i.e., satellite cells) can be divided into two types: quasi-earth-fixed cells and earth-moving cells. Among them, for earth-moving cells, the moving satellite forms one or more cells by adjusting its beam, and the position of the one or more cells on the ground is stationary for a certain period of time. It can be understood that when the satellite cannot continue to cover the quasi-earth-fixed cell due to movement, the next satellite can cover the cell to provide services. For earth-moving cells, the satellite does not dynamically adjust the beam direction, and the cell covered by the satellite's beam moves with the movement of the satellite.

[0100] For example, taking a ground stationary cell as an example, Figure 7 As shown, cell #1 can be served by satellite #1 at time t0, and at time t1 (time t0 is less than time t1), satellite #1 stops covering cell #1. Further, at time t1 or after time t1, satellite #2 can provide service for cell #1. It should be understood that cell #1 changes from being served by satellite #1 to being served by satellite #2, and the terminal device switches from satellite #1 to satellite #2, that is, the change of satellite is a handover for the terminal device, that is, switching from the source cell (source cell) to the target cell (target cell).

[0101] Further, the source cell may refer to a cell provided by a source RAN device (e.g., a source satellite and a base station connected to the source satellite or a base station deployed on the source satellite), in which case the source RAN device provides services for the terminal device. The target cell may refer to a cell provided by a target RAN device (e.g., a target satellite and a base station connected to the target satellite or a base station deployed on the target satellite), in which case the target RAN device provides services for the terminal device.

[0102] It can also be understood that, regardless of whether it is a ground stationary cell or a ground mobile cell, due to the high-speed mobility of the satellite, the coverage area of ​​the same satellite is constantly changing. To ensure the connection quality, the terminal device will frequently switch from the source cell to the target cell.

[0103] The following introduces switching in the NR system, and then introduces switching in the NTN.

[0104] Second, switching in NR system:

[0105] The handover may be a legacy handover, a conditional handover, or an LTM handover.

[0106] The following takes the interaction between the source RAN device, the target RAN device, and the terminal device as an example to introduce the switching process in the NR system.

[0107] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of a traditional switching process provided by an embodiment of the present application. Figure 8 As shown, the switching process includes the following steps:

[0108] S801: A source RAN device sends a measurement configuration to a terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the measurement configuration from the source RAN device.

[0109] The measurement configuration is used to instruct the terminal device to perform measurement, such as radio resource management (RRM).

[0110] The measurement configuration may include: a measurement object, a report configuration, a measurement identifier, etc. The measurement identifier is used to associate the measurement object with the report configuration.

[0111] The measurement object defines the target of the measurement. The measurement object includes a measurement object identifier (ID) and a specific configuration of the measurement target corresponding to the measurement object identifier. The specific configuration may include: the frequency domain / time domain position and subcarrier space (SCS) corresponding to the reference signal (or pilot) to be measured, and the SSB-based measurement timing configuration (SMTC).

[0112] Among them, the report configuration defines the measurement reporting criteria. Among them, the report configuration includes a measurement report identifier (ID) and the specific configuration of the corresponding measurement reporting criteria. Further, the reporting method is divided into event-triggered reporting and periodic triggered reporting according to the trigger type, and each report configuration has a separate identifier (ID). The reporting configuration of the event-triggered type includes the event type and threshold value, as well as the duration (time to trigger) to meet the trigger condition. In other words, the terminal device can measure the measurement object in the measurement configuration, and report the measurement results according to the report configuration, that is, the measurement report.

[0113] The measurement configuration in step S801 may be included in an RRC reconfiguration message. For specific parameters in the measurement configuration, please refer to the relevant protocol and will not be described in detail.

[0114] S802: The terminal device sends a measurement report to the source RAN device according to the measurement configuration. Correspondingly, the source RAN device receives the measurement report from the terminal device.

[0115] It can be understood that the terminal device can measure one or more cells according to the measurement configuration, obtain a measurement report, and report the measurement report according to the report configuration, such as the signal strength of the serving cell (e.g., reference signal receiving power (RSRP)) is lower than the threshold and the neighboring cell signal is higher than the threshold.

[0116] S803: The source RAN device performs a handover decision according to the measurement report.

[0117] It can be understood that the handover decision may refer to the source RAN device deciding whether the terminal device needs to be handed over. For example, the source RAN device may refer to the measurement report reported by the terminal device and perform the handover decision according to its own handover algorithm.

[0118] S804: The source RAN device sends a handover request to the target RAN device. Correspondingly, the target RAN device receives the handover request from the source RAN device.

[0119] The switching request is used to request the terminal device to access the target cell.

[0120] S805: When the target RAN device determines to allow the terminal device to access according to the handover request, the target RAN device sends a handover request acknowledgement message to the source RAN device. Accordingly, the source RAN device receives the handover request acknowledgement message from the target RAN device.

[0121] Among them, the transparent container in the switching request confirmation message includes one or more of the following: relevant information of the target cell, measurement resource information, random access channel (RACH) resource information, and the cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) allocated by the target RAN device to the terminal device. The relevant information of the target cell may include: the physical cell identifier (physical ID, PCI) of the target cell and the frequency information (such as the frequency point) of the target cell. The measurement resource information includes: the SMTC of the target cell, and the RACH resource information. The RACH resource information may include, for example, dedicated RACH resources, and / or, public RACH resources. It can be understood that the switching request confirmation message may also include the security-related algorithms of the target RAN device, etc., which will not be repeated here. It can be understood that in the embodiments of the present application. The frequency point and frequency have the same meaning and can be expressed interchangeably. They are explained here uniformly and will not be repeated below.

[0122] S806: The source RAN device sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the RRC reconfiguration message from the source RAN device.

[0123] The RRC reconfiguration message is used to trigger the terminal device to switch, and the RRC reconfiguration message includes a synchronous reconfiguration information element (ReconfigurationWithSync). The RRC reconfiguration message including ReconfigurationWithSync is referred to as a switching command in the following text. It should be understood that the switching command includes the content of the transparent container in the switching request confirmation message in step S805.

[0124] S807: The terminal device sends an RRC reconfiguration completion message to the target RAN device. Correspondingly, the target RAN device receives the RRC reconfiguration completion message from the terminal device.

[0125] It can be understood that the terminal device can measure the target cell according to the SMTC of the target cell in the switching command to complete downlink synchronization. Among them, the terminal device measures the target cell, which can be understood as measuring the reference signal of the target cell, and the reference signal can be a synchronization signal block (synchronization signal block, SSB), channel state information reference signal (channel state information reference signal, CSI-RS), user equipment specific reference signal (user equipment specific reference signal, US-RS), demodulation reference signal (demodulation reference signal, DMRS), or a reference signal introduced subsequently, etc., and the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this. Among them, SSB can also refer to a synchronization signal, a broadcast channel, a broadcast signal demodulation signal, or a synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block).

[0126] It should be understood that the above-mentioned measuring target cell can be replaced by searching for target cell, or can be replaced by performing downlink synchronization with target cell, that is, measurement, searching and downlink synchronization can be expressed interchangeably, which are explained uniformly here and will not be repeated below.

[0127] It can be understood that the terminal device completes the switching process by sending an RRC reconfiguration completion message.

[0128] 2.1、SMTC:

[0129] SMTC is configured by the RAN device for the terminal device, and SMTC is used to indicate the measurement window or measurement timing of the terminal device based on SSB measurement. Among them, SMTC may include one or more of the length (duration) of the measurement window (or called the duration), the period of the measurement window, or the offset. The period of the measurement window and / or the offset can be used to determine the time domain starting position of the measurement window, and the length of the measurement window determines the duration of the measurement from the starting position. The time domain starting position and the length of the measurement window can be used to determine the time domain position of the measurement window, that is, the measurement timing of the reference signal.

[0130] It can be understood that in the embodiment of the present application, the measurement opportunity and the measurement window may have the same meaning and may be expressed interchangeably, and are explained uniformly here and will not be described in detail below.

[0131] It can be understood that in a possible implementation, the length of the measurement window can be indicated by the duration field in the SMTC. The period and offset of the measurement window can be indicated by the period and offset field.

[0132] The terminal device can determine the measurement timing based on the SMTC and the timing information of the cell (such as the system frame number (SFN) and the subframe number), that is, the above-mentioned measurement window can be determined based on the timing information of the cell, and the period and offset in the above-mentioned SMTC; the measurement window can also be determined based on the timing information of other cells (for example, the secondary cell in dual connectivity (DC)) and the period and offset in the above-mentioned SMTC.

[0133] It can be understood that the timing information of the cell may include at least one of the following: frame number (or SFN), subframe number, half-radio frame index, time slot index in the half-radio frame, and OFDM symbol index in the time slot, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations on this.

[0134] It should also be understood that the RAN device can send the above SMTC to the terminal device in the RRC connected state through the RRC reconfiguration message. For the terminal device in the RRC idle state, the RAN device can also send the adjacent frequency point and the SMTC corresponding to the frequency point through the system message to facilitate the terminal device to perform neighboring cell measurement.

[0135] 2.2. Propagation delay difference:

[0136] In NTN, the cell coverage is large, which will lead to large differences in transmission delays from terminal devices to service cells and neighboring cells. In order to configure appropriate SMTCs for terminal devices so that terminal devices can measure reference signals of more neighboring cells, multiple SMTCs can be configured for a frequency point to be measured. For example, multiple SMTCs corresponding to the same frequency point can have the same period and duration, but different offsets. In this way, multiple SMTCs corresponding to the same frequency point can be distinguished based on the offset. In addition, due to the different propagation delays between the terminal device and the service cell and neighboring cell, the RAN device needs to consider the propagation delay difference between the terminal device and the service cell and neighboring cell when configuring SMTC, or when the terminal device performs neighboring cell measurements based on SMTC. Fig. 9Taking NTN in transparent mode as an example, the transmission time difference between the service cell and the neighboring cell may include: the transmission delay difference of the transmission link SL and the transmission delay difference of the feeder link FL. The FL transmission delay difference may include: the difference between the transmission delay FL#1 of the feeder link FL of the service satellite and the transmission delay FL#2 of the feeder link FL of the neighboring satellite. Similarly, the SL transmission delay difference may include: the difference between the service link transmission delay SL#1 of the service satellite and the service link SL transmission delay SL#2 of the neighboring satellite. When NTN is in regeneration mode, the transmission delay on the feeder link may be 0.

[0137] In a possible implementation, the SL transmission delay difference and the FL transmission delay difference can be calculated by the terminal device according to one or more of the following, such as the ephemeris information of the service satellite and the neighboring satellite, the location of the terminal device, and parameters such as the common timing advance (CommonTA). The ephemeris information may include one or more of the following: information such as the reference time, position, or speed of the satellite. The terminal device can adjust the offset in the SMTC according to the determined SL transmission delay difference and the FL transmission delay difference to obtain the actual offset, and then determine the measurement time or measurement window corresponding to the SMTC according to the actual offset.

[0138] In another possible implementation, the network side can send a propagation delay difference report configuration to the terminal device, instructing the terminal device to report the propagation delay difference (PDD) between the service cell and the neighboring cell. The propagation delay difference can be the service link propagation delay difference, the feeder link propagation delay difference, or the total propagation delay difference between the service link and the feeder link. Further, the network device can determine the offset in the SMTC based on the PDD.

[0139] Third, switching in NTN:

[0140] As mentioned above Figure 8 The switching process shown in the figure requires the above steps S801 to S807. However, when the satellite changes, multiple terminal devices in the satellite cell will switch at the same time, which will cause a signaling storm problem caused by the simultaneous switching of multiple terminal devices.

[0141] To solve the above problem, a switching process that does not require a switching command can be introduced. Figure 8The difference between the switching processes shown is that the terminal device does not need to trigger the switching according to the switching command, but can trigger the switching according to the time. For example, the source satellite (or service satellite) sends a time information to the terminal device, and the terminal device resynchronizes with the new satellite (or target satellite) for downlink and uplink after the time arrives, and then accesses the base station. In other words, the terminal device does not need to trigger the switching according to the switching command. Figure 8 In the handover process shown, the base station makes a handover decision without relying on the measurement report reported by the terminal device.

[0142] It can be understood that the switching command in the traditional switching includes the resources and configuration of the terminal device in the target cell; while in the switching that does not require a switching command, the terminal device can reuse part or all of the configuration of the source cell after switching to the target cell, and thus the network does not need to send the resources and configuration of the target cell to the terminal device through a switching command, thereby saving switching signaling overhead.

[0143] It should be understood that the above-mentioned handover without a handover command may be referred to as: handover without / no L3 signaling. Wherein, L3 signaling may refer to high-level signaling (eg, RRC signaling), such as the above-mentioned Figure 8 The handover command in step 806 is an RRC reconfiguration message including the ReconfigurationWithSync IE. Of course, handover without L3 signaling can also be called handover without / no L3 handover command handover. In addition, handover without handover command can also be called time-based handover or handover without changing PCI, etc., which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application. However, the handover without L3 signaling in NTN has the following problems in its specific implementation:

[0144] Problem 1: In traditional switching, the switching command will include SMTC, and the terminal device will measure the target cell based on the SMTC. In switching without L3 signaling, since there is no SMTC, the terminal device needs to blindly search the reference signal of the target cell to complete downlink synchronization, which will lead to low efficiency of the terminal device measuring (or searching) the target cell and high power consumption of the terminal device. Problem 2: As described in the aforementioned "SMTC", the measurement timing corresponding to the SMTC of the target cell is determined based on the timing information of the source cell. During the NTN switching process, there is a time interval after the previous satellite leaves the cell and the next satellite covers the cell. During this time interval, the terminal device cannot continue to synchronize with the source cell, and thus the terminal device cannot obtain the timing information of the source cell. In this scenario, the measurement timing determined by the terminal device based on the SMTC and the timing information of the source cell is inaccurate, and the terminal device is inefficient in measuring the reference signal of the target cell, and the terminal device has high power consumption.

[0145] Based on the above problems, the embodiments of the present application propose the following technical solutions. The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application are described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application.

[0146] In order to facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the following points are explained before introducing the embodiments of the present application.

[0147] 1. In the embodiments of the present application, for the convenience of description, when numbering or indexing is involved, the numbering can be started from 1 or from 0, or from any parameter.

[0148] 2. "Pre-defined", "pre-defined", "pre-configured (or pre-configured)", and "protocol agreement" can be used interchangeably, and pre-definition can be achieved by pre-saving corresponding codes, tables or other methods that can be used to indicate relevant information in a device (for example, a terminal device or a network device). The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific implementation method. Among them, "saving" can mean saving in one or more memories.

[0149] 3. The “protocol” involved in the embodiments of the present application may refer to a standard protocol in the field of communications, for example, it may include the long term evolution (LTE) protocol, the NR protocol, and related protocols used in future communication systems, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0150] 4. In the embodiments of the present application, descriptions such as "when...", "in the case of...", "if" and "if" all mean that under certain objective circumstances, the device (such as a terminal device or a network device) will make corresponding processing. It does not limit the time, nor does it require the device to have a judgment action when implementing it, nor does it mean that there are other limitations.

[0151] 5. In the embodiments of the present application, “sending information to...(first device)” can be understood as the destination of the information being the first device, and can include directly or indirectly sending information to the first device. “Receiving information from...(second device)” or “receiving information from...(second device)” can be understood as the source of the information being the second device, and can include directly or indirectly receiving information from the second device. The information may be processed as necessary between the source and destination of the information transmission, such as format changes, but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in the present application can be understood similarly and will not be repeated here.

[0152] 6. In the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, the "and / or" in the embodiments of the present application indicates that there may be three relationships, for example, A and / or B, which may indicate: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, wherein A and B may be singular or plural. Moreover, "at least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. In addition, in order to facilitate the clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, the words "first", "second" and the like are used to distinguish the same items or similar items with substantially the same functions and effects. Those skilled in the art may understand that the words "first", "second" and the like do not limit the quantity and execution order, and the words "first", "second" and the like do not limit the certain difference. At the same time, in the embodiments of the present application, the words "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations or explanations.

[0153] The embodiments of the present application are applicable to various communication systems, including: satellite communication systems, high altitude platform station (HAPS) communication, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and other NTN systems, for example, integrated communication and navigation (IcaN) systems, global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) and ultra-dense low-orbit satellite communication systems. Among them, the NTN system can be the NTN system introduced in the aforementioned "NTN", and the RAN architecture in the NTN system can be, for example, Figure 3 to Figure 6Any of the RAN architectures shown in the figure may also be a RAN architecture that evolves in the future, without limitation. It should be understood that in addition to the NR system, IoT system, and 6G communication system that can introduce the NTN system, other communication systems may also introduce the NTN, such as the LTE system, vehicle to everything (V2X) system, device-to-device (D2D) system, machine to machine (M2M) communication system, etc. Alternatively, the other communication system may also be O-RAN or cloud radio access network (cloud RAN, CRAN), without limitation.

[0154] It should be understood that the architecture of the communication system and the business application scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application. Ordinary technicians in this field can know that with the evolution of the communication architecture and the emergence of new business application scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0155] The embodiment of the present application provides a measurement method, and the execution subject of the method may be a first device. The first device may be a terminal device in the aforementioned "NTN", or a module or unit of the terminal device (such as a chip, chip system, chip circuit, or circuit of the terminal device).

[0156] In a possible implementation, a first device receives first time information, and the first time information is used to indicate the time when the terminal device performs a handover; the first device determines the measurement timing configuration used in the handover, and measures the reference signal of the target cell according to the measurement timing configuration. In this way, the first device can determine the measurement timing configuration used in the handover performed based on the first time information, and measure the reference signal of the target cell according to the measurement timing configuration to complete downlink synchronization, thereby avoiding blind search of the reference signal of the target cell in the handover performed based on the first time information, thereby improving the efficiency of measuring (or searching) the target cell and reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0157] In response to the aforementioned “Question 2”, an embodiment of the present application provides a measurement method, and the execution subject of the method may be a first device. The first device may be the terminal device introduced in the aforementioned “NTN”, or a module or unit of the terminal device (such as a chip, chip system, chip circuit, or circuit of the terminal device).

[0158] In a possible implementation, the first device receives indication information from the RAN device, and determines the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing configuration according to the indication information. The indication information is used to indicate the standard time associated with the cell to be measured and / or the source cell. In this way, the first device can determine the standard time associated with the cell to be measured and / or the source cell according to the indication information, and determine the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing configuration according to the standard time, and then can determine the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing configuration without relying on the timing information of the source cell (or service cell) or other cells (such as auxiliary cells, target cells, or neighboring cells, etc.), so that when the terminal device cannot keep synchronized with the source cell, the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing configuration can be accurately determined, thereby improving the efficiency of the terminal device in measuring (or searching) the target cell and reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0159] The following will be combined Figure 10 to Figure 13 , the above method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail.

[0160] It should be understood that the signals between various devices or apparatuses, the names of various parameters in the signals, or the names of the information carried by the signals in the following embodiments of the present application are merely examples, and other names may also be used in specific implementations, and the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0161] In addition, the method provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applicable to the interaction between the first device and the second device. Among them, the first device can be a terminal device in the aforementioned "NTN", or a module or unit of the terminal device (such as a chip, chip system, chip circuit, or circuit of the terminal device, etc.). The second device can be a RAN device introduced in the aforementioned "NTN", or a module or unit of the RAN device (such as a chip, chip system, chip circuit, or circuit of the terminal device, etc.). For example, the second device can be a satellite, or a module or unit of a satellite. In other words, the second device can provide services for the first device. For example, the first device can be located in a cell provided by the second device. The cell can be a ground stationary cell or a ground mobile cell. The embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this.

[0162] For ease of understanding, the following text takes the first device as a terminal device and the second device as a RAN device. Figure 1 to Figure 6 Detailed description of the RAN architecture Fig.10 The measurement method flow is shown.

[0163] Fig.10 Schematic diagram of a measurement method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Fig.10 As shown, the method comprises the following steps:

[0164] S1001. A RAN device sends first time information to a terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first time information from the RAN device. The first time information is used to indicate the time when the terminal device performs a handover.

[0165] It can be understood that the terminal device can determine the time to perform the switching according to the first time information, that is, the terminal device can determine the timing to perform the switching according to the first time information. For example, the terminal device can perform the switching based on the first time information, so that there is no need Figure 8 The handover command in step S1001 is used to perform handover, that is, to perform handover without L3 signaling. Of course, the RAN device can instruct the terminal device to perform handover without L3 signaling through other information, and the embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this. In addition, in the handover scenario, the RAN device in step S1001 can be referred to as the source RAN device, and can also be understood as the RAN device where the terminal device is currently resident or connected. The terminal device switches to the target cell or the target RAN device based on the first time information.

[0166] In a possible implementation, during the handover, the PCI of the source cell of the terminal device is the same as that of the target cell. Since the PCI of the source cell is the same as that of the target cell, for the terminal device, the cell before and after the handover may be the same cell, that is, the handover performed by the terminal device according to the first time information may be a satellite handover corresponding to a ground stationary cell.

[0167] For example, taking a satellite in transparent mode as an example, before and after the ground stationary cell is switched, since the satellite only undertakes functions such as signal amplification, the base station (cell) accessed by the terminal device before and after the switch remains unchanged. The distances between the terminal and the source satellite and the target satellite are different, so it is necessary to re-synchronize downlink and uplink with the target cell. Furthermore, the configuration of the ground stationary cell may remain unchanged before and after the switch.

[0168] It should be understood that for the satellite handover scenario corresponding to the ground stationary cell, there are two cases. Among them, the first case is hard handover, which can mean that before and after the satellite handover, the coverage areas of the source satellite (i.e., the previous satellite that left) and the target satellite (i.e., the next satellite covering the cell) do not overlap at the same time, that is, the time when the source satellite leaves the source cell is before the time when the target satellite starts to cover the target cell. In other words, the terminal device will not be interfered by the signal of the target satellite during the connection with the source satellite.

[0169] The second case is soft handover, which is different from hard handover in that the coverage areas of the source satellite and the target satellite overlap at the same time, that is, the source satellite leaves the source cell after the target satellite begins to cover the target cell. In other words, when the terminal device is switching connection with the source satellite, it may be interfered by the signal of the target satellite.

[0170] In another possible implementation, during the handover, the PCIs of the source cell and the target cell of the terminal device are different. For the satellite handover scenario corresponding to the above-mentioned ground stationary cell, the PCI of the cell is different before and after the satellite handover, and the other cell configurations are the same. In this scenario, the source RAN device can also send the PCI of the target cell to the terminal device. For example, the source RAN device indicates the following items to the terminal through a system message: switching to a handover without L3 signaling, the PCI of the target cell, and the first time information, etc., instructing the terminal device to switch to the target cell corresponding to the PCI in the handover performed based on the first time information, so as to reduce interference. It can be understood that the RAN device does not need to send a handover command to the terminal device.

[0171] It should be understood that for the above soft switching, the PCI of the ground stationary cell changes before and after the switching, and other configurations of the ground stationary cell can remain unchanged, or partially change (such as the configuration related to the PCI), which can also adapt to the above switching without L3 signaling.

[0172] It should be understood that the terminal device performs switching according to the first time information, which can be applied to various switching scenarios where switching without L3 signaling can be applied, thereby avoiding the signaling storm problem. For example, in the satellite switching scenario corresponding to the above-mentioned ground stationary cell, the working mode of the target satellite can be the regeneration mode described in the aforementioned "NTN", and the terminal device can also perform switching according to the first time information, without the need for the source satellite to send a switching command, thus avoiding the problem of signaling storm. For another example, the terminal device performs switching according to the first time information, which can also be applicable to the satellite switching scenario of the ground mobile cell, without the need for the source satellite to send a switching command, thus avoiding the problem of signaling storm.

[0173] It should also be understood that the working mode of the source satellite and the target satellite can be a regeneration mode, and the source satellite and the target satellite can exchange the configuration information of the source cell, the context information of the terminal device, etc., so as to achieve the purpose of switching without L3 signaling. The RAN device in step S1001 can be a source satellite, and of course it can also be other types of non-ground network devices, such as a source high-altitude platform, or a source drone, etc. The embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this.

[0174] It can be understood that the present application is applicable to all architectures of non-terrestrial networks, including transparent mode, regeneration mode, and subsequently expanded integrated access and backhaul (IAB) functions, etc., without specific limitation.

[0175] It should be understood that in the embodiment of the present application, the first time information may indicate the start time of the terminal device to perform the handover. That is, at a specific time indicated by the first time information, the terminal device performs the handover at the specific time. For example, the RAN device sends the T1 time, and the terminal device starts to perform the handover after the T1 time arrives.

[0176] Alternatively, the first time information may indicate a time range for the terminal device to perform switching. That is, the first time information may indicate a time range, so that the terminal device may perform switching within the time range. For example, the first time information may indicate a time range [t1, t2], and the terminal device may perform switching at any time within the time range [t1, t2]; or, the terminal device may perform switching at time t1; or, the terminal device may perform switching at time t2; or, the terminal device may stop connecting to the source cell at time t1 until it starts synchronizing with the target cell at time t2. Alternatively, the terminal device may suspend the access stratum (AS) function at time t1 until it starts synchronizing with the target cell at time t2.

[0177] In a possible implementation, the first time information includes the time when the source NTN device stops covering the terminal device, and / or the time when the target NTN device starts covering the terminal device. It can be understood that the NTN device can be a satellite, a ship, a high-altitude platform, or a drone, etc., and the embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this.

[0178] Exemplarily, taking the NTN device as a satellite, the source NTN device may be a source satellite or a service satellite, and the target NTN device may refer to a target satellite. The source satellite device stops covering the terminal device, which means: the time when the source satellite stops covering the area where the terminal device is located, or the remaining time when the source satellite stops covering the terminal device. The time when the target satellite starts covering the terminal device may refer to: the start time when the target satellite starts to provide coverage for the area where the terminal device is located, or the remaining time when the target satellite starts to provide coverage for the area where the terminal device is located, etc., which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0179] In a possible implementation, the first time information includes the time when the source satellite stops covering the cell accessed by the terminal device, and / or the time when the target satellite starts covering the cell accessed by the terminal device. The cell accessed by the terminal device may be a ground stationary cell, a ground mobile cell, or other types of cells that evolve subsequently, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0180] For example, the first time information may include the time T1 when the source satellite stops covering, and the time T2 when the target cell starts covering. For another example, the first time information includes the time T1 when the source satellite stops covering, and the duration (duration). The time when the source satellite stops covering is the sum of the time T1 when the source satellite stops covering and the duration (e.g., T1+duration).

[0181] It is understandable that the terminal device may start measuring the target cell at time T2 to synchronize with the target cell. Alternatively, the terminal device does not release the AS configuration of the terminal device after disconnecting from the source cell; or the terminal device suspends the AS function until time T2.

[0182] That is, through the first time information, the terminal device can be instructed to perform the switching process when or after the source satellite stops providing service, or the terminal device can perform the switching process when or after the target satellite starts providing service.

[0183] It can be understood that for the terminal device to perform the switching process after the source satellite stops providing service or after the target satellite starts providing service, the specific time of starting the switching can be determined by the terminal device. For example, for the satellite switching corresponding to the cell (such as a ground stationary cell or a ground mobile cell), in the hard switching scenario, that is, the time when the source satellite leaves the source cell is before the time when the target satellite starts to cover the target cell, the terminal device can perform the switching process when the target satellite starts to provide service. For another example, in the soft switching scenario, that is, the time when the source satellite leaves the source cell is after the time when the target satellite starts to cover the target cell, the terminal device can perform the switching process when the source satellite stops providing service.

[0184] In a possible implementation manner, the first time information may be included in a system message.

[0185] That is to say, the source RAN device may broadcast the first time information to the terminal devices in the source cell through a system message.

[0186] For example, the first time information may be included in a system information block (SIB) 1 or SIB19. The first time information may be the time (t-Service) at which the satellite stops covering the cell in SIB19. It can be understood that the t-Service in SIB19 may also be used to instruct the terminal device to perform switching when the time is reached, that is, the present application may reuse the time to instruct the terminal device to perform switching without L3 signaling.

[0187] In another possible implementation, the first time information may be included in dedicated signaling. The dedicated signaling includes an RRC reconfiguration message. That is, the source RAN device may configure different first time information to different terminal devices through dedicated signaling, so that different terminal devices in the source cell may perform switching at different times.

[0188] S1002: The terminal device determines a measurement timing configuration used in switching.

[0189] It can be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the measurement timing configuration may refer to the measurement timing configuration of the target cell, and the measurement timing configuration may indicate the measurement window for the terminal device to measure the reference signal. The measurement timing configuration may include: the period of the measurement window, the offset of the measurement window, and the length of the measurement window, etc., that is, the measurement timing configuration of the present application may be the SMTC of the target cell. For details, please refer to the relevant instructions in the above "SMTC" and will not be repeated here.

[0190] It should be understood that in the embodiment of the present application, the reference signal measured indicated by the above measurement timing configuration may be a downlink reference signal such as SSB, CSI-RS, CS-RS, US-RS, or DMRS, and the embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this.

[0191] It should also be understood that the measurement timing configuration may also have other names. For example, in the case of measuring SSB, the measurement timing configuration may be called SMTC. For another example, in the case of measuring reference signals other than SSB, the measurement timing configuration may also be called other names, such as CSI measurement timing configuration, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application. It is understood that although the measurement timing configuration may have different names, it is understood that the role of the measurement timing configuration includes indicating the measurement window of the terminal device to measure the reference signal.

[0192] It can be understood that the handover in step S1002 may refer to a handover without L3 signaling, wherein the handover without L3 signaling is a handover performed based on the first time information. Therefore, the measurement timing configuration of the present application may refer to the SMTC used in the handover without L3 signaling.

[0193] It should be understood that in the embodiment of the present application, the measurement timing configuration used in the above handover can be determined by method 1 or method 2. Among them, method 1 may refer to the terminal device determining the above measurement timing configuration by itself, and method 2 may refer to the terminal device determining the above measurement timing configuration according to the network instruction or configuration. For the specific implementation of the measurement timing configuration used in the above handover indicated by the network, please refer to the following Fig.12 The method flow shown is not repeated here.

[0194] Method 1 is introduced below.

[0195] In one possible implementation, the measurement timing configuration is determined based on any one of the following: the time domain position of a reference signal of a source cell of a terminal device, or the first measurement timing configuration among multiple measurement timing configurations configured in the source cell, the frequency corresponding to the first measurement timing configuration being the same as the frequency of the target cell.

[0196] That is to say, the terminal device can determine the measurement timing configuration used in the switching without L3 signaling based on the measurement configuration sent by the source cell or the time domain configuration of the reference signal sent by the source cell. This can avoid blind searching for the reference signal of the target cell, improve the efficiency of measuring (or searching) the target cell, and reduce the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0197] It can be understood that the terminal device determines the measurement timing configuration based on the time domain position of the reference signal of the source cell, which may mean that the terminal device determines the measurement window offset, measurement window period, and measurement window length in the measurement timing configuration for measuring the target cell based on the starting position, period, and duration of the reference signal obtained in the source cell measurement.

[0198] In one possible implementation, the terminal device may adjust the offset in the measurement timing configuration according to the propagation delay difference between the terminal device and the source RAN device and the target RAN device to obtain an actual offset, where the actual offset is used to determine the timing for measuring the reference signal of the target cell, such as the time domain starting position of the measurement window.

[0199] It can be understood that by determining the measurement timing through the actual offset, the matching degree between the measurement window and the reference signal can be improved, and the efficiency of the terminal device in measuring the target cell can be further improved.

[0200] The following introduces multiple measurement timing configurations of the source cell configuration.

[0201] Optionally, the multiple measurement timing configurations configured in the source cell may be: multiple SMTCs sent by the source RAN device through the measurement configuration, each of the multiple SMTCs corresponds to a frequency point, and the frequency points corresponding to each SMTC in the multiple SMTCs are the same or different. For example, the RAN device may send at least one SMTC corresponding to each frequency point in at least one frequency point through the measurement configuration.

[0202] The at least one frequency point may include a frequency point of a target cell. It can be understood that, for a handover scenario corresponding to a ground stationary cell, the frequency point of the target cell is the same as the service frequency point of the source cell.

[0203] It can be understood that, according to the relevant description of the aforementioned step S801, the measurement configuration is included in the RRC reconfiguration message.

[0204] Or, optionally, the multiple measurement timing configurations configured by the source cell may be: multiple SMTCs sent by the source RAN device via a system message. The multiple SMTCs sent by the system message are similar to the SMTCs in the above measurement configurations and are not described in detail.

[0205] It can be understood that the terminal device can determine one or more SMTCs corresponding to the same frequency as the target cell from the multiple SMTCs configured in the source cell as the first measurement timing configuration. Furthermore, the terminal device can determine the measurement timing configuration used in the switching without L3 signaling based on the first measurement timing configuration. For example, the terminal device can directly reuse the first measurement timing configuration. Alternatively, in the case where there are multiple first measurement timing configurations, the terminal device can select from multiple first measurement timing configurations according to the actual implementation, and the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0206] It can be understood that, similar to the above-mentioned terminal device determining the first measurement timing configuration based on the time domain position of the reference signal of the source cell, the terminal device can also adjust the offset in the first measurement timing configuration to obtain the actual offset, thereby determining the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing configuration based on the actual offset.

[0207] In another possible implementation, the period in the measurement timing configuration may be a first period, and the length of the measurement window in the measurement timing configuration may be equal to the first period. The first period may be 5 ms, or the first period may be the period of the reference signal of the source cell (e.g., the period indicated by the information element ssb-periodicityServingCell). It can be understood that 5 ms is the minimum period for the RAN device to send a reference signal, so that the reference signal of the target cell can be avoided from being missed. Furthermore, the period in the measurement timing configuration is equal to the length of the measurement window, which is equivalent to blindly searching the reference signal of the target cell, and the reference signal of the target cell can be further avoided from being missed.

[0208] S1003. The terminal device measures the reference signal of the target cell according to the measurement timing configuration.

[0209] It can be understood that for the measurement timing configuration determined in method 1, when the terminal device performs switching according to the first time information, it can determine the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing configuration according to the timing information of the source cell.

[0210] Exemplarily, the manner in which the terminal device determines the measurement timing (ie, the measurement window) according to the timing information of the source cell is as follows:

[0211] The SFN where the measurement window is located satisfies the following formula: SFN mod T = floor(offset / 10). Among them, SFN is the system frame number where the measurement window is located, mod is the remainder operation, floor is the floor rounding operation, offset is the offset, and T = ceil(periodicity / 10). Ceil is the ceiling rounding operation, and periodicity is the period of the measurement window. If the period of the measurement window is greater than 5 subframes, the subframe number where the measurement window is located satisfies the following formula: subframe = offset mod 10. If the period of the measurement window is less than or equal to 5 subframes, the subframe number where the measurement window is located satisfies the following formula: subframe = offset, or, subframe = offset+5. subframe is the subframe number where the measurement window is located. Among them, periodicity and offset are both included in the measurement timing configuration.

[0212] In one possible implementation, Fig.10 As shown, the measurement method process also includes:

[0213] S1004. The terminal device adjusts the offset in the measurement timing configuration at the first moment corresponding to the first time information to obtain a first offset, where the first offset is used to determine a timing for measuring a reference signal of a target cell.

[0214] It should be understood that the first moment may be the start moment of the terminal device performing the switching; or the first moment may be a moment near the start moment of the terminal device performing the switching. For example, the near moment may be the sum of the start moment of the terminal device performing the switching and the time offset value, and the time offset value may be ±1ms, ±2ms, ±3ms, or other time values, and the time offset value may be set according to actual implementation, and the embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this.

[0215] It should be understood that in the embodiment of the present application, the start time of the terminal device performing the switching can be replaced by the time when the terminal device performs the switching. Further, when the first time is reached, the terminal device performs the switching without L3 signaling, that is, the first time can be the time when the terminal device performs the switching. This is a unified description and will not be repeated below.

[0216] It can be understood that the terminal device adjusts the offset in the measurement timing configuration (i.e., the offset of the measurement window), which may mean that the terminal device determines the propagation delay difference at the first moment, adjusts the offset in the measurement timing configuration according to the propagation delay difference, and then obtains the first offset. The propagation delay difference may include the SL transmission delay difference, or the SL transmission delay difference and the FL transmission delay difference. For details, please refer to the relevant description of the propagation delay difference in the aforementioned "Switching in the NR System", which will not be repeated here.

[0217] It can be understood that the timing of measuring the reference signal of the target cell may refer to the measurement timing corresponding to the measurement timing configuration, that is, the measurement window. For example, the terminal device may determine the measurement timing corresponding to the measurement timing configuration according to the formula for determining the measurement timing in step S1003, the first offset, the period of the measurement window in the measurement timing configuration, and the length of the measurement window in the measurement timing configuration.

[0218] That is to say, the terminal device can adjust the offset in the measurement timing configuration according to the start time of the switching, or the measurement results corresponding to the time near the start time (such as the propagation delay difference), so as to improve the accuracy of the determined measurement time, thereby improving the efficiency of the terminal device in measuring the target cell and reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0219] Because in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can determine the measurement timing configuration used in the handover performed based on the first time information, and measure the reference signal of the target cell according to the measurement timing configuration to complete downlink synchronization, thereby avoiding blind search of the reference signal of the target cell in the handover performed based on the first time information, thereby improving the efficiency of measuring (or searching) the target cell and reducing the power consumption of the terminal device. It should be understood that in step S1004, the terminal device adjusts the offset in the measurement timing configuration at the start time of the handover performed by the terminal device or at a time near the start time, which can also be applied to the handover triggered by the handover command (i.e. Figure 8 The switching process shown in the figure) can also be applied to the scenario of neighboring cell measurement. The following continues to take the interaction between the terminal device and the RAN device as an example for specific description.

[0220] Fig.11 This is another flow chart of a measurement method provided in the embodiment of the present application. Fig.11 As shown, the method includes the following process:

[0221] S1101. A terminal device obtains a measurement timing configuration, wherein the measurement timing configuration is used to measure a reference signal of a cell to be measured.

[0222] In a possible implementation, the measurement timing configuration may be the measurement timing configuration in step S1002, that is, the measurement timing configuration used in the handover performed based on the first time information, that is, the measurement timing configuration used in the handover without L3 signaling. It can be understood that when the measurement timing configuration is the measurement timing configuration used in the handover without L3 signaling, the cell to be measured is the target cell. Further, the terminal device may obtain the measurement timing configuration in accordance with Fig.10 In step S1002 of method 1 or method 2, the measurement timing configuration is obtained. For details, see Fig.10 Step 1002 and Fig.12 In step S1203 of the embodiment. In another possible implementation, the measurement timing configuration may be a measurement timing configuration of a neighboring cell. The RAN device of the neighboring cell is different from the serving RAN device of the terminal device. The cell to be measured may be a neighboring cell. The measurement timing configuration of the neighboring cell may be the SMTC of the neighboring cell. It is understood that the measurement timing configuration may be sent down through the measurement configuration (e.g. Figure 8 Alternatively, the measurement timing configuration may be delivered via a system message, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0223] It should be understood that the reference signal may be a downlink reference signal such as CSI-RS, CS-RS, US-RS, or DMRS, and the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0224] S1102: The terminal device adjusts the offset in the measurement timing configuration at a first moment to obtain a first offset, wherein the first moment is determined according to a start moment of the terminal device performing measurement.

[0225] It can be understood that the first moment may be the start moment when the terminal device performs the measurement, or the first moment may be the sum of the start moment and the time offset value. Among them, the time offset value may be ±1ms, ±2ms, ±3ms, or other time values, and the time offset value may be set according to the actual implementation, and the embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this. In addition, the specific implementation of the terminal device obtaining the first offset in step S1102 can refer to the relevant description of the propagation delay difference in the aforementioned "Switching in the NR System", which will not be repeated here.

[0226] It should be understood that Fig.11 The embodiment shown can be applicable to handover without L3 signaling, and the first moment can be the first moment corresponding to the first time information in the above step S1004. Or, Fig.11 The illustrated embodiment may also be applicable to handovers triggered by handover commands, such as traditional handovers, conditional handovers, DAPS handovers, and subsequent evolved handovers, and the first moment may be the start moment of the above handovers, or a moment near the start moment. Fig.11 The illustrated embodiment may also be applicable to a neighboring cell measurement scenario, and the first moment may also be the start moment of the terminal device measuring the reference signal of the neighboring cell, or a moment near the start moment.

[0227] It should also be understood that Fig.11 The illustrated embodiment may be applicable to scenarios such as switching between NTN and TN, or neighboring cell measurement, and the embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this.

[0228] S1103. The terminal device determines a measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing configuration according to the first offset.

[0229] The specific implementation of step S1103 can be found in Fig.10 Step S1004 in will not be repeated here.

[0230] In the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can adjust the offset in the measurement timing configuration according to the start time of the measurement, or the measurement result corresponding to the time near the start time (such as the propagation delay difference), thereby improving the accuracy of the determined measurement time, thereby improving the measurement efficiency of the terminal device and reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0231] It should be understood that, as described above with respect to step S1002, the terminal device determines the measurement timing configuration used in the switching, and can adopt method 2, that is, the network indicates the measurement timing configuration. The following continues to take the interaction between the terminal device and the RAN device as an example to illustrate the specific implementation of method 2.

[0232] Fig.12 FIG. 1 is a flow chart of another measurement method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Fig.12 As shown, the method comprises the following steps:

[0233] S1201: A RAN device sends first time information to a terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first time information from the RAN device. The first time information is used to indicate the time when the terminal device performs a handover.

[0234] The specific implementation of step S1201 can be found in Fig.10 The step S1001 in the step will not be described in detail.

[0235] It can be understood that in a handover scenario, the RAN device in step S1201 can be referred to as a source RAN device, and can also be understood as a RAN device where the terminal device currently resides or is connected.

[0236] S1202: The RAN device determines a measurement timing configuration used in handover, where the measurement timing configuration is used to measure a reference signal of a target cell.

[0237] The switching in step S1202 is a switching performed based on the first time information, that is, a switching without L3 signaling.

[0238] It should be understood that the measurement timing configuration may refer to the measurement timing configuration of the target cell, for example, the measurement timing configuration may be the measurement timing configuration used by the terminal device in performing a handover without L3 signaling. Among them, the measurement timing configuration may indicate the measurement window for the terminal device to measure the reference signal, and the measurement timing configuration may include: the period of the measurement window, the offset of the measurement window, and the length of the measurement window, etc., that is, the measurement timing configuration of the present application may be the SMTC of the target cell, and the details may refer to the relevant description in the above-mentioned "SMTC", which will not be repeated here.

[0239] In a possible implementation manner, the RAN device may determine the measurement timing configuration according to the PDD reported by the terminal device.

[0240] It is understandable that the RAN device can configure the propagation delay difference reporting configuration for the terminal device, so that the terminal device reports the PDD. The RAN device determines the specific implementation of the measurement timing configuration according to the PDD reported by the terminal device. Please refer to the relevant description of the propagation delay difference in the aforementioned "Switching in the NR System", which will not be repeated here.

[0241] It can also be understood that the RAN device can configure a first delay difference report configuration for the terminal device, and the time for reporting the PDD corresponding to the first delay difference report configuration is the first time corresponding to the first time information, so that the terminal device can report the PDD at the first time according to the first delay difference report configuration. For example, the delay difference report configuration includes time information, and the delay difference report configuration can instruct the terminal to report the propagation delay difference at the time corresponding to the time information.

[0242] Exemplarily, when the RAN device configures the measurement timing configuration for the terminal device in the RRC connected state (i.e., the measurement timing configuration in the above step S1202), the RAN device may configure the measurement timing configuration according to the PDD reported by the terminal device. The PDD reported by the terminal device is the PDD corresponding to the first moment.

[0243] It should be understood that when the RAN device has not configured the propagation delay difference reporting configuration for the terminal device, the RAN device may not determine the measurement timing configuration based on the PDD reported by the terminal device, that is, the measurement timing configuration does not take into account the propagation delay difference between the terminal device and the service cell and the neighboring cell. The terminal device can determine the above-mentioned propagation delay difference based on the ephemeris information of the service satellite and the neighboring satellite, the location of the terminal device, and parameters such as CommonTA, and then obtain the actual offset based on the offset in the measurement timing configuration based on the propagation delay difference, thereby determining the measurement time (that is, the measurement window) corresponding to the measurement timing configuration based on the actual offset.

[0244] It is understandable that the RAN device can also obtain the propagation delay difference between the terminal device and the serving cell and the neighboring cell in other ways. For example, the RAN device can calculate the delay difference according to the location of the terminal device, the ephemeris information of the source satellite and the target satellite, and commonTA and other parameters. Further, the RAN device can calculate the propagation delay difference at the first moment in advance.

[0245] It can be understood that the measurement timing configuration configured by the RAN device may include two types, one type is the measurement timing configuration determined based on the propagation delay difference between the terminal device and the service cell and the neighboring cell, and the other type is the measurement timing configuration not determined based on the propagation delay difference between the terminal device and the service cell and the neighboring cell.

[0246] It can be understood that the RAN device can determine the measurement timing configuration according to the time domain position of the reference signal of the neighboring cell.

[0247] It should be understood that step S1202 may be before step S1201, that is, the source RAN device may determine the measurement timing configuration used in the handover based on the first time information before sending the first time information. Alternatively, step S1202 may be after step S1201; or, step S1201 and S1202 are performed simultaneously, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0248] S1203, the RAN device sends indication information to the terminal device. Accordingly, the terminal device receives the indication information from the RAN device. The indication information is used to indicate the measurement timing configuration. It can be understood that the measurement timing configuration indicated by the indication information is the measurement timing configuration in step S1102.

[0249] In a possible implementation manner, the indication information is included in dedicated signaling; or, the indication information is included in a system message.

[0250] It can be understood that the indication information is included in the proprietary signaling, and the proprietary signaling can be RRC signaling, that is, the indication information can be carried by an RRC setup (RRC set up) message, or carried by an RRC resume (RRC resume) message, or carried by an RRC reconfiguration (RRC reconfiguration) message. It can be understood that the RRC reconfiguration (RRCreconfiguration) message does not include the reconfigurationWithSync information element.

[0251] The indication information is included in the system information, and the system message may be SIB1, or SIB19, or other system messages, which are not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application. In addition, for the measurement timing configuration in the system message, when the terminal device determines the starting position of the measurement window (i.e., the measurement timing) according to the measurement timing configuration, the terminal device may determine the actual offset according to the propagation delay difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cell at the first time, and determine the measurement timing of the target cell according to the actual offset.

[0252] That is to say, in the switching performed based on the first time information (i.e., switching without L3 signaling), the source RAN device can indicate to the terminal device the measurement timing configuration used in the switching without L3 signaling through proprietary signaling or system messages, and then the terminal device can measure the target cell according to the measurement timing configuration, thereby avoiding blind search for the reference signal of the target cell, improving the measurement efficiency of the terminal device, and reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0253] The following uses several examples to illustrate how the indication information indicates the measurement timing configuration.

[0254] Example 1, the indication information can simultaneously indicate the measurement timing configuration, and the measurement timing configuration is used in the switching performed based on the first time information. For example, the indication information can be embodied through a newly defined field (for example, it can be SMTC-PCI), and the newly defined field can carry the above-mentioned measurement timing configuration. The protocol can stipulate that the measurement timing configuration carried by the field is the measurement timing configuration used in the switching performed based on the first time information, and then the terminal device receives the field, which can determine the measurement timing configuration used in the switching performed based on the first time information. In this way, the measurement timing configuration is indicated at the same time, and the measurement timing configuration is used in the switching performed based on the first time information, which can reduce the signaling overhead.

[0255] Example 2: The indication information is included in the measurement timing configuration, and the measurement timing configuration can be included in a system message or a proprietary signaling. In other words, the indication information can be added to the measurement timing configuration to indicate that the measurement timing configuration is used for the switching triggered by the first time information, and then the terminal device receives the measurement timing configuration and determines, through the indication information in the measurement timing configuration, that the measurement timing configuration is the measurement timing configuration used in the switching performed based on the first time information. In this way, the structural changes to the existing message or signaling are relatively small.

[0256] Example 3, the indication information can be used to determine the measurement timing configuration used in the above-mentioned switching performed based on the first time information from multiple measurement timing configurations. For example, the system message may include measurement timing configurations for multiple adjacent frequency points, and the indication information may be included in the first measurement timing configuration. The frequency point corresponding to the first measurement timing configuration is the same as the frequency point of the target cell. The indication information can be used to indicate that the measurement timing configuration is used in switching without L3 signaling. For example, SIB2 or SIB4 carries same-frequency or different-frequency information, such as {F1: SMTC1, F2: SMTC2}, and the target cell frequency point in the switching without L3 signaling is F1, then the indication information {F1: SMTC1: switching without L3 signaling, F2: SMTC2} is added to SIB2 / 4, thereby indicating that SMTC1 is used to measure the target cell when switching without L3 signaling.

[0257] Furthermore, the measurement timing configuration and the indication information may be carried by the same message or signaling, and the terminal device may determine the measurement timing configuration used in the switching performed based on the first time information from multiple measurement timing configurations according to the indication information. In this way, the flexibility of the indication may be increased.

[0258] For example, a system message may carry multiple measurement timing configurations, which may include an SMTC for neighboring cell measurement and a measurement timing configuration used in a switch performed based on the first time information. The indication information includes an index of the measurement timing configuration, and the terminal device may determine the measurement timing configuration used in the switch performed based on the first time information from among the multiple measurement timing configurations through the index.

[0259] It can be understood that the measurement configuration in the aforementioned step S801 may also include the indication information in Example 3, and then the terminal device can determine the measurement timing configuration from at least one SMTC corresponding to at least one frequency point through the indication information in the measurement configuration.

[0260] It should be understood that the measurement timing configuration and indication information in Example 3 may also be carried by different messages or signaling. For example, multiple measurement timing configurations may be carried by a system message, and the indication information may be carried by an RRC reconfiguration message.

[0261] In a possible implementation, the indication information is included in the proprietary signaling; the indication information is also used to indicate whether the terminal device adjusts the offset in the measurement timing configuration. It can be understood that the description of the type of measurement timing configuration in step S1202 can be divided into two types, and then the indication information indicates whether to adjust the offset in the measurement timing configuration, which can instruct the terminal device to adjust the measurement timing configuration that is not determined based on the PDD reported by the terminal device, and instruct the terminal device not to adjust the measurement timing configuration determined based on the PDD reported by the terminal device, so as to increase the flexibility of the measurement timing configuration.

[0262] In a possible implementation manner, the indication information is further used to indicate that an offset in the measurement timing configuration is adjusted at a first moment corresponding to the first time information.

[0263] It can be understood that the first moment corresponding to the first time information can be the start moment of the terminal device executing the switch; or, the first moment can be a moment near the start moment of the terminal device executing the switch. For details, please refer to the aforementioned step S1004, which will not be repeated here. In addition, adjusting the offset in the measurement timing configuration can refer to the terminal device determining the propagation delay difference at the first moment, adjusting the offset in the measurement timing configuration according to the propagation delay difference, and then obtaining the first offset, and determining the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing configuration according to the first offset. For specific implementation, please refer to the aforementioned step S1004, which will not be repeated here.

[0264] That is to say, the terminal device can adjust the offset in the measurement timing configuration according to the start time of the switching, or the measurement results corresponding to the time near the start time (such as the propagation delay difference), so as to improve the accuracy of the determined measurement time, thereby improving the efficiency of the terminal device in measuring the target cell and reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0265] It should be understood that the above-mentioned measurement timing configuration may be a measurement timing configuration that is not determined based on the PDD reported by the terminal device, or it may be a measurement timing configuration determined based on the PDD reported by the terminal device, and the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this. It can be understood that for the measurement timing configuration determined based on the PDD reported by the terminal device, when the measurement moment corresponding to the PDD reported by the terminal device is at a large time interval from the start moment when the terminal device actually performs the switching, due to the high-speed mobility characteristics of the source satellite and the target satellite, the measurement timing corresponding to the measurement timing configuration configured by the RAN device according to the PDD reported by the terminal device is less accurate, which may cause the terminal device to be unable to measure the reference signal of the target cell, affecting the switching success rate. By adjusting the offset in the measurement timing configuration at the first moment, the accuracy of the measurement timing determined by the terminal device can be further improved.

[0266] It can be understood that step S1203 can be executed before or after step S1201; or, step S1203 can be executed simultaneously with step S1201. For example, taking the first time information as t-Service in SIB19 as an example, SIB19 can also carry the indication information in step S1203 at the same time. The embodiment of the present application does not make any specific limitation on this.

[0267] S1204: The terminal device determines the measurement timing configuration used in the handover.

[0268] It can be understood that the terminal device can determine the measurement timing configuration used in the switching performed based on the first time information according to the indication information. For details, please refer to the relevant instructions in the aforementioned step S1203 and will not be repeated here.

[0269] S1205. The terminal device measures the reference signal of the target cell according to the measurement timing configuration.

[0270] The specific implementation of step S1205 may refer to the aforementioned step S1003 and will not be described in detail.

[0271] Because in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can determine the measurement timing configuration used in the switching performed based on the first time information according to the indication information from the RAN device (or called the source RAN device, or called the service RAN device), and measure the reference signal of the target cell according to the measurement timing configuration to complete downlink synchronization, thereby avoiding blind search for the reference signal of the target cell in the switching performed based on the first time information, thereby improving the efficiency of measuring (or searching) the target cell and reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0272] It should be understood that in the embodiment of the present application, in the above steps S1201 to S1205, step S1202 and / or step S1204 are optional steps.

[0273] It should be understood that the aforementioned Figure 10 to Figure 12 In any of the measurement method processes shown, the terminal device determines the measurement time (i.e., measurement window) corresponding to the measurement timing configuration based on the timing information of the source cell (e.g., SFN and subframe number). For example, in the aforementioned step S1003, the measurement time is represented by the SFN and subframe number of the source cell. As described in the aforementioned question 2, when the terminal device cannot synchronize with the source cell and cannot obtain the timing information of the source cell, the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing configuration determined by the terminal device is inaccurate, which will cause the terminal device to fail to measure the reference signal of the target cell, affecting the switching success rate. It can be understood that, similarly, when the terminal device cannot obtain the timing information of the serving cell, the measurement time corresponding to the SMTC in the neighboring cell measurement scenario is also inaccurate, which will cause the terminal device to fail to measure the reference signal of the neighboring cell.

[0274] Next, taking the interaction between the terminal device and the RAN device as an example, the implementation method of determining the measurement timing according to the standard time provided in the embodiment of the present application is introduced, which can accurately determine the measurement timing corresponding to the measurement timing configuration when the terminal device cannot be synchronized with the source cell or the serving cell.

[0275] Fig.13 FIG. 1 is a flow chart of another measurement method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Fig.13 As shown, the method comprises the following steps:

[0276] S1301, the RAN device sends indication information to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the indication information from the RAN device. The indication information is used to indicate the standard time associated with the cell to be measured and / or the serving cell.

[0277] S1302. The terminal device determines, according to the indication information, a measurement timing corresponding to the measurement timing configuration. The measurement timing configuration is used to indicate a measurement window for the terminal device to measure a reference signal, and the measurement timing configuration may include at least one of the following: a standard time associated with a cell to be measured, a standard time associated with a serving cell, a period of the measurement window, an offset of the measurement window, or a length of the measurement window.

[0278] Steps S1301 to S1302 are described below.

[0279] It should be understood that Fig.13 The illustrated embodiment may be applicable to handover without L3 signaling, handover triggered based on a handover command (eg, traditional handover, conditional handover, DAPS handover, and subsequent evolved handover, etc.). Fig.13 The illustrated embodiment may also be applicable to neighboring cell measurement scenarios. For example, the cell to be measured is a neighboring cell, the measurement timing configuration is the measurement timing configuration of the neighboring cell, and the terminal device may determine the measurement timing (i.e., measurement window) corresponding to the measurement timing configuration of the neighboring cell according to the standard time associated with the neighboring cell and / or the serving cell.

[0280] It should also be understood that Fig.13 The illustrated embodiment may be applicable to scenarios such as switching between NTN and TN, or neighboring cell measurement, and the embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this.

[0281] It can be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the cell to be measured can be a neighboring cell or a target cell. Among them, the cell to be measured is the target cell, and the serving cell can be called the source cell. It can also be understood that the RAN device of the cell to be measured can be called a neighboring RAN device or a target RAN device. The measurement timing configuration of the cell to be measured can be the measurement timing configuration of the target cell or the measurement timing configuration of the neighboring cell. Furthermore, the measurement timing configuration can be sent by the RAN device through a system message or proprietary signaling, or the measurement timing configuration can be determined by the terminal device itself. For details, please refer to Fig.11 Step S1101 in will not be repeated here.

[0282] It should be understood that in the neighboring cell measurement scenario, the terminal device may fail to obtain the timing information of the serving cell. For example, the terminal device is disconnected from the serving cell, and thus the terminal device cannot keep synchronization with the serving cell.

[0283] Furthermore, the cell to be measured may be an NTN cell, such as a ground stationary cell or a ground mobile cell. Alternatively, the cell to be measured may be a TN cell. It is understandable that in TN, the terminal device may not be able to keep in sync with the source cell, and the terminal device may not be able to obtain the timing information of the source cell. Similarly, for the neighboring cell measurement scenario, the terminal device may not be able to keep in sync with the service cell in TN, and the terminal device may not be able to obtain the timing information of the service cell. In NTN (such as IoT NTN), there may be a scenario of non-continuous coverage, with a coverage-free area between two cells. The terminal device may maintain the AS configuration until the neighboring cell is measured, but the terminal device cannot determine the measurement timing of the neighboring cell based on the source cell timing.

[0284] It can be understood that in the embodiment of the present application, the standard time can be coordinated universal time (UTC), global positioning system (GPS) time, long range navigator (LORAN) time, or international atomic time (TAI), etc., and the embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this. Standard time can also be called absolute time, which is objective and has nothing to do with any special reference system. The terminal device and the access network device have the same understanding of the same absolute time.

[0285] It can be understood that the terminal device determines the measurement timing corresponding to the measurement timing configuration according to the indication information, which means that the starting measurement time of the measurement timing determined by the terminal device according to the indication information is a standard time, or the determined measurement timing is a measurement timing based on the standard time. For example: the terminal device determines that the starting time of the measurement timing of the cell to be measured is 00:01:01 on January 1, 2022, and the terminal device performs the measurement according to its own UTC clock when it reaches 00:01:01 on January 1, 2022.

[0286] The measurement timing configuration is divided into Type 1 and Type 2 for introduction below.

[0287] Type 1:

[0288] In a possible implementation, the measurement timing configuration may include a standard time associated with the cell to be measured and / or the serving cell, and at least one of the following: a period of the measurement window, an offset of the measurement window, or a length of the measurement window. It is understood that in type 1, the indication information may be included in the measurement timing configuration.

[0289] Type 2:

[0290] In a possible implementation, the measurement timing configuration may include at least one of the following: a period of a measurement window, an offset of a measurement window, or a length of a measurement window. The measurement timing configuration may not include a standard time associated with the cell to be measured and / or the serving cell, and the measurement timing configuration may be, for example, SMTC.

[0291] The following describes the indication information and the method for the terminal device to determine the measurement timing in combination with the above measurement timing configuration.

[0292] In a possible implementation, the indication information is used to indicate the standard time associated with the cell to be measured and / or the serving cell; the terminal device determines the measurement timing corresponding to the measurement timing configuration according to the indication information, including: the terminal device determines the measurement timing corresponding to the measurement timing configuration according to the indication information and the measurement timing configuration. For example, the type of the measurement timing configuration may be the above-mentioned type 2.

[0293] In another possible implementation, the indication information is further used to indicate at least one of the following: a standard time associated with a serving cell, a period of a measurement window, an offset of a measurement window, or a length of a measurement window; the terminal device determines, according to the indication information, a measurement timing corresponding to the measurement timing configuration, including: the terminal device determines, according to the indication information, the measurement timing configuration, and the measurement timing corresponding to the measurement timing configuration. For example, the type of the measurement timing configuration may be type 1 above.

[0294] In another possible implementation, the indication information is included in the measurement timing configuration; the measurement timing configuration includes at least one of the following: a standard time associated with a serving cell, a period of a measurement window, an offset of a measurement window, or a length of a measurement window; the terminal device determines the measurement timing corresponding to the measurement timing configuration according to the indication information, including: the terminal device determines the measurement timing configuration according to the indication information, and the measurement timing corresponding to the measurement timing configuration. For example, the type of the measurement timing configuration may be type 1 above.

[0295] For example, the measurement timing configuration includes a reference time, which corresponds to a standard time at which a RAN device of the cell to be measured sends a reference signal at any time, the reference time is T1, T1 is UTC time, the period of the measurement window in the measurement timing configuration is t, and the time domain starting position T corresponding to the measurement window satisfies (T-T1) mod t=0.

[0296] The following describes the standard time associated with the cell to be measured.

[0297] In a possible implementation, the standard time associated with the cell to be measured may include: the standard time for the RAN device of the cell to be measured to send a reference signal. Accordingly, the terminal device determines the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing configuration according to the indication information, including: the terminal device may determine the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing configuration according to the standard time for the RAN device of the cell to be measured to send a reference signal. For example, the terminal device may determine the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing configuration according to the above-mentioned standard time, and the period and / or length of the measurement window in the measurement timing configuration. Alternatively, the terminal device may determine the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing configuration according to the above-mentioned standard time, and the period and / or duration for the RAN device of the cell to be measured to send a reference signal.

[0298] It should be understood that the above-mentioned method of determining the measurement timing of the measurement timing configuration may not rely on the timing information of the source cell (or service cell) or other cells (such as secondary cells, target cells, or neighboring cells, etc.), and when the terminal device cannot maintain synchronization with the source cell (or service cell), the measurement timing corresponding to the measurement timing can be accurately determined.

[0299] It can be understood that, since the RAN device of the cell to be measured can periodically send a reference signal, the standard time for the RAN device of the cell to be measured to send a reference signal can refer to the standard time for any one time that the RAN device of the cell to be measured sends a reference signal. The standard time for any one time that the RAN device of the cell to be measured sends a reference signal can be the standard time for the RAN device of the cell to be measured to send a reference signal at a certain time in the past, and of course, it can also be the standard time for a certain time in the future to send a reference signal, and the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0300] For example, the standard time for the RAN device of the cell to be measured to send a reference signal at any time may be 00:00:00 on January 1, 2023, with a period of 1 minute. The measurement timing configuration indicated by the indication information sent by the RAN device to the terminal device includes the standard time 00:00:00 on January 1, 2023, and optionally includes a period of 1 minute and may also include a duration. Then, the terminal device may determine, according to the indication information, that the reference signal of the cell to be measured may be sent at 00:01:00 on January 1, 2023, 00:02:00 on January 1, 2023, or 00:03:00 on January 1, 2023, etc. It may also be understood that the reference signal of the cell to be measured is measured at 00:01:00 on January 1, 2023, 00:02:00 on January 1, 2023, or 00:03:00 on January 1, 2023, etc., so that the terminal device may determine the measurement timing corresponding to the measurement timing configuration.

[0301] It can be understood that the standard time included in the indication information may not indicate the specific meaning of the standard time for the terminal device.

[0302] It can be understood that the RAN device can determine the standard time according to an algorithm, and the specific algorithm type is not limited in this application.

[0303] Optionally, the RAN device of the cell to be measured may repeatedly send multiple reference signals with different resources (e.g., beams) within a period. For example, the RAN device of the cell to be measured may send a reference signal set within the first k time units within a period, and the reference signal set includes N reference signals, and the N reference signals are sent at different times. The standard time for the RAN device of the cell to be measured to send the reference signal may be at least one of the following: the starting standard time of the reference signal set, the ending standard time of the reference signal set, or the standard time for sending the i-th reference signal in the reference signal set, 1≤i≤N. The time unit may be seconds, milliseconds, or other time units, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0304] For example, the duration of the reference signal set may be 5 seconds, the period may be 20 seconds, and the starting standard time of the reference signal set may be 00:00 on January 1, 2023, so that the terminal device may determine that the reference signal set may be sent within the following time ranges: 00:00 on January 1, 2023 to 00:05 on January 1, 2023, 00:20 on January 1, 2023 to 00:25 on January 1, 2023, 00:40 on January 1, 2023 to 00:45 on January 1, 2023, etc. In this way, the terminal device may determine the measurement timing corresponding to the measurement timing configuration.

[0305] Continuing with the above example, the starting standard time of the reference signal set is replaced by: the ending standard time of the reference signal set is 0:10 on January 1, 2023, so that the terminal device can determine that the reference signal set can be sent within the following time ranges: 0:0:05 on January 1, 2023 to 0:0:10 on January 1, 2023, 0:0:25 on January 1, 2023 to 0:0:30 on January 1, 2023, 0:0:45 on January 1, 2023 to 0:0:50 on January 1, 2023, etc. In this way, the terminal device can determine the measurement timing corresponding to the measurement timing configuration.

[0306] Continuing the above example, the reference signal set includes 5 reference signals, 8 reference signals can be sent at equal intervals of 5 seconds, and the standard time for sending the second reference signal is 0:01 on January 1, 2023, so that the terminal device can determine that the reference signal set can be sent within the following time ranges: 0:0:0 on January 1, 2023 to 0:0:05 on January 1, 2023, 0:0:20 on January 1, 2023 to 0:0:25 on January 1, 2023, 0:0:40 on January 1, 2023 to 0:0:45 on January 1, 2023, etc. In this way, the terminal device can determine the measurement timing corresponding to the measurement timing configuration.

[0307] It should be understood that the standard time associated with the cell to be measured may include: the standard time when the RAN device of the cell to be measured starts to cover the terminal device. The standard time when the RAN device of the cell to be measured starts to cover the terminal device is associated with the standard time when the RAN device of the cell to be measured sends a reference signal. For example, the sum or difference between the standard time when the RAN device of the cell to be measured starts to cover the terminal device and the time offset may be equal to the standard time when the RAN device of the cell to be measured sends the reference signal, and then the terminal device can determine the standard time when the RAN device of the cell to be measured sends the reference signal, so that the terminal device can determine the measurement timing corresponding to the measurement timing configuration.

[0308] For example, the sending time offset may be 0ms, 2ms, 5ms, 1s, or 2s, etc., which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0309] It can be understood that the time when the RAN device to be measured starts to cover the terminal device may refer to the time when the target satellite starts to cover the terminal device. For details, see Fig.10 The relevant description in step S1001 in will not be repeated here.

[0310] That is to say, the terminal device can determine the standard time for the RAN device of the cell to be measured to send the reference signal based on the indication information, and then determine the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing configuration based on the standard time for the RAN device of the cell to be measured to send the reference signal, so that the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing configuration can be determined without relying on the timing information of the source cell (or service cell) or other cells (such as secondary cells, target cells, or neighboring cells, etc.), so that when the terminal device cannot maintain synchronization with the source cell (or service cell), the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing can be accurately determined.

[0311] It should be understood that the standard time for the RAN device of the cell to be measured to send the reference signal is included in the system message or proprietary signaling, and the embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this.

[0312] The following introduces the standard time associated with the source cell of the terminal device.

[0313] In a possible implementation, the standard time associated with the source cell may include: the correspondence between the timing of the source cell and the standard time, or the correspondence between the jth subframe number in the i-th frame number of the source cell and the standard time, for example, 1≤i≤10240≤j≤9. Accordingly, the terminal device determines the measurement timing corresponding to the measurement timing configuration according to the indication information. It may also include: the terminal device determines the measurement timing corresponding to the measurement timing configuration according to the correspondence between the system frame number of the source cell and the standard time, the correspondence between the subframe number of the source cell and the standard time, and the measurement timing configuration.

[0314] Exemplarily, taking the source cell as the service cell and the measurement timing configuration as the measurement timing configuration of the neighboring cell as an example, the terminal device can determine the system frame number and subframe number of the service cell corresponding to the measurement window for measuring the neighboring cell according to the measurement timing configuration; the terminal device converts the frame number and subframe number corresponding to the measurement window into standard time (or absolute time) according to the correspondence between the service cell timing and the standard time, thereby determining the measurement window, that is, the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing configuration.

[0315] It should be understood that when the measurement timing configuration is the measurement timing configuration of the target cell, the terminal device determines the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing configuration similar to the above example. The specific implementation can refer to the above example and will not be repeated here.

[0316] That is to say, the terminal device can determine the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing configuration based on the correspondence between the timing information of the source cell and the standard time, and thus can accurately determine the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing when the terminal device cannot maintain synchronization with the source cell (or service cell).

[0317] Optionally, the correspondence between the timing information of the source cell and the standard time is included in the system message. For example, SIB9 may include indication information of the standard time, and the indication information may be used to indicate the standard time corresponding to the end boundary of the SI window of SIB9. Alternatively, the indication information may be used to indicate the standard time corresponding to the boundary of the SFN where the SI window of SIB9 is located. Among them, the SFN where the SI window of SIB9 is located may refer to the SFN where the starting boundary of the SI window is located, or the SFN where the end boundary of the SI window is located. The boundary of the SFN may be a starting boundary or an ending boundary, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application. Alternatively, the indication information may be used to indicate the standard time corresponding to the boundary of the first SFN after the end boundary of the SI window of SIB9.

[0318] It can be understood that the indication information may also be included in other system messages, such as SIB1, SIB19, etc., and the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0319] Alternatively, optionally, the correspondence between the timing information of the source cell and the standard time is included in the dedicated signaling, and the dedicated signaling may include indication information of the standard time, and the indication information may be used to indicate the standard time corresponding to the j-th frame of the source cell (or the serving cell). Alternatively, the indication information may be used to indicate the standard time corresponding to the s-th subframe of the j-th frame of the source cell (or the serving cell).

[0320] Exemplarily, the terminal device can obtain, for example, SFN 1 and subframe number 1 according to SIB9 or proprietary signaling, and the corresponding standard time is 12:10:10 on February 2, 2022. When the terminal device calculates the time domain starting position of the measurement window (i.e., the measurement opportunity) as frame number 2 and subframe number 1 through the measurement timing configuration, the terminal device can determine that the standard time corresponding to the measurement opportunity is 12:10:20 on February 2, 2022.

[0321] In the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can determine the standard time associated with the cell to be measured and / or the source cell according to the indication information, and determine the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing configuration, and thus can determine the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing configuration without relying on the timing information of the source cell (or service cell) or other cells (such as secondary cells, target cells, or neighboring cells, etc.). In the case that the terminal device cannot keep in synchronization with the source cell, the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing can be accurately determined, thereby improving the efficiency of the terminal device in measuring (or searching) the target cell and reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0322] It should be understood that Fig.13 The example shown can also be combined with the above Figure 10 to Figure 12 The examples shown are combined, for example Figure 12-13 The measurement timing corresponding to the measurement timing configuration in may be determined according to a standard time associated with the target cell and / or the source cell.

[0323] That is to say, the terminal device can determine the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing configuration based on the standard time associated with the target cell and / or the source cell, and then determine the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing configuration without relying on the timing information of the source cell. Therefore, when the terminal device cannot keep synchronized with the source cell, it can accurately determine the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing, thereby improving the efficiency of the terminal device in measuring (or searching) the target cell and reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0324] Further, in a possible implementation, the measurement timing of the measurement timing configuration is determined according to a standard time associated with the target cell, including: the measurement timing corresponding to the measurement timing configuration is determined according to a standard time for an access network device of the target cell to send a reference signal.

[0325] That is to say, the terminal device can determine the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing configuration based on the standard time when the access network device of the target cell sends the reference signal, and then determine the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing configuration without relying on the timing information of the source cell or other cells (such as the target cell, or neighboring cells, etc.). In this way, when the terminal device cannot maintain synchronization with the source cell (or service cell), it can accurately determine the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing.

[0326] In another possible implementation, the measurement timing corresponding to the measurement timing configuration is determined according to the standard time associated with the source cell, including: the measurement timing corresponding to the measurement timing configuration is determined according to the correspondence between the timing information of the source cell and the standard time.

[0327] That is to say, the terminal device can determine the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing configuration according to the correspondence between the timing information of the source cell and the standard time, and thus can accurately determine the measurement time corresponding to the measurement timing when the terminal device cannot maintain synchronization with the source cell.

[0328] It can be understood that in each of the above embodiments, the methods and / or steps implemented by the terminal device can also be implemented by components that can be used for the terminal device (such as a processor, chip, chip system, circuit, logic module, or software); the methods and / or steps implemented by the RAN device can also be implemented by components that can be used for the RAN device (such as a processor, chip, chip system, circuit, logic module, or software).

[0329] The above mainly introduces the scheme provided by the present application. Accordingly, the present application also provides a communication device, which is used to implement various methods in the above method embodiments. The communication device can be the first device in the above method embodiments, or a device including the first device, or a component that can be used for the first device, such as a chip or a chip system. Alternatively, the communication device can be the second device in the above method embodiments, or a device including the second device, or a component that can be used to calculate the second device, such as a chip or a chip system.

[0330] It is understandable that, in order to realize the above functions, the communication device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that, in combination with the units and algorithm steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0331] The embodiment of the present application can divide the functional modules of the communication device according to the above method embodiment. For example, each functional module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above integrated module can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It should be noted that the division of modules in the embodiment of the present application is schematic and is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation.

[0332] Taking the communication device as the terminal device or RAN device in the above method embodiment as an example, Fig.14 Schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Fig.14 As shown, the communication device 1400 includes: a processing module 1401 and a transceiver module 1402. The processing module 1401 is used to perform the processing function of the terminal device or RAN device in the above method embodiment. The transceiver module 1402 is used to perform the transceiver function of the terminal device or RAN device in the above method embodiment.

[0333] Among them, all relevant contents of each step involved in the above method embodiment can be referred to the functional description of the corresponding functional module, and will not be repeated here.

[0334] Since the communication device 1400 provided in this embodiment can execute the above-mentioned measurement method, the technical effects that can be obtained can refer to the above-mentioned method embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0335] In a possible design scheme, in the embodiment of the present application, the transceiver module 1402 may include a receiving module and a sending module ( Fig.14 The transceiver module is used to implement the sending function and the receiving function of the communication device 1400.

[0336] In a possible design solution, the communication device 1400 may further include a storage module ( Fig.14(not shown in the figure), the storage module stores a program or instruction. When the processing module 1401 executes the program or instruction, the communication device 1400 can execute Figure 10 to Figure 13 The functionality of a terminal device or a RAN device in any of the methods shown.

[0337] It should be understood that the processing module 1401 involved in the communication device 1400 can be implemented by a processor or a processor-related circuit component, which can be a processor or a processing unit; the transceiver module 1402 can be implemented by a transceiver or a transceiver-related circuit component, which can be a transceiver or a transceiver unit.

[0338] For example, Fig.15 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device may be a terminal device or a RAN device, or may be a chip (system) or other components or assemblies that can be set in the terminal device or the RAN device. Fig.15 As shown, the communication device 1500 may include a processor 1501. In a possible design, the communication device 1500 may also include a memory 1502 and / or a transceiver 1503. The processor 1501 is coupled to the memory 1502 and the transceiver 1503, such as being connected via a communication bus.

[0339] Combine the following Fig.15 The components of the communication device 1500 are described in detail:

[0340] The processor 1501 is the control center of the communication device 1500, and may be a processor or a general term for multiple processing elements. For example, the processor 1501 is one or more central processing units (CPUs), or may be application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or may be configured to implement one or more integrated circuits of the embodiments of the present application, such as one or more microprocessors (digital signal processors, DSPs), or one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).

[0341] In one possible design, processor 1501 may execute various functions of communication device 1500 by running or executing software programs stored in memory 1502 and calling data stored in memory 1502 .

[0342] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the processor 1501 may include one or more CPUs, such as Fig.15CPU0 and CPU1 are shown in FIG.

[0343] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the communication device 1500 may also include multiple processors, such as Fig.15 1501 and 1504 are shown in FIG. Each of these processors may be a single-core processor (single-CPU) or a multi-core processor (multi-CPU). A processor herein may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

[0344] The memory 1502 is used to store the software program for executing the solution of the present application, and the execution is controlled by the processor 1501. The specific implementation method can refer to the above method embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0345] In a possible design, the memory 1502 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices that can store information and instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical disc, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc, Blu-ray disc, etc.), a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory 1502 may be integrated with the processor 1501, or may exist independently and access the processor 1501 through the interface circuit ( Fig.15 1502 is coupled to the processor 1501, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0346] The transceiver 1503 is used for communication with other communication devices. For example, the communication device 1500 is a terminal device, and the transceiver 1503 can be used to communicate with a RAN device, or with another terminal device. For another example, the communication device 1500 is a RAN device, and the transceiver 1503 can be used to communicate with a terminal device, or with another RAN device.

[0347] In one possible design, transceiver 1503 may include a receiver and a transmitter ( Fig.15The receiver is used to implement a receiving function, and the transmitter is used to implement a sending function.

[0348] In a possible design, the transceiver 1503 may be integrated with the processor 1501, or may exist independently and communicate with the processor 1501 through the interface circuit ( Fig.15 1502 is coupled to the processor 1501, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0349] It should be noted that Fig.15 The structure of the communication device 1500 shown in the figure does not constitute a limitation on the communication device. The actual communication device may include more or fewer components than those shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or arrange the components differently.

[0350] In addition, the technical effects of the communication device 1500 can refer to the technical effects of the measurement method described in the above method embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0351] In a possible implementation, the embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium on which a computer program or instruction is stored. When the computer program or instruction is executed by a computer, the functions of the above method embodiment are implemented.

[0352] In a possible implementation, the embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, which implements the functions of the above method embodiment when executed by a computer.

[0353] In a possible implementation, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system, which includes the first device described in the above method embodiment and the second device described in the above method embodiment.

[0354] In a possible implementation, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication method, which includes the method described in any of the above method embodiments or any of its implementations.

[0355] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using a software program, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When loading and executing computer program instructions on a computer, the process or function according to the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. Computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, computer instructions can be transmitted from a website site, computer, server or data center by wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (digital subscriber line, DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode to another website site, computer, server or data center. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. that contains one or more servers that can be integrated with a medium. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state disk (SSD)).

[0356] Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0357] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0358] In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0359] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0360] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0361] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application can be essentially or partly embodied in the form of a software product that contributes to the prior art. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage media include: various media that can store program codes, such as USB flash drives, mobile hard disks, read-only memories (ROM), random access memories (RAM), magnetic disks or optical disks.

[0362] Although the present application is described herein in conjunction with various embodiments, in the process of implementing the claimed application, those skilled in the art may understand and implement other changes to the disclosed embodiments by viewing the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps, and "one" or "an" does not exclude multiple situations. A single processor or other unit may implement several functions listed in the claims. Certain measures are recorded in different dependent claims, but this does not mean that these measures cannot be combined to produce good results.

[0363] Although the present application has been described in conjunction with specific features and embodiments thereof, it is obvious that various modifications and combinations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Accordingly, this specification and the drawings are merely exemplary illustrations of the present application as 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. Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations to the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations 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 measurement method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Receiving first time information, where the first time information is used to indicate a time when the terminal device performs switching; determining a measurement timing configuration used in the switching; According to the measurement timing configuration, a reference signal of the target cell is measured.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The measurement timing configuration is determined based on any one of the following: the time domain position of the reference signal of the source cell of the terminal device, or the first measurement timing configuration among multiple measurement timing configurations configured in the source cell, the frequency point corresponding to the first measurement timing configuration is the same as the frequency point of the target cell.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The method further comprises: At a first moment corresponding to the first time information, an offset in the measurement timing configuration is adjusted to obtain a first offset, where the first offset is used to determine a timing for measuring a reference signal of the target cell.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The method further comprises: Indication information is received from a source access network device, where the indication information is used to indicate the measurement timing configuration.

5. A measurement method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Sending first time information, where the first time information is used to indicate a time when the terminal device performs switching; determining a measurement timing configuration used in the handover, the measurement timing configuration being used to measure a reference signal of a target cell; Sending indication information, where the indication information is used to indicate the measurement timing configuration.

6. The method according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that: The indication information is included in dedicated signaling; or, the indication information is included in a system message.

7. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that: The indication information is included in the dedicated signaling; the indication information is also used to indicate whether to adjust the offset in the measurement timing configuration.

8. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 7, characterized in that: The indication information is further used to indicate that an offset in the measurement timing configuration is adjusted at a first moment corresponding to the first time information.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that The measurement timing corresponding to the measurement timing configuration is determined according to a standard time associated with the target cell and / or the source cell of the terminal device.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The measurement timing corresponding to the measurement timing configuration is determined according to a standard time associated with the target cell, including: the measurement timing corresponding to the measurement timing configuration is determined according to a standard time for an access network device of the target cell to send a reference signal.

11. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The measurement timing corresponding to the measurement timing configuration is determined according to a standard time associated with a source cell, including: the measurement timing corresponding to the measurement timing configuration is determined according to a correspondence between the timing information of the source cell and the standard time.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that In the handover, the source cell of the terminal device has the same physical cell identifier PCI as the target cell.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that The first time information includes the time when the source non-terrestrial network NTN device stops covering the terminal device, and / or the time when the target NTN device starts covering the terminal device.

14. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device includes a module or unit for executing the measurement method of any one of claims 1-4 and 6-13, or a module or unit for executing the measurement method of any one of claims 5-13.

15. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device comprises a processor, and the processor is used to enable the communication device to perform the measurement method according to any one of claims 1-4 and 6-13 through logic circuits and / or execution instructions, or enable the communication device to perform the measurement method according to any one of claims 5-13.

16. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium comprises instructions, and when the instructions are executed by a processor, the measurement method according to any one of claims 1-4, 6-13, or the measurement method according to any one of claims 5-13 is implemented.

17. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises instructions, and when the instructions are executed on a computer, the computer is caused to perform the measurement method according to any one of claims 1-4, 6-13, or the computer is caused to perform the measurement method according to any one of claims 5-13.

18. A communication system, characterized in that: The method comprises a first device and a second device, wherein the first device is used to execute the measurement method according to any one of claims 1-4 and 6-13, and the second device is used to execute the measurement method according to any one of claims 5-13.

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