Apparatus, method, apparatus, and computer readable medium for non-terminal network

Abstract

Apparatuses, methods, devices, and computer-readable media for coverage window prediction are disclosed. An example terminal device may include at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one memory may store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the terminal device to at least perform: receiving, from the network device, information about a predicted coverage window and measurement information related to the predicted coverage window, the measurement information including one or more expected measurements; performing at least one measurement according to the measurement information according to the predicted coverage window; and determining whether the predicted coverage window is accurate or inaccurate based on the value of the at least one measurement performed and the corresponding at least one expected measurement from the one or more expected measurements.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various example embodiments are directed to devices, methods, apparatus, and computer-readable media for a non-terrestrial network (NTN). Background Art

[0002] NTN is a network or a segment of a network that uses satellites, air vehicles, or space vehicles for transmission. Due to the cost of satellites, air vehicles, or space vehicles, NTN networks may not be able to provide continuous coverage, especially in their early deployment stages. The coverage of a given address on the earth is discontinuous. Therefore, the user equipment (UE) side and the network side need to have a common understanding of when the UE can communicate again (for example, when the UE will monitor paging). With the development of communication technology, more and more Internet of Things (IoT) communication scenarios may involve NTN, where terminal devices can be connected to the core network (CN) via satellites or drones. Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) and / or enhanced machine type communication (eMTC) devices are cost and energy sensitive. These UE devices need to work for many years without changing batteries, and typically transmit / receive a small amount of application data (for example, 50 bytes) every few hours to every few days. As a solution, the UE can predict future coverage windows based on, for example, the system information block (SIB) 32 (which can provide information about up to four satellites) and report the predicted coverage window to the network, such as the CN. According to this solution, the UE must provide a new or updated coverage window every time a new satellite is able to provide coverage. However, if the UE is paged once every 12 or 24 hours on average, the UE is forced to provide many coverage window predictions to the network, which may eventually not be used by the network, resulting in waste of UE energy consumption and signaling. Summary of the invention

[0003] The following provides a brief summary of exemplary embodiments to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of various embodiments. It should be noted that this summary is not intended to identify key features of essential elements or to limit the scope of the embodiments, and its sole purpose is to introduce some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description provided below.

[0004] In a first aspect, a terminal device is disclosed. The terminal device may include at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one memory may store instructions, and when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the terminal device may at least perform: receiving information about a predicted coverage window and measurement information related to the predicted coverage window from a network device, the measurement information including one or more expected measurement values; performing at least one measurement according to the predicted coverage window according to the measurement information; and determining whether the predicted coverage window is accurate or inaccurate based on the value of the at least one measurement performed and at least one expected measurement value corresponding to the one or more expected measurement values.

[0005] In some example embodiments, when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the terminal device may be caused to further execute: transmitting a request for the predicted coverage window to the network device, the request comprising at least one of: the number of at least one satellite serving the terminal device; the number of one or more satellites serving the terminal device before the predicted coverage window starts; the duration to be covered by the predicted coverage window; the time period after which the predicted coverage window starts; the timing at which the predicted coverage window starts; or the communication mode of the terminal device.

[0006] In some example embodiments, when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the terminal device may be caused to further execute: transmitting positioning information of the terminal device to the network device, the positioning information including at least one of the following: current location information of the terminal device; information about a current serving cell of the terminal device; a mapped cell identifier of the current serving cell of the terminal device; or a travel plan of the terminal device.

[0007] In some example embodiments, the measurement information may also include at least one of: one or more timings for performing corresponding one or more expected measurements; one or more indexes corresponding to the one or more expected measurements; or at least one threshold for determining whether the predicted coverage window is accurate or inaccurate.

[0008] In some example embodiments, the one or more expected measurement values ​​may include at least one of: timing of a downlink signal; received power of a downlink signal; a round-trip time between the terminal device and a reference point; a one-way delay between the terminal device and a reference point; a start time of the predicted coverage window; an end time of the predicted coverage window; or information of an expected cell, and the predicted coverage window may be determined to be inaccurate in at least one of the following cases: wherein the difference between the value of the at least one measurement performed and the corresponding at least one expected measurement value exceeds a corresponding threshold; or wherein the information of the serving cell wherein the at least one measurement performed is different from the information of the expected cell.

[0009] In some example embodiments, when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the terminal device may be caused to further execute: if it is determined that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate, transmitting an inaccuracy indication indicating that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate to the network device.

[0010] In some example embodiments, the inaccuracy indication may include at least one of: a flag indicating that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate; a difference between the value of the at least one measurement performed and the corresponding at least one expected measurement value; the value of the at least one measurement performed; the timing of the at least one measurement performed; an index corresponding to the at least one measurement performed; information about a serving cell of the terminal device; or current location information of the terminal device.

[0011] In some example embodiments, the inaccuracy indication may be transmitted via an early data transmission procedure or a small data transmission procedure.

[0012] In some example embodiments, when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the terminal device may be caused to further execute: if it is determined that the predicted coverage window is accurate, maintaining a radio resource control idle state or a radio resource control inactive state.

[0013] In some example embodiments, when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the terminal device may be caused to further execute: transmitting another request for an updated predicted coverage window to the network device in at least one of the following circumstances: observing a change in the location of the terminal device; or determining that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate.

[0014] In a second aspect, a network device is disclosed. The network device may include at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one memory may store instructions, and when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the network device may at least perform: determining a predicted coverage window and measurement information related to the predicted coverage window for a terminal device; and transmitting information about the predicted coverage window and measurement information related to the predicted coverage window to the terminal device, wherein the measurement information includes one or more expected measurement values ​​of the terminal device to determine whether the predicted coverage window is accurate or inaccurate.

[0015] In some example embodiments, when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the network device may be caused to further execute: receiving a request for the predicted coverage window from the terminal device, the request comprising at least one of the following: the number of at least one satellite serving the terminal device; the number of one or more satellites serving the terminal device before the predicted coverage window starts; the duration to be covered by the predicted coverage window; the time period after which the predicted coverage window starts; the timing at which the predicted coverage window starts; or the communication mode of the terminal device.

[0016] In some example embodiments, the predicted coverage window may be determined based on at least one of: satellite motion information; satellite coverage information; current location information of the terminal device; information about a current serving cell of the terminal device; a mapped cell identifier of the current serving cell of the terminal device; a travel plan of the terminal device; or information about a communication mode of the terminal device.

[0017] In some example embodiments, the measurement information may also include at least one of: one or more timings for performing the corresponding one or more expected measurements; one or more indexes corresponding to the one or more expected measurements; or, at least one threshold for determining whether the predicted coverage window is accurate or inaccurate.

[0018] In some example embodiments, the one or more expected measurement values ​​may include at least one of: timing of a downlink signal; received power of a downlink signal; a round-trip time between the terminal device and a reference point; a one-way delay between the terminal device and a reference point; a start time of the predicted coverage window; an end time of the predicted coverage window; or information of an expected cell.

[0019] In some example embodiments, when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the network device may be caused to further perform: determining an updated predicted coverage window for the terminal device in at least one of the following situations: detecting that the terminal device performs a tracking area update; or receiving an inaccuracy indication from the terminal device indicating that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate.

[0020] In some example embodiments, the inaccuracy indication may include at least one of: a flag indicating that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate; a difference between a value of at least one measurement performed by the terminal device and at least one expected measurement value corresponding to the measurement information; a value of at least one measurement performed by the terminal device; a timing of at least one measurement performed by the terminal device; an index corresponding to at least one measurement performed by the terminal device; information about a serving cell of the terminal device; or current location information of the terminal device.

[0021] In a third aspect, a method performed by a terminal device is disclosed. The method may include: receiving information about a predicted coverage window and measurement information related to the predicted coverage window from a network device, the measurement information including one or more expected measurement values; performing at least one measurement according to the predicted coverage window according to the measurement information; and determining whether the predicted coverage window is accurate or inaccurate based on the value of the at least one measurement performed and at least one corresponding expected measurement value from the one or more expected measurement values.

[0022] In some example embodiments, the method may further include: transmitting a request for the predicted coverage window to the network device, the request including at least one of: the number of at least one satellite serving the terminal device; the number of one or more satellites serving the terminal device before the predicted coverage window starts; the duration to be covered by the predicted coverage window; the time period after which the predicted coverage window starts; the timing after which the predicted coverage window starts; or the communication mode of the terminal device.

[0023] In some example embodiments, the method may further include: transmitting positioning information of the terminal device to the network device, the positioning information including at least one of the following: current location information of the terminal device; information about a current serving cell of the terminal device; a mapped cell identifier of the current serving cell of the terminal device; or a travel plan of the terminal device.

[0024] In some example embodiments, the measurement information may also include at least one of: one or more timings for performing corresponding one or more expected measurements; one or more indexes corresponding to the one or more expected measurements; or at least one threshold for determining whether the predicted coverage window is accurate or inaccurate.

[0025] In some exemplary embodiments, the one or more expected measurement values ​​may include at least one of: the timing of the downlink signal; the received power of the downlink signal; the round-trip time between the terminal device and the reference point; the one-way delay between the terminal device and the reference point; the starting time of the predicted coverage window; the ending time of the predicted coverage window; or information of the expected cell, and the predicted coverage window can be determined to be inaccurate in at least one of the following cases: wherein the difference between the value of at least one performed measurement and the corresponding at least one expected measurement value exceeds a corresponding threshold; or wherein the information of the serving cell of at least one performed measurement is different from the information of the expected cell.

[0026] In some example embodiments, the method may further include, if it is determined that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate, transmitting an inaccuracy indication to the network device indicating that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate.

[0027] In some example embodiments, the inaccuracy indication may include at least one of: a flag indicating that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate; a difference between the value of at least one measurement performed and the corresponding at least one expected measurement value; the value of at least one measurement performed; the timing of at least one measurement performed; an index corresponding to the at least one measurement performed; information about a serving cell of the terminal device; or current location information of the terminal device.

[0028] In some example embodiments, the inaccuracy indication may be transmitted via an early data transmission procedure or a small data transmission procedure.

[0029] In some example embodiments, the method may further include: in a case where it is determined that the predicted coverage window is accurate, maintaining a radio resource control idle state or a radio resource control inactive state.

[0030] In some example embodiments, the method may further include transmitting another request for an updated predicted coverage window to the network device in at least one of the following circumstances: observing a change in the location of the terminal device; or determining that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate.

[0031] In a fourth aspect, a method performed by a network device is disclosed. The method may include: determining a predicted coverage window and measurement information related to the predicted coverage window for a terminal device; and transmitting information about the predicted coverage window and measurement information related to the predicted coverage window to the terminal device, the measurement information including one or more expected measurement values ​​of the terminal device to determine whether the predicted coverage window is accurate or inaccurate.

[0032] In some example embodiments, the method may further include: receiving a request for the predicted coverage window from the terminal device, the request including at least one of: the number of at least one satellite serving the terminal device; the number of one or more satellites serving the terminal device before the predicted coverage window starts; the duration to be covered by the predicted coverage window; the time period after which the predicted coverage window starts; the timing after which the predicted coverage window starts; or the communication mode of the terminal device.

[0033] In some example embodiments, the predicted coverage window may be determined based on at least one of: satellite motion information; satellite coverage information; current location information about the terminal device; information about a current serving cell of the terminal device; a mapped cell identifier of the current serving cell of the terminal device; a travel plan of the terminal device; or information about a communication mode of the terminal device.

[0034] In some example embodiments, the measurement information may also include at least one of: one or more timings for performing corresponding one or more expected measurements; one or more indexes corresponding to the one or more expected measurements; or at least one threshold for determining whether the predicted coverage window is accurate or inaccurate.

[0035] In some example embodiments, the one or more expected measurement values ​​may include at least one of: timing of a downlink signal; received power of a downlink signal; a round-trip time between the terminal device and a reference point; a one-way delay between the terminal device and a reference point; a start time of the predicted coverage window; an end time of the predicted coverage window; or information of an expected cell.

[0036] In some example embodiments, the method may further include determining an updated predicted coverage window for the terminal device in at least one of the following situations: detecting that the terminal device performs a tracking area update; or receiving an inaccuracy indication from the terminal device indicating that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate.

[0037] In some example embodiments, the inaccuracy indication may include at least one of: a flag indicating that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate; a difference between a value of at least one measurement performed by the terminal device and at least one expected measurement value corresponding to the measurement information; a value of at least one measurement performed by the terminal device; a timing of at least one measurement performed by the terminal device; an index corresponding to at least one measurement performed by the terminal device; information about a serving cell of the terminal device; or current location information of the terminal device.

[0038] In a fifth aspect, a device is disclosed. The device as a terminal device may include: a device for receiving information about a predicted coverage window and measurement information related to the predicted coverage window from a network device, the measurement information including one or more expected measurement values; a device for performing at least one measurement according to the predicted coverage window according to the measurement information; and a device for determining whether the predicted coverage window is accurate or inaccurate based on the value of the at least one measurement performed and at least one corresponding expected measurement value from the one or more expected measurement values.

[0039] In some example embodiments, the device may also include: a device for transmitting a request for the predicted coverage window to the network device, the request including at least one of the following: the number of at least one satellite serving the terminal device; the number of one or more satellites serving the terminal device before the predicted coverage window starts; the duration to be covered by the predicted coverage window; the time period after which the predicted coverage window starts; the timing at which the predicted coverage window starts; or the communication mode of the terminal device.

[0040] In some example embodiments, the device may also include: a device for transmitting positioning information of the terminal device to the network device, the positioning information including at least one of the following: current location information of the terminal device; information about a current serving cell of the terminal device; a mapped cell identifier of the current serving cell of the terminal device; or a travel plan of the terminal device.

[0041] In some example embodiments, the measurement information may also include at least one of: one or more timings for performing corresponding one or more expected measurements; one or more indexes corresponding to the one or more expected measurements; or at least one threshold for determining whether the predicted coverage window is accurate or inaccurate.

[0042] In some exemplary embodiments, the one or more expected measurement values ​​may include at least one of: the timing of the downlink signal; the received power of the downlink signal; the round-trip time between the terminal device and the reference point; the one-way delay between the terminal device and the reference point; the starting time of the predicted coverage window; the ending time of the predicted coverage window; or information of the expected cell, and the predicted coverage window can be determined to be inaccurate in at least one of the following cases: wherein the difference between the value of at least one performed measurement and the corresponding at least one expected measurement value exceeds a corresponding threshold; or wherein the information of the serving cell of at least one performed measurement is different from the information of the expected cell.

[0043] In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further include: means for transmitting an inaccuracy indication indicating that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate to the network device if it is determined that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate.

[0044] In some example embodiments, the inaccuracy indication may include at least one of: a flag indicating that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate; a difference between the value of at least one measurement performed and the corresponding at least one expected measurement value; the value of at least one measurement performed; the timing of at least one measurement performed; an index corresponding to the at least one measurement performed; information about a serving cell of the terminal device; or current location information of the terminal device.

[0045] In some example embodiments, the inaccuracy indication may be transmitted via an early data transmission procedure or a small data transmission procedure.

[0046] In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further include: means for maintaining a radio resource control idle state or a radio resource control inactive state if it is determined that the predicted coverage window is accurate.

[0047] In some example embodiments, the device may further include: means for transmitting another request for an updated predicted coverage window to the network device in at least one of the following circumstances: observing a change in the location of the terminal device; or determining that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate.

[0048] In a sixth aspect, a device is disclosed. The device as a network device may include: a device for determining a predicted coverage window and measurement information related to the predicted coverage window for a terminal device; and a device for transmitting information about the predicted coverage window and measurement information related to the predicted coverage window to the terminal device, the measurement information including one or more expected measurement values ​​of the terminal device to determine whether the predicted coverage window is accurate or inaccurate.

[0049] In some example embodiments, the device may also include: a device for receiving a request for the predicted coverage window from the terminal device, the request including at least one of the following: the number of at least one satellite serving the terminal device; the number of one or more satellites serving the terminal device before the predicted coverage window starts; the duration to be covered by the predicted coverage window; the time period after which the predicted coverage window starts; the timing after which the predicted coverage window starts; or the communication mode of the terminal device.

[0050] In some example embodiments, the predicted coverage window may be determined based on at least one of: satellite motion information; satellite coverage information; current location information of the terminal device; information of a current serving cell of the terminal device; a mapped cell identifier of the current serving cell of the terminal device; a travel plan of the terminal device; or information about a communication mode of the terminal device.

[0051] In some example embodiments, the measurement information may also include at least one of: one or more timings for performing the corresponding one or more expected measurements; one or more indexes corresponding to the one or more expected measurements; or, at least one threshold for determining whether the predicted coverage window is accurate or inaccurate.

[0052] In some example embodiments, the one or more expected measurement values ​​may include at least one of: timing of a downlink signal; received power of a downlink signal; a round-trip time between the terminal device and a reference point; a one-way delay between the terminal device and a reference point; a start time of the predicted coverage window; an end time of the predicted coverage window; or information of an expected cell.

[0053] In some example embodiments, the device may also include: a device for determining an updated predicted coverage window for the terminal device in at least one of the following situations: detecting that the terminal device performs a tracking area update; or receiving an inaccuracy indication from the terminal device indicating that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate.

[0054] In some example embodiments, the inaccuracy indication may include at least one of: a flag indicating that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate; a difference between a value of at least one measurement performed by the terminal device and at least one expected measurement value corresponding to the measurement information; a value of at least one measurement performed by the terminal device; a timing of at least one measurement performed by the terminal device; an index corresponding to at least one measurement performed by the terminal device; information about a serving cell of the terminal device; or current location information of the terminal device.

[0055] In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable medium is disclosed. The computer-readable medium may include program instructions, and when a terminal device executes the program instructions, the terminal device may at least perform: receiving information about a predicted coverage window and measurement information related to the predicted coverage window from a network device, the measurement information including one or more expected measurement values; performing at least one measurement according to the predicted coverage window according to the measurement information; and determining whether the predicted coverage window is accurate or inaccurate based on the value of the at least one measurement performed and at least one corresponding expected measurement value from the one or more expected measurement values.

[0056] In some example embodiments, the computer-readable medium may further include instructions, which, when executed by the terminal device, may cause the terminal device to further execute: transmitting a request for the predicted coverage window to the network device, the request including at least one of the following: the number of at least one satellite serving the terminal device; the number of one or more satellites serving the terminal device before the predicted coverage window starts; the duration to be covered by the predicted coverage window; the time period after which the predicted coverage window starts; the timing at which the predicted coverage window starts; or the communication mode of the terminal device.

[0057] In some example embodiments, the computer-readable medium may further include instructions, which, when executed by the terminal device, may cause the terminal device to further execute: transmitting positioning information of the terminal device to the network device, the positioning information including at least one of the following: current location information of the terminal device; information about a current serving cell of the terminal device; a mapped cell identifier of the current serving cell of the terminal device; or a travel plan of the terminal device.

[0058] In some example embodiments, the measurement information may also include at least one of: one or more timings for performing corresponding one or more expected measurements; one or more indexes corresponding to the one or more expected measurements; or at least one threshold for determining whether the predicted coverage window is accurate or inaccurate.

[0059] In some exemplary embodiments, the one or more expected measurement values ​​may include at least one of: the timing of the downlink signal; the received power of the downlink signal; the round-trip time between the terminal device and the reference point; the one-way delay between the terminal device and the reference point; the starting time of the predicted coverage window; the ending time of the predicted coverage window; or information of the expected cell, and the predicted coverage window can be determined to be inaccurate in at least one of the following cases: wherein the difference between the value of at least one performed measurement and the corresponding at least one expected measurement value exceeds a corresponding threshold; or wherein the information of the serving cell of at least one performed measurement is different from the information of the expected cell.

[0060] In some example embodiments, the computer-readable medium may also include instructions, which, when executed by the terminal device, may cause the terminal device to further execute: upon determining that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate, transmitting an inaccuracy indication indicating that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate to the network device.

[0061] In some example embodiments, the inaccuracy indication may include at least one of: a flag indicating that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate; a difference between the value of at least one measurement performed and the corresponding at least one expected measurement value; the value of at least one measurement performed; the timing of at least one measurement performed; an index corresponding to the at least one measurement performed; information about a serving cell of the terminal device; or current location information of the terminal device.

[0062] In some example embodiments, the inaccuracy indication may be transmitted via an early data transmission procedure or a small data transmission procedure.

[0063] In some example embodiments, the computer-readable medium may further include instructions, which, when executed by the terminal device, may cause the terminal device to further execute: when it is determined that the predicted coverage window is accurate, remain in a radio resource control idle state or a radio resource control inactive state.

[0064] In some example embodiments, the computer-readable medium may also include instructions that, when executed by the terminal device, may cause the terminal device to further perform: transmitting another request for an updated predicted coverage window to the network device in at least one of the following circumstances: observing a change in the location of the terminal device; or determining that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate.

[0065] In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable medium is disclosed. The computer-readable medium may include program instructions, which, when executed by a network device, cause the network device to at least perform: determining a predicted coverage window and measurement information related to the predicted coverage window for a terminal device; and transmitting information about the predicted coverage window and measurement information related to the predicted coverage window to the terminal device, wherein the measurement information includes one or more expected measurement values ​​of the terminal device to determine whether the predicted coverage window is accurate or inaccurate.

[0066] In some example embodiments, the computer-readable medium may further include instructions, which, when executed by the network device, may cause the network device to further perform: receiving a request for the predicted coverage window from the terminal device, the request including at least one of the following: the number of at least one satellite serving the terminal device; the number of one or more satellites serving the terminal device before the predicted coverage window starts; the duration to be covered by the predicted coverage window; the time period after which the predicted coverage window starts; the timing at which the predicted coverage window starts; or the communication mode of the terminal device.

[0067] In some example embodiments, the predicted coverage window may be determined based on at least one of: satellite motion information; satellite coverage information; current location information of the terminal device; information of a current serving cell of the terminal device; a mapped cell identifier of the current serving cell of the terminal device; a travel plan of the terminal device; or information about a communication mode of the terminal device.

[0068] In some example embodiments, the measurement information may also include at least one of: one or more timings for performing the corresponding one or more expected measurements; one or more indexes corresponding to the one or more expected measurements; or, at least one threshold for determining whether the predicted coverage window is accurate or inaccurate.

[0069] In some example embodiments, the one or more expected measurement values ​​may include at least one of: timing of a downlink signal; received power of a downlink signal; a round-trip time between the terminal device and a reference point; a one-way delay between the terminal device and a reference point; a start time of the predicted coverage window; an end time of the predicted coverage window; or information of an expected cell.

[0070] In some example embodiments, the computer-readable medium may further include instructions that, when executed by the network device, may cause the network device to further perform: determining an updated predicted coverage window for the terminal device in at least one of the following situations: detecting that the terminal device performs a tracking area update; or receiving an inaccuracy indication from the terminal device indicating that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate.

[0071] In some example embodiments, the inaccuracy indication may include at least one of: a flag indicating that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate; a difference between a value of at least one measurement performed by the terminal device and at least one expected measurement value corresponding to the measurement information; a value of at least one measurement performed by the terminal device; a timing of at least one measurement performed by the terminal device; an index corresponding to at least one measurement performed by the terminal device; information about a serving cell of the terminal device; or current location information of the terminal device.

[0072] Other features and advantages of example embodiments of the present application will also be apparent from the following description of specific embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of example embodiments of the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0073] Some example embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting examples, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0074] Figure 1 An example sequence diagram for coverage window prediction according to an example embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0075] Figure 2 An exemplary process for performing coverage window prediction from the perspective of a UE according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0076] Figure 3 A flow chart illustrating an example method 300 for coverage window prediction according to an example embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0077] Figure 4 A flow chart illustrating an example method 400 for coverage window prediction according to an example embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0078] Figure 5 A block diagram illustrating an example apparatus 500 for coverage window prediction according to an example embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0079] Figure 6 A block diagram illustrating an example apparatus 600 for coverage window prediction according to an example embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0080] Figure 7A block diagram illustrating an example apparatus 700 for coverage window prediction according to an example embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0081] Figure 8 A block diagram illustrating an example device 800 for coverage window prediction according to an example embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0082] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements, and repeated description of the same elements will be omitted. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0083] Hereinafter, some example embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts can be practiced without these specific details. In some cases, well-known circuits, techniques, and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring the concepts and features described.

[0084] The exemplary embodiment of the present application provides a solution for providing a common understanding of the coverage window between the UE side and the network side in the NTN. According to the exemplary embodiment of the present application, the network can perform coverage window prediction and share the predicted coverage window with the UE. In addition, if the network predicts the coverage window is not accurate, the exemplary embodiment of the present application provides a mechanism to handle this situation.

[0085] Figure 1 An example sequence diagram for coverage window prediction according to an example embodiment of the present application is shown. Figure 1 UE 110 may represent any terminal device, such as a NB-IoT device or an eMTC device. Network device 150 may represent a mobility management function in an NTN, such as an access and mobility function (AMF) and / or a mobility management entity (MME), or the like in a CN.

[0086] Either UE 110 or network device 150 may initiate the coverage window prediction process for UE 110. Figure 1 , UE 110 may transmit a request 112 for a predicted coverage window to network device 150. In response to request 112, in operation 152, network device 150 may determine a predicted coverage window 158 of UE 110 and measurement information 160 related to predicted coverage window 158.

[0087] In one embodiment, request 112 may include at least one of the following: the number of at least one satellite serving UE 110; the number of one or more satellites serving UE 110 before the predicted coverage window begins; the duration that the coverage window is predicted to cover; the time period after which the coverage window is predicted to begin; the timing at which the coverage window is predicted to begin; or the communication mode of UE 110.

[0088] The number of at least one satellite serving UE 110 may indicate that UE 110 proposes a next specific number, such as M satellites covered by predicted coverage window 158. For example, assuming that SIB32 provides information of 4 satellites, if UE 110 proposes that predicted coverage window 158 may cover the time period for receiving the next 2 SIB32s, then M may be 8.

[0089] The number of one or more satellites serving UE 110 before the start of the predicted coverage window may indicate to UE 110 that the predicted coverage window 158 may cover a time period after the next specific number of satellites, such as N. For example, assuming that SIB32 provides information for 4 satellites, if UE 110 needs to be paged after receiving the next 3 SIB32 cycles, then N may be 12.

[0090] Alternatively, request 112 may indicate that UE 110 proposes that a certain number (e.g., M) of satellites after a certain number (e.g., N) of satellites be covered by predicted coverage window 158. For example, if UE 110 proposes that predicted coverage window 158 may cover 4 satellites after the next 8 satellites, M may be 4 and N may be 8.

[0091] The duration to be covered by the predicted coverage window may indicate the next specific duration, such as P hours, that UE 110 proposes to be covered by predicted coverage window 158. For example, if UE 110 proposes that predicted coverage window 158 may cover the next 4 hours, the duration P may be 4.

[0092] The time period after which the predicted coverage window begins may indicate to UE 110 that the predicted coverage window 158 may cover the time period after the next specified time period, such as Q hours. For example, if UE 110 needs to be paged after 12 hours, the time period Q may be 12.

[0093] The timing after which the predicted coverage window starts may indicate to UE 110 that the predicted coverage window 158 may cover a period of time after a certain timing (e.g., 9:30 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)). For example, if UE 110 needs to be paged after 9:30, the timing may be 9:30 UTC time.

[0094] Alternatively, request 112 may indicate that UE 110 is proposing a duration that begins after the time period covered by predicted coverage window 158. For example, if UE 110 is proposing that predicted coverage window 158 may cover a duration of 4 hours into the future beginning 8 hours later, duration P may be 4 and time period Q may be 8.

[0095] Alternatively, request 112 may indicate that UE 110 proposes a duration starting from the timing to be covered by predicted coverage window 158. For example, if UE 110 proposes that predicted coverage window 158 may cover a duration of 4 hours in the future starting from a timing of 9:30, duration P may be 4 and the timing may be 9:30.

[0096] Alternatively, request 112 may indicate a communication mode of UE 110 that suggests a timing and / or duration for which UE 110 requests coverage. For example, if UE 110 suggests a communication mode in which the UE will transmit / receive between 15:00–16:00, then predicted coverage window 158 may only need to cover 15:00-16:00. It should be appreciated that the above alternatives may be combined to indicate future coverage windows.

[0097] Upon receiving request 112, network device 150 may take request 112 into account in operation 152 to determine predicted coverage window 158 for UE 110. Alternatively, in an embodiment, network device 150 may perform operation 152 without request 112 and / or without taking request 112 into account.

[0098] In one embodiment, in operation 152, the network device 150 may determine the predicted coverage window 158 and / or the measurement information 160 based on the positioning information 114 of the UE 110. In one embodiment, the UE 110 may transmit its positioning information 114 to the network device 150.

[0099] In an embodiment, the positioning information 114 may include current positioning information of the UE 110, such as current location information of the UE 110, information about the current serving cell of the UE 110, and / or a mapped cell identifier (ID) of the current serving cell of the UE 110. The current location information may be, for example, a relatively accurate location of the UE 110, such as a relatively accurate longitude, latitude, etc. The information about the current serving cell of the UE 110 may be, for example, an ID of the current serving cell (e.g., an ID of a satellite Uu cell), from which the network device 150 may obtain an approximate location of the UE 110. From the mapped cell ID of the current serving cell of the UE 110, the network device 150 may obtain a rough location of the UE 110, which may be less accurate than the approximate location obtained from the current serving cell ID when the geographical area corresponding to the mapped cell ID is larger than the satellite beam coverage (or satellite Uu cell). In another example, when the geographical area corresponding to the mapped cell ID is smaller than the satellite beam coverage (or satellite Uu cell), the network device 150 can obtain a better position of the UE 110, which may be more accurate than the approximate position obtained from the current serving cell ID.

[0100] Alternatively or additionally, the positioning information 114 may include a trip plan of the UE 110, which may be future positioning information of the UE 110. For example, the trip plan may include the future location of the UE 110 and the corresponding timing of the UE 110 at the future location, and the trip plan may be in the form of a matrix or a table.

[0101] The above positioning information 114 may be provided by the UE 110. Alternatively or additionally, in one embodiment, the network device 150 may perform positioning for the UE 110 and obtain the positioning information 114. Alternatively or additionally, in one embodiment, the network device 150 may obtain the positioning information 114 from other network functions (e.g., location management function (LMF)) in the NTN.

[0102] Alternatively or additionally, in an embodiment, in operation 152 , the network device 150 may determine the predicted coverage window 158 and / or the measurement information 160 based on the satellite motion information and / or the satellite coverage information.

[0103] Alternatively or additionally, in an embodiment, in operation 152, the network device 150 may determine the predicted coverage window 158 and / or the measurement information 160 based on information about the communication mode of the UE 110. The information about the communication mode may be, for example, the behavior of the UE 110 observed by the network device 150. Alternatively or additionally, the information about the communication mode may be, for example, pre-specified expected UE behavior parameters of the UE 110, which may be, for example, the expected UE behavior parameters described in the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Technical Specification (TS) 23.502, including parameters such as cycle time, scheduled communication time, etc.

[0104] After operation 152, network device 150 may transmit information 156 about predicted coverage window 158 and measurement information 160 related to predicted coverage window 158 to UE 110. Information 156 may include, for example, a duration to be covered by predicted coverage window 158, a start time period after which predicted coverage window 158 starts, a satellite serving UE 110 to be covered by predicted coverage window 158, and / or a satellite used to serve UE 110 before predicted coverage window 158 starts, etc. Taking predicted coverage window 158 as an example, network device 150 may determine a plurality of discontinuous predicted coverage windows for UE 110, and transmit information of the plurality of discontinuous predicted coverage windows and corresponding measurement information to UE 110. In this case, predicted coverage window 158 may represent any one of the plurality of discontinuous predicted coverage windows.

[0105] The measurement information 160 may include one or more expected measurement values ​​for the terminal device to determine whether the predicted coverage window 158 is accurate. After receiving the information 156 about the predicted coverage window 158 and the measurement information 160 related to the predicted coverage window 158 from the network device 150, in operation 116, the UE 110 may perform at least one measurement according to the measurement information 160 according to the predicted coverage window 158. It should be noted that, since the UE 110 and / or a physical entity associated with the network device 150 may be moving, when the UE 110 performs the at least one measurement, the physical entity of the network device 150 may be different from the physical entity of the network device 150 when the UE 110 receives the information 156 about the predicted coverage window 158 and the measurement information 160. The network device 150 may be understood as a logical network device that serves the UE 110 for coverage window prediction. The at least one measurement may be performed slightly before, after, or during the predicted coverage window 158.

[0106] In one embodiment, the measurement information 160 may also include at least one of the following: one or more timings for performing the corresponding one or more expected measurements; one or more indexes corresponding to the one or more expected measurements; or at least one threshold for determining whether the predicted coverage window 158 is accurate or inaccurate.

[0107] The one or more expected measurement values ​​may involve different types of measurements. In an embodiment, the one or more expected measurement values ​​may include at least one of the following: timing of a downlink signal; received power of a downlink signal (or signal strength of a downlink signal); round trip time (RTT) between UE 110 and a reference point; one-way delay between UE 110 and a reference point; predicted start time of coverage window 158; predicted end time of coverage window 158; or information of an expected cell. The reference point may be an expected satellite, a base station (BS), or a point defined in a 3GPP specification.

[0108] Assuming that the predicted coverage window 158 is a future duration from 10:00 am to 10:10 am, the measurement information 160 may include: for example, RTT measurement and the corresponding expected measurement value are performed at 10:02, downlink signal received power measurement and the corresponding expected measurement value are performed at 10:04, coverage window estimation is performed at 10:06, and the corresponding expected measurement value is the start time 10:00 and the end time 10:10 of the predicted coverage window 158, etc. UE 110 may perform coverage window estimation based on satellite assistance information (including, for example, ephemeris, the start time of the earth-fixed cell, etc.) and / or coverage information from, for example, SIB31 and / or SIB32.

[0109] At least one threshold may be used to compare with the difference between the value of at least one measurement actually performed and the corresponding expected measurement value. Alternatively or additionally, at least one threshold or some of the at least one threshold may be determined by UE 110. The information of the expected cell may be, for example, that the satellite cell ID at 10:08 will be 1001.

[0110] One or more expected measurement values ​​in the measurement information 160 may also correspond to one or more indexes. For example, the expected measurement at 10:02 has index 1, and the expected measurement at 10:04 has index 2, and so on.

[0111] Then, in operation 118, UE 110 may determine whether predicted coverage window 158 is accurate or inaccurate based on the value of the at least one measurement performed and the corresponding at least one expected measurement value from the one or more expected measurement values. As an option, UE 110 may avoid performing some expected measurements in measurement information 160. For example, the RTT measurement at 10:02 and / or the measurement of the information of the serving cell at 10:08 may be omitted.

[0112] In operation 118, UE 110 may determine that the predicted coverage window 158 is inaccurate in at least one of the following situations: when the difference between the value of at least one measurement performed and the corresponding at least one expected measurement value exceeds a corresponding threshold; or when information from the serving cell of at least one measurement performed is different from information of the expected cell.

[0113] For example, when the expected end time of the predicted coverage window 158 is 10:10, and the end time of the actually measured coverage window is 10:09, if the corresponding threshold is 20s, the UE 110 may determine that the predicted coverage window 158 is inaccurate. The threshold of 20s may come from the measurement information 160 determined by the UE 110, or a fixed value defined in the 3GPP specification, etc.

[0114] Alternatively or additionally, for example, if the serving cell ID at 10:08 according to measurements actually performed is 1002, which is different from the expected cell ID 1001 at 10:08, UE 110 may determine that predicted coverage window 158 is inaccurate.

[0115] In the case where UE 110 determines in operation 118 that the predicted coverage window 158 is accurate (the "yes" branch of operation 118), UE 110 may remain in a radio resource control (RRC) idle state or an RRC inactive state in operation 120. UE 110 may remain in the RRC idle or inactive state until UE 110 needs to communicate with the network side and / or needs an updated coverage window prediction. As an option, UE 110 may notify network device 150 that the predicted coverage window 158 is accurate.

[0116] In the event that the UE 110 determines in operation 118 that the predicted coverage window 158 is inaccurate (the "No" branch of operation 118), the UE 110 may transmit an inaccuracy indication 122 indicating that the predicted coverage window 158 is inaccurate to the network device 150. It should be noted that the network device 150 may be understood as a logical network device that serves the UE 110 for coverage window prediction. Because the UE 110 and / or a physical entity associated with the network device 150 may be moving, the physical entity of the network device 150 when receiving the inaccuracy indication 122 may be different from the physical entity of the network device 150 when transmitting the information 156 and the measurement information 160 of the predicted coverage window 158.

[0117] In an embodiment, the inaccuracy indication 122 may include at least one of the following: a flag indicating that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate; a difference between the value of at least one measurement performed and the corresponding at least one expected measurement value; the value of at least one measurement performed; the timing of at least one measurement performed; an index corresponding to at least one measurement performed; information of a serving cell of the UE 110; or current location information of the UE 110. In the case where the inaccuracy indication 122 includes the index of the performed measurement (e.g., index 2), the corresponding time of performing the measurement (e.g., 10:04) may be omitted from the inaccuracy indication 122, and vice versa. Alternatively or additionally, in the case where the inaccuracy indication 122 includes the value of at least one measurement performed, the difference from the corresponding expected measurement value may be omitted from the inaccuracy indication 122, and vice versa. Alternatively or additionally, if the UE 110 has not moved since receiving the information 160 about the predicted coverage window 158, the current location information of the UE 110 may be omitted from the inaccuracy indication 122. Alternatively or additionally, if the serving cell is the expected cell, information of the serving cell of UE 110 may be omitted from inaccuracy indication 122. Alternatively, inaccuracy indication 122 may only include a flag indicating that predicted coverage window 158 is inaccurate.

[0118] In an embodiment, UE 110 may transmit the imprecision indication 122 via an early data transfer (EDT) procedure or a small data transfer (SDT) procedure or a similar procedure, so that UE 110 may be released to the RRC idle state after transmitting the imprecision indication 122 .

[0119] In one embodiment, upon observing a change in the location of UE 110, UE 110 may transmit another request 124 for an updated predicted coverage window to network device 150. For example, if UE 110 observes that its location has changed, UE 110 may request an updated predicted coverage window from network device 150 and avoid determining whether predicted coverage window 158 is accurate or inaccurate. Alternatively, UE 110 may provide network device 150 with its latest location to improve coverage window prediction accuracy. In response to another request 124, in operation 162, network device 150 may determine an updated predicted coverage window for UE 110.

[0120] Alternatively or additionally, if it is determined in operation 118 that predicted coverage window 158 is inaccurate, UE 110 may transmit another request 124 to network device 150 for an updated predicted coverage window.

[0121] Alternatively or additionally, in operation 162, if UE 110 is detected to perform a tracking area update (TAU) and / or inaccuracy indication 122 is received, network device 150 may determine an updated predicted coverage window for UE 110. For example, if inaccuracy indication 122 indicates that UE 110 accesses an unexpected cell, network device 150 may perform an updated coverage window prediction in operation 162.

[0122] Figure 2 An exemplary process of performing coverage window prediction from the perspective of a UE according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application is shown. According to the exemplary process, UE 110 may represent a UE, and network device 150 may act as a network. Figure 1 The details of the description are briefly described or omitted.

[0123] In operation 210, UE 110 may optionally request network device 150 to perform coverage window prediction. Alternatively or additionally, as an option, if UE 110 knows its travel plan and / or communication pattern, UE 110 may provide network device 150 with its travel plan and / or communication pattern.

[0124] In operation 215, UE 110 may receive coverage window prediction information from network device 150, and the information may include, for example, information about the predicted coverage window and measurement information related to the predicted coverage window.

[0125] Then, in operation 220, UE 110 may monitor paging based on the predicted coverage window, e.g., slightly before, after, or during the predicted coverage window, and in operation 225, UE 110 may measure a coverage window accuracy metric, which may be at least one measurement value indicated by the measurement information received in operation 215.

[0126] For example, the coverage window is predicted to be from 10:00 to 12:00, and the measurement information includes a coverage window accuracy metric about the timing of the downlink signal. For example, the network device 150 may predict that the propagation delay of the downlink signal toward the UE 110 at the future time T is X μs. For example, the expected measurement value may be that at time T1 (e.g., 10:00), the propagation delay of the downlink signal is expected to be 3000 μs, at time T2 (e.g., 11:00), the propagation delay of the downlink signal is expected to be 3050 μs, and at time T3 (e.g., 12:00), the propagation delay of the downlink signal is expected to be 3200 μs.

[0127] The downlink signal may be, for example, a synchronization signal block (SSB), which may be a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and / or a secondary synchronization signal (SSS) for IoT, a SIB with UTC, a master information block (MIB) carrying a system frame number (SFN), or a dedicated time reference signal or the like. UE 110 may measure the propagation delay of the downlink signal. Propagation delay = reception timing - transmission timing. Taking SSB as an example of a downlink signal, UE 110 may obtain the transmission timing based on the SFN of the SSB, and obtain the reception timing based on the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) and / or another reference clock (e.g., the clock of the modem). Therefore, at time T, UE 110 may measure the actual propagation delay Yμs of the downlink signal, and obtain the timing difference at time T by calculating the difference between the value Yμs of the measurement performed and the corresponding expected measurement value Xμs.

[0128] Then, in operation 230, UE 110 can determine whether the predicted coverage window is accurate or inaccurate by comparing the difference between the value of the performed measurement and the corresponding expected measurement value with the corresponding threshold, and if the difference exceeds the threshold, it can be determined that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate, which can be at least part of operation 118.

[0129] For example, UE 110 may compare the difference between the performed measured value Yμs and the corresponding expected measured value Xμs with a corresponding threshold and may determine that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate if the difference exceeds the threshold, which may be at least part of operation 118 .

[0130] The situation where the difference between the value of at least one performed measurement and the corresponding at least one expected measurement value exceeds the corresponding threshold value may include at least one of the following.

[0131] One scenario may be, for example, comparing the time difference between Yμs at time T1 and Xμs at time T1 with a corresponding threshold, comparing the time difference between Yμs at time T2 and Xμs at time T2 with a corresponding threshold, comparing the timing difference between Yμs at time T3 and Xμs at time T3 with a corresponding threshold, and if any timing difference exceeds the corresponding threshold, the predicted coverage window may be considered inaccurate.

[0132] One scenario, for example, may be: comparing the sum of the time difference between Yμs at time T1 and Xμs at time T1, the time difference between Yμs at time T2 and Xμs at time T2, and the time difference between Yμs at time T3 and Xμs at time T3 with the corresponding threshold value; if the sum of the time differences exceeds the corresponding threshold value, it may be considered that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate.

[0133] One scenario, for example, may be to compare the average values ​​of the time difference between Yμs at time T1 and Xμs at time T1, the time difference between Yμs at time T2 and Xμs at time T2, and the time difference between Yμs at time T3 and Xμs at time T3 with the corresponding threshold value. If the average value of the timing difference exceeds the corresponding threshold value, it may be considered that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate.

[0134] It is understood that the comparison of the difference between the value of at least one measurement performed and the corresponding at least one expected measurement value with the corresponding threshold value may be performed in other forms. For example, the expected measurement value may be the expected received power at a specific moment, and the UE 110 may compare the difference between the at least one received power measurement value performed at the specific moment with the corresponding threshold value.

[0135] If the coverage window accuracy metric does not exceed the threshold ("yes" branch of operation 230), which means that the predicted coverage window is accurate, UE 110 may perform operation 220 to monitor paging according to the predicted coverage window.

[0136] If the coverage window accuracy metric exceeds the threshold (“No” branch of operation 230), which means that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate, then in operation 235, UE 110 may report the predicted coverage window inaccuracy to network device 150 by, for example, transmitting an inaccuracy indication 122. Then, UE 110 may receive an updated predicted coverage window in operation 215.

[0137] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present application, the UE can monitor paging during a specific satellite and / or duration without providing coverage predictions to the network, and thus the battery life of the UE can be improved. If the gap between coverage windows is shorter than the communication interval of the UE, the UE power budget can be optimized because the UE does not need to provide a new or updated coverage window every time a new satellite is able to provide coverage. In addition, compared to IoT UEs, network equipment at the CN can obtain ephemeris information for many satellites, better algorithms / models, and more processing power to perform more accurate predictions on coverage windows. In addition, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application, the UE can detect coverage window prediction errors and help the network restore prediction accuracy, so the exemplary embodiment of the present invention also provides a mechanism to handle coverage window prediction errors in the CN. In addition, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application, since the UE can obtain UE-specific coverage window information, the cell can reduce the amount of information broadcast in SIB32.

[0138] Figure 3 A flow chart illustrating an example method 300 for coverage window prediction according to an example embodiment of the present application is shown. The example method 300 may be performed by a terminal device (such as UE 110), for example.

[0139] refer to Figure 3 , the example method 300 may include: operation 310, receiving information about a predicted coverage window and measurement information related to the predicted coverage window from a network device, the measurement information including one or more expected measurement values; operation 320, performing at least one measurement based on the predicted coverage window and the measurement information; and operation 330, determining whether the predicted coverage window is accurate or inaccurate based on the value of at least one measurement performed and at least one corresponding expected measurement value from the one or more expected measurement values.

[0140] The details of operation 310 have been described above in the description of at least the information 156, the predicted coverage window 158, the measurement information 160, and operation 215, and a repeated description thereof is omitted here.

[0141] The details of operation 320 have been described above at least in the description of operation 116 and operation 225, and a repeated description thereof is omitted here.

[0142] The details of operation 330 have been described above at least in the description of operation 118 and operation 230, and a repeated description thereof is omitted here.

[0143] In one embodiment, the example method 300 may also include an operation of transmitting a request for a predicted coverage window to a network device, the request including at least one of the following: the number of at least one satellite serving the terminal device; the number of one or more satellites serving the terminal device before the predicted coverage window starts; the duration to be covered by the predicted coverage window; the time period after which the predicted coverage window starts; the timing after which the predicted coverage window starts; or the communication mode of the terminal device. More detailed details have been described above at least for request 112, and will not be repeated here.

[0144] In one embodiment, the example method 300 may further include an operation of transmitting positioning information of the terminal device to the network device, where the positioning information includes at least one of the following: current location information of the terminal device; information about the current serving cell of the terminal device; a mapped cell identifier of the current serving cell of the terminal device; or a trip plan of the terminal device. At least the positioning information 114 has been described in more detail in the above description and will not be repeated here.

[0145] In one embodiment, the measurement information may further include at least one of the following: one or more timings for performing the corresponding one or more expected measurements; one or more indexes corresponding to the one or more expected measurements; or at least one threshold for determining whether the predicted coverage window is accurate or inaccurate. At least the measurement information 160 has been described in more detail in the above description and will not be repeated here.

[0146] In one embodiment, the one or more expected measurement values ​​may include at least one of the following: timing of a downlink signal; received power of a downlink signal; RRT between a terminal device and a reference point; one-way delay between a terminal device and a reference point; predicted start time of a coverage window; predicted end time of a coverage window; or information of an expected cell, and the predicted coverage window may be determined to be inaccurate in at least one of the following cases: the difference between the value of at least one measurement performed and the corresponding at least one expected measurement value exceeds a corresponding threshold; or the information of the serving cell of at least one measurement performed is different from the information of the expected cell. More detailed details have been described at least for measurement information 160, operations 116 and 118, and operations 225 and 230 in the above description, and their repeated descriptions are omitted here.

[0147] In one embodiment, the example method 300 may further include, when determining that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate, transmitting an inaccuracy indication to the network device indicating that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate. More detailed details have been described in the above description at least for the inaccuracy indication 122 and operation 235, and a repeated description thereof is omitted here.

[0148] In one embodiment, the inaccuracy indication may include at least one of the following: a flag indicating that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate; a difference between the value of at least one measurement performed and the corresponding at least one expected measurement value; the value of at least one measurement performed; the timing of at least one measurement performed; an index corresponding to at least one measurement performed; information about a serving cell of the terminal device; or current location information of the terminal device. At least with respect to the inaccuracy indication 122, the above description has been described in more detail and will not be repeated here.

[0149] In an embodiment, the inaccuracy indication may be transmitted via an early data transmission procedure or a small data transmission procedure.

[0150] In one embodiment, the exemplary method 300 may further include maintaining the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state when the predicted coverage window is determined to be accurate. At least for operation 120, the above description has described more detailed details, which will not be repeated here.

[0151] In one embodiment, the example method 300 may further include an operation of transmitting another request for an updated predicted coverage window to the network device in at least one of the following situations: observing a change in the location of the terminal device; or determining that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate. More detailed details have been described for at least another request 124 in the above description, which will not be repeated here.

[0152] Figure 4 A flow chart illustrating an example method 400 of coverage window prediction according to an example embodiment of the present application is shown. The example method 400 may be performed, for example, by a network device (such as network device 150).

[0153] refer to Figure 4 , the example method 400 may include: operation 410, determining a predicted coverage window and measurement information related to the predicted coverage window for a terminal device; and operation 420, transmitting information about the predicted coverage window and measurement information related to the predicted coverage window to the terminal device, the measurement information including one or more expected measurement values ​​of the terminal device to determine whether the predicted coverage window is accurate or inaccurate.

[0154] The details of operation 410 have been described above at least in the description of operation 152, and a repeated description thereof is omitted here.

[0155] The details of operation 420 have been described above with respect to at least the information 156, the predicted coverage window 158, and the measurement information 160, and a repeated description thereof is omitted here.

[0156] In one embodiment, the example method 400 may further include an operation of receiving a request for a predicted coverage window from a terminal device, the request including at least one of the following: the number of at least one satellite serving the terminal device; the number of one or more satellites serving the terminal device before the predicted coverage window starts; the duration to be covered by the predicted coverage window; the time period after which the predicted coverage window starts; the timing after which the predicted coverage window starts; or the communication mode of the terminal device. More detailed details have been described above at least for request 112, and will not be repeated here.

[0157] In one embodiment, the predicted coverage window may be determined based on at least one of: satellite motion information; satellite coverage information; current location information of the terminal device; information about a current serving cell of the terminal device; a mapped cell identifier of the current serving cell of the terminal device; a trip plan of the terminal device; or information about a communication mode of the terminal device. At least for operation 152, the above description has described more detailed details, which will not be repeated here.

[0158] In one embodiment, the measurement information may further include at least one of the following: one or more timings for performing the corresponding one or more expected measurements; one or more indexes corresponding to the one or more expected measurements; or at least one threshold for determining whether the predicted coverage window is accurate or inaccurate. At least the measurement information 160 has been described in more detail in the above description and will not be repeated here.

[0159] In one embodiment, the one or more expected measurement values ​​may include at least one of the following: timing of a downlink signal; received power of a downlink signal; RRT between a terminal device and a reference point; one-way delay between a terminal device and a reference point; predicted start time of a coverage window; predicted end time of a coverage window; or information of an expected cell. More detailed details have been described in the above description at least for measurement information 160, operations 116 and 118, and operations 225 and 230, and their repeated descriptions are omitted here.

[0160] In one embodiment, the example method 400 may further include an operation of determining an updated predicted coverage window for the terminal device in at least one of the following situations: detecting that the terminal device performs a tracking area update; or receiving an inaccuracy indication from the terminal device indicating that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate. At least for operation 162, the above description has described more detailed details, which will not be repeated here.

[0161] In one embodiment, the inaccuracy indication may include at least one of the following: a flag indicating that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate; a difference between a value of at least one measurement performed by the terminal device and at least one corresponding expected measurement value in the measurement information; a value of at least one measurement performed by the terminal device; a timing of at least one measurement performed by the terminal device; an index corresponding to at least one measurement performed by the terminal device; information about a serving cell of the terminal device; or current location information of the terminal device. At least the above description has been described in more detail with respect to the inaccuracy indication 122, and will not be repeated here.

[0162] Figure 5 A block diagram illustrating an example apparatus 500 for coverage window prediction according to an example embodiment of the present application is shown. The apparatus may be, for example, at least a part of a terminal device such as UE 110 in the above example.

[0163] like Figure 5 As shown, the example apparatus 500 may include at least one processor 510 and at least one memory 520 that may store instructions 530. When the instructions 530 are executed by the at least one processor 510, the device 500 may be caused to perform at least the example method 300 described above.

[0164] In various example embodiments, at least one processor 510 in the example apparatus 500 may include, but is not limited to, at least one hardware processor, including at least one microprocessor such as a central processing unit (CPU); a portion of at least one hardware processor; and any other suitable dedicated processor, such as a processor developed based on, for example, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) and an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). In addition, the at least one processor 510 may also include Figure 5 At least one other circuit or element not shown.

[0165] In various example embodiments, at least one memory 520 in the example apparatus 500 may include at least one storage medium in various forms, such as volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory. Volatile memory may include, but is not limited to, for example, random access memory (RAM), cache, etc. Non-volatile memory may include, but is not limited to, for example, read-only memory (ROM), hard disk, flash memory, etc. The term "non-volatile" as used herein is a limitation of the media itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal), rather than a limitation of data storage persistence (e.g., RAM vs. ROM). In addition, at least memory 520 may include, but is not limited to, electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, devices, or equipment, or any combination of the foregoing.

[0166] Furthermore, in various example embodiments, the example apparatus 500 may further include at least one other circuit, element, and interface, such as at least one I / O interface, at least one antenna element, and the like.

[0167] In various example embodiments, the circuits, components, elements, and interfaces in the example device 500 include at least one processor 510 and at least one memory 520 that may be coupled together in any suitable manner (e.g., electrically, magnetically, optically, electromagnetically, etc.) via any suitable connection (including, but not limited to, buses, switching lines, wiring, and / or wireless lines).

[0168] It is understandable that the structure of the device on the UE 110 side is not limited to the above-mentioned example device 500.

[0169] Figure 6 A block diagram illustrating an example apparatus 600 for coverage window prediction according to an example embodiment of the present application is shown. The apparatus may be, for example, at least a part of a network device, such as the network device 150 in the above example.

[0170] like Figure 6 As shown, the example apparatus 600 may include at least one processor 610 and at least one memory 620 that may store instructions 630. When the instructions 630 are executed by the at least one processor 610, the apparatus 600 may be caused to perform at least the example method 400 described above.

[0171] In various example embodiments, the at least one processor 610 in the example apparatus 600 may include, but is not limited to, at least one hardware processor, including at least one microprocessor, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a portion of at least one hardware processor, and any other suitable dedicated processor such as those developed based on, for example, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) and an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). In addition, the at least one processor 610 may also include Figure 6 At least one other circuit or element not shown.

[0172] In various example embodiments, at least one memory 620 in the example device 600 may include at least one storage medium in various forms, such as volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory. Volatile memory may include, but is not limited to, for example, random access memory (RAM), cache, etc. Non-volatile memory may include, but is not limited to, for example, read-only memory (ROM), hard disk, flash memory, etc. The term "non-transient" as used herein is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal), not a limitation of data storage persistence (e.g., RAM vs. read-only memory). In addition, at least memory 620 may include, but is not limited to, electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, devices or devices, or any combination of the above.

[0173] Furthermore, in various example embodiments, the example apparatus 600 may further include at least one other circuit, element, and interface, such as at least one I / O interface, at least one antenna element, and the like.

[0174] In various example embodiments, the circuits, components, elements, and interfaces in the example device 600, including at least one processor 610 and at least one memory 620, may be coupled together in any suitable manner (e.g., electrically, magnetically, optically, electromagnetically, etc.) via any suitable connection (including, but not limited to, buses, switching lines, wiring, and / or wireless lines).

[0175] It is understandable that the device structure on the network device 150 side is not limited to the above-mentioned example device 600.

[0176] Figure 7 A block diagram of an example device 700 for coverage window prediction according to an example embodiment of the present application is shown. The device may be, for example, at least a part of a terminal device (such as the UE 110 in the above example).

[0177] like Figure 7 As shown, the example device 700 may include means 710 for performing operation 310 of the example method 300, means 720 for performing operation 320 of the example method 300, and means 730 for performing operation 330 of the example method 300. In one or more other example embodiments, the example device 700 may further include at least one I / O interface, at least one antenna element, and the like.

[0178] In one embodiment, the example device 700 may also include a device for transmitting a request for a predicted coverage window to a network device, the request including at least one of: the number of at least one satellite serving the terminal device; the number of one or more satellites serving the terminal device before the predicted coverage window starts; the time period to be covered by the predicted coverage window; the time period after which the predicted coverage window starts; the timing after which the predicted coverage window starts; or the communication mode of the terminal device.

[0179] In one embodiment, the example device 700 may also include a device for transmitting positioning information of the terminal device to the network device, the positioning information including at least one of the following: current location information of the terminal device; information about the current serving cell of the terminal device; a mapped cell identifier of the current serving cell of the terminal device; or a travel plan of the terminal device.

[0180] In one embodiment, the measurement information may also include at least one of the following: one or more timings for performing the corresponding one or more expected measurements; one or more indexes corresponding to the one or more expected measurements; or at least one threshold for determining whether the predicted coverage window is accurate.

[0181] In one embodiment, one or more expected measurement values ​​may include at least one of: timing of a downlink signal; received power of a downlink signal; RRT between a terminal device and a reference point; one-way delay between a terminal device and a reference point; predicted start time of a coverage window; predicted end time of a coverage window; or information of an expected cell, and the predicted coverage window may be determined to be inaccurate in at least one of the following cases: the difference between the value of at least one measurement performed and the corresponding at least one expected measurement value exceeds a corresponding threshold; or the information of a serving cell of at least one measurement performed is different from the information of an expected cell.

[0182] In an embodiment, the example device 700 may further include: means for transmitting an inaccuracy indication indicating that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate to the network device if it is determined that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate.

[0183] In one embodiment, the inaccuracy indication may include at least one of the following: a flag indicating that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate; a difference between the value of at least one measurement performed and the corresponding at least one expected measurement value; the value of at least one measurement performed; the timing of at least one measurement performed; an index corresponding to at least one measurement performed; information about a serving cell of the terminal device; or current location information of the terminal device.

[0184] In an embodiment, the inaccuracy indication may be transmitted via an early data transmission procedure or a small data transmission procedure.

[0185] In an embodiment, the example device 700 may also include means for remaining in the RRC idle state or the RRC inactive state if it is determined that the predicted coverage window is accurate.

[0186] In an embodiment, the example device 700 may further include: means for transmitting another request for an updated predicted coverage window to the network device in at least one of the following situations: observing a change in the location of the terminal device; or determining that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate.

[0187] In some example embodiments, the examples of means in the example device 700 may include circuitry. For example, the example of means 710 may include circuitry configured to perform operation 310 of the example method 300, the example of means 720 may include circuitry configured to perform operation 320 of the example method 300, and the example of means 730 may include circuitry configured to perform operation 330 of the example method 300.

[0188] The example apparatus 700 may also include means of circuitry configured to perform the example method 300. In some example embodiments, examples of means may also include software modules and any other suitable functional entities.

[0189] Figure 8 A block diagram illustrating an example device 800 for coverage window prediction according to an example embodiment of the present application is shown. The device may be, for example, at least a part of a network device (such as the network device 150 in the above example).

[0190] like Figure 8 As shown, the example device 800 may include means 810 for performing operation 410 of the example method 400, and means 820 for performing operation 420 of the example method 400. In one or more other example embodiments, the example device 800 may further include at least one I / O interface, at least one antenna element, and the like.

[0191] In one embodiment, the example device 800 may also include a device for receiving a request for a predicted coverage window from a terminal device, the request including at least one of: the number of at least one satellite serving the terminal device; the number of one or more satellites serving the terminal device before the predicted coverage window begins; the duration of the predicted coverage window to be covered; the time period after which the predicted coverage window begins; the timing after which the predicted coverage window begins; or the communication mode of the terminal device.

[0192] In one embodiment, the predicted coverage window can be determined based on at least one of: satellite motion information; satellite coverage information; current location information of the terminal device; information about the current serving cell of the terminal device; a mapped cell identifier of the current serving cell of the terminal device; a travel plan of the terminal device; or information about the communication mode of the terminal device.

[0193] In one embodiment, the measurement information may also include at least one of the following: one or more timings for performing corresponding one or more expected measurements; one or more indexes corresponding to one or more expected measurements; or at least one threshold for determining whether the predicted coverage window is accurate or inaccurate.

[0194] In one embodiment, one or more expected measurement values ​​may include at least one of: timing of a downlink signal; received power of a downlink signal; RRT between a terminal device and a reference point; one-way delay between a terminal device and a reference point; predicted start time of a coverage window; predicted end time of a coverage window; or information of an expected cell.

[0195] In one embodiment, the example device 800 may also include a device for determining an updated predicted coverage window for the terminal device in at least one of the following situations: detecting that the terminal device performs a tracking area update; or receiving an inaccuracy indication from the terminal device indicating that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate.

[0196] In one embodiment, the inaccuracy indication may include at least one of the following: a flag indicating that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate; a difference between a value of at least one measurement performed by the terminal device and at least one expected measurement value corresponding to the measurement information; a value of at least one measurement performed by the terminal device; the timing of at least one measurement performed by the terminal device; an index corresponding to at least one measurement performed by the terminal device; information about a serving cell of the terminal device; or current location information of the terminal device.

[0197] In some example embodiments, an example of means in the example device 800 may include circuitry. For example, an example of means 810 may include circuitry configured to perform operation 410 of the example method 400, and an example of means 820 may include circuitry configured to perform operation 420 of the example method 400.

[0198] The example apparatus 800 may also include means of circuitry configured to perform the example method 400. In some example embodiments, examples of means may also include software modules and any other suitable functional entities.

[0199] An example embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable medium including program instructions, which, when executed by a terminal device (such as UE 110 in the above example), can cause the terminal device to at least perform: receiving information about a predicted coverage window and measurement information related to the predicted coverage window from a network device, the measurement information including one or more expected measurement values; performing at least one measurement based on the predicted coverage window according to the measurement information; and determining whether the predicted coverage window is accurate or inaccurate based on the value of the at least one measurement performed and at least one expected measurement value corresponding to the one or more expected measurement values.

[0200] In one embodiment, the computer-readable medium may also include instructions, which, when executed by the terminal device, may cause the terminal device to further execute: transmitting a request for a predicted coverage window to a network device, the request including at least one of the following: the number of at least one satellite serving the terminal device; the number of one or more satellites serving the terminal device before the predicted coverage window starts; the duration of the predicted coverage window to be covered; the time period after which the predicted coverage window starts; the timing at which the predicted coverage window starts; or the communication mode of the terminal device.

[0201] In one embodiment, the computer-readable medium may also include instructions, which, when executed by the terminal device, may cause the terminal device to further execute: transmitting positioning information of the terminal device to a network device, the positioning information including at least one of the following: current location information of the terminal device; information about a current serving cell of the terminal device; a mapped cell identifier of the current serving cell of the terminal device; or a travel plan of the terminal device.

[0202] In one embodiment, the measurement information may also include at least one of the following: one or more timings for performing corresponding one or more expected measurements; one or more indexes corresponding to one or more expected measurements; or at least one threshold for determining whether the predicted coverage window is accurate or inaccurate.

[0203] In one embodiment, one or more expected measurement values ​​may include at least one of: timing of a downlink signal; received power of a downlink signal; RRT between a terminal device and a reference point; one-way delay between a terminal device and a reference point; predicted start time of a coverage window; predicted end time of a coverage window; or information of an expected cell, and the predicted coverage window may be determined to be inaccurate in at least one of the following cases: the difference between the value of at least one measurement performed and the corresponding at least one expected measurement value exceeds a corresponding threshold; or the information of a serving cell of at least one measurement performed is different from the information of an expected cell.

[0204] In one embodiment, the computer-readable medium may further include instructions, which when executed by the terminal device, may cause the terminal device to further execute: if it is determined that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate, transmit an inaccuracy indication indicating that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate to the network device.

[0205] In one embodiment, the inaccuracy indication may include at least one of the following: a flag indicating that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate; a difference between the value of at least one measurement performed and the corresponding at least one expected measurement value; the value of at least one measurement performed; the timing of at least one measurement performed; an index corresponding to at least one measurement performed; information about a serving cell of the terminal device; or current location information of the terminal device.

[0206] In an embodiment, the inaccuracy indication may be transmitted via an early data transmission procedure or a small data transmission procedure.

[0207] In one embodiment, the computer-readable medium may further include instructions, which, when executed by the terminal device, may cause the terminal device to further execute: when it is determined that the predicted coverage window is accurate, maintain an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state.

[0208] In one embodiment, the computer-readable medium may also include instructions, which, when executed by the terminal device, may cause the terminal device to further execute: transmitting another request for an updated predicted coverage window to the network device in at least one of the following situations: observing a change in the location of the terminal device; or determining that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate.

[0209] The example embodiments of the present application also provide a computer-readable medium comprising program instructions, which, when executed by a network device (e.g., network device 150 in the above example), can cause the network device to at least perform the following: determining a predicted coverage window and measurement information related to the predicted coverage window for a terminal device; and transmitting information about the predicted coverage window and measurement information related to the predicted coverage window to the terminal device, the measurement information including one or more expected measurement values ​​of the terminal device to determine whether the predicted coverage window is accurate or inaccurate.

[0210] In one embodiment, the computer-readable medium may also include instructions, which, when executed by the network device, can cause the network device to further execute: receiving a request for a predicted coverage window from a terminal device, the request including at least one of the following: the number of at least one satellite serving the terminal device; the number of one or more satellites serving the terminal device before the predicted coverage window starts; the duration to be covered by the predicted coverage window; the time period after which the predicted coverage window starts; the timing at which the predicted coverage window starts; or the communication mode of the terminal device.

[0211] In one embodiment, the predicted coverage window can be determined based on at least one of: satellite motion information; satellite coverage information; current location information of the terminal device; information about the current serving cell of the terminal device; a mapped cell identifier of the current serving cell of the terminal device; a travel plan of the terminal device; or information about the communication mode of the terminal device.

[0212] In one embodiment, the measurement information may also include at least one of the following: one or more timings for performing corresponding one or more expected measurements; one or more indexes corresponding to one or more expected measurements; or at least one threshold for determining whether the predicted coverage window is accurate or inaccurate.

[0213] In one embodiment, one or more expected measurement values ​​may include at least one of: timing of a downlink signal; received power of a downlink signal; RRT between a terminal device and a reference point; one-way delay between a terminal device and a reference point; predicted start time of a coverage window; predicted end time of a coverage window; or information of an expected cell.

[0214] In one embodiment, the computer-readable medium may also include instructions that, when executed by the network device, may cause the network device to further perform: determining an updated predicted coverage window for the terminal device in at least one of the following situations: detecting that the terminal device performs a tracking area update; or receiving an inaccuracy indication from the terminal device indicating that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate.

[0215] In one embodiment, the inaccuracy indication may include at least one of the following: a flag indicating that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate; a difference between a value of at least one measurement performed by the terminal device and at least one expected measurement value corresponding to the measurement information; a value of at least one measurement performed by the terminal device; the timing of at least one measurement performed by the terminal device; an index corresponding to at least one measurement performed by the terminal device; information about a serving cell of the terminal device; or current location information of the terminal device.

[0216] As used herein, “at least one of: ” and “at least one of ” and similar expressions, where a list of two or more elements is connected by “and” or “or”, mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0217] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. As an example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), user station (SS), portable user station, mobile station (MS) or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices may include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smart phones, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablet computers, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, game terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, vehicle-mounted wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop mounted devices (LMEs), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPEs), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, head mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial and / or automated process chain environments), consumer electronic devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. The terminal device may also correspond to the mobile terminal (MT) part of an IAB node (eg, a relay node). In the above description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0218] The term "circuitry" throughout this application may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) a hardware-only implementation of a circuit (such as an implementation in analog and / or digital circuits only); (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (where applicable); (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry and software / firmware; and (ii) a hardware processor and any portion of software (including a digital signal processor), software, and memory that work together to enable a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions); and (c) a hardware circuit and / or processor that requires software (e.g., firmware) to operate, such as a microprocessor or a portion of a microprocessor, but the software may not be present when not required to operate. This definition of circuitry applies to one or all uses of the term in this application (including in any claims). As a further example, as used in this application, the term "circuitry" also covers an implementation of a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. For example, and where applicable to a claim element, the term circuitry also covers a baseband integrated circuit or a processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or networking equipment.

[0219] Another example embodiment may involve computer program code or instructions that cause an apparatus to perform at least the above-described corresponding method. Another example embodiment may involve a computer-readable medium having such computer program code or instructions stored thereon. In some embodiments, such a computer-readable medium may include at least one storage medium in various forms, such as volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory. Volatile memory may include, but is not limited to, for example, RAM, cache, etc. Non-volatile memory may include, but is not limited to, ROM, hard disk, flash memory, etc. Non-volatile memory may also include, but is not limited to, electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared or semiconductor systems, devices or equipment or any combination thereof.

[0220] Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the specification and claims, the words "include", "comprises", etc. should be interpreted in an inclusive sense, rather than exclusive or exhaustive; that is, in the sense of "including but not limited to". As generally used herein, the term "coupled" refers to two or more elements that can be directly connected, or connected through one or more intermediate elements. Similarly, as generally used herein, the term "connected" refers to two or more elements that can be directly connected or connected through one or more intermediate elements. In addition, when used in this application, the words "herein", "above", "below" and words of similar meanings should refer to the application as a whole, rather than to any particular part of the application. Where the context permits, words used in the description in the singular or plural may also include the plural or singular, respectively. The word "or" refers to a list of two or more items, and the word covers all the following interpretations of the word: all items in the list, any item in the list, and any combination of items in the list.

[0221] Furthermore, conditional language used herein, such as "may," "could," "might," "can," "for example," "example," "such as," and the like, unless otherwise specifically stated or otherwise understood in the context of use, is generally intended to convey that some embodiments include and other embodiments do not include certain features, elements, and / or states. Thus, such conditional language is generally not intended to indicate that features, elements, and / or states are in any way required for one or more embodiments, or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for determining that such features, elements, and / or states are included or to be performed in any particular example embodiment, with or without author input or prompting.

[0222] As used herein, the term "determine / determining" (and grammatical variations thereof) may include, but are not limited to, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, measuring, investigating, querying (e.g., querying in a table, a database, or another data structure), ascertaining, etc. In addition, "determining" may include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory), obtaining, etc. In addition, "determining / determining" may include solving, selecting, choosing, establishing, etc.

[0223] Although some embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been given by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In fact, the apparatus (equipment), method and system described herein can be embodied in a variety of other forms. In addition, without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure, various omissions, replacements and changes can be made to the form of the methods and systems described herein. For example, although the frame is presented in a given arrangement, an alternative embodiment can perform similar functions with different components and / or circuit topologies, and some frames can be deleted, moved, added, subdivided, combined and / or modified. At least one of these frames can be implemented in various different ways. The order of these frames can also be changed. Any appropriate combination of the elements and actions of some of the above-mentioned embodiments can be combined to provide other embodiments. The attached claims and their equivalents are intended to cover these forms or modifications that will fall within the scope and spirit of the application.

[0224] The abbreviations used in the specification and / or drawings are defined as follows:

[0225] 3GPP Third Generation Partnership Project

[0226] AMF Access and Mobility Function

[0227] BS Base Station

[0228] CN Core Network

[0229] DL Downlink

[0230] EDT Early Data Transfer

[0231] eMTC Enhanced Machine Type Communication

[0232] GNSS Global Navigation Satellite System

[0233] ID Identifier

[0234] IoT

[0235] LMF Location Management Function

[0236] MIB Master Information Block

[0237] MME Mobility Management Entity

[0238] NB-IoT Narrowband Internet of Things

[0239] NTN Non-Terrestrial Network

[0240] PSS Primary Synchronization Signal

[0241] RRC Radio Resource Control

[0242] RTT Round Trip Time

[0243] SDT Small Data Transfer

[0244] SFN System Frame Number

[0245] SIB System Information Block

[0246] SSB Synchronous Signal Block

[0247] SSS Secondary synchronization signal

[0248] TAU Tracking Area Updates

[0249] TS Technical Specifications

[0250] UE User Equipment

[0251] UL Uplink

[0252] UTC Coordinated Universal Time

Claims

1. A terminal device, comprising: at least one processor; as well as At least one memory storing instructions, when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, causes the terminal device to at least execute: receiving information about a predicted coverage window and measurement information related to the predicted coverage window from a network device, the measurement information comprising one or more expected measurement values; performing at least one measurement according to the predicted coverage window and according to the measurement information; as well as Based on a value of the at least one measurement performed and a corresponding at least one expected measurement value from the one or more expected measurement values, it is determined whether the predicted coverage window is precise or inaccurate.

2. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein: When the instruction is executed by the at least one processor, the terminal device is caused to further execute: Transmitting a request for the predicted coverage window to the network device, the request comprising at least one of the following: the number of at least one satellite serving the terminal device; a number of one or more satellites serving the terminal device before the predicted coverage window begins; The duration that the predicted coverage window is to cover; The time period after which the forecast coverage window begins; The timing at which the prediction coverage window starts thereafter; or The communication mode of the terminal device.

3. The terminal device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: When the instruction is executed by the at least one processor, the terminal device further executes: Transmitting the location information of the terminal device to the network device, the location information comprising at least one of the following: Current location information of the terminal device; Information about the current serving cell of the terminal device; A mapped cell identifier of the current serving cell of the terminal device; or The trip plan of the terminal device.

4. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The measurement information also includes at least one of the following: one or more timings for performing the corresponding one or more intended measurements; one or more indices corresponding to the one or more expected measurements; or At least one threshold is used to determine whether the predicted coverage window is accurate or inaccurate.

5. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The one or more expected measurements include at least one of the following: Timing of downlink signals; The received power of the downlink signal; The round trip time between the terminal device and the reference point; One-way delay between the terminal device and the reference point; The start time of the prediction coverage window; the end time of the predicted coverage window; or Information about the intended cell, and In at least one of the following cases, it is determined that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate: wherein a difference between the value of the at least one measurement performed and the corresponding at least one expected measurement value exceeds a corresponding threshold; or The information of the serving cell of the at least one measurement performed is different from the information of the expected cell.

6. The terminal device according to claim 5, wherein: When the instruction is executed by the at least one processor, the terminal device is caused to further execute: In the event that it is determined that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate, an inaccuracy indication indicating that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate is transmitted to a network device.

7. The terminal device according to claim 6, wherein: The inaccuracy indication includes at least one of the following: a flag indicating that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate; a difference between a value of said at least one measurement performed and said corresponding at least one expected measurement value; a value of at least one measurement performed; the timing of said performing at least one measurement; an index corresponding to said performed at least one measurement; Information about the serving cell of the terminal device; or The current location information of the terminal device.

8. The terminal device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein: The inaccuracy indication is transmitted via an early data transmission process or a small data transmission process.

9. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein: When the instruction is executed by the at least one processor, the terminal device is caused to further execute: In a case where it is determined that the predicted coverage window is accurate, the radio resource control idle state or the radio resource control inactive state is maintained.

10. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein: When the instruction is executed by the at least one processor, the terminal device is caused to further execute: Another request to update the predicted coverage window is transmitted to the network device in at least one of the following situations: observing a change in the location of the terminal device; or An imprecision in the prediction coverage window is determined.

11. A network device comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network device to: Determine a predicted coverage window and measurement information related to the predicted coverage window for a terminal device; as well as Information about the predicted coverage window and measurement information related to the predicted coverage window are transmitted to the terminal device, wherein the measurement information includes one or more expected measurement values ​​of the terminal device to determine whether the predicted coverage window is accurate or inaccurate.

12. The network device according to claim 11, wherein: When the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the network device is caused to further execute: A request for the predicted coverage window is received from the terminal device, the request comprising at least one of the following: the number of at least one satellite serving the terminal device; a number of one or more satellites serving the terminal device before the predicted coverage window begins; The duration that the predicted coverage window is to cover; The time period after which the forecast coverage window begins; The timing at which the prediction coverage window starts thereafter; or The communication mode of the terminal device.

13. The network device according to claim 11 or 12, wherein: The prediction coverage window is determined based on at least one of the following: Satellite motion information; Satellite coverage information; The current location information of the terminal device; Information about the current serving cell of the terminal device; A mapped cell identifier of the current serving cell of the terminal device; a trip plan of the terminal device; or Information about the communication mode of the terminal device.

14. The network device according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein: The measurement information also includes at least one of the following: one or more timings for performing the corresponding one or more expected measurements; one or more indices corresponding to the one or more expected measurements; or At least one threshold is used to determine whether the predicted coverage window is accurate or inaccurate.

15. The network device according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein: The one or more expected measurements include at least one of the following: Timing of downlink signals; The received power of the downlink signal; The round trip time between the terminal device and the reference point; One-way delay between the terminal device and the reference point; The start time of the prediction coverage window; the end time of the predicted coverage window; or Information about the intended cell.

16. The network device according to any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein: When the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the network device is caused to further execute: In at least one of the following cases, an updated predicted coverage window is determined for the terminal device: It is detected that the terminal device performs tracking area update; or An inaccuracy indication is received from the terminal device indicating that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate.

17. The network device according to claim 16, wherein: The inaccuracy indication includes at least one of the following: a flag indicating that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate; a difference between a value of at least one measurement performed by the terminal device and at least one expected measurement value corresponding to the measurement information; a value of at least one measurement performed by the terminal device; the timing of at least one measurement performed by the terminal device; an index corresponding to at least one measurement performed by the terminal device; Information about the serving cell of the terminal device; or The current location information of the terminal device.

18. A method performed by a terminal device, comprising: receiving information about a predicted coverage window and measurement information related to the predicted coverage window from a network device, the measurement information comprising one or more expected measurement values; performing at least one measurement according to the predicted coverage window and according to the measurement information; and Based on a value of the performed at least one measurement and a corresponding at least one expected measurement value from the one or more expected measurement values, it is determined whether the predicted coverage window is precise or inaccurate.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising: Transmitting a request for the predicted coverage window to the network device, the request comprising at least one of the following: the number of at least one satellite serving the terminal device; the number of one or more satellites serving the terminal device before the predicted coverage window begins; The duration that the predicted coverage window is to cover; The time period after which the forecast coverage window begins; The timing at which the prediction coverage window starts thereafter; or The communication mode of the terminal device.

20. The method of claim 18 or 19, further comprising: Transmitting the location information of the terminal device to the network device, the location information comprising at least one of the following: Current location information of the terminal device; Information about the current serving cell of the terminal device; A mapped cell identifier of the current serving cell of the terminal device; or The trip plan of the terminal device.

21. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 20, wherein: The measurement information also includes at least one of the following: one or more timings for performing the corresponding one or more intended measurements; one or more indices corresponding to the one or more expected measurements; or At least one threshold is used to determine whether the predicted coverage window is accurate or inaccurate.

22. The method of any one of claims 18 to 21, wherein: The one or more expected measurements include at least one of the following: Timing of downlink signals; The received power of the downlink signal; The round trip time between the terminal device and the reference point; One-way delay between the terminal device and the reference point; The start time of the prediction coverage window; the end time of the predicted coverage window; or Information about the intended cell, and In at least one of the following cases, it is determined that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate: wherein a difference between the value of the at least one measurement performed and the corresponding at least one expected measurement value exceeds a corresponding threshold; or The information of the serving cell of the at least one measurement performed is different from the information of the expected cell.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising: In the event that it is determined that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate, an inaccuracy indication is transmitted to the network device indicating that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein: The inaccuracy indication includes at least one of the following: a flag indicating that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate; a difference between a value of said at least one measurement performed and said corresponding at least one expected measurement value; a value of at least one measurement performed; the timing of performing at least one measurement; an index corresponding to said performed at least one measurement; Information about the serving cell of the terminal device; or The current location information of the terminal device.

25. The method of claim 23 or 24, wherein: The inaccuracy indication is transmitted via an early data transmission process or a small data transmission process.

26. The method of any one of claims 18 to 25, further comprising: In a case where it is determined that the predicted coverage window is accurate, the radio resource control idle state or the radio resource control inactive state is maintained.

27. The method of any one of claims 18 to 26, further comprising: Another request to update the predicted coverage window is transmitted to the network device in at least one of the following cases: observing a change in the location of the terminal device; or It is determined that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate.

28. A method performed by a network device, comprising: Determine a predicted coverage window and measurement information related to the predicted coverage window for a terminal device; as well as Information about the predicted coverage window and measurement information related to the predicted coverage window are transmitted to the terminal device, wherein the measurement information includes one or more expected measurement values ​​of the terminal device to determine whether the predicted coverage window is accurate or inaccurate.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising: A request for the predicted coverage window is received from the terminal device, the request comprising at least one of the following: the number of at least one satellite serving the terminal device; a number of one or more satellites serving the terminal device before the predicted coverage window begins; The duration that the predicted coverage window is to cover; The time period after which the forecast coverage window begins; The time after which the forecast coverage window begins; or The communication mode of the terminal device.

30. The method of claim 28 or 29, wherein: The prediction coverage window is determined based on at least one of the following: Satellite motion information; Satellite coverage information; The current location information of the terminal device; Information about the current serving cell of the terminal device; A mapped cell identifier of the current serving cell of the terminal device; a trip plan of the terminal device; or Information about the communication mode of the terminal device.

31. The method of any one of claims 28 to 30, wherein: The measurement information also includes at least one of the following: one or more timings for performing the corresponding one or more intended measurements; one or more indices corresponding to the one or more expected measurements; or At least one threshold is used to determine whether the predicted coverage window is accurate or inaccurate.

32. The method of any one of claims 28 to 31, wherein: The one or more expected measurements include at least one of the following: Timing of downlink signals; The received power of the downlink signal; The round trip time between the terminal device and the reference point; One-way delay between the terminal device and the reference point; The start time of the prediction coverage window; the end time of the predicted coverage window; or Information about the intended cell.

33. The method of any one of claims 28 to 32, further comprising: In at least one of the following cases, an updated predicted coverage window is determined for the terminal device: Detecting that the terminal device performs tracking area update; or An inaccuracy indication is received from the terminal device indicating that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein: The inaccuracy indication includes at least one of the following: a flag indicating that the predicted coverage window is inaccurate; a difference between a value of at least one measurement performed by the terminal device and at least one expected measurement value corresponding to the measurement information; a value of at least one measurement performed by the terminal device; the timing of at least one measurement performed by the terminal device; an index corresponding to at least one measurement performed by the terminal device; Information about the serving cell of the terminal device; or The current location information of the terminal device.

35. A device as a terminal device, comprising: means for receiving, from a network device, information about a predicted coverage window and measurement information related to the predicted coverage window, the measurement information comprising one or more expected measurement values; means for performing at least one measurement according to the predicted coverage window and according to the measurement information; as well as Means for determining whether the predicted coverage window is precise or inaccurate based on a value of the at least one measurement performed and a corresponding at least one expected measurement value from the one or more expected measurement values.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, further comprising means for performing the method of any one of claims 19 to 27.

37. A device as a network device, comprising: means for determining a predicted coverage window and measurement information related to the predicted coverage window for the terminal device; as well as A device for transmitting information about the predicted coverage window and measurement information related to the predicted coverage window to the terminal device, wherein the measurement information includes one or more expected measurement values ​​of the terminal device to determine whether the predicted coverage window is accurate or inaccurate.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, further comprising means for performing the method of any one of claims 29 to 34.

39. A computer-readable medium comprising program instructions, which, when executed by a terminal device, causes the terminal device to at least perform: receiving information about a predicted coverage window and measurement information related to the predicted coverage window from a network device, the measurement information comprising one or more expected measurement values; performing at least one measurement according to the predicted coverage window and according to the measurement information; and Based on a value of the performed at least one measurement and a corresponding at least one expected measurement value from the one or more expected measurement values, it is determined whether the predicted coverage window is precise or inaccurate.

40. The computer-readable medium of claim 39, further comprising instructions, which, when executed by the terminal device, cause the terminal device to perform the method of any one of claims 19 to 27.

41. A computer readable medium comprising program instructions, which, when executed by a network device, causes the network device to at least perform: Determine a predicted coverage window and measurement information related to the predicted coverage window for a terminal device; and Information about the predicted coverage window and measurement information related to the predicted coverage window are transmitted to the terminal device, wherein the measurement information includes one or more expected measurement values ​​of the terminal device to determine whether the predicted coverage window is accurate or inaccurate.

42. The computer-readable medium of claim 41, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the network device, cause the network device to perform the method of any one of claims 29 to 34.

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