Communication method, device and system

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a communication method, equipment and system, which can reduce the energy consumption of terminal equipment and accelerate the reselection of the terminal equipment. In the scheme, a network device determines a plurality of sub-regions and sends region configuration information to a terminal device; and the terminal equipment receives the area configuration information, determines a first sub-area according to the area configuration information, and performs measurement according to one or more pieces of adjacent frequency point information corresponding to the first sub-area. Wherein the geographic area range formed by the sub-areas comprises the coverage area of the first cell, the area configuration information indicates the information of the plurality of sub-areas, and the first sub-area is the sub-area where the terminal equipment is located currently in the plurality of sub-areas.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application. The application number of the original application is 201980100696.6, and the original application date is September 29, 2019. The entire contents of the original application are incorporated into this application by reference. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular to communication methods, devices and systems. Background Art

[0003] Since the traditional terrestrial network (TN) cannot provide seamless coverage, especially in places where base stations cannot be deployed such as the sea, desert, and air, the non-terrestrial network (NTN) has been introduced into the communication system. NTN refers to a network that deploys base stations or part of the base station functions on high-altitude platforms or satellites to provide seamless coverage for terminal devices.

[0004] The coverage area provided by the base station or part of the base station functions deployed on the high-altitude platform or satellite can be called NTN cell. Generally, the coverage area of ​​NTN cell is larger, and the coverage area of ​​one NTN cell may be covered by multiple TN cells at the same time. The multiple TN cells can be understood as TN cells adjacent to NTN, that is, there are many TN cells adjacent to NTN cell. For example Figure 1a As shown, the entire coverage area of ​​the NTN cell is covered by multiple TN cells at the same time; or, as shown Figure 1b As shown, part of the coverage area of ​​the NTN cell is covered by multiple TN cells at the same time. In this case, when the terminal device resides in the NTN cell, it is usually hoped that the terminal device can reselect to the TN cell in time.

[0005] However, since there are many TN cells adjacent to the NTN cell, the terminal equipment needs to measure a large number of frequency points when performing cell reselection, resulting in high energy consumption of the terminal equipment. Therefore, how to reduce the energy consumption of the terminal equipment is an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the invention

[0006] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, device and system, which can reduce the energy consumption of terminal devices.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the embodiments of the present application adopt the following technical solutions:

[0008] In the first aspect, a communication method is provided. In this scheme, regional configuration information is received from a network device, and a first sub-area is determined according to the regional configuration information, and finally measurement is performed according to one or more adjacent frequency point information and / or one or more neighboring area information corresponding to the first sub-area. Among them, the regional configuration information indicates information of multiple sub-areas, and the geographical area range formed by the multiple sub-areas includes the coverage area of ​​the first cell, and the first sub-area is a sub-area in which the terminal device is currently located in the multiple sub-areas. Based on this scheme, since the current first sub-area can be determined from the multiple sub-areas constituting the first cell according to the regional configuration information sent by the network device, and then the measurement is performed according to one or more adjacent frequency point information and / or one or more neighboring area information corresponding to the first sub-area, it is possible to reduce energy consumption and speed up reselection.

[0009] In some possible designs, determining the first sub-area according to the area configuration information includes: obtaining current geographic location information of the terminal device, and determining the first sub-area according to the current geographic location information of the terminal device and the area configuration information.

[0010] In some possible designs, the area configuration information includes the center position coordinate information of each sub-area among the above-mentioned multiple sub-areas and the area radius information of each sub-area; the current geographical location information of the terminal device is the position coordinate information of the current geographical location of the terminal device.

[0011] In some possible designs, the area configuration information includes a user-readable name for each of the multiple sub-areas mentioned above; determining the first sub-area based on the area configuration information includes: determining the sub-area corresponding to the first user-readable name in the area configuration information as the first sub-area, and the first user-readable name is a user-readable name corresponding to the current geographic location of the terminal device.

[0012] In some possible designs, each piece of adjacent frequency point information among the one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to the first sub-area includes an absolute radio channel number ARFCN.

[0013] In some possible designs, each of the above-mentioned adjacent frequency point information also includes one or more of the following: a physical cell identifier PCI, a synchronization signal block measurement time configuration SMTC, an SMTC starting offset, a network identifier corresponding to the ARFCN included in each adjacent frequency point information, a type identifier corresponding to the ARFCN included in each adjacent frequency point information, a network identifier corresponding to the PCI, a type identifier corresponding to the PCI, or a priority corresponding to the ARFCN included in each adjacent frequency point information.

[0014] In some possible designs, the communication method further includes: sending a request message to a network device, the request message carrying indication information of the first sub-area, the request message being used to request one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to the first sub-area. Based on this scheme, the network device can only send one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to the first sub-area, without sending adjacent frequency point information corresponding to each sub-area, thereby saving transmission overhead.

[0015] In some possible designs, the indication information is used to determine one or more of the following: a sub-region identifier of the first sub-region, a center position coordinate of the first sub-region, or a user-readable name of the first sub-region.

[0016] In some possible designs, the indication information is a first preamble, and the first preamble corresponds to the first sub-area; or, the indication information is a first preamble and a first access resource, and both the first preamble and the first access resource correspond to the first sub-area. Based on this scheme, one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to the first sub-area can be implicitly requested from the network device, which can save transmission overhead compared to directly sending the identifier of the first sub-area, the center position coordinate information of the first sub-area, or the user-readable name of the first sub-area.

[0017] It can be understood that the method and various possible designs described in the first aspect above can be implemented by a terminal device, and can also be implemented by a component (such as a chip or circuit) that can be configured in the terminal device.

[0018] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided. In this solution, multiple sub-areas are determined, and the geographical area range formed by the multiple sub-areas includes the coverage area of ​​the first cell; and area configuration information is sent to a terminal device, and the area configuration information indicates information of the multiple sub-areas. The technical effects brought about by the second aspect can refer to the technical effects brought about by the above-mentioned first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0019] In some possible designs, the area configuration information includes center position coordinate information of each sub-area among the multiple sub-areas and area radius information of each sub-area.

[0020] In some possible designs, the region configuration information includes a user-readable name for each of the plurality of sub-regions.

[0021] In some possible designs, the area configuration information includes center position coordinate information of each sub-area among the multiple sub-areas, area radius information of each sub-area, and a user-readable name of each sub-area.

[0022] In some possible designs, the region configuration information also includes a region identifier for each sub-region.

[0023] In some possible designs, the communication method also includes: sending one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to the first sub-area to the terminal device, and the first sub-area is one of the above-mentioned multiple sub-areas.

[0024] In some possible designs, the communication method further includes: receiving a request message from a terminal device, the request message carrying indication information of the first sub-area, the request message being used to request one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to the first sub-area. Based on this scheme, only one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to the first sub-area can be sent to the terminal device without sending adjacent frequency point information corresponding to each sub-area, thereby saving transmission overhead.

[0025] In some possible designs, the indication information is used to determine one or more of the following: a sub-region identifier of the first sub-region, a center position coordinate of the first sub-region, or a user-readable name of the first sub-region.

[0026] In some possible designs, the indication information is a first preamble, and the first preamble corresponds to the first sub-area; or, the indication information is the first preamble and the first access resource, and the first preamble and the first access resource both correspond to the first sub-area. Based on this scheme, the terminal device can implicitly request one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to the first sub-area, which can save transmission overhead compared to directly sending the identifier of the first sub-area, the center position coordinate information of the first sub-area, or the user-readable name of the first sub-area.

[0027] In some possible designs, each piece of adjacent frequency point information among the one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to the first sub-area includes an absolute radio channel number ARFCN.

[0028] In some possible designs, each of the above-mentioned adjacent frequency point information also includes one or more of the following: a physical cell identifier PCI, a synchronization signal block measurement time configuration SMTC, an SMTC starting offset, a network identifier corresponding to the ARFCN included in each adjacent frequency point information, a type identifier corresponding to the ARFCN included in each adjacent frequency point information, a network identifier corresponding to the PCI, a type identifier corresponding to the PCI, or a priority corresponding to the ARFCN included in each adjacent frequency point information.

[0029] It can be understood that the method and various possible designs described in the second aspect above can be implemented by a network device, and can also be implemented by a component (such as a chip or circuit) that can be configured in the network device.

[0030] In the third aspect, a communication method is provided. In this scheme, first configuration information is received from a network device, and the first configuration information is used to deactivate the measurement of a first neighboring area, and the first neighboring area includes at least one neighboring area of ​​the first cell; the measurement of the first neighboring area is stopped according to the first configuration information, or the priority of the first neighboring area is lowered, or the first neighboring area is deleted. Based on this scheme, since the measurement of the first neighboring area can be stopped, or the priority of the first neighboring area can be lowered, or the first neighboring area can be deleted according to the first configuration information sent by the network device, when the quality of the first neighboring area is poor, compared with the scheme of frequently measuring the first neighboring area in the prior art, the number of measurements of the first neighboring area can be reduced, thereby reducing energy consumption and speeding up reselection.

[0031] In some possible designs, the first configuration information includes timer information; stopping measuring the first neighboring area, or lowering the priority of the first neighboring area, or deleting the first neighboring area according to the first configuration information includes: starting the timer, and stopping measuring the first neighboring area, or lowering the priority of the first neighboring area, or deleting the first neighboring area during the running time of the timer.

[0032] In some possible designs, the first configuration information also includes one or more of the following: number of measurements N, signal quality threshold value, signal quality difference threshold value, where N is a positive integer.

[0033] In some possible designs, starting the timer includes: if the first neighboring area is not measured for N consecutive times, starting the timer; or, if the signal quality of the first neighboring area measured for N consecutive times is lower than the signal quality threshold, starting the timer; or, if the signal quality of the first neighboring area measured for N consecutive times is lower than the signal quality threshold, and the difference between the signal quality of the first neighboring area measured for the i-th time and the signal quality of the first neighboring area measured for the i-1st time satisfies the signal quality difference threshold, starting the timer, i is a positive integer, and the value of i ranges from 2 to N; or, if the signal quality of the first neighboring area measured for N consecutive times is lower than the signal quality threshold, and the difference between the first signal quality difference and the second signal quality difference satisfies the signal quality difference threshold, starting the timer, the first signal quality difference is the difference between the signal quality of the first neighboring area measured for the i-th time and the signal quality of the serving cell when the i-th measurement is performed, and the second signal quality difference is the difference between the signal quality of the first neighboring area measured for the i-1st time and the signal quality of the serving cell when the i-1st measurement is performed.

[0034] It can be understood that the method described in the third aspect above and various possible designs can be implemented by a terminal device, or by a component (such as a chip or circuit) that can be configured in the terminal device.

[0035] In a fourth aspect, a communication method and a corresponding communication device are provided. In this solution, first configuration information is determined, and the first configuration information is used to deactivate the priority of the first neighboring area; the first configuration information is sent to the terminal device. The technical effects brought about by the fourth aspect can refer to the technical effects brought about by the third aspect above, and will not be repeated here.

[0036] In some possible designs, the first configuration information includes timer information.

[0037] In some possible designs, the first configuration information also includes one or more of the following: number of measurements N, signal quality threshold value, signal quality difference threshold value, where N is a positive integer.

[0038] It can be understood that the method described in the fourth aspect and various possible designs can be implemented by a network device, and can also be implemented by a component (such as a chip or circuit) that can be configured in the network device.

[0039] It is understandable that the methods described in the first aspect and the third aspect above can be performed separately or in combination. When performed in combination, in the third aspect, according to the first configuration information, the measurement of at least one of the one or more adjacent frequency points corresponding to the first sub-area is stopped, or the priority of at least one of the one or more adjacent frequency points corresponding to the first sub-area is reduced, or at least one of the one or more adjacent frequency points corresponding to the first sub-area is deleted.

[0040] It is understandable that the methods described in the second aspect and the fourth aspect above can be performed separately or in combination. When performed in combination, the first configuration information in the fourth aspect can be used to deactivate the measurement of at least one of the one or more adjacent frequency points corresponding to the first sub-area.

[0041] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided for implementing the various methods described above. The communication device may be a terminal device in the first or third aspect described above, or a device including the terminal device, or a device included in the terminal device, such as a chip; or, the communication device may be a network device in the second or fourth aspect described above, or a device including the network device, or a device included in the network device. 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.

[0042] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a memory and at least one processor; the memory is used to store computer instructions, and when the processor executes the instructions, the communication device executes the method described in any of the above aspects. The communication device can be the terminal device in the above first aspect or third aspect, or a device including the above terminal device, or a device included in the above terminal device, such as a chip; or the communication device can be the network device in the above second aspect or fourth aspect, or a device including the above network device, or a device included in the above network device.

[0043] In the seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: an interface circuit and at least one processor, the interface circuit may be a code / data read / write interface circuit, the interface circuit is used to receive computer execution instructions (computer execution instructions are stored in a memory, may be read directly from the memory, or may pass through other devices) and transmit them to the processor; the processor is used to run the computer execution instructions to execute the method described in any of the above aspects. The communication device may be a terminal device in the first or third aspect, or a device including the terminal device, or a device included in the terminal device, such as a chip; or the communication device may be a network device in the second or fourth aspect, or a device including the network device, or a device included in the network device.

[0044] In an eighth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: at least one processor; the processor is used to couple with a memory, and after reading instructions in the memory, execute the method as described in any of the above aspects according to the instructions. The communication device may be the terminal device in the first or third aspect, or a device including the terminal device, or a device included in the terminal device, such as a chip; or the communication device may be the network device in the second or fourth aspect, or a device including the network device, or a device included in the network device.

[0045] In a ninth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, in which instructions are stored, and when the instructions are executed on a communication device, the communication device can execute the method described in any one of the above aspects. The communication device can be the terminal device described in the first or third aspect, or a device including the terminal device, or a device included in the terminal device, such as a chip; or the communication device can be the network device described in the second or fourth aspect, or a device including the network device, or a device included in the network device.

[0046] In a tenth aspect, a computer program product including 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. The communication device may be a terminal device in the above first aspect or third aspect, or a device including the above terminal device, or a device included in the above terminal device, such as a chip; or the communication device may be a network device in the above second aspect or fourth aspect, or a device including the above network device, or a device included in the above network device.

[0047] In an eleventh aspect, a communication device (for example, the communication device may be a chip or a chip system) is provided, the communication device including at least one processor for implementing the functions involved in any of the above aspects. In one possible design, the communication device also includes a memory for storing necessary program instructions and / or data. When the communication device is a chip system, it may be composed of a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0048] Among them, the technical effects brought about by any design method in the fifth to eleventh aspects can refer to the technical effects brought about by different design methods in the above-mentioned first aspect, second aspect, third aspect or fourth aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0049] In a twelfth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes the terminal device described in the above aspect and the network device described in the above aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0050] Figure 1a It is a schematic diagram that the entire coverage area of ​​the existing NTN cell is covered by multiple TN cells;

[0051] Figure 1b It is a schematic diagram of a partial coverage area of ​​an existing NTN cell being covered by multiple TN cells;

[0052] Figure 2a A schematic diagram of the mapping method of the existing ground stationary cells;

[0053] Figure 2b A schematic diagram of the mapping method of existing ground mobile cells;

[0054] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of RRC state transition of an existing terminal device;

[0055] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device and a network device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0057] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of another terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] Figure 7a A flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] Figure 7b A schematic diagram of multiple sub-regions provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] Figure 7c A schematic diagram of another plurality of sub-regions provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] Figure 8a A flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] Figure 8b A schematic diagram of an application scenario of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] Fig.10 A schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0065] In order to facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, a brief introduction to the related technologies of the present application is first given as follows.

[0066] First, non-terrestrial network (NTN)

[0067] Non-terrestrial communication systems may include satellite systems. According to the satellite altitude, that is, the satellite orbit altitude, the satellite system can be divided into highly elliptical orbiting (HEO), geostationary earthorbit (GEO) satellites, medium earth orbit (MEO) satellites and low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites. In addition, non-terrestrial communication systems may also include high altitude platform station (HAPS) communication systems. Among them, GEO satellites are also called geostationary satellites. Their movement speed is the same as the rotation speed of the earth. Therefore, GEO satellites remain stationary relative to the ground. Correspondingly, the cells of GEO satellites are also stationary. The coverage of GEO satellite cells is relatively large. Generally, the diameter of the cell is 500km.

[0068] Among them, LEO satellites move faster than the ground, about 7 km / s, so the service coverage area provided by LEO satellites also moves accordingly.

[0069] Second, satellite cell mapping method.

[0070] Satellite cell mapping methods include ground stationary cell mapping methods and ground mobile cell mapping methods.

[0071] The mapping method of ground stationary cells means that the location of the cells is fixed on the ground, and the moving satellites form these cells by adjusting their beams. Figure 2a As shown, at time T1: cells 1 and 2 are covered by the beam of satellite 1, and cells 3 and 4 are covered by the beam of satellite 2; at time T2: although satellite 1 and satellite 2 both move to the left, they can still adjust their beams to ensure coverage of cells 1, 2, 3 and 4; at time T3: compared with time T1, satellite 1 and satellite 2 have moved a sufficient distance, and satellite 1 can no longer provide coverage for cell 2 by adjusting its beam, and satellite 2 can no longer provide coverage for cell 4 by adjusting its beam. At this time, satellite 2 can provide coverage for cell 2, and satellite 3 can provide coverage for cell 4.

[0072] The mapping method of ground mobile cells means that the satellite does not dynamically adjust its beam direction, and the cells covered by the satellite move on the ground as the satellite moves. Figure 2b As shown, at time T1: area 1, area 2, area 3 and area 4 are respectively covered by cell 1 and cell 2 formed by satellite 1, and cell 3 and cell 4 formed by satellite 2; and at time T3, area 1, area 2, area 3 and area 4 are respectively covered by cell 2 formed by satellite 1, cell 3 and cell 4 formed by satellite 2, and cell 5 formed by satellite 3.

[0073] Third, radio resource control (RRC) state.

[0074] Taking the new radio (NR) system as an example, in NR, the RRC state of the terminal device includes the following three states: RRC connected state (RRC_CONNECTED), RRC deactivated state (RRC_INACTIVE) and RRC idle state (RRC_IDLE). The transitions between the three states are as follows: Figure 3 shown.

[0075] Among them, when the terminal device is in the RRC connected state, the terminal device has established connections with the access network device and the core network device. When data arrives at the network, it can be directly transmitted to the terminal device; when the terminal device is in the RRC deactivated state, a link has been established between the terminal device and the access network device and the core network device, but the link between the terminal device and the access network device has been released. At this time, the terminal device and the access network device save the context of the terminal device. When data needs to be transmitted, the access network device can quickly restore the link; when the terminal device is in the RRC idle state, no link has been established between the terminal device and the access network device and the core network device. When data needs to be transmitted, a link from the terminal device to the access network device and the core network device needs to be established first.

[0076] It is understandable that the above RRC state is only an example and should not constitute any limitation to this application. This application does not exclude the possibility of defining other possible names in future protocols to replace existing names, but with the same or similar characteristics, or other states may also appear.

[0077] The technical solution in the embodiment of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiment of the present application. Among them, in the description of the present application, unless otherwise specified, " / " indicates that the objects associated before and after are in an "or" relationship, for example, A / B can represent A or B; "and / or" in the present application is only a kind of association relationship describing the associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. And, in the description of the present application, unless otherwise specified, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "multiple" refers to two or more than two. "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. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, c can be single or multiple. In addition, in order to clearly describe the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, words such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish the same items or similar items with substantially the same functions and effects. Those skilled in the art can understand that words such as "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity and execution order, and words such as "first" and "second" do not necessarily limit the difference.

[0078] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems. For example: orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA), single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA), NTN system and other systems. The term "system" can be interchangeable with "network". The OFDMA system can implement wireless technologies such as evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) and ultra mobile broadband (UMB). E-UTRA is an evolved version of the universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS). The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) in the long term evolution (LTE) and various versions based on LTE evolution are new versions using E-UTRA. The fifth generation (5th generation, 5G) communication system is the next generation communication system under study. Among them, the 5G communication system includes a non-standalone (NSA) 5G mobile communication system, an independent networking (SA) 5G mobile communication system, or a NSA 5G mobile communication system and a SA 5G mobile communication system. In addition, the communication system can also be applied to future-oriented communication technologies, and the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are applicable. The above-mentioned communication system applicable to the present application is only an example, and the communication system applicable to the present application is not limited to this. It is uniformly described here and will not be repeated below.

[0079] like Figure 4 As shown, a communication system 10 provided in an embodiment of the present application is provided. The communication system 10 includes at least one network device 30 and one or more terminal devices 40 connected to the network device 30. Optionally, different terminal devices 40 can communicate with each other.

[0080] by Figure 4Taking the communication between the network device 30 shown in the figure and any terminal device 40 as an example, in an embodiment of the present application, in a possible implementation method, the network device 30 determines multiple sub-areas and sends regional configuration information to the terminal device 40. The geographical area range formed by the multiple sub-areas includes the coverage area of ​​the first cell, and the regional configuration information indicates the information of the multiple sub-areas. Then, the terminal device 40 receives the regional configuration information from the network device 30, determines the first sub-area according to the regional configuration information, and performs measurement according to one or more adjacent frequency point information and / or one or more neighboring area information corresponding to the first sub-area, wherein the first sub-area is a sub-area in which the terminal device 40 is currently located in the multiple sub-areas. Based on this scheme, since the terminal device can determine the current first sub-area from the multiple sub-areas constituting the first cell according to the regional configuration information sent by the network device, and then performs measurement according to one or more adjacent frequency point information and / or one or more neighboring area information corresponding to the first sub-area, the energy consumption of the terminal device can be reduced and the reselection of the terminal device can be accelerated.

[0081] Or, Figure 4 Taking the communication between the network device 30 shown and any terminal device 40 as an example, in another possible implementation method in the embodiment of the present application, the network device 30 sends a first configuration information to the terminal device 40, and the first configuration information is used to deactivate the measurement of the first neighboring area, and the first neighboring area includes at least one neighboring area of ​​the first cell. Then, the terminal device 40 receives the first configuration information from the network device 30, and stops measuring the first neighboring area according to the first configuration information, or reduces the priority of the first neighboring area, or deletes the first neighboring area. Based on this scheme, since the terminal device can stop measuring the first neighboring area, or reduce the priority of the first neighboring area, or delete the first neighboring area according to the first configuration information sent by the network device, when the quality of the first neighboring area is poor or the first neighboring area cannot be measured, compared with the scheme of frequently measuring the first neighboring area in the prior art, the number of measurements of the first neighboring area can be reduced, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the terminal device and speeding up the reselection of the terminal device.

[0082] Or, Figure 4Taking the communication between the network device 30 and any terminal device 40 as an example, in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device 40 receives the area configuration information from the network device 30, determines the first sub-area according to the area configuration information, and performs measurement according to one or more adjacent frequency point information and / or one or more neighboring area information corresponding to the first sub-area; in addition, the terminal device 40 also receives the first configuration information from the network device 30, and the first configuration information is used to deactivate the measurement of at least one neighboring area of ​​the first sub-area, so that the terminal device 40 stops measuring at least one neighboring area of ​​the first sub-area according to the first configuration information, or reduces the priority of at least one neighboring area of ​​the first sub-area, or deletes at least one neighboring area of ​​the first sub-area. Based on this scheme, the energy consumption of the terminal device can be further reduced, and the reselection of the terminal device can be further accelerated.

[0083] Optionally, the network device 30 in the embodiment of the present application is a device for accessing the terminal device 40 to the wireless network, which may be an evolutionary Node B (eNB or eNodeB) in LTE; or a base station in a 5G network or a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN), a broadband network gateway (BNG), an aggregation switch or a non-third generation partnership project (3GPP) access device, etc., which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application. Optionally, the base station in the embodiment of the present application may include various forms of base stations, such as: a macro base station, a micro base station (also called a small station), a relay station, an access point, a next generation base station (gNodeB, gNB), a home base station (for example, home evolved nodeB, or home node B, HNB), a baseband unit (baseBand unit, BBU), a transmission point (transmitting and receiving point, TRP), a transmitting point (transmitting point, TP), a mobile switching center, etc., which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0084] Optionally, the network device 30 in the embodiment of the present application can be deployed on a high-altitude platform or a satellite.

[0085] In a possible manner, the network device 30 in the embodiment of the present application may also refer to a centralized unit (central unit, CU) or a distributed unit (distributed unit, DU), or the network device may also be composed of a CU and a DU. CU and DU can be understood as the division of the base station from the perspective of logical functions. Among them, the CU and DU can be physically separated or deployed together, and the embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this. The CU and DU can be connected through an interface, such as an F1 interface. CU and DU can be divided according to the protocol layer of the wireless network. For example, the functions of radio resource control, RRC protocol layer, service data adaptation protocol stack (service data adaptation protocol, SDAP) protocol layer and packet data convergence protocol (packet data convergence protocol, PDCP) protocol layer are set in the CU, while the functions of the radio link control (radio link control, RLC) protocol layer, media access control (media access control, MAC) protocol layer, physical (physical, PHY) protocol layer, etc. are set in the DU. It can be understood that the division of CU and DU processing functions according to this protocol layer is only an example, and they can also be divided in other ways. The embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations on this.

[0086] Optionally, the CU can be composed of a CU control plane (CU control plane, CU-CP) and a CU user plane (CU userplane, CU-UP), and CU-CP and CU-UP can be understood as a division of the CU from the perspective of logical functions. Among them, CU-CP and CU-UP can be divided according to the protocol layer of the wireless network. For example, the functions of the RRC protocol layer and the PDCP protocol layer corresponding to the signaling radio bearer (signalradio bearer, SRB) are set in the CU-CP, and the functions of the PDCP protocol layer corresponding to the data radio bearer (data radiobearer, DRB) are set in the CU-UP. In addition, the functions of the SDAP protocol layer may also be set in the CU-UP.

[0087] Optionally, the terminal device 40 in the embodiment of the present application 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 wireless communication device, a terminal agent or a terminal device, etc. in a 5G network or a future evolved 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, a vehicle-mounted device or a wearable device, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (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. The terminal may be mobile or fixed.

[0088] Optionally, the network device 30 and the terminal device 40 in the embodiment of the present application may also be referred to as a communication device, which may be a general device or a dedicated device, and the embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this.

[0089] Optional, such as Figure 5 As shown, it is a schematic diagram of the structure of the network device 30 and the terminal device 40 provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0090] The terminal device 40 includes at least one processor ( Figure 5 The exemplary embodiment includes a processor 401 as an example) and at least one transceiver ( Figure 5 Optionally, the terminal device 40 may further include at least one memory ( Figure 5 In the example, a memory 402 is used as an example to illustrate), at least one output device ( Figure 5The exemplary embodiment includes an output device 404 as an example) and at least one input device ( Figure 5 The example is described by taking an input device 405 as an example).

[0091] Processor 401, memory 402 and transceiver 403 are connected via a communication line. The communication line may include a path to transmit information between the above components.

[0092] Processor 401 may be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of the program of the present application. In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, processor 401 may also include multiple CPUs, and processor 401 may be a single-core (single-CPU) processor or a multi-core (multi-CPU) processor. The processor here may refer to one or more devices, circuits, or processing cores for processing data (such as computer program instructions).

[0093] The memory 402 may be a device with a storage function. For example, it 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 402 may exist independently and be connected to the processor 401 via a communication line. The memory 402 may also be integrated with the processor 401.

[0094] Among them, the memory 402 is used to store computer-executable instructions for executing the solution of the present application, and the execution is controlled by the processor 401. Specifically, the processor 401 is used to execute the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 402, so as to implement the communication method described in the embodiment of the present application. Optionally, the computer-executable instructions in the embodiment of the present application can also be referred to as application code or computer program code, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0095] The transceiver 403 may be any transceiver-like device for communicating with other devices or communication networks, such as Ethernet, RAN, or wireless local area networks (WLAN), etc. The transceiver 403 includes a transmitter (Tx) and a receiver (Rx).

[0096] The output device 404 communicates with the processor 401 and can display information in a variety of ways. For example, the output device 404 can be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or a projector.

[0097] The input device 405 communicates with the processor 401 and can accept user input in various ways. For example, the input device 405 can be a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen device, or a sensor device.

[0098] The network device 30 includes at least one processor ( Figure 5 In the example, a processor 301 is used as an example for explanation), at least one transceiver ( Figure 5 The exemplary embodiment includes a transceiver 303 as an example) and at least one network interface ( Figure 5 Optionally, the network device 30 may further include at least one memory ( Figure 5 The exemplary embodiment includes a memory 302 as an example for explanation). The processor 301, the memory 302, the transceiver 303 and the network interface 304 are connected through a communication line. The network interface 304 is used to connect to the core network device through a link (such as an S1 interface), or to connect to the network interface of other network devices through a wired or wireless link (such as an X2 interface). Figure 5In addition, the description of the processor 301, the memory 302 and the transceiver 303 can refer to the description of the processor 401, the memory 402 and the transceiver 403 in the terminal device 40, which will not be repeated here.

[0099] Combination Figure 5 The schematic diagram of the structure of the terminal device 40 shown is exemplary. Figure 6 A specific structural form of the terminal device 40 provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0100] Wherein, in some embodiments, Figure 5 The functions of the processor 401 can be Figure 6 The processor 110 in is implemented.

[0101] In some embodiments, Figure 5 The function of the transceiver 403 can be achieved by Figure 6 The antenna 1, antenna 2, mobile communication module 150, wireless communication module 160, etc. are implemented.

[0102] Among them, antenna 1 and antenna 2 are used to transmit and receive electromagnetic wave signals. Each antenna in terminal device 40 can be used to cover a single or multiple communication frequency bands. Different antennas can also be reused to improve the utilization rate of the antennas. For example, antenna 1 can be reused as a diversity antenna of a wireless local area network. In some other embodiments, the antenna can be used in combination with a tuning switch.

[0103] The mobile communication module 150 can provide solutions for wireless communications including 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G applied to the terminal device 40. The mobile communication module 150 may include at least one filter, a switch, a power amplifier, a low noise amplifier (LNA), etc. The mobile communication module 150 can receive electromagnetic waves from the antenna 1, and filter, amplify, and process the received electromagnetic waves, and transmit them to the modulation and demodulation processor for demodulation. The mobile communication module 150 can also amplify the signal modulated by the modulation and demodulation processor, and convert it into electromagnetic waves for radiation through the antenna 1. In some embodiments, at least some of the functional modules of the mobile communication module 150 can be set in the processor 110. In some embodiments, at least some of the functional modules of the mobile communication module 150 can be set in the same device as at least some of the modules of the processor 110.

[0104] The wireless communication module 160 can provide wireless communication solutions including wireless local area networks (WLAN) (such as Wi-Fi networks), bluetooth (BT), global navigation satellite system (GNSS), frequency modulation (FM), near field communication (NFC), infrared technology (IR), etc. applied to the terminal device 40. The wireless communication module 160 can be one or more devices integrating at least one communication processing module. The wireless communication module 160 receives electromagnetic waves via the antenna 2, modulates the frequency of the electromagnetic wave signal and performs filtering processing, and sends the processed signal to the processor 110. The wireless communication module 160 can also receive the signal to be sent from the processor 110, modulate the frequency of the signal, amplify it, and convert it into electromagnetic waves for radiation through the antenna 2. When the terminal device 40 is the first device, the wireless communication module 160 can provide a solution for NFC wireless communication applied to the terminal device 40, which means that the first device includes an NFC chip. The NFC chip can improve the NFC wireless communication function. When the terminal device 40 is the second device, the wireless communication module 160 can provide a solution for NFC wireless communication applied to the terminal device 40, which means that the first device includes an electronic tag (such as a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag). The NFC chip of other devices close to the electronic tag can perform NFC wireless communication with the second device.

[0105] In some embodiments, the antenna 1 of the terminal device 40 is coupled to the mobile communication module 150, and the antenna 2 is coupled to the wireless communication module 160, so that the terminal device 40 can communicate with the network and other devices through wireless communication technology. The wireless communication technology may include global system for mobile communications (GSM), general packet radio service (GPRS), code division multiple access (CDMA), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), time division code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA), LTE, BT, GNSS, WLAN, NFC, FM, or IR technology. The GNSS may include global positioning system (GPS), global navigation satellite system (GLONASS), Beidou navigation satellite system (BDS), quasi-zenith satellite system (QZSS) or satellite based augmentation system (SBAS).

[0106] In some embodiments, Figure 5 The function of the memory 402 can be achieved by Figure 6 It is implemented by the internal memory 121 in or the external memory (such as a Micro SD card) connected to the external memory interface 120.

[0107] In some embodiments, Figure 5 The output device 404 in the function can be Figure 6 The display screen 194 is implemented in the embodiment. The display screen 194 is used to display images, videos, etc. The display screen 194 includes a display panel.

[0108] In some embodiments, Figure 5 The function of the input device 405 can be realized by a mouse, keyboard, touch screen device or Figure 6 The sensor module 180 is implemented. For example, Figure 6As shown, the sensor module 180 may, for example, include one or more of a pressure sensor 180A, a gyroscope sensor 180B, an air pressure sensor 180C, a magnetic sensor 180D, an acceleration sensor 180E, a distance sensor 180F, a proximity light sensor 180G, a fingerprint sensor 180H, a temperature sensor 180J, a touch sensor 180K, an ambient light sensor 180L, and a bone conduction sensor 180M, but the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0109] In some embodiments, Figure 6 As shown, the terminal device 40 may also include one or more of an audio module 170, a camera 193, an indicator 192, a motor 191, a button 190, a SIM card interface 195, a USB interface 130, a charging management module 140, a power management module 141 and a battery 142, wherein the audio module 170 may be connected to a speaker 170A (also called a "speaker"), a receiver 170B (also called a "earpiece"), a microphone 170C (also called a "microphone", "microphone") or a headphone interface 170D, etc., and the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0110] Understandably, Figure 6 The structure shown does not constitute a specific limitation on the terminal device 40. For example, in other embodiments of the present application, the terminal device 40 may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine some components, or split some components, or arrange the components differently. The components shown in the figure may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0111] The following will be combined with the accompanying drawings to Figure 4 Taking the interaction between the network device 30 shown and any terminal device 40 as an example, the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail.

[0112] It is understandable that in various embodiments of the present application, the interaction between the network device and the terminal device can also be applied to the interaction between the CU and the terminal device, or the interaction between the DU and the terminal device. It is understandable that the interaction mechanism between the network device and the terminal device in various embodiments of the present application can be appropriately modified to apply to the interaction between the CU or DU and the terminal device.

[0113] It should be noted that the message names between network elements or the names of parameters in the messages in the following embodiments of the present application are merely examples, and other names may be used in specific implementations, and the embodiments of the present application do not impose any specific limitations on this.

[0114] like Figure 7a As shown, a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application includes the following steps:

[0115] S701: A network device determines a plurality of sub-areas, wherein the sub-areas represent actual geographical area ranges, and the geographical area ranges formed by the plurality of sub-areas include the coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0116] In a possible implementation, the geographical area formed by the multiple sub-areas is the same as the coverage area of ​​the first cell, that is, the coverage area of ​​the first cell can be divided into multiple sub-areas. Figure 7b As shown, the solid line represents the coverage area of ​​the first cell, and the dotted line represents the division of the coverage area of ​​the first cell. The coverage area of ​​the first cell is divided into four sub-areas, namely, sub-area 1, sub-area 2, sub-area 3, and sub-area 4. It should be noted that Figure 7b This is only an exemplary division method, and there may be other division methods in actual applications. For example, the first cell is divided into multiple circular areas, and the embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the number of sub-areas and the division method of the sub-areas. It can be understood that the sub-area is not equivalent to the cell. For example, Figure 7b As shown, it cannot be understood that the first cell is divided into four cells, but it should be understood that the coverage area of ​​the first cell can be divided into four geographical areas. It can be understood that the sub-area can also be considered as a logical sub-cell.

[0117] In another possible implementation, the geographical area formed by the multiple sub-areas may be larger than the coverage area of ​​the first cell. Figure 7c As shown, the area formed by the solid line represents the coverage area of ​​the first cell, and the four areas formed by the dotted lines represent four sub-areas, namely, sub-area 1, sub-area 2, sub-area 3, and sub-area 4, and the area range of these four areas is larger than the coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0118] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, the coverage area of ​​the first cell may be divided into multiple sub-areas by a network device, or other network elements (such as operation administration and maintenance (OAM) network elements) may divide the coverage area of ​​the first cell and then send information of the multiple sub-areas to the network device. The embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this.

[0119] Optionally, in the embodiment of the present application, within a period of time after the coverage area of ​​the first cell is divided once, the terminal device can perform adjacent frequency or adjacent area measurement according to the division. That is, within this period of time, steps S701-S702 in the embodiment of the present application can be performed once, and the following steps S703-S704 in the embodiment of the present application can be performed multiple times.

[0120] The first cell is any one of the one or more cells under the network device.

[0121] Optionally, the area ranges of each sub-area in the multiple sub-areas may not overlap, or may be allowed to overlap, but the area range of one sub-area cannot completely cover the area range of another sub-area.

[0122] It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, the first cell may be an NTN cell or a TN cell, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application and is uniformly described here, and the following embodiments will not be repeated. S702: The network device sends area configuration information to the terminal device. Accordingly, the terminal device receives the area configuration information from the network device.

[0123] The area configuration information indicates information of the above-mentioned multiple sub-areas.

[0124] Among them, the first cell is the current service cell of the terminal device.

[0125] Optionally, the network device may send the area configuration information to all terminal devices in the first cell via a broadcast message; or, may send the area configuration information individually to the terminal devices in the first cell via a unicast message; or, may send the area configuration information to a group of terminal devices in the first cell via a multicast message. The embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0126] Optionally, the network device may carry the area configuration information in a system message or in a dedicated RRC message, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0127] Optionally, in different implementations of the embodiments of the present application, the content of the area configuration information may also be different:

[0128] In a possible implementation, the area configuration information may include the center position coordinate information of each sub-area in a plurality of sub-areas and the area radius information of each sub-area; or, the area configuration information may include the user-readable name of each sub-area; or, the area configuration information may include the center position coordinate information of each sub-area, the area radius information of each sub-area, and the user-readable name of each sub-area. In addition, the area configuration information may also include the area identification of each sub-area. For example, assuming that the network device divides the first cell into 2 sub-areas, and the area configuration information includes the center position coordinate information and the area radius information of each sub-area in a plurality of sub-areas, the area configuration information may be {center position coordinate 1, area radius 1}, {center position coordinate 2, area radius 2}; or, when the area configuration information includes the center position coordinate information, the area radius information, and the sub-area identification of each sub-area in a plurality of sub-areas, the area configuration information may be {sub-area 1, center position coordinate 1, area radius 1}, {sub-area 2, center position coordinate 2, area radius 2}.

[0129] Optionally, the area identifier of each sub-area may be directly indicated in the area configuration information, for example, the configuration information is {sub-area 1, center position coordinate 1, area radius 1}; or, the area identifier of each sub-area may be indirectly indicated. Exemplarily, the order of the sub-areas in the area configuration information is the area identifier of the sub-area. For example, {center position coordinate 1, area radius 1} is the first sub-area information in the area configuration information, then it may correspond to sub-area 1, and {center position coordinate 2, area radius 2} is the second sub-area information in the area configuration information, then it may correspond to sub-area 2.

[0130] The center position coordinate information of each sub-region is different, and the region radius information of each sub-region may be the same or different.

[0131] Among them, the user-readable name of each sub-area can reflect the area range of the sub-area. For example, the network device divides the first cell into two sub-areas, and the area range with the center position coordinates of the first sub-area as the center of the circle and the area radius of the first sub-area as the radius is Huangpu District, Shanghai. Then the user-readable name of the first sub-area can be Huangpu District, Shanghai; the area range with the center position of the second sub-area as the center of the circle and the area radius of the second sub-area as the radius is Xuhui District, Shanghai. Then the user-readable name of the second sub-area can be Xuhui District, Shanghai; or, the user-readable name of each sub-area can reflect a certain location in the sub-area. For example, if the first sub-area is Huangpu District, Shanghai, then the user-readable name of the first sub-area can be the name of a landmark building in Huangpu District, Shanghai.

[0132] It should be noted that when the network device determines multiple sub-areas, the area range of each sub-area (such as the center position coordinate information and area radius information of each sub-area) can be determined, but in the area configuration information, only the user-readable name of the sub-area can be carried.

[0133] In another possible implementation, the area configuration information may include the length and width of each sub-area in the multiple sub-areas. In addition, the area configuration information may also include the total number of sub-areas in the longitude direction and the total number of sub-areas in the latitude direction. Among them, the total number of sub-areas in the longitude direction is the total number of sub-areas in the longitude direction corresponding to the coverage range of the first cell, and the total number of sub-areas in the latitude direction is the total number of sub-areas in the latitude direction corresponding to the coverage range of the first cell. The product of the total number of sub-areas in the longitude direction and the total number of sub-areas in the latitude direction is the number of multiple sub-areas that constitute the coverage range of the first cell in the above step S701. In this way, the area configuration information may also include a user-readable name for each sub-area. The description of the user-readable name refers to the above description and will not be repeated here.

[0134] Among them, the length and width of the same sub-region in multiple sub-regions may be the same or different. For example, for sub-region 1 among multiple sub-regions, its length and width may both be 200, or its length and width may be 200 and 100 respectively; the lengths of different sub-regions may be the same or different; the widths of different sub-regions may be the same or different. For example, for sub-region 1 and sub-region 2 among multiple sub-regions, the length and width of sub-region 1 may be 200 and 100 respectively, and the length and width of sub-region 2 may be 400 and 300 respectively; or the length and width of sub-region 1 may be 200 and 100 respectively, and the length and width of sub-region 2 may also be 200 and 100 respectively. The embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations on this.

[0135] S703: The terminal device determines a first sub-area according to the area configuration information.

[0136] The first sub-area is a sub-area in which the terminal device is currently located among the above-mentioned multiple sub-areas.

[0137] In a possible implementation, if the terminal device has a positioning function, the terminal device determines the first sub-region according to the regional configuration information. This can be: the terminal device obtains the current geographic location information of the terminal device, and determines the first sub-region according to the current geographic location information of the terminal device and the regional configuration information.

[0138] Optionally, in this possible implementation, according to different regional configuration information, the terminal device determines the first sub-region in different ways according to the current geographical location information and regional configuration information of the terminal device. Exemplarily, there may be the following two ways:

[0139] Mode 1: The area configuration information includes the center position coordinate information of each sub-area among the multiple sub-areas and the area radius information of each sub-area.

[0140] In this way, the current geographical location information of the terminal device obtained by the terminal device may be the location coordinate information of the geographical location where the terminal device is currently located. The first sub-region is a sub-region whose sub-region radius is smaller than the first straight-line distance, and the first straight-line distance is the straight-line distance between the sub-region center position coordinates corresponding to the sub-region radius and the location coordinates of the geographical location where the terminal device is currently located.

[0141] Exemplarily, the terminal device may calculate the straight-line distance corresponding to each sub-region respectively, and then compare the straight-line distance corresponding to each sub-region with the region radius corresponding to each sub-region; if the straight-line distance corresponding to a certain sub-region is less than the region radius corresponding to the sub-region, the terminal device determines that the sub-region is the first sub-region. The straight-line distance corresponding to each sub-region is the straight-line distance between the position coordinates of the current geographical location of the terminal device and the center position coordinates of each sub-region.

[0142] Optionally, if there are more than one sub-region whose corresponding straight-line distance is smaller than the region radius corresponding to the sub-region, the sub-region with the smallest difference between the corresponding straight-line distance of the sub-region and the region radius corresponding to the sub-region is determined as the first sub-region.

[0143] For example, the network device divides the first cell into two sub-areas, and the area configuration information includes {center position coordinate 1, area radius 1}, {center position coordinate 2, area radius 2}, the location coordinate of the current geographical location of the terminal device is location coordinate 0, the straight-line distance between the center position coordinate 1 and the location coordinate 0 calculated by the terminal device is distance 1, and the straight-line distance between the center position coordinate 2 and the location coordinate 0 is distance 2. If distance 1 is greater than area radius 1 and distance 2 is less than area radius 2, the terminal device determines the sub-area corresponding to {center position coordinate 2, area radius 2} as the first sub-area; or, if distance 1 is less than area radius 1 and distance 2 is greater than area radius 2, the terminal device determines the sub-area corresponding to {center position coordinate 1, area radius 1} as the first sub-area. If distance 1 is less than area radius 1 and distance 2 is also less than area radius 2, the terminal device calculates the difference between distance 1 and area radius 1 and the difference between distance 2 and area radius 2. If the difference between distance 1 and area radius 1 is less than the difference between distance 2 and area radius 2, the terminal device determines the sub-area corresponding to {center position coordinate 1, area radius 1} as the first sub-area.

[0144] Method 2: The area configuration information includes the length of each sub-area and the width of each sub-area in the multiple sub-areas; further, the area configuration information also includes the total number of sub-areas in the longitude direction and the total number of sub-areas in the latitude direction.

[0145] In the embodiment of the present application, the lengths of different sub-regions in multiple sub-regions are the same, and the widths of different sub-regions are the same are taken as an example for description.

[0146] Optionally, the area configuration information may also include an area identifier of each sub-area.

[0147] In the second mode, the current geographical location information of the terminal device obtained by the terminal device may be the location coordinates (x, y) of the current geographical location of the terminal device, wherein x is the distance in the longitude direction of the terminal device from the relative reference point of the location system used by the terminal device, and y is the distance in the latitude direction of the terminal device from the relative reference point of the location system.

[0148] Optionally, the positioning system adopted by the terminal device may be, for example, the Global Positioning System (GPS), or the Beidou satellite system, or other positioning systems; the relative reference point of the positioning system may be different depending on the positioning system, for example, it may be (0, 0) or others, and the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0149] In the second method: the terminal device determines the first sub-area based on the current geographic location information and area configuration information of the terminal device, which can be: the terminal device determines the position of the terminal device in the longitude direction based on the distance in the longitude direction, the length of each sub-area, and the total number of sub-areas in the longitude direction; determines the position of the terminal device in the latitude direction based on the distance in the latitude direction, the width of each sub-area, and the total number of sub-areas in the latitude direction; and then determines the sub-area identifier based on the position in the longitude direction and the position in the latitude direction, and the sub-area identified by the sub-area identifier is the first sub-area.

[0150] Optionally, the position of the terminal device in the longitude direction may satisfy the following formula (1):

[0151]

[0152] The position of the terminal device in the latitude direction can satisfy the following formula (2):

[0153]

[0154] The sub-region identification can satisfy the following formula (3):

[0155] zone_id=y1*Nx+x1; (3)

[0156] Wherein, x is the distance in longitude from the terminal device to the reference point of the location system used by the terminal device, y is the distance in latitude from the terminal device to the reference point of the location system, L is the length of each sub-area, Nx is the total number of sub-areas in the longitude direction, Ny is the total number of sub-areas in the latitude direction, W is the width of each sub-area, x1 is the position of the terminal device in the longitude direction, y1 is the position of the terminal device in the latitude direction, zone_id is the sub-area identifier determined by the terminal device, and the symbol Indicates rounding down, and the symbol % indicates remainder.

[0157] It can be understood that formula (3) is only an example, and it can also be zone_id=x1*Ny+y1.

[0158] For example, taking the current geographical location coordinates of the terminal device as (500, 500), the total number of sub-areas in the longitude and latitude directions is 4 (that is, the first cell is divided into 16 sub-areas), and the length and width of each sub-area are 200, the terminal device can determine x1=2 according to the above formula (1), determine y1=2 according to the above formula (2), and determine the sub-area identifier as 10 according to the above formula (3), then the terminal device determines the sub-area with the area identifier of 10 among the 16 sub-areas as the first sub-area.

[0159] In another possible implementation, if the terminal device does not have a positioning function, and the area configuration information includes a user-readable name of each sub-area in the plurality of sub-areas, the terminal device determines the first sub-area according to the area configuration information, which can be: the terminal device determines the sub-area corresponding to the first user-readable name in the area configuration information as the first sub-area. The first user-readable name is a user-readable name corresponding to the current geographical location of the terminal device.

[0160] Optionally, for a terminal device that does not have a positioning function, the user can manually determine the current geographical location of the terminal device. For example, the user can carry the terminal device with him / her and determine the user's current geographical location as the current geographical location of the terminal device. In addition, the terminal device can request the user for a user-readable name corresponding to the current geographical location of the terminal device through a human-computer interaction interface. For example, the terminal device can display a user-readable name of each of a plurality of sub-areas on the human-computer interaction interface, and the user (manually) selects a user-readable name corresponding to the current geographical location of the terminal device from among the plurality of user-readable names.

[0161] If the user-readable name of the sub-region reflects the area range of the sub-region, the user selects the user-readable name of the region corresponding to the current geographical location of the terminal device; if the user-readable name of the sub-region reflects a certain location of the sub-region, the user selects the user-readable name corresponding to the location closest to the current geographical location of the terminal device. After the user selects the user-readable name corresponding to the current geographical location, the terminal device determines the sub-region corresponding to the user-readable name as the first sub-region.

[0162] For example, the user-readable name of the sub-area reflects the area range of the sub-area. The network device divides the first cell into three sub-areas, and the user-readable name of each sub-area is {Shanghai Huangpu District}, {Shanghai Xuhui District}, and {Shanghai Pudong District}. The terminal device can display the user-readable names of the three sub-areas on the human-computer interaction interface. If the user determines that the terminal device is currently in Xuhui District, the user selects Shanghai Xuhui District through the human-computer interaction interface, and then the terminal device determines the sub-area corresponding to {Shanghai Xuhui District} as the first sub-area.

[0163] For example, the user-readable name of a sub-area reflects a location of the sub-area. The network device divides the first cell into three sub-areas. The user-readable name of each sub-area is {landmark building 1}, {landmark building 2}, and {landmark building 3}, and landmark building 1, landmark building 2, and landmark building 3 belong to the three sub-areas respectively. The terminal device can display the user-readable names of the three sub-areas on the human-computer interaction interface. If the user determines that the terminal device is currently closest to landmark building 1, the user selects landmark building 1 through the human-computer interaction interface, and then the terminal device determines the sub-area corresponding to {landmark building 1} as the first sub-area.

[0164] S704. The terminal device performs measurement based on one or more adjacent frequency point information and / or one or more neighboring area information corresponding to the first sub-area.

[0165] Optionally, the one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to the first sub-area is part of the adjacent frequency point information among the multiple adjacent frequency point information of the first cell; the one or more neighboring area information corresponding to the first sub-area is part of the neighboring area information among the multiple neighboring area information of the first cell.

[0166] Among them, each adjacent frequency point information in the one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to the first sub-area includes an absolute radio frequency channel number (ARFCN), an ARFCN indicates an adjacent frequency point of the first cell, and the ARFCN included in each adjacent frequency point information is different.

[0167] It should be noted that in the embodiment of the present application, the adjacent frequency points of the first cell may be at least one of the same-frequency adjacent frequency points, different-frequency adjacent frequency points, or different-system adjacent frequency points. Therefore, the adjacent frequency point information in the embodiment of the present application may be at least one of the same-frequency adjacent frequency point information, different-frequency adjacent frequency point information, or different-system adjacent frequency point information. The embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this, and a unified explanation is given here, and the following embodiments will not be repeated.

[0168] Optionally, each of the one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to the first sub-area may also include one or more of the following parameters: a physical cell identifier (PCI), a type identifier corresponding to the PCI, a network identifier corresponding to the PCI, a synchronization signal block (SSB) measurement timing configuration (SMTC), an SMTC starting bias, a network identifier corresponding to the ARFCN included in each adjacent frequency point information, a type identifier corresponding to the ARFCN included in each adjacent frequency point information, or a priority corresponding to the ARFCN included in each adjacent frequency point information.

[0169] The type information is used to indicate the cell type, such as an NTN cell or a TN cell. Optionally, the type identifier indicating the NTN cell may be GEO, MEO, LEO, HAPS, etc. The network identifier may be a non-public network identification (NPN ID) or a public network identification; a private network is a concept relative to a public network, and can be understood as a private network, such as an internal network built by a company, school, or factory; a private network may also be referred to as a non-public network (NPN); a terminal device that has not signed a contract with a private network is not allowed to access the private network; a private network identification may include a standalone non-public network (SNPN) identification and a closed access group (CAG) identification; a private network type may usually be identified by a private network identification; different terminal devices support different private network identifications, and a terminal device can only reside in a private network corresponding to a private network identification it supports, and can only initiate services in a private network corresponding to a private network identification it has signed a contract with.

[0170] Among them, SSB can also be understood as synchronization signal / physical broadcasting channel block (SS / PBCH block). SMTC may include, for example, one or more of the period, duration and offset of the terminal device receiving the SS / PBCH block. The SMTC period is used to determine the starting frame for receiving the SS / PBCH block, the SMTC starting offset is used to determine the starting position of the starting frame, and the SMTC offset is used to determine the offset position relative to the starting position.

[0171] Optionally, before performing measurement based on one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to the first sub-area, the terminal device may receive one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to the first sub-area from the network device.

[0172] In a possible implementation, after the terminal device determines the first sub-area, it sends a request message to the network device for requesting one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to the first sub-area. The request message carries indication information of the first sub-area, and the indication information is used to determine one or more of the following: a sub-area identifier of the first sub-area, a center position coordinate of the first sub-area, or a user-readable name of the first sub-area. After receiving the request message, the network device sends one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to the first sub-area to the terminal device.

[0173] Optionally, the network device may send one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to the first sub-area to the terminal device via a system message or a dedicated RRC message.

[0174] Optionally, the indication information may include one or more of a sub-region identifier of the first sub-region, center position coordinate information of the first sub-region, or a user-readable name of the first sub-region.

[0175] Alternatively, optionally, the indication information may be a first preamble code, and the first preamble code corresponds to the first sub-area. In this case, the terminal device may first receive the correspondence between the first preamble code and the first sub-area from the network device. After receiving the first preamble code, the network device sends one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to the first sub-area to the terminal device. Specifically, the network device may determine that the terminal device requests one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to the first sub-area based on the correspondence between the first preamble code and the first sub-area, thereby sending one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to the first sub-area to the terminal device.

[0176] Alternatively, optionally, the indication information may be a first preamble and a first access resource, both of which correspond to the first sub-area, and the first access resource is a physical time-frequency resource for sending the first preamble. In this case, the terminal device may first receive the correspondence between the first preamble, the first access resource, and the first sub-area from the network device. The terminal device may send the first preamble on the first access resource to request one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to the first sub-area. After the network device receives the first preamble on the first access resource, the one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to the first sub-area is sent to the terminal device. Specifically, the network device may determine that the terminal device requests one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to the first sub-area based on the correspondence between the first preamble, the first access resource, and the first sub-area, thereby sending one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to the first sub-area to the terminal device. It should be noted that when the network device receives the first preamble on other access resources other than the first access resource, the network device performs other processing, such as random access related processing, which can be specifically referred to the prior art and will not be repeated here.

[0177] Alternatively, optionally, the indication information may be bitmap information, that is, the terminal device may use bitmap information to indicate the first sub-area. For example, if the network device divides the first cell into three sub-areas, the bitmap information may be three bits. A possible corresponding manner is that the first bit corresponds to the first sub-area of ​​the three sub-areas, the second bit corresponds to the second sub-area of ​​the three sub-areas, and the third bit corresponds to the third bit of the three sub-areas. If the first sub-area determined by the terminal device is the second sub-area of ​​the three sub-areas, the bitmap information may be 010. After receiving the bitmap information, the network device may determine that the terminal device requests one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to the second sub-area of ​​the three sub-areas, thereby sending one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to the second sub-area to the terminal device. It is understandable that the nth sub-area may be determined according to the order of the sub-areas in the area configuration information, or the sub-area corresponding to the sub-area identifier of the area configuration information.

[0178] In another possible implementation, the terminal device may send a request message to the network device for requesting one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to each sub-area in all sub-areas. After receiving the request message, the network device sends the one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to each sub-area to the terminal device, and the terminal device determines the one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to the first sub-area from the one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to each sub-area according to the center position coordinate information of the first sub-area, or the sub-area identifier, or the user-readable name.

[0179] Optionally, the network device may send the correspondence between the second preamble code and the first system message to the terminal device. When the terminal device needs to request one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to each sub-area in all sub-areas, the terminal device sends the second preamble code, and after receiving the second preamble code, the network device sends the first system message to the terminal device, and the first system message carries one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to each sub-area in all sub-areas.

[0180] Or, optionally, the network device can send the correspondence between the second preamble code, the second access resource and the first system message to the terminal device. When the terminal device needs to request one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to each sub-area in all sub-areas, the terminal device sends the second preamble code on the second access resource. After the network device receives the second preamble code on the second access resource, it sends the first system message to the terminal device, and the first system message carries one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to each sub-area in all sub-areas. It should be noted that when the network device receives the second preamble code on access resources other than the second access resource, the network device performs other processing, such as random access related processing. For details, please refer to the prior art and will not be repeated here.

[0181] It can be seen that the terminal device can explicitly or implicitly request one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to the first sub-area from the network device, obtain one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to the first sub-area, and thus directly perform measurements based on the one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to the first sub-area; or it can also request one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to each sub-area in all sub-areas from the network device, obtain one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to each sub-area in all sub-areas, and then determine the one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to the first sub-area from the one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to each sub-area based on the center position coordinate information of the first sub-area, or the sub-area identifier, or the user-readable name, and thus perform measurements based on the one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to the first sub-area.

[0182] In another possible implementation, the terminal device does not need to send a request message to the network device, and the network device actively sends one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to each of the multiple sub-areas to the terminal device. The network device can carry the one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to each sub-area and the area configuration information in the same message to the terminal device, or can carry them in different messages to the terminal device, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0183] Optionally, the terminal device performs measurement according to one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to the first sub-area, for example, the terminal device measures the frequency indicated by the ARFCN included in each adjacent frequency point information. The specific measurement method is not limited in the embodiment of the present application and will not be described in detail.

[0184] It should be noted that in step S704 of the embodiment of the present application, the implementation of the terminal device measuring according to one or more neighboring area information corresponding to the first sub-area is similar to the implementation of the terminal device measuring according to one or more neighboring frequency point information corresponding to the first sub-area. Among them, the description of the one or more neighboring frequency point information corresponding to the first sub-area in step S704 can be referred to the one or more neighboring areas corresponding to the first sub-area, and the details can be referred to the above-mentioned related description, which will not be repeated here.

[0185] Based on the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application, since the terminal device can determine the current first sub-area from the multiple sub-areas constituting the first cell according to the area configuration information sent by the network device, and then perform measurements based on one or more adjacent frequency point information and / or one or more neighboring area information corresponding to the first sub-area, therefore, compared with the solution in the prior art that needs to perform measurements based on all adjacent frequency point information of the first cell, the energy consumption of the terminal device can be reduced.

[0186] In addition, in an implementation scenario of an embodiment of the present application, the network device may be a CU. In this case, the methods and / or steps implemented by the network device in the embodiment of the present application may be implemented by the CU; or, the network device may be a DU. In this case, the methods and / or steps implemented by the network device in the embodiment of the present application may be implemented by the DU; or, the network device may be composed of a CU and a DU. In this case, the methods and / or steps implemented by the network device in the embodiment of the present application may be implemented by the CU and / or the DU.

[0187] Exemplarily, when the network device is a CU, multiple sub-areas can be determined by the CU in step S701; when the network device is a DU, multiple sub-areas can be determined by the DU in step S701; when the network device is composed of a CU and a DU, multiple sub-areas can be determined by the DU in step S701, or by the CU, and the embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations on this.

[0188] In a possible implementation, when the DU determines multiple sub-areas in step S701, before step S702, the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application may further include: the DU generates the above-mentioned area configuration information. Optionally, the DU may send the area configuration information to the CU. Optionally, before the DU sends the area configuration information to the CU, the CU may request the area configuration information from the DU.

[0189] Furthermore, the DU may also send one or more adjacent frequency point information and / or one or more neighboring area information corresponding to each sub-area to the CU. Optionally, before the DU sends one or more adjacent frequency point information and / or one or more neighboring area information corresponding to each sub-area to the CU, the CU may request one or more adjacent frequency point information and / or one or more neighboring area information corresponding to each sub-area from the DU.

[0190] Optionally, the DU can carry the above information in the F1 establishment request message, the gNB-DU configuration update message, or the gNB-CU configuration update confirmation message and send it to the CU.

[0191] In another possible implementation, when the CU determines multiple sub-regions in step S701, before step S702, the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application may further include: the CU generates the above-mentioned region configuration information. Optionally, the CU may send the region configuration information to the DU. Optionally, before the CU sends the region configuration information to the DU, the DU may request the region configuration information from the CU.

[0192] Furthermore, the CU may also send one or more adjacent frequency point information and / or one or more neighboring area information corresponding to each sub-area to the DU. Optionally, before the CU sends one or more adjacent frequency point information and / or one or more neighboring area information corresponding to each sub-area to the DU, the DU may request the CU for one or more adjacent frequency point information and / or one or more neighboring area information corresponding to each sub-area.

[0193] Optionally, the CU can carry the above information in the F1 establishment response message, the gNB-CU configuration update message, or the gNB-DU configuration update confirmation message and send it to the DU.

[0194] It can be understood that in the above two possible cases, in step S702, the CU or DU may send the area configuration information to the terminal device. Further, in step S704, the CU or DU may send one or more adjacent frequency point information and / or one or more neighboring area information corresponding to each sub-area to the terminal device, or the CU or DU may send one or more adjacent frequency point information and / or one or more neighboring area information corresponding to the first sub-area to the terminal device.

[0195] It is understandable that the above method can be applied to the scenario where NTN cells exist, but it should not constitute any limitation to the present application. The present application can also be applied to other scenarios, for example, it can be applied to the scenario where there are cells with relatively large coverage.

[0196] The actions of the network devices in steps S701 to S704 can be performed by Figure 5The processor 301 in the network device 30 shown in the figure calls the application code stored in the memory 302 to instruct the network device to execute. The actions of the terminal device in the above steps S701 to S704 can be performed by Figure 5 The processor 401 in the terminal device 40 shown calls the application code stored in the memory 402 to instruct the network device to execute, and this embodiment does not impose any limitation on this. Figure 8a As shown, another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application includes the following steps:

[0197] S801. A network device determines first configuration information.

[0198] The first configuration information is used to deactivate the measurement of the first neighboring area or the first adjacent frequency point; the first neighboring area includes at least one neighboring area of ​​the first cell, and the first adjacent frequency point includes at least one adjacent frequency point of the frequency point corresponding to the first cell; the first cell is any one of the one or more cells under the network device. That is to say, the first configuration information can deactivate the measurement of at least one neighboring area of ​​the first cell with the cell as the granularity; or it can also deactivate the measurement of at least one adjacent frequency point of the first cell with the frequency point as the granularity.

[0199] It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, the priority of each neighboring area in the first neighboring area may be higher than the priority of the first cell, may be lower than the priority of the first cell, or may be the same as the priority of the first cell. The priority of each adjacent frequency point in the first adjacent frequency point may be higher than the priority of the frequency point corresponding to the first cell, may be lower than the priority of the frequency point corresponding to the first cell, or may be the same as the priority of the frequency point corresponding to the first cell, and the embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0200] It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, the measurement of the neighboring area or the neighboring frequency point of the first cell by the terminal device may occur in at least one of the following scenarios: the terminal device measures the neighboring area or frequency point with a high priority without considering the quality of the current serving cell; or, when the quality of the current serving cell meets a certain threshold, the terminal device measures the neighboring area or frequency point with the same frequency or the same priority or a lower priority. That is to say, in at least one of the above scenarios, the terminal device may activate the measurement of the first neighboring area or the first adjacent frequency point according to the first configuration information.

[0201] It should be noted that the first neighboring cell can be an NTN cell or a TN cell, and the first cell can be an NTN cell or a TN cell. The embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations on this, and a unified description is given here, and the following embodiments will not be repeated.

[0202] S802: The network device sends first configuration information to the terminal device.

[0203] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first configuration information from the network device.

[0204] Among them, the first cell is the current service cell of the terminal device.

[0205] Optionally, the network device may send the first configuration information to all terminal devices in the first cell via a broadcast message; or, may send the first configuration information individually to the terminal devices in the first cell via a unicast message; or, may send the first configuration information to a group of terminal devices in the first cell via a multicast message. The embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0206] Optionally, the network device may carry the first configuration information in a system message or in a dedicated RRC message, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0207] In addition, in an implementation scenario of an embodiment of the present application, the network device may be a CU. In this case, the methods and / or steps implemented by the network device in the embodiment of the present application may be implemented by the CU; or, the network device may be a DU. In this case, the methods and / or steps implemented by the network device in the embodiment of the present application may be implemented by the DU; or, the network device may be composed of a CU and a DU. In this case, the methods and / or steps implemented by the network device in the embodiment of the present application may be implemented by the CU and / or the DU.

[0208] Exemplarily, when the network device is a CU, the first configuration information can be determined by the CU in step S801; when the network device is a DU, the first configuration information can be determined by the DU in step S801; when the network device is composed of a CU and a DU, the first configuration information can be determined by the DU in step S801, or by the CU, and the embodiments of the present application do not make any specific limitations on this.

[0209] In a possible implementation, when the first configuration information can be determined by the DU in step S801, optionally, the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application may further include: the DU sends the first configuration information to the CU. Optionally, before the DU sends the first configuration information to the CU, the CU may request the first configuration information from the DU.

[0210] Optionally, the DU may carry the first configuration information in an F1 establishment request message, a gNB-DU configuration update message, or a gNB-CU configuration update confirmation message and send it to the CU.

[0211] In another possible implementation, when the CU determines the first configuration information in step S801, optionally, the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application may include: the CU sends the first configuration information to the DU. Optionally, before the CU sends the first configuration information to the DU, the DU may request the first configuration information from the CU.

[0212] Optionally, the CU may carry the first configuration information in an F1 establishment response message, a gNB-CU configuration update message, or a gNB-DU configuration update confirmation message and send it to the DU.

[0213] It can be understood that, in the above two possible situations, in step S802, the first configuration information can be sent to the terminal device by the CU or the DU.

[0214] S803. When the first configuration information is used to deactivate the measurement of the first neighboring area, the terminal device stops measuring the first neighboring area, or lowers the priority of the first neighboring area, or deletes the first neighboring area according to the first configuration information; when the first configuration information is used to deactivate the measurement of the first adjacent frequency point, the terminal device stops measuring the first frequency point, or lowers the priority of the first frequency point, or deletes the first frequency point according to the first configuration information.

[0215] The first neighboring cell is a neighboring cell in the at least one neighboring cell. The first frequency point is a frequency point in the at least one neighboring frequency point.

[0216] Optionally, stopping measuring the first neighboring cell may be understood as the terminal device not measuring the first neighboring cell, or the terminal device not measuring the first neighboring cell for a period of time.

[0217] Optionally, when the priority of the first neighboring zone is higher than the priority of the first cell, lowering the priority of the first neighboring zone may be: setting the priority of the first neighboring zone to the same as the priority of the first cell, or setting the priority of the first neighboring zone to any priority lower than the priority of the first cell, or setting the priority of the first neighboring zone to the lowest priority, or lowering the priority of the first neighboring zone according to a certain delta value. For example, if the initial priority of the first neighboring zone is 1 and the delta value is 2, lowering the priority of the first neighboring zone may be setting the priority of the first neighboring zone to 3; when the priority of the first neighboring zone is lower than the priority of the first cell or is the same as the priority of the first cell, lowering the priority of the first neighboring zone may be setting the priority of the first neighboring zone to the lowest priority, or lowering the priority of the first neighboring zone according to a certain delta value.

[0218] Optionally, deleting the first neighboring area can be understood as deleting the first neighboring area from the measurement target of the first cell. Optionally, the above-mentioned first configuration information may include timer information. In this case, the terminal device stops measuring the first neighboring area according to the first configuration information, or reduces the priority of the first neighboring area, or deletes the first neighboring area. It can be: the terminal device starts the timer, and within the running time of the timer, stops measuring the first neighboring area, or reduces the priority of the first neighboring area, or deletes the first neighboring area.

[0219] It is understandable that after the timer expires, the terminal device can start a new timer, and during the time when the new timer restarts, continue to stop measuring the first neighboring area, or lower the priority of the first neighboring area, or delete the first neighboring area; or, after the timer expires, the terminal device can continue to measure the first neighboring area, or restore the priority of the first neighboring area, or re-add the first neighboring area to the measurement target of the terminal device. The embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations on this.

[0220] It can be understood that the instructions for the terminal device to stop measuring the first frequency point, or lower the priority of the first frequency point, or delete the first frequency point can be referred to the relevant descriptions of the terminal device stopping measuring the first neighboring area, lowering the priority of the first neighboring area, and deleting the first neighboring area, which will not be repeated here.

[0221] Furthermore, the first configuration information may also include one or more of the following: number of measurements N, measurement duration T, signal quality threshold, signal quality difference threshold. Wherein N is a positive integer. In this case, the terminal device may start the timer in the following cases:

[0222] Case 1: If the terminal device fails to measure the first neighboring area / first frequency point for N consecutive times, the terminal device starts the timer.

[0223] It should be noted that in the embodiment of the present application, N consecutive times can be understood as N consecutive times starting from the first measurement, or can be understood as N consecutive times starting from a certain moment. Before this moment, the first neighboring area / first frequency point may have been measured, or the first neighboring area / first frequency point may not have been measured. The embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this, and a unified explanation is given here, and no further details are given in the following embodiments.

[0224] Case 2: If the signal quality of the first neighboring cell measured by the terminal device for N consecutive times is lower than the signal quality threshold, or if the signal quality of each cell in all cells under the first frequency point measured by the terminal device for N consecutive times is lower than the signal quality threshold, the terminal device starts the timer;

[0225] Case three: if the signal quality of the first neighboring area measured by the terminal device for N consecutive times is lower than the signal quality threshold, and the difference between the signal quality of the first neighboring area measured for the i-th time and the signal quality of the first neighboring area measured for the i-1st time meets the signal quality difference threshold, the terminal device starts the timer, where i is a positive integer from 2 to N.

[0226] Among them, the difference between the signal quality of the first neighboring area measured for the i-th time and the signal quality of the first neighboring area measured for the i-1th time satisfies the signal quality difference threshold, which can be understood as: the signal quality of the first neighboring area measured for the i-th time minus the signal quality of the first neighboring area measured for the i-1th time is less than or equal to the signal quality difference threshold; or it can also be understood as: the signal quality of the first neighboring area measured for the i-1th time minus the signal quality of the first neighboring area measured for the i-1th time is greater than or equal to the signal quality difference threshold; or it can also be understood as: the absolute value of the difference between the signal quality of the first neighboring area measured for the i-th time and the signal quality of the first neighboring area measured for the i-1th time is greater than or equal to the signal quality difference threshold.

[0227] It can be understood that if the signal quality of each cell in all cells under the first frequency point meets the description of the above situation three, the terminal device starts the timer.

[0228] Case 4: If the signal quality of the first neighboring area measured by the terminal device for N consecutive times is lower than the signal quality threshold, and the first signal quality difference and the second signal quality difference meet the signal quality difference threshold, the terminal device starts the timer.

[0229] The first signal quality difference is the difference between the signal quality of the first neighboring cell measured by the terminal device for the i-th time and the signal quality of the first cell when the terminal device performs the i-th measurement of the first neighboring cell. The second signal quality difference is the difference between the signal quality of the first neighboring cell measured by the terminal device for the i-1th time and the signal quality of the first cell when the terminal device performs the i-1th measurement of the first neighboring cell.

[0230] Among them, for the relevant instructions on whether the first signal quality difference and the second signal quality difference meet the signal quality difference threshold, please refer to the relevant description in the above situation three that the difference between the signal quality of the first neighboring area measured for the i-th time and the signal quality of the first neighboring area measured for the i-1th time meets the signal quality difference threshold, which will not be repeated here.

[0231] It can be understood that if the signal quality of each cell in all cells under the first frequency point meets the description of the above situation four, the terminal device starts the timer.

[0232] Case 5: If the terminal device fails to measure the first neighboring area within the measurement time T from the first measurement of the first neighboring area by the terminal device, the terminal device starts the timer.

[0233] Among them, the embodiment of the present application does not limit the number of measurements of the first neighboring area by the terminal device within the measurement duration T starting from the first measurement of the first neighboring area.

[0234] It can be understood that if the signal quality of each cell in all cells under the first frequency point meets the description of the above situation five, the terminal device starts the timer.

[0235] Case six: If the terminal device measures the first neighboring area M times within the measurement time T starting from the first measurement of the first neighboring area by the terminal device, and the signal quality of the first neighboring area measured in the M times is lower than the signal quality threshold, the terminal device starts the timer, where M is a positive integer.

[0236] It can be understood that if the signal quality of each cell in all cells under the first frequency point meets the description of the above situation six, the terminal device starts the timer.

[0237] Case 7: If the terminal device measures the first neighboring area M times within the measurement time T starting from the first measurement of the first neighboring area by the terminal device, and the signal quality of the first neighboring area measured in the M times is lower than the signal quality threshold, and the difference between the signal quality of the first neighboring area measured for the jth time and the signal quality of the first neighboring area measured for the j-1th time meets the signal quality difference threshold, the terminal device starts the timer, where j is a positive integer from 2 to M.

[0238] Among them, whether the difference between the signal quality of the first neighboring area measured for the jth time and the signal quality of the first neighboring area measured for the j-1th time satisfies the signal quality difference threshold value can be referred to the relevant description in the above situation three, which will not be repeated here.

[0239] It can be understood that if the signal quality of each cell in all cells under the first frequency point meets the description of the above situation seven, the terminal device starts the timer.

[0240] Case 8: If the terminal device measures the first neighboring area M times within the measurement time T starting from the first measurement of the first neighboring area by the terminal device, and the signal quality of the first neighboring area measured in the M times is lower than the signal quality threshold, and the third signal quality difference and the fourth signal quality difference meet the signal quality difference threshold, the terminal device starts the timer.

[0241] The third signal quality difference value is the difference between the signal quality of the first neighboring cell measured by the terminal device for the jth time within the measurement duration T and the signal quality of the first cell when the terminal device performs the jth measurement of the first neighboring cell. The fourth signal quality difference value is the difference between the signal quality of the first neighboring cell measured by the terminal device for the j-1th time within the measurement duration T and the signal quality of the first cell when the terminal device performs the j-1th measurement of the first neighboring cell.

[0242] For the description on whether the third signal quality difference value and the fourth signal quality difference value satisfy the signal quality difference threshold value, reference may be made to the description in the above situation three, which will not be repeated here.

[0243] It can be understood that the terminal device can start the timer when the conditions described in any one of the above eight situations are met, or start the timer when the conditions obtained by combining any multiple of the above eight situations are met. For example, the terminal device starts the timer when the conditions obtained by combining situations four and five are met.

[0244] Based on the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application, since the terminal device can stop measuring the first neighboring area / first frequency point, or reduce the priority of the first neighboring area / first frequency point, or delete the first neighboring area / first frequency point according to the first configuration information sent by the network device, when the quality of the first neighboring area / first frequency point is poor or the first neighboring area / first frequency point cannot be measured, the number of measurements of the first neighboring area / first frequency point can be reduced, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the terminal device.

[0245] For example, Figure 8b As shown, assuming that terminal device 1 is in the coverage of the NTN cell and is also covered by the TN cell, and terminal device 2 is in the coverage of the NTN cell and is not also covered by the TN cell, theoretically, terminal device 2 does not need to measure the TN neighboring cells of the NTN cell, but because the neighboring cell configuration is based on the cell granularity, terminal device 2 will actually also measure the TN neighboring cells, thereby wasting a lot of energy.

[0246] Based on the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device 2 can stop measuring the TN neighbor area, or lower the priority of the TN neighbor area, or delete the TN neighbor area according to the first configuration information, thereby reducing the number of TN neighbor area measurements and further reducing the energy consumption of the terminal device.

[0247] It is understandable that the above method can be applied to the scenario where NTN cells exist, but it should not constitute any limitation to the present application. The present application can also be applied to other scenarios, for example, it can be applied to the scenario where there are cells with relatively large coverage.

[0248] The actions of the network devices in steps S801 to S803 can be performed by Figure 5 The processor 301 in the network device 30 shown in the figure calls the application code stored in the memory 302 to instruct the network device to execute. The actions of the terminal device in the above steps S801 to S803 can be performed by Figure 5 The processor 401 in the terminal device 40 shown calls the application code stored in the memory 402 to instruct the network device to execute, and this embodiment does not impose any limitation on this.

[0249] It should be noted that, in the embodiments of the present application, Figure 8a The communication method shown can be performed individually or in combination with Figure 7a It is executed on the basis of the communication method shown. For example, the first configuration information can be used to deactivate the measurement of at least one adjacent frequency point among the one or more adjacent frequency points corresponding to the first sub-area. When the terminal device performs measurement according to the one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to the first sub-area, if one of the one or more adjacent frequency points corresponding to the first sub-area is not measured for N consecutive times, the terminal device starts a timer, and stops measuring the one adjacent frequency point, or reduces the priority of the one adjacent frequency point, or deletes the priority of the one adjacent frequency point during the running time of the timer. At this time, the energy consumption of the terminal device can be further reduced.

[0250] It is understandable that in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device and / or the network device can perform some or all of the steps in the embodiment of the present application, and these steps or operations are only examples. The embodiment of the present application can also perform other operations or variations of various operations. In addition, each step can be performed in a different order presented in the embodiment of the present application, and it is possible not to perform all the operations in the embodiment of the present application.

[0251] In the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or provided for in any logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between the different embodiments are consistent and may be referenced to each other, and the technical features in the different embodiments may be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0252] It can be understood that in the above embodiments, the methods and / or steps implemented by the terminal device can also be implemented by components (such as chips or circuits) that can be used for the terminal device, and the methods and / or steps implemented by the network device can also be implemented by components (such as chips or circuits) that can be used for the network device.

[0253] The above mainly introduces the scheme provided by the embodiment of the present application from the perspective of interaction between various network elements. Accordingly, the embodiment of the present application also provides a communication device, which is used to implement the above various methods. The communication device can be a terminal device in the above method embodiment, or a device including the above terminal device, or a component that can be used for a terminal device; or, the communication device can be a network device in the above method embodiment, or a device including the above network device, or a component that can be used for a network device. It can be understood that in order to implement the above functions, the communication device includes a hardware structure and / or software module corresponding to 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 exceed the scope of the present application.

[0254] 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.

[0255] For example, take the steps of implementing the terminal device in the above method embodiment by a communication device as an example. Fig. 9 The structure diagram of a communication device 90 is shown. The communication device 90 includes a processing module 901 and a transceiver module 902. The transceiver module 902, which may also be called a transceiver unit, is used to implement the sending and / or receiving functions, and may be, for example, a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver or a communication interface.

[0256] Among them, the transceiver module 902 may include a receiving module and a sending module, which are respectively used to execute the receiving and sending steps performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiment, and the processing module 901 may be used to execute other steps except the receiving and sending steps performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiment.

[0257] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module 902 is used to receive area configuration information from a network device, where the area configuration information indicates multiple sub-areas, and the geographical area formed by the multiple sub-areas includes the coverage area of ​​the first cell; the processing module 901 is used to determine the first sub-area based on the area configuration information, and the first sub-area is a sub-area in the multiple sub-areas where the communication device 90 is currently located; the processing module 901 is also used to perform measurements based on one or more adjacent frequency point information and / or one or more neighboring area information corresponding to the first sub-area.

[0258] Optionally, the processing module 901 is used to determine the first sub-area based on the area configuration information, including: the processing module 901 is used to obtain the current geographic location information of the communication device 90; the processing module 901 is also used to determine the first sub-area based on the current geographic location information and area configuration information of the communication device 90.

[0259] Optionally, the area configuration information includes a user-readable name of each sub-area in multiple sub-areas, and a processing module 901 is used to determine a first sub-area based on the area configuration information, including: a processing module 901 is used to determine a sub-area corresponding to a first user-readable name in the area configuration information as a first sub-area, and the first user-readable name is a user-readable name corresponding to the current geographic location of the communication device 90.

[0260] Optionally, the transceiver module 902 is also used to send a request message to the network device, where the request message carries indication information of the first sub-area, and the request message is used to request one or more adjacent frequency point information and / or one or more neighboring area information corresponding to the first sub-area.

[0261] In another possible implementation, the transceiver module 902 is used to receive first configuration information from a network device, and the first configuration information is used to deactivate the measurement of a first neighboring area; the processing module 901 is used to stop measuring the first neighboring area according to the first configuration information, or to lower the priority of the first neighboring area, and the first neighboring area includes at least one neighboring area of ​​the first cell.

[0262] Optionally, the first configuration information includes timer information; the processing module 901 is used to stop measuring the first neighboring area, or lower the priority of the first neighboring area, or delete the first neighboring area according to the first configuration information, including: the processing module 901 is used to start the timer; during the running time of the timer, the processing module 901 is also used to stop measuring the first neighboring area, or lower the priority of the first neighboring area, or delete the first neighboring area.

[0263] Optionally, processing module 901 is used to start the timer, including: if the first neighboring area is not measured for N consecutive times, processing module 901 is used to start the timer; or, if the signal quality of the first neighboring area measured for N consecutive times is lower than the signal quality threshold, processing module 901 is used to start the timer; or, if the signal quality of the first neighboring area measured for N consecutive times is lower than the signal quality threshold, and the difference between the signal quality of the first neighboring area measured for the i-th time and the signal quality of the first neighboring area measured for the i-1th time meets the signal quality difference threshold, processing module 901 is used to start the timer, i is a positive integer, and the value of i is 2 to N; or, if the signal quality of the first neighboring area measured for N consecutive times is lower than the signal quality threshold, and the difference between the first signal quality difference and the second signal quality difference meets the signal quality difference threshold, processing module 901 is used to start the timer.

[0264] Optionally, the processing module 901 is used to start the timer, including: if the first neighboring area is not measured within the measurement duration T from the first measurement of the first neighboring area, the processing module 901 is used to start the timer; or, if the first neighboring area is measured M times within the measurement duration T from the first measurement of the first neighboring area, and the signal quality of the first neighboring area measured in the M times is lower than the signal quality threshold, the processing module 901 is used to start the timer; or, if the first neighboring area is measured M times within the measurement duration T from the first measurement of the first neighboring area, and the M measurements If the signal quality of the first neighboring area measured for the jth time is lower than the signal quality threshold, and the difference between the signal quality of the first neighboring area measured for the jth time and the signal quality of the first neighboring area measured for the j-1th time meets the signal quality difference threshold, the processing module 901 is used to start the timer; or, if the first neighboring area is measured M times within the measurement duration T starting from the first measurement of the first neighboring area, and the signal quality of the first neighboring area measured for the M times is lower than the signal quality threshold, and the third signal quality difference and the fourth signal quality difference meet the signal quality difference threshold, the processing module 901 is used to start the timer.

[0265] 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.

[0266] Optionally, the communication device 90 may further include a storage module ( Fig. 9 ), which is used to store data and / or instructions. The processing module 901 can read the data or instructions in the storage module to implement the methods corresponding to the above embodiments.

[0267] It is understandable that the above-mentioned modules can be set up independently or integrated, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0268] In one possible embodiment, the communication device 90 is presented in the form of various functional modules divided in an integrated manner. The "module" here may refer to a specific ASIC, a circuit, a processor and a memory that executes one or more software or firmware programs, an integrated logic circuit, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions. In a simple embodiment, those skilled in the art can imagine that the communication device 90 can be used Figure 5 The form of the terminal device 40 is shown.

[0269] for example, Figure 5 The processor 401 in the terminal device 40 shown can call the computer execution instructions stored in the memory 402 to enable the terminal device 40 to execute the communication method in the above method embodiment.

[0270] Specifically, Fig. 9 The functions / implementation processes of the processing module 901 and the transceiver module 902 can be Figure 5 The processor 401 in the terminal device 40 shown calls the computer execution instructions stored in the memory 402 to implement. Or, Fig. 9 The function / implementation process of the processing module 901 in Figure 5 The processor 401 in the terminal device 40 shown calls the computer execution instructions stored in the memory 402 to implement, Fig. 9 The function / implementation process of the transceiver module 902 can be Figure 5 The embodiment is implemented by the transceiver 403 in the terminal device 40 shown.

[0271] Since the communication device 90 provided in this embodiment can execute the above-mentioned communication method, the technical effects that can be obtained can refer to the above-mentioned method embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0272] Or, for example, take the steps of implementing the network device in the above method embodiment by a communication device as an example. Fig.10 The structure diagram of a communication device 100 is shown. The communication device 100 includes a processing module 1001 and a transceiver module 1002. The transceiver module 1002, which may also be called a transceiver unit, is used to implement the sending and / or receiving functions, and may be, for example, a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver or a communication interface.

[0273] Among them, the transceiver module 1002 may include a receiving module and a sending module, which are respectively used to execute the receiving and sending steps performed by the network device in the above method embodiment, and the processing module 1001 may be used to execute other steps except the receiving and sending steps performed by the network device in the above method embodiment.

[0274] In one possible implementation, the processing module 1001 is used to determine multiple sub-areas, and the geographical area constituted by the multiple sub-areas includes the coverage area of ​​the first cell; the transceiver module 1002 is used to send area configuration information to the terminal device, and the area configuration information indicates information of the multiple sub-areas.

[0275] Optionally, the transceiver module 1002 is further used to send one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to the first sub-area to the terminal device, and the first sub-area is one sub-area among the multiple sub-areas.

[0276] Optionally, the transceiver module 1002 is further used to receive a request message from the terminal device, where the request message carries indication information of the first sub-area, and the request message is used to request one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to the first sub-area.

[0277] In another possible implementation, the processing module 1001 is used to determine first configuration information, where the first configuration information is used to deactivate measurement of a first neighboring cell; the transceiver module 1002 is used to send the first configuration information to a terminal device.

[0278] 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.

[0279] Optionally, the communication device 100 may further include a storage module ( Fig.10 ), which is used to store data and / or instructions. The processing module 1001 can read the data or instructions in the storage module to implement the methods corresponding to the above-mentioned embodiments.

[0280] It is understandable that the above-mentioned modules can be set up independently or integrated, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0281] In one possible embodiment, the communication device 100 is presented in the form of various functional modules divided in an integrated manner. The "module" here may refer to a specific ASIC, a circuit, a processor and a memory that executes one or more software or firmware programs, an integrated logic circuit, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions. In a simple embodiment, a person skilled in the art can imagine that the communication device 100 can be used Figure 5 The form of the network device 30 is shown.

[0282] for example, Figure 5 The processor 301 in the network device 30 shown can call the computer execution instructions stored in the memory 302 to enable the network device 30 to execute the communication method in the above method embodiment.

[0283] Specifically, Fig.10The functions / implementation processes of the processing module 1001 and the transceiver module 1002 can be Figure 5 The processor 301 in the network device 30 shown calls the computer execution instructions stored in the memory 302 to implement. Or, Fig.10 The function / implementation process of the processing module 1001 in Figure 5 The processor 301 in the network device 30 shown calls the computer execution instructions stored in the memory 302 to implement, Fig.10 The function / implementation process of the transceiver module 1002 can be Figure 5 The embodiment is implemented by the transceiver 303 in the network device 30 shown.

[0284] Since the communication device 100 provided in this embodiment can execute the above-mentioned communication method, the technical effects that can be obtained can refer to the above-mentioned method embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0285] Optionally, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device (for example, the communication device may be a chip or a chip system), the communication device including a processor for implementing the method in any of the above method embodiments. In one possible design, the communication device also includes a memory. The memory is used to store necessary program instructions and data, and the processor can call the program code stored in the memory to instruct the communication device to execute the method in any of the above method embodiments. Of course, the memory may not be in the communication device. In another possible design, the communication device also includes an interface circuit, which is a code / data read / write interface circuit, which is used to receive computer execution instructions (computer execution instructions are stored in the memory, may be read directly from the memory, or may pass through other devices) and transmit them to the processor. When the communication device is a chip system, it can be composed of a chip, or it can include a chip and other discrete devices, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0286] 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 the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from a website site, 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 may be any available medium that a computer can access or may contain one or more servers, data centers and other data storage devices that can be integrated with the 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)), etc. In the embodiment of the present application, the computer may include the aforementioned device.

[0287] 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 variations of 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 a claim. Certain measures are recorded in different dependent claims, but this does not mean that these measures cannot be combined to produce good results.

[0288] 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 communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Receiving area configuration information from a network device, the area configuration information indicating information of a plurality of sub-areas, the area range formed by the plurality of sub-areas having an overlapping portion with a coverage area of ​​a first cell, the first cell being a non-terrestrial network NTN cell where the terminal device is located; Determine a first sub-area according to the area configuration information, where the first sub-area is a sub-area in which the terminal device is currently located among the multiple sub-areas; Measurement is performed based on one or more terrestrial network TN adjacent frequency point information corresponding to the first sub-area.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The zone configuration information is included in a system message.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: Determining a first sub-area according to the area configuration information includes: Obtaining current geographical location information of the terminal device; The first sub-area is determined according to the current geographical location information of the terminal device and the area configuration information.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The area configuration information includes the center position coordinate information of each sub-area among the multiple sub-areas and the area radius information of each sub-area; the current geographical location information of the terminal device is the position coordinate information of the current geographical location of the terminal device.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: Each piece of adjacent frequency point information in the one or more adjacent frequency point information includes an absolute radio frequency channel number ARFCN.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that Each adjacent frequency point information may further include one or more of the following: Physical cell identifier PCI, synchronization signal block measurement time configuration SMTC, SMTC starting offset, the network identifier corresponding to the ARFCN included in each adjacent frequency point information, the type identifier corresponding to the ARFCN included in each adjacent frequency point information, the network identifier corresponding to the PCI, the type identifier corresponding to the PCI, or the priority corresponding to the ARFCN included in each adjacent frequency point information.

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that: The method further comprises: A request message is sent to the network device, where the request message carries indication information of the first sub-area, and the request message is used to request one or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to the first sub-area.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The indication information is used to determine one or more of the following: a sub-region identifier of the first sub-region, a center position coordinate of the first sub-region, or a user-readable name of the first sub-region.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that: The indication information is a first preamble code, and the first preamble code corresponds to the first sub-region; or, The indication information is the first preamble code and the first access resource, and the first preamble code and the first access resource both correspond to the first sub-area.

10. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Determine a plurality of sub-areas, where an area range formed by the plurality of sub-areas overlaps with a coverage area of ​​a first cell, where the first cell is a non-terrestrial network NTN cell where the terminal device is located; Sending area configuration information to the terminal device, where the area configuration information indicates information of the multiple sub-areas.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The zone configuration information is sent via a system message.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that: The area configuration information includes the center position coordinate information of each of the multiple sub-areas and the area radius information of each sub-area; or, The zone configuration information includes a user-readable name of each sub-zone; or, The area configuration information includes center position coordinate information of each sub-area among the plurality of sub-areas, area radius information of each sub-area, and a user-readable name of each sub-area.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The area configuration information includes: an area identifier of each sub-area.

14. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, characterized in that: The method further comprises: One or more adjacent frequency point information corresponding to a first sub-area is sent to the terminal device, where the first sub-area is one of the multiple sub-areas.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that Each piece of adjacent frequency point information in the one or more adjacent frequency point information includes an absolute radio frequency channel number ARFCN.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that Each adjacent frequency point information may further include one or more of the following: Physical cell identifier PCI, synchronization signal block measurement time configuration SMTC, SMTC starting offset, the network identifier corresponding to the ARFCN included in each adjacent frequency point information, the type identifier corresponding to the ARFCN included in each adjacent frequency point information, the network identifier corresponding to the PCI, the type identifier corresponding to the PCI, or the priority corresponding to the ARFCN included in each adjacent frequency point information.

17. A communication device, characterized in that: Used to implement the communication method as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

18. A communication device, characterized in that: Used to implement the communication method as described in any one of claims 10-16.

19. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The method comprises instructions, which, when executed on a communication device, enable the communication device to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, or enable the communication device to execute the method according to any one of claims 10 to 16.

20. A computer program product, characterized in that The method comprises instructions, which, when executed on a communication device, enable the communication device to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, or enable the communication device to execute the method according to any one of claims 10 to 16.

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