Communication method and device, terminal equipment and network equipment

Abstract

The invention discloses a communication method and device, terminal equipment and network equipment, and relates to the technical field of communication. In order to improve the calibration precision of the phase difference and avoid the difficulty of phase difference calibration maintenance, the application considers that high-precision calibration needs to depend on measurement and feedback of the terminal equipment, so that the network equipment can carry out high-precision phase difference calibration according to the feedback. Specifically, the terminal device measures pilot signals of one or more network devices to obtain a timing drift rate and / or a timing offset corresponding to each measurement signal, and feeds back the timing drift rates and / or the timing offsets to the one or more network devices. And one or more network devices can perform resampling rate adjustment and / or timing adjustment on the downlink signal according to the timing drift rates and / or the timing offsets, so that phase-level calibration under multi-satellite communication is realized. And meanwhile, the adjusted downlink signals can generate coherent superposition after reaching the terminal equipment, so that the communication quality can be improved through the coherent superposition.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] In multi-transmission and reception point (multi-TRP) communications in terrestrial cellular systems, the frequency offset differences between terminal devices and different TRPs are small, and there is no need for phase level calibration between TRPs.

[0003] However, in non-terrestrial cellular systems (such as non-terrestrial networks (NTN) systems), the frequency offsets between terminal devices and different satellites are quite different, and the large frequency offset differences will lead to differences in the timing drift rates between terminal devices and different satellites. At the same time, the timing drift rate differences between satellites will cause phase differences between terminal devices and different satellites. Therefore, non-terrestrial cellular systems need to perform phase-level calibration, and how to perform phase-level calibration requires further research. Summary of the invention

[0004] In multi-TRP communications in terrestrial cellular systems, it is usually necessary to perform high-precision calibration on the transmission frequency, timing, and initial phase of multiple TRPs so that the signals from multiple TRPs reaching the same terminal device can be coherently superimposed. At the same time, the TRP in the terrestrial cellular system is generally in a static state, and the frequency difference between the terminal device and different TRPs is caused by the difference in intrinsic signals. The frequency deviation difference is small, with a typical value of 0.1 to 1ppm, and the frequency deviation calibration can be carried out in a relatively simple manner. For example, TPR shifts the spectrum of the transmitted signal to achieve frequency deviation calibration. In addition, when the temperature remains stable, the frequency drift of the TRP can be small enough to be ignored. Therefore, once the frequency deviation of the signal is calibrated, it can be maintained in a calibrated state for a long time. In short, the frequency deviation difference in multiple TRP communication scenarios in terrestrial cellular systems is small, and there is no need for phase-level calibration.

[0005] Different from the multiple TRP communications of terrestrial cellular systems, the frequency offsets between terminal devices and different satellites in multi-satellite communications are very different. At this time, if the frequency offset calibration adopts the spectrum shifting method, even if the phase, frequency and timing are aligned at a certain time, the signals from different satellites reaching the terminal device will immediately produce timing drift rate differences due to the large frequency offset differences. At the same time, the timing drift rate differences between the terminal device and different satellites will lead to new phase differences, causing calibration failure. For example, when only the frequency offset and initial phase differences are compensated between satellites, the phase difference between satellites increases rapidly over time, causing calibration failure. In short, the greater the frequency offset difference in multi-satellite communications, the faster the phase difference increases, so phase level calibration is required.

[0006] The maintenance time of the phase difference calibration between the terminal device and different satellites is greatly affected by the difference in timing drift rate, and the difference in timing drift rate perceived by the terminal device can be determined based on the satellite device frequency offset and the channel frequency offset. However, the true value of the satellite device frequency offset cannot be accurately obtained, and the accuracy of the channel frequency offset is limited by the accuracy of the ephemeris and the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) of the terminal device, which leads to poor accuracy of the timing drift rate difference perceived by the terminal device, and poor calibration accuracy of the phase difference.

[0007] In order to improve the calibration accuracy of the phase difference and avoid the difficulty in maintaining the phase difference calibration due to the difference in timing drift rate, this embodiment considers that high-precision calibration needs to rely on the measurement and feedback of the terminal device, so that the network device can perform high-precision phase difference calibration based on the feedback of the terminal device.

[0008] In specific implementation, in multi-satellite communications, the terminal device can measure the measurement signals of one or more network devices, obtain the timing drift rate and / or timing offset corresponding to each measurement signal, and then feed back these timing drift rates and / or timing offsets to one or more network devices.

[0009] Correspondingly, one or more network devices can adjust the resampling rate and / or timing of the downlink signal to be sent according to these timing drift rates and / or timing offsets, thereby achieving phase level calibration under multi-satellite communication. At the same time, by adjusting the resampling rate and / or timing of the downlink signals of one or more network devices, the adjusted downlink signals can generate coherent superposition after reaching the terminal device, so as to improve the communication quality through coherent superposition.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the measurement signal includes at least one of a pilot signal, a downlink reference signal, or a synchronization signal block (SSB), etc. The downlink reference signal includes at least one of a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) or a phase tracking reference signal (PT-RS), etc.

[0011] This application takes the pilot signal as an example to illustrate the implementation of phase level calibration in multi-satellite communication and the implementation of coherent superposition from the following aspects.

[0012] The first aspect is a communication method of the present application, comprising:

[0013] The terminal device obtains configuration information;

[0014] The terminal device measures at least one pilot signal according to the configuration information to obtain at least one timing drift rate and / or at least one timing offset, wherein the at least one timing drift rate and / or the at least one timing offset corresponds to the at least one pilot signal one-to-one, and each pilot signal in the at least one pilot signal corresponds to a network device;

[0015] The terminal device sends first feedback information and / or second feedback information, the first feedback information is used to indicate at least one timing drift rate, and the second feedback information is used to indicate at least one timing offset.

[0016] It can be seen that in multi-satellite communications, the terminal device can measure the pilot signals of one or more network devices to obtain the timing drift rate and / or timing offset corresponding to each pilot signal, and then feed back these timing drift rates and / or timing offsets to one or more network devices to achieve phase level calibration under multi-satellite communications.

[0017] A second aspect is a communication method of the present application, comprising:

[0018] The network device sends a first pilot signal;

[0019] The network device receives first feedback information and / or second feedback information, where the first feedback information is used to indicate at least one timing drift rate, and the second feedback information is used to indicate at least one timing offset, where the at least one timing drift rate and / or the at least one timing offset has a one-to-one correspondence with at least one pilot signal, each pilot signal in the at least one pilot signal corresponds to a network device, and the at least one pilot signal includes a first pilot signal;

[0020] The network device resamples and / or adjusts the timing of the downlink signal according to the first feedback information and / or the second feedback information.

[0021] It can be seen that one or more network devices can adjust the resampling rate and / or timing of the downlink signal to be sent according to these timing drift rates and / or timing offsets, thereby achieving phase level calibration under multi-satellite communication. At the same time, by adjusting the resampling rate and / or timing of the downlink signals of one or more network devices, the adjusted downlink signals can generate coherent superposition after reaching the terminal device, so as to improve the communication quality through coherent superposition.

[0022] In some possible implementations, the configuration information is carried by at least one of high-level signaling (such as radio resource control (RRC) signaling, medium access control (MAC) signaling, etc.), system information (SI), and downlink control information (DCI), so as to perform corresponding network configuration on the measurement process, so that the terminal device performs corresponding measurement behavior according to the network configuration.

[0023] In some possible implementations, the configuration information includes the first information, which is used to configure a format of at least one pilot signal.

[0024] The second information is used to configure the measurement window;

[0025] The third information is used to configure at least one timing drift rate feedback method;

[0026] The fourth information is used to configure a feedback method of at least one timing offset.

[0027] In this way, the configuration content configured by the network device to the terminal device during the configuration process includes at least one of the following: configuration of the format of the pilot signal, configuration of the measurement window, or configuration of the feedback method of the timing drift rate or configuration of the feedback method of the timing offset.

[0028] It should be noted that when the network device configures different configuration contents to the terminal device for measurement, the different configuration contents can be carried by the same high-level signaling, can be carried by multiple high-level signaling, can be completed in the same process (such as resource scheduling process), can be completed in different processes, can be acquired sequentially in time sequence, can be acquired simultaneously in time sequence, and there is no specific restriction on this. The above configuration contents are specifically described below.

[0029] The configuration of the pilot signal format can be understood as the network device configuring the format of the pilot signal of one or more network devices during the measurement process to the terminal device through high-level signaling. In this way, the terminal device can obtain the pilot signal to be measured according to the format of the pilot signal.

[0030] In some possible implementations, the format of the pilot signal may include at least one of the following: a sequence of the pilot signal, or a time-frequency resource position of the pilot signal, or a port of the pilot signal.

[0031] The sequence of pilot signals, which may be referred to as pilot sequences, is a sequence consisting of a series of known symbols and is used for channel estimation and phase calibration.

[0032] The time-frequency resource location of the pilot signal can refer to the distribution of the pilot signal in the time domain and the frequency domain. The pilot signal is usually arranged in a specific time slot or subcarrier so that the receiving end can perform channel estimation and synchronization calibration.

[0033] The port of the pilot signal may refer to the antenna port to which the pilot signal is assigned in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system. The MIMO system improves the capacity and reliability of the system by using multiple antennas to send and receive signals. The pilot signal is used for channel estimation and phase calibration so that the receiving end can perform optimized signal processing.

[0034] The configuration of the measurement window can be understood as the network device configuring the measurement window required in the measurement process to the terminal device. In this way, the terminal device only needs to perform measurement within the measurement window to avoid continuous measurement.

[0035] The measurement window may refer to a time period during which the terminal device measures the pilot signals of one or more network devices to avoid continuous measurement.

[0036] The purpose of introducing the measurement window in this application is that the terminal device can measure a stable timing drift rate and / or timing offset in the measurement window and avoid continuous measurement. In order to ensure that the terminal device can measure a stable timing drift rate and / or timing offset in the measurement window, this application can be defined as follows:

[0037] At least one pilot signal satisfies at least one of the following conditions within the measurement window: the carrier phase of at least one pilot signal remains continuous, the downlink timing of at least one pilot signal remains continuous, the frequency of at least one pilot signal remains continuous, or the sampling rate of at least one pilot signal remains continuous. At the same time, when the terminal device performs timing drift rate measurement within the measurement window, at least one of the following conditions is satisfied: the downlink timing remains continuous, the frequency offset compensation amount remains unchanged, or the sampling rate remains unchanged.

[0038] The purpose of this is to ensure that the terminal device can stably receive and process the pilot signal, thereby performing accurate channel estimation and demodulation operations.

[0039] In a possible implementation, the second information includes a format of at least one pilot signal associated with the measurement window.

[0040] In order to ensure that the terminal device can know that certain pilot signals need to be measured within the measurement window, when the network device configures the measurement window to the terminal device, the network device will configure the measurement window to associate the format of the pilot signals of one or more network devices, and configure it to the terminal device through high-level signaling. In this way, the terminal device can measure the pilot signals associated with the measurement window within the measurement window.

[0041] In addition, the format of the pilot signal associated with the configuration measurement window includes the format of the reference pilot, such as the port of the reference pilot, etc. That is, the network device tells the terminal device that a certain pilot signal in the pilot signal associated with the measurement window is a pilot signal. Among them, the pilot signal can be used to determine the reference value of the timing drift rate and / or the timing offset, so as to reduce the feedback amount of the timing drift and / or the timing offset through the reference value, save the signaling overhead during feedback, etc.

[0042] In a possible implementation, the second information includes a starting position of the measurement window.

[0043] The starting position of the measurement window can refer to the start time of the measurement window. It describes when the measurement window should start so that the pilot signal can be correctly captured and measured, and the channel state can be estimated and adjusted. The starting position of the measurement window can be configured by the network device. Generally, it is selected according to different communication scenarios and user needs.

[0044] For example, the network device may directly configure the first symbol of a time slot in a wireless frame as the starting position of the measurement window.

[0045] For another example, the network device may configure an offset, which is used to represent the time offset between the receiving position of the configuration information (or the second information) and the starting position of the measurement window. In this way, since the terminal device can know the receiving position of the configuration information, the starting position of the measurement window can be determined according to the receiving position of the configuration information and the offset.

[0046] In one possible implementation, the second information includes the length of the measurement window.

[0047] The length of the measurement window may refer to the duration of the measurement window, which is used to describe when the measurement window ends. It is usually configured by the network device and should be selected according to the specific application scenario and system requirements.

[0048] For example, in the case of high-speed motion, a shorter measurement window may be selected to allow for more timely channel estimation and measurement.

[0049] In a possible implementation, the second information includes an end position of the measurement window.

[0050] The end position of the measurement window can refer to the end time of the measurement window. It can usually be calculated from the starting position and length of the measurement window, or it can be directly configured by the network device. When the end position of the measurement window is reached, the terminal device will stop the measurement operation and feed back the measurement results to the network device.

[0051] For example, the network device may directly configure the last symbol of a time slot in a wireless frame as the end position of the measurement window.

[0052] In one possible implementation, the second information includes a period of the measurement window.

[0053] The period of the measurement window may refer to how long a measurement is required. It can usually be implemented through network configuration. For example, a measurement may be performed once per second or once every 5 milliseconds. In addition, the period of the measurement window may be selected according to specific application scenarios and system requirements to better achieve estimation and measurement of the channel state.

[0054] In one possible implementation, the second information includes a timing reference point associated with the measurement window.

[0055] The timing reference point can be understood as a time domain position associated with the measurement window, wherein the time domain position of the timing reference point can be within the measurement window or outside the measurement window.

[0056] In addition, the timing reference point can be used to calculate the timing offset of the pilot signal at the timing reference point, which is specifically described in the "measurement process" below, so as to solve the ambiguity problem of feedback and interpretation caused by the time-varying timing drift.

[0057] Optionally, the time domain position of the timing reference point can be represented by a symbol. That is, the time domain position of the timing reference point is at a symbol level. For example, the network device configures a symbol of a time slot in a radio frame as a timing reference point.

[0058] In this way, compared with the time slot level, the time domain position of the timing reference point has a smaller granularity due to the symbol level, so as to facilitate the calculation of the timing offset of the pilot signal at the timing reference point.

[0059] In some possible implementations, the feedback mode of the timing offset includes absolute feedback and relative feedback.

[0060] Absolute feedback means that the terminal device directly sends the measured value of the timing offset to the network device to improve feedback efficiency so that the network device can perform corresponding clock compensation and adjustment based on this measured value.

[0061] Relative feedback means that the terminal device sends the difference between the measured value of the timing offset and a reference value to the network device. This method can reduce signaling overhead because only a difference value needs to be transmitted instead of the complete measured value. The network device can calculate the actual timing offset based on the reference value and the difference value and make corresponding adjustments.

[0062] In some possible implementations, at least one timing offset includes at least one of the following: a timing offset corresponding to at least one pilot symbol of each pilot signal in at least one pilot signal, an accumulation of timing offsets corresponding to multiple pilot symbols of each pilot signal in at least one pilot signal, or a timing offset corresponding to a symbol of a timing reference point of each pilot signal in at least one pilot signal.

[0063] For example, the timing offset corresponding to the pilot symbol is expressed as follows:

[0064] TOA(i)=R(i)·exp(-j2πf d T s i)

[0065] Where i represents the index of the received pilot symbol; TOA(i) represents the timing offset corresponding to the i-th received pilot symbol; R(i) represents the received pilot symbol; f d represents the frequency offset in the channel; T s Indicates the sampling period.

[0066] The accumulation of the timing offsets corresponding to multiple pilot symbols of the pilot signal is expressed as follows:

[0067]

[0068] Wherein, N represents the number of symbols; TOA represents the accumulation of timing offsets corresponding to N pilot symbols.

[0069] In one possible implementation, the timing offset corresponding to the symbol of the timing reference point of each pilot signal in at least one pilot signal is determined based on the time at which the symbol of the timing reference point is located, the timing offset corresponding to each of at least two pilot symbols of each pilot signal in at least one pilot signal, and the time at which the at least two pilot symbols are located.

[0070] For example, for the timing offset corresponding to the symbol of the pilot signal at the timing reference point, since the terminal device can measure the timing offset corresponding to at least two pilot symbols of the pilot signal, the terminal device can perform linear fitting on the timing offset corresponding to the at least two pilot symbols to obtain a linear fitting line. At this time, on the linear fitting line, the timing offset corresponding to the symbol of the timing reference point is calculated, thereby obtaining the timing offset corresponding to the symbol of the pilot signal at the timing reference point.

[0071] In a possible implementation, the timing drift rate corresponding to at least one pilot signal is determined according to the timing offsets corresponding to two consecutive pilot symbols of each pilot signal in the at least one pilot signal and the time interval between the two consecutive pilot symbols.

[0072] In this way, the terminal device can calculate the difference between the timing offsets corresponding to two continuous pilot symbols and the ratio between the time intervals of the two continuous pilot symbols to obtain the timing drift rate corresponding to the pilot signal, which is easy to implement.

[0073] In a possible implementation, if the third information indicates an absolute feedback mode, the terminal device directly sends the measured value of the timing drift rate to the network device. In this case, the first feedback information includes the timing drift rate corresponding to the pilot signal of a network device to be fed back, or the timing drift rate corresponding to each pilot signal.

[0074] In addition, in the absolute feedback mode, the timing drift rate corresponding to each pilot signal can be expressed by a sampling rate proportional relationship. In this way, the terminal device can use the sampling rate proportional relationship to perform absolute feedback on the timing drift rate corresponding to each pilot signal.

[0075] In a possible implementation, if the third information indicates a relative feedback mode, the terminal device sends the difference between the measured value of the timing drift rate and a reference value to the network device. At this time, the first feedback information includes the difference between the timing drift rate corresponding to the pilot signal of a network device to be fed back and the reference timing drift rate, or the difference between the timing drift rate corresponding to each pilot signal and the reference timing drift rate.

[0076] In a possible implementation, the reference timing drift rate is a reference value configured or preconfigured by the network, that is, the network device configures a reference value for the terminal device to implement relative feedback.

[0077] In a possible implementation, the reference timing drift rate is a timing drift rate corresponding to a reference pilot signal in at least one pilot signal. In other words, the network device configures a pilot signal among the pilot signals as a reference pilot signal to the terminal device, so that the terminal device uses the measured value of the timing drift rate corresponding to the reference pilot signal as a reference value to achieve relative feedback.

[0078] In a possible implementation, if the fourth information indicates an absolute feedback mode, the terminal device directly sends the measured value of the timing offset to the network device. In this case, the second feedback information includes the timing offset corresponding to the pilot signal of a network device to be fed back, or the timing offset corresponding to each pilot signal.

[0079] In a possible implementation, if the fourth information indicates a relative feedback mode, the terminal device sends the difference between the measured value of the timing offset and a reference value to the network device. At this time, the second feedback information includes the difference between the timing offset corresponding to the pilot signal of a network device to be fed back and the reference timing offset, or the difference between the timing offset corresponding to each pilot signal and the reference timing offset.

[0080] In a possible implementation, the reference timing offset is a reference value configured or preconfigured by the network, that is, the network device configures a reference value for the terminal device to implement relative feedback.

[0081] In a possible implementation, the reference timing offset is a timing offset corresponding to a reference pilot signal in at least one pilot signal. In other words, the network device configures a pilot signal among the pilot signals as a reference pilot signal to the terminal device, so that the terminal device uses the measured value of the timing offset corresponding to the reference pilot signal as a reference value to achieve relative feedback.

[0082] A third aspect is a communication device of the present application, comprising:

[0083] An acquisition unit, used for acquiring configuration information;

[0084] a measuring unit, configured to measure at least one pilot signal according to the configuration information to obtain at least one timing drift rate and / or at least one timing offset, wherein the at least one timing drift rate and / or the at least one timing offset corresponds to the at least one pilot signal one-to-one, and each pilot signal in the at least one pilot signal corresponds to a network device;

[0085] The sending unit is used to send first feedback information and / or second feedback information, the first feedback information is used to indicate at least one timing drift rate, and the second feedback information is used to indicate at least one timing offset.

[0086] In a possible implementation, the configuration information includes first information for configuring the format of at least one pilot signal. In this way, the network configures the format of the pilot signal of each network device through the first information.

[0087] In a possible implementation, the configuration information includes second information for configuring the measurement window. In this way, the network configures the measurement window through the second information.

[0088] In a possible implementation, the configuration information includes third information for configuring at least one timing drift rate feedback mode. In this way, the network configures at least one timing drift rate feedback mode through the third information.

[0089] In a possible implementation, the configuration information includes fourth information for configuring a feedback mode of at least one timing offset. Thus, the network configures the feedback mode of at least one timing offset through the fourth information.

[0090] In a possible implementation, the second information includes a format of at least one pilot signal associated with the measurement window. In order to ensure that the terminal device can know that certain pilot signals need to be measured within the measurement window, when the network device configures the measurement window to the terminal device, the network device configures the format of the pilot signal of one or more network devices associated with the measurement window, and configures it to the terminal device through high-level signaling. In this way, the terminal device can measure the pilot signal associated with the measurement window within the measurement window.

[0091] In a possible implementation, the second information includes a starting position of the measurement window. In this way, the network configures the starting position of the measurement window through the second information.

[0092] In a possible implementation, the second information includes the length of the measurement window. In this way, the network configures the length of the measurement window through the second information.

[0093] In a possible implementation, the second information includes the end position of the measurement window. In this way, the network configures the end position of the measurement window through the second information.

[0094] In a possible implementation, the second information includes a period of the measurement window. In this way, the network configures the period of the measurement window through the second information.

[0095] In a possible implementation, the second information includes a timing reference point associated with the measurement window. In this way, the network configures the timing reference point through the second information.

[0096] In a possible implementation, at least one pilot signal satisfies at least one of the following within the measurement window:

[0097] The carrier phase of at least one pilot signal remains continuous, the downlink timing of at least one pilot signal remains continuous, the frequency of at least one pilot signal remains continuous, or the sampling rate of at least one pilot signal remains continuous.

[0098] The purpose of this is to ensure that the terminal device can stably receive and process the pilot signal, thereby performing accurate channel estimation and demodulation operations.

[0099] In a possible implementation, when the terminal device performs measurement within the measurement window, at least one of the following conditions is met: downlink timing remains continuous, the frequency offset compensation amount remains unchanged, or the sampling rate remains unchanged.

[0100] The purpose of this is to ensure that the terminal device can stably receive and process the pilot signal, thereby performing accurate channel estimation and demodulation operations.

[0101] In a possible implementation, the format of at least one pilot signal includes at least one of the following: a sequence of at least one pilot signal, a time-frequency resource position of at least one pilot signal, or a port of at least one pilot signal.

[0102] In a possible implementation, the third information indicates the first absolute feedback mode, and the first absolute feedback mode is used to indicate that the first feedback information includes at least one timing drift rate. In this way, the terminal device directly sends the measured value of the timing drift rate to the network device, thereby improving feedback efficiency, so that the network device performs corresponding clock compensation and adjustment according to the measured value.

[0103] In a possible implementation, the third information indicates a first relative feedback mode, and the first relative feedback mode is used to indicate that the first feedback information includes at least one difference between a timing drift rate and a reference timing drift rate. In this way, the terminal device sends the difference between the measured value of the timing drift rate and a reference value to the network device. This method can reduce signaling overhead because only one difference needs to be transmitted instead of a complete measurement value. The network device can calculate the actual timing offset based on the reference value and the difference, and make corresponding adjustments.

[0104] In a possible implementation, at least one timing drift rate is represented by a sampling rate proportional relationship. In this way, the terminal device can use the sampling rate proportional relationship to provide absolute feedback on the timing drift rate corresponding to each pilot signal.

[0105] In a possible implementation, the reference timing drift rate is a first reference value configured or preconfigured by the network; or,

[0106] The reference timing drift rate is a timing drift rate corresponding to a reference pilot signal in at least one pilot signal.

[0107] In other words, the network device will configure a certain pilot signal among these pilot signals as a reference pilot signal for the terminal device, so that the terminal device uses the measured value of the timing drift rate corresponding to the reference pilot signal as a reference value to achieve relative feedback.

[0108] In a possible implementation, the fourth information indicates a second absolute feedback mode, and the second absolute feedback mode is used to indicate that the second feedback information includes at least one timing offset. In this way, the terminal device directly sends the measured value of the timing offset to the network device, thereby improving feedback efficiency, so that the network device performs corresponding clock compensation and adjustment according to the measured value.

[0109] In a possible implementation, the fourth information indicates a second relative feedback mode, and the second relative feedback mode is used to indicate that the second feedback information includes at least one difference between a timing offset and a reference timing offset. In this way, the terminal device sends the difference between the measured value of the timing offset and a reference value to the network device. This method can reduce signaling overhead because only one difference needs to be transmitted instead of a complete measured value. The network device can calculate the actual timing offset based on the reference value and the difference, and make corresponding adjustments.

[0110] In a possible implementation, the reference timing offset is a second reference value configured or preconfigured by the network; or,

[0111] The reference timing offset is a timing offset corresponding to a reference pilot signal in at least one pilot signal.

[0112] In other words, the network device will configure a certain pilot signal among these pilot signals as a reference pilot signal for the terminal device, so that the terminal device uses the measured value of the timing offset corresponding to the reference pilot signal as a reference value to achieve relative feedback.

[0113] In a possible implementation, the timing offset corresponding to at least one pilot signal includes:

[0114] a timing offset corresponding to at least one pilot symbol of each pilot signal in at least one pilot signal; and / or,

[0115] A timing offset corresponding to a symbol of a timing reference point of each pilot signal in at least one pilot signal.

[0116] For example, the timing offset corresponding to the pilot symbol is expressed as follows:

[0117] TOA(i)=R(i)·exp(-j2πf d T s i)

[0118] Where i represents the index of the received pilot symbol; TOA(i) represents the timing offset corresponding to the i-th received pilot symbol; R(i) represents the received pilot symbol; f d represents the frequency offset in the channel; T s Indicates the sampling period.

[0119] The accumulation of the timing offsets corresponding to multiple pilot symbols of the pilot signal is expressed as follows:

[0120]

[0121] Wherein, N represents the number of symbols; TOA represents the accumulation of timing offsets corresponding to N pilot symbols.

[0122] In one possible implementation, the time domain position of the timing reference point is represented by a symbol.

[0123] In this way, compared with the time slot level, the time domain position of the timing reference point has a smaller granularity due to the symbol level, so as to facilitate the calculation of the timing offset of the pilot signal at the timing reference point.

[0124] In one possible implementation, the timing offset corresponding to the symbol of the timing reference point of each pilot signal in at least one pilot signal is determined based on the time at which the symbol of the timing reference point is located, the timing offset corresponding to each of at least two pilot symbols of each pilot signal in at least one pilot signal, and the time at which the at least two pilot symbols are located.

[0125] In this way, for the timing offset corresponding to the symbol of the pilot signal at the timing reference point, since the terminal device can measure the timing offset corresponding to at least two pilot symbols of the pilot signal, the terminal device can perform linear fitting on the timing offset corresponding to the at least two pilot symbols to obtain a linear fitting straight line. At this time, on the linear fitting straight line, the timing offset corresponding to the symbol of the timing reference point is calculated, thereby obtaining the timing offset corresponding to the symbol of the pilot signal at the timing reference point.

[0126] In a possible implementation, at least one timing drift rate is determined based on a timing offset corresponding to two consecutive pilot symbols of each pilot signal in at least one pilot signal and a time interval between the two consecutive pilot symbols.

[0127] In this way, the terminal device can calculate the difference between the timing offsets corresponding to two continuous pilot symbols and the ratio between the time intervals of the two continuous pilot symbols to obtain the timing drift rate corresponding to the pilot signal, which is easy to implement.

[0128] A fourth aspect is a communication device of the present application, comprising:

[0129] A sending unit, configured to send a first pilot signal;

[0130] a receiving unit, configured to receive first feedback information and / or second feedback information, wherein the first feedback information is used to indicate at least one timing drift rate, and the second feedback information is used to indicate at least one timing offset, wherein the at least one timing drift rate and / or the at least one timing offset has a one-to-one correspondence with at least one pilot signal, each pilot signal in the at least one pilot signal corresponds to a network device, and the at least one pilot signal includes a first pilot signal;

[0131] An adjustment unit is used to resample and / or adjust the timing of the downlink signal according to the first feedback information and / or the second feedback information.

[0132] In a possible implementation, before sending the first pilot signal, the sending unit 1501 is further configured to send configuration information;

[0133] Configuration information, including at least one of the following:

[0134] first information, used to configure a format of at least one pilot signal;

[0135] The second information is used to configure the measurement window;

[0136] The third information is used to configure at least one timing drift rate feedback method; or,

[0137] The fourth information is used to configure a feedback method of at least one timing offset.

[0138] In a possible implementation, the second information includes at least one of the following:

[0139] The measurement window is associated with a format of at least one pilot signal;

[0140] The starting position of the measurement window;

[0141] Measure the length of the window;

[0142] The end position of the measurement window;

[0143] The period of the measurement window;

[0144] The timing reference point to which the measurement window is associated.

[0145] In a possible implementation, at least one pilot signal satisfies at least one of the following within the measurement window:

[0146] The carrier phase of at least one pilot signal remains continuous, the downlink timing of at least one pilot signal remains continuous, the frequency of at least one pilot signal remains continuous, or the sampling rate of at least one pilot signal remains continuous.

[0147] In one possible implementation, the measurement window is used to indicate that the terminal device satisfies at least one of the following when performing measurements within the measurement window: downlink timing remains continuous, the frequency offset compensation amount remains unchanged, or the sampling rate remains unchanged.

[0148] In a possible implementation, the format of at least one pilot signal includes at least one of the following: a sequence of at least one pilot signal, a time-frequency resource position of at least one pilot signal, or a port of at least one pilot signal.

[0149] In a possible implementation, the third information indicates a first absolute feedback mode, and the first absolute feedback mode is used to indicate that the first feedback information includes at least one timing drift rate; or,

[0150] The third information indicates a first relative feedback mode, and the first relative feedback mode is used to indicate that the first feedback information includes a difference between at least one timing drift rate and a reference timing drift rate.

[0151] In a possible implementation, at least one timing drift rate is represented by a sampling rate proportional relationship.

[0152] In a possible implementation, the reference timing drift rate is a first reference value configured or preconfigured by the network; or,

[0153] The reference timing drift rate is a timing drift rate corresponding to a reference pilot signal in at least one pilot signal.

[0154] In a possible implementation, the fourth information indicates a second absolute feedback mode, and the second absolute feedback mode is used to indicate that the second feedback information includes at least one timing offset; or,

[0155] The fourth information indicates a second relative feedback mode, and the second relative feedback mode is used to indicate that the second feedback information includes a difference between at least one timing offset and a reference timing offset.

[0156] In a possible implementation, the reference timing offset is a second reference value configured or preconfigured by the network; or,

[0157] The reference timing offset is a timing offset corresponding to a reference pilot signal in at least one pilot signal.

[0158] In one possible implementation, at least one timing offset includes:

[0159] a timing offset corresponding to at least one pilot symbol of each pilot signal in at least one pilot signal; and / or,

[0160] A timing offset corresponding to a symbol of a timing reference point of each pilot signal in at least one pilot signal.

[0161] In one possible implementation, the time domain position of the timing reference point is represented by a symbol.

[0162] In a fifth aspect, the steps in the method designed in the first aspect are applied to a terminal device.

[0163] In a sixth aspect, the steps in the method designed in the second aspect are applied to a network device.

[0164] The seventh aspect is a terminal device of the present application, comprising a processor, a memory, and a computer program or instructions stored in the memory, wherein the processor executes the computer program or instructions to implement the steps in the method designed in the first aspect above.

[0165] The eighth aspect is a network device of the present application, comprising a processor, a memory, and a computer program or instructions stored on the memory, wherein the processor executes the computer program or instructions to implement the steps in the method designed in the second aspect above.

[0166] The ninth aspect is a chip of the present application, comprising a processor, wherein the processor executes the steps in the method designed in the first aspect or the second aspect above.

[0167] The tenth aspect is a chip module of the present application, comprising a transceiver component and a chip, wherein the chip comprises a processor, wherein the processor executes the steps in the method designed in the first aspect or the second aspect above.

[0168] The eleventh aspect is a computer-readable storage medium of the present application, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed, the steps in the method designed in the first aspect or the second aspect are implemented.

[0169] The twelfth aspect is a computer program product of the present application, comprising a computer program or instructions, wherein when the computer program or instructions are executed, the steps in the method designed in the first aspect or the second aspect are executed. Exemplarily, the computer program product can be a software installation package.

[0170] The beneficial effects brought about by the technical solutions of the third, fifth, seventh, ninth to twelfth aspects can be referred to the technical effects brought about by the technical solution of the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0171] The beneficial effects brought about by the technical solutions of the second, fourth, sixth, eighth to twelfth aspects can be referred to the technical effects brought about by the technical solution of the second aspect, and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0172] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the architecture of an NTN communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0173] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the architecture of an NTN communication system with a transparent transmission architecture according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0174] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the architecture of an NTN communication system with a regeneration architecture according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0175] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the architecture of multi-satellite communication with a transparent transmission architecture according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0176] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a multi-satellite communication architecture with a regenerative architecture according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0177] Figure 6 This is a structural schematic diagram of the relationship between SNR and the number of satellites in an embodiment of the present application;

[0178] Figure 7 It is a structural schematic diagram of phase level calibration under multi-satellite communication in an embodiment of the present application;

[0179] Figure 8 is a structural diagram of calculating a timing offset in an embodiment of the present application;

[0180] Figures 9 to 12 It is a structural schematic diagram of another phase level calibration in multi-satellite communication according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0181] Fig.13 It is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0182] Fig.14 It is a block diagram of the functional units of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0183] Fig.15 It is a block diagram of the functional units of another communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0184] Fig.16 A schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0185] Fig.17 A schematic diagram of the structure of a network device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0186] It should be understood that the terms "first", "second", etc. involved in the embodiments of the present application are used to distinguish different objects, rather than to describe a specific order. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, software, product, or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but may also include steps or units that are not listed, or may also include other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products, or devices.

[0187] The "embodiment" involved in the embodiments of the present application means that the specific features, structures or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The appearance of this phrase in various places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it an independent or alternative embodiment that is mutually exclusive with other embodiments. It is explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments.

[0188] "At least one" or "at least one item" in the embodiments of the present application refers to one or more, and a plurality refers to two or more.

[0189] The "and / or" in the embodiments of the present application describes the association relationship of the associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can represent the following three situations: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. Among them, A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " can indicate that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. In addition, the character " / " can represent a division sign, such as A / B, which means A divided by B.

[0190] In the embodiments of the present application, "at least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent the following seven situations: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, a, b, and c. Each of a, b, and c can be an element or a set containing one or more elements.

[0191] In the embodiments of the present application, "of", "corresponding, relevant", "corresponding", "associated, related", and "mapped" may sometimes be used interchangeably. It should be noted that when the distinction is not emphasized, the concepts or meanings to be expressed are consistent.

[0192] The “network” in the embodiments of the present application can be expressed as the same concept as the “system”, and the communication system is the communication network.

[0193] The "connection" in the embodiments of the present application refers to various connection methods such as direct connection or indirect connection to achieve communication between devices, and there is no specific limitation on this.

[0194] The following is a detailed introduction to the relevant contents involved in the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application.

[0195] 1. Communication System

[0196] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various wireless communication systems, such as: long term evolution (LTE) system, advanced long term evolution (LTE-A) system, new radio (NR) system, NR system evolution system, LTE on unlicensed spectrum (LTE-based access to unlicensed spectrum, LTE-U) system, NR on unlicensed spectrum (NR-based access to unlicensed spectrum, NR-U) system, non-terrestrial communication network (NTN) system, universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), 6th generation (6G) communication system or other communication systems.

[0197] It should be noted that the number of connections supported by traditional communication systems is limited and easy to implement. With the development of communication technology, the communication system of the present application can not only support traditional communication systems, but also support device to device (D2D) communication, machine to machine (M2M) communication, machine type communication (MTC), vehicle to vehicle (V2V) communication, vehicle to everything (V2X) communication, narrowband Internet of things (NB-IoT) communication, etc. Therefore, the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application can also be applied to the above-mentioned communication system.

[0198] For example, the embodiments of the present application can be applied to beamforming (beamforming), carrier aggregation (carrier aggregation, CA), dual connectivity (dual connectivity, DC) or standalone (standalone, SA) deployment scenarios, etc.

[0199] As another example, the embodiments of the present application can be applied to communication scenarios of unlicensed spectrum. In the embodiments of the present application, the unlicensed spectrum can also be considered as a shared spectrum. Alternatively, the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to licensed spectrum. In the embodiments of the present application, the licensed spectrum can also be considered as a non-shared spectrum.

[0200] Optionally, the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application can be applied to NTN system, for example, satellite communication system. For satellite communication system, network equipment usually communicates with ground terminal equipment via satellite.

[0201] Exemplarily, an NTN system according to an embodiment of the present application is as follows: Figure 1 As shown. The NTN communication system 10 may include a terminal device 110, a satellite 130, a non-terrestrial network gateway (NTN gateway) 140, and a network device 150. The terminal device 110, the non-terrestrial network gateway 140, and the network device 150 may be located on the surface of the earth, and the satellite 130 is located in the earth orbit. The satellite 130 may provide communication services to the geographical area covered by the signal of the satellite 130, and may communicate with the terminal device 110 located in the signal coverage area.

[0202] The terminal device 110 is located within the coverage of a certain beam or a certain cell, and the coverage of the beam or the cell includes a reference point 120. In addition, the communication link between the terminal device 110 and the satellite 130 is called a service link. The communication link between the satellite 130 and the non-terrestrial network gateway 140 is called a feeder link.

[0203] It should be noted that the non-terrestrial network gateway 140 and the network device 150 can be integrated into the same device or can be independent devices respectively, and there is no specific limitation on this.

[0204]

Terminal equipment

[0205] Terminal equipment can be a device with transceiver functions, and can also be called terminal, user equipment (UE), remote terminal equipment (remote UE), relay equipment (relay UE), access terminal equipment, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, mobile device, user terminal equipment, intelligent terminal equipment, wireless communication equipment, user agent or user device. It should be noted that relay equipment is a terminal equipment that can provide relay forwarding services for other terminal equipment (including remote terminal equipment).

[0206] For example, the terminal device may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control, a wireless terminal device in unmanned autonomous driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medical, a wireless terminal device in a smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in a smart city, or a wireless terminal device in a smart home, etc.

[0207] For another example, the terminal device can be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a next-generation communication system (such as an NR communication system, a 6G communication system), or a terminal device in a future evolved public land mobile communication network (PLMN), etc., without specific limitation.

[0208] Optionally, the terminal device can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld, wearable or vehicle-mounted; it can be deployed on the water (such as ships); it can be deployed in the air (such as airplanes, balloons and satellites).

[0209] Optionally, the terminal device may include a device with wireless communication function, such as a chip system, a chip, or a chip module. For example, the chip system may include a chip and may also include other discrete devices.

[0210] Optionally, the terminal device of the embodiment of the present application can be a chip, a chip module, a device, a unit, etc., and there is no specific limitation on this.

[0211]

satellite

[0212] A satellite may be a spacecraft that is a transmitter of a transparent payload (also called a bent pipe payload) or a regenerative payload signal, that is, a transparent satellite or a regenerative satellite.

[0213] Satellites can be divided into transparent mode (also called bent pipe payload) and regenerative mode according to their working mode or payload.

[0214] When the satellite works in transparent transmission mode, the satellite is a spacecraft that is a transmitter of transparent transmission payload signals and has the function of relaying.

[0215] When the satellite operates in regeneration mode, it has data processing capabilities, base station (such as gNB) functions or partial base station functions. At this time, the satellite can be regarded as a base station.

[0216] It should be noted that satellites can be divided into geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellites, medium earth orbit (MEO) satellites, low earth orbit (LEO) satellites and high elliptical orbit (HEO) satellites according to the different altitudes of their orbits.

[0217] The orbital altitude of GEO satellite is 35786km. Its main advantage is that it can remain stationary relative to the ground and provide a large coverage area. However, GEO satellite communication also has obvious disadvantages:

[0218] 1) The GEO satellite orbit is far away from the earth, and the free space propagation loss is large, resulting in a tight communication link budget. In order to increase the transmit / receive gain, the satellite needs to be equipped with a larger diameter antenna;

[0219] 2) The communication transmission delay is large, which can reach a round-trip delay of about 500ms, which cannot meet the needs of real-time services;

[0220] 3) GEO orbital resources are relatively tight, launch costs are high, and it cannot provide coverage for the Earth's polar regions.

[0221] The orbital altitude of MEO satellites is between 2000 and 35786 km. The advantage is that global coverage can be achieved with a relatively small number of satellites, but its orbital altitude is higher than that of LEO, and the transmission delay is still larger than that of LEO satellite communications. Combining the advantages and disadvantages of MEO satellite communications, MEO satellites are mainly used for positioning and navigation.

[0222] The orbital altitude of LEO satellites is in the range of 300 to 2000 km. The orbital altitude of LEO satellites is lower than that of MEO satellites and GEO satellites. It has the advantages of small data transmission delay, small transmission loss and relatively low launch cost. Therefore, LEO satellite communications have also received widespread attention in recent years.

[0223] The orbital altitude of HEO satellites ranges from 400km to 50,000km.

[0224]

Non-terrestrial network gateway

[0225] A non-terrestrial network gateway can be an earth station or gateway located on the ground, which can provide sufficient radio frequency (RF) power and RF sensitivity to connect ground equipment (such as network equipment) with satellites. A non-terrestrial network gateway is a node in the transport network layer (TNL).

[0226]

Network equipment

[0227] A network device may be a device with transceiver functions and may be used to communicate with a terminal device.

[0228] Optionally, the network device may be responsible for radio resource management (RRM), quality of service (QoS) management, data compression and encryption, data transmission and reception, etc. on the air interface side.

[0229] Optionally, the network device may include a base station (BS) in a communication system or a device deployed in a radio access network (RAN) for providing wireless communication functions, that is, the network device may include a device in the RAN.

[0230] For example, the devices in the RAN may include an evolved node B (evolutional node B, eNB or eNodeB) in an LTE communication system, a next generation evolved node B (next generation evolved node B, ng-eNB) in an NR communication system, a next generation node B (next generation node B, gNB) in an NR communication system, a master node (MN) in a dual-connection architecture, a second node or secondary node (SN) in a dual-connection architecture, etc., without specific limitation.

[0231] Optionally, the network device may include a device in a core network (CN).

[0232] For example, the equipment in the CN may include an access and mobility management function (AMF), a user plane function (UPF), a session management function (SMF), etc.

[0233] Optionally, the network device may also be an access point (AP) in a WLAN, a relay station, a communication device in a future evolved PLMN network, a communication device in an NTN network, and the like.

[0234] Optionally, the network device may include a device having a wireless communication function for the terminal device, such as a chip system, a chip, or a chip module. For example, the chip system may include a chip, or may include other discrete devices.

[0235] Optionally, the network device may be a transmission and reception point (TRP).

[0236] Optionally, the network device can communicate with an Internet Protocol (IP) network, such as the Internet, a private IP network, or other data networks.

[0237] Optionally, the network device may include an independent node to implement the functions of the above-mentioned base station, or may include two or more independent nodes to implement the functions of the above-mentioned base station. For example, the network device includes a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU), such as gNB-CU and gNB-DU. Further, in some other embodiments, the network device may also include an active antenna unit (AAU). Among them, the CU implements part of the functions of the network device, and the DU implements another part of the functions of the network device. For example, the CU is responsible for processing non-real-time protocols and services, and implements the functions of the radio resource control (RRC) layer, the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, and the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer. The DU is responsible for processing physical layer protocols and real-time services, and implements the functions of the radio link control (RLC) layer, the media access control (MAC) layer, and the physical (PHY) layer. In addition, the AAU can implement some physical layer processing functions, radio frequency processing, and related functions of active antennas. Since the information of the RRC layer will eventually become the information of the PHY layer, or be converted from the information of the PHY layer, under this network deployment, high-level signaling (such as RRC signaling) can be considered to be generated by the CU, sent by the DU, or sent by the DU and the AAU. It can be understood that the network device may include at least one of the CU, DU, and AAU. In addition, the CU can be divided into a RAN device, or the CU can be divided into a core network device, without specific limitation.

[0238] Optionally, the network device may be any site in a plurality of sites that perform coherent joint transmission (CJT) with the terminal device, or other sites outside the plurality of sites, or other network devices that perform network communication with the terminal device, and no specific limitation is imposed on this. Among them, multi-site coherent cooperative transmission may be a plurality of sites jointly coherent transmission, or different data belonging to the same physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) may be sent from different sites to the terminal device, or a plurality of sites may be virtualized into one site for transmission, or other forms of cooperative transmission. The sites in the multi-site coherent cooperative transmission may be a remote radio head (RRH), a transmission and reception point (TRP), a network device, etc., and no specific limitation is imposed on this.

[0239] Optionally, the network device may also be any site in the multi-site that performs non-coherent joint transmission (NCJT) with the terminal device, or other sites outside the multi-site, or other network devices that perform network communication with the terminal device, and there is no specific limitation on this. Among them, multi-site non-coherent cooperative transmission can be multiple sites joint non-coherent transmission, or different data belonging to the same PDSCH is sent from different sites to the terminal device, or different data belonging to the same PDSCH is sent from different sites to the terminal device, or other forms of non-cooperative transmission. The sites in multi-site non-coherent cooperative transmission can be RRH, TRP, network equipment, etc., and there is no specific limitation on this.

[0240] Optionally, the network device can provide services for the cell, and the terminal device in the cell can communicate with the network device through transmission resources (such as spectrum resources). The cell can be a macro cell, a small cell, a metro cell, a micro cell, a pico cell, a femto cell, etc.

[0241] Optionally, the network device described in the embodiments of the present application may be a chip, a chip module, a device, a unit, etc., and there is no specific limitation on this.

[0242]

NTN system

[0243] In combination with the above description, the NTN system is further described in detail below.

[0244] At present, 5G NR has entered the commercial deployment stage from the standardization stage. The NR standard is designed based on the characteristics of terrestrial communications, and has the characteristics of providing high-speed, high-reliability, and low-latency communications for user terminals. Compared with terrestrial communication systems, NTN systems have the characteristics of large coverage areas and flexible networking.

[0245] The NTN system includes networking using drones, high-altitude platforms (HAPS), satellites and other equipment to provide data transmission, voice communication and other services for terminal equipment. High-altitude platform equipment is generally 8 to 50 km above the ground. According to the orbital altitude of the satellite, the satellite communication system can be divided into the following three types: geostationary orbit (GEO) satellite communication system, also known as synchronous orbit satellite system; medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite communication system; low earth orbit (LEO) satellite communication system.

[0246] In addition, satellite equipment is limited by manufacturing and launch costs, and onboard data processing capabilities and transmission power are limited. Currently, the NTN system cannot provide terminal devices with communication rates comparable to terrestrial communication systems. In order to overcome this limitation and improve the overall signal processing capabilities and communication throughput of satellite networks, satellite operators are preparing to launch giant low-orbit constellations, that is, to compensate for the limitations of a single satellite's communication capabilities by increasing the number of satellites. After the terminal device is connected to the NTN system, the terminal device can be "visible" to multiple satellites that can communicate for a period of time. At this time, multiple satellites can provide communication services for the terminal device, which provides the basic conditions for multi-satellite collaborative transmission.

[0247] Depending on the load type, NTN systems have two common architectures: transparent transmission architecture and regeneration architecture. The following describes each of them.

[0248] In the transparent transmission architecture, the satellite works in the transparent transmission mode and has the function of relay forwarding. The non-terrestrial network gateway has the functions of a network device (such as gNB) or some of the functions of a network device. In this case, the non-terrestrial network gateway can be regarded as a network device. Alternatively, the network device can be deployed separately from the non-terrestrial network gateway. In this case, the delay of the supply link includes the delay from the satellite to the non-terrestrial network gateway and the delay from the non-terrestrial network gateway to the network device. The transparent transmission architecture discussed below takes the case where the non-terrestrial network gateway and the network device are together or close to each other as an example. For the case where the non-terrestrial network gateway and the network device are far apart, the feeder link delay is the sum of the delay from the satellite to the gateway station and the delay from the gateway station to the gNB.

[0249] For example, the transparent transmission architecture of the NTN system is as follows Figure 2 As shown. Figure 2In the 5G NR, the terminal equipment, non-terrestrial network gateway and gNB are located on the surface of the earth, and the satellite is located in the earth orbit. Satellites, non-terrestrial network gateways and gNB form a wireless access network (NG-radioaccess network, NG-RAN). NG-RAN is connected to the 5G core network through the NG interface, and the 5G core network is connected to the data network through the N6 interface. Satellites and non-terrestrial network gateways can be considered as remote radio equipment, and satellites and non-terrestrial network gateways can communicate through the NR Uu interface.

[0250] In the regenerative architecture, the satellite works in the regenerative mode and has data processing capabilities, network device functions or partial network device functions. In this case, the satellite can be regarded as a network device.

[0251] For example, the regeneration architecture of the NTN system is Figure 3 As shown. Figure 3 In 5G, the terminal device is located on the surface of the earth, and the satellite and gNB are located in the earth orbit. The satellite and gNB form NG-RAN. NG-RAN connects to the 5G core network through the NG Uu interface, and the 5G core network connects to the data network through the N6 interface. The gNB and the terminal device can communicate through the NR Uu interface.

[0252] It should be noted that this embodiment can be applied to satellites operating in a transparent transmission mode, or satellites switching between a transparent transmission mode and a regeneration mode. Figures 2 to 3 The satellites in the system can be replaced by other non-ground payloads such as HAPS.

[0253] 2. Phase Level Calibration in Multi-Satellite Communications

[0254]

Multi-satellite communication

[0255] As the size of satellite constellations increases, it is common to see multiple satellites at a given location. In mid-latitude areas, a terminal device can see dozens to hundreds of satellites. In the NTN system, there may be scenarios where multiple satellites communicate with the same terminal device, and this scenario is called "multi-satellite communication". Among them, multi-satellite communication also has transparent transmission architecture and regeneration architecture.

[0256] For example, the transparent transmission architecture of multi-satellite communication is Figure 4 As shown. Figure 4 In the GNSS, the terminal device, non-terrestrial network gateway and gNB are located on the surface of the earth, and the GEO satellite and LEO satellite are located in the earth orbit. At the same time, multiple LEO satellites can communicate with the same terminal device.

[0257] For example, the regenerative architecture of multi-satellite communications is Figure 5 As shown. Figure 5In the LEO constellation, the terminal device is located on the surface of the earth, and the satellite and gNB are located in the earth orbit. At the same time, multiple LEO satellites can communicate with the same terminal device.

[0258] In addition, multi-satellite communication has two modes: coherent cooperative transmission (CJT) and non-coherent cooperative transmission (NCJT). In the CJT mode, multiple satellites perform coherent superposition on the ground, allowing the terminal device to simultaneously benefit from the increased antenna aperture brought by multiple satellites and the superposition of multiple transmission energies. In this way, the signal-to-interference-to-noise ratio (SNR) perceived by the terminal device increases rapidly due to the increase in the number of satellites.

[0259] In NCJT mode, multiple satellites perform incoherent superposition on the ground, allowing the terminal device to simultaneously benefit from the superposition of multiple transmission energies from multiple satellites. Figure 6 As shown in the figure, when the SNR of a single satellite is -10 dB, the multi-satellite equivalent SNR perceived by the terminal device has a variable relationship with the number of satellites. In the case of ideal coherent superposition, the SNR gain of multiple satellites is 20*log10*M (M is the number of satellites) dB; in the case of incoherent superposition, the SNR gain of multiple satellites is 10*log10*M dB. It can be seen that compared with incoherent superposition, the coherent communication mode of coherent superposition non-multi-satellite can obtain greater superposition benefits.

[0260]

Phase level calibration under multi-satellite communication

[0261] Frequency offset can refer to the difference between the actual frequency of the received signal and the expected theoretical frequency. In a communication system, the transmitter and receiver use their own clocks to generate and sample signals. Due to the inevitable inaccuracies and drifts of the clocks, there may be slight differences in the clock frequencies of the transmitter and receiver, resulting in the actual frequency of the signal received by the receiver being inconsistent with the theoretical frequency of the transmitter, which in turn causes frequency offset. If calibration and compensation are not performed in a timely manner, frequency offset will cause distortion and errors in the decoding of the data signal of the transmitter by the receiver.

[0262] Timing drift can refer to the rate at which the clock frequency changes. In a communication system, both the transmitter and receiver have their own clocks for time synchronization. However, due to various factors (such as crystal oscillator errors, temperature changes, etc.), the clock frequency may change slightly, resulting in the clock frequency between the transmitter and receiver not being completely consistent. The rate at which this clock frequency changes is the timing drift rate.

[0263] Timing offset can refer to the difference or offset of the receiving end's clock relative to the sending end's clock. It indicates the delay or advance of the receiving end's clock relative to the sending end's clock during the transmission process. In addition, even if the frequencies of the two clocks are the same, there is a slight difference in the time between the sending end and the receiving end due to different transmission path lengths, signal propagation delays, etc. This time difference is the timing offset.

[0264] In the communication of multiple TRPs in terrestrial cellular systems, it is usually necessary to perform high-precision calibration on the transmission frequency, timing, and initial phase of multiple TRPs so that the signals from multiple TRPs reaching the same terminal device can be coherently superimposed. At the same time, the TRPs in terrestrial cellular systems are generally in a static state. The frequency difference between the terminal device and different TRPs is caused by the difference in intrinsic signals. The frequency deviation difference is small, with a typical value of 0.1 to 1ppm, and the frequency deviation calibration can be carried out in a relatively simple way. For example, TPR shifts the spectrum of the transmitted signal to achieve frequency deviation calibration. In addition, when the temperature remains stable, the frequency drift of the TRP can be small enough to be ignored. Therefore, once the frequency deviation of the signal is calibrated, it can be maintained in a calibrated state for a long time. In short, the frequency deviation difference in multiple TRP communication scenarios in terrestrial cellular systems is small, and there is no need for phase-level calibration.

[0265] Different from the multiple TRP communications of terrestrial cellular systems, the frequency offsets between terminal devices and different satellites in multi-satellite communications are very different. At this time, if the frequency offset calibration adopts the spectrum shifting method, even if the phase, frequency and timing are aligned at a certain time, the signals from different satellites reaching the terminal device will immediately produce timing drift rate differences due to the large frequency offset differences. At the same time, the timing drift rate differences between the terminal device and different satellites will lead to new phase differences, causing calibration failure. For example, when only the frequency offset and initial phase differences are compensated between satellites, the phase difference between satellites increases rapidly over time, causing calibration failure. In short, the greater the frequency offset difference in multi-satellite communications, the faster the phase difference increases, so phase level calibration is required.

[0266] The maintenance time of the phase difference calibration between the terminal device and different satellites is greatly affected by the difference in timing drift rate, and the difference in timing drift rate perceived by the terminal device can be determined based on the satellite device frequency offset and the channel frequency offset. However, the true value of the satellite device frequency offset cannot be accurately obtained, and the accuracy of the channel frequency offset is limited by the ephemeris and the GNSS accuracy of the terminal device, which leads to poor accuracy of the timing drift rate difference perceived by the terminal device, and poor calibration accuracy of the phase difference.

[0267] In order to improve the calibration accuracy of the phase difference and avoid the difficulty in maintaining the phase difference calibration due to the difference in timing drift rate, this embodiment considers that high-precision calibration needs to rely on the measurement and feedback of the terminal device, so that the network device can perform high-precision phase difference calibration based on the feedback of the terminal device.

[0268] In specific implementation, in multi-satellite communications, the terminal device can measure the measurement signals of one or more network devices, obtain the timing drift rate and / or timing offset corresponding to each measurement signal, and then feed back these timing drift rates and / or timing offsets to one or more network devices.

[0269] Correspondingly, one or more network devices can adjust the resampling rate and / or timing of the downlink signal to be sent according to these timing drift rates and / or timing offsets, thereby achieving phase level calibration under multi-satellite communication. At the same time, by adjusting the resampling rate and / or timing of the downlink signals of one or more network devices, the adjusted downlink signals can generate coherent superposition after reaching the terminal device, so as to improve the communication quality through coherent superposition.

[0270] It should be noted that the measurement signal mentioned in this embodiment may refer to a signal for performing channel estimation and signal recovery, or a signal for providing time and frequency synchronization and channel state information (CSI).

[0271] For example, the measurement signal may include at least one of a pilot signal, a downlink reference signal, or a synchronization signal block (SSB), etc. The downlink reference signal includes at least one of a CSI-RS or a PT-RS, etc.

[0272] The pilot signal is a known, fixed signal that is inserted into the data signal in advance at the transmitting end. The pilot signal can be used for channel estimation and signal recovery at the receiving end. For channel estimation, the pilot signal transmits a known signal sample, and the receiving end can estimate the fading and distortion of the channel by measuring the difference between the received pilot signal and the known pilot signal. For signal recovery, the receiving end uses the channel estimation result to eliminate the distortion caused by the channel and recover the original data signal.

[0273] The downlink reference signal is a specific signal sent by the network equipment to the terminal equipment. Its main functions are to provide time and frequency synchronization and CSI, etc. For time and frequency synchronization, the downlink reference signal can help the terminal equipment and the base station achieve time and frequency synchronization, ensuring that the received signal is decoded and processed at the correct time and frequency. For CSI, the terminal equipment obtains information about the channel status through the downlink reference signal, including channel quality, fading, etc., and this information can be used by the terminal equipment for adaptive modulation and coding to improve communication quality and system performance.

[0274] In order to implement the above-mentioned solution, this embodiment mainly takes the pilot signal as an example to provide specific explanation from three aspects: "configuration process", "measurement process" and "feedback process". Those skilled in the art can also replace the "pilot signal" with other signals such as "downlink reference signal" to implement the same technical solution, which will not be repeated here.

[0275] Configuration process

[0276] In order to enable the terminal device to measure the respective pilot signals of one or more network devices, before the measurement, it is usually necessary to perform corresponding network configuration on the measurement process so that the terminal device performs corresponding measurement behavior according to the network configuration.

[0277] It should be noted that the above configuration process can be completed in the processes of cell search, cell residence, cell synchronization, random access, cell switching, cell reselection, resource scheduling, etc. At the same time, the network can implement network configuration through high-level signaling (such as RRC signaling, MAC signaling, etc.), system information (SI), DCI, etc.

[0278] For example, one or some of the one or more network devices sends high-level signaling to the terminal device, so as to implement the network configuration process through the high-level signaling. In addition, the specific sending of high-level signaling by one or some of the one or more network devices to the terminal device may be determined by interactive negotiation between the terminal device and the one or more network devices, may be one or more network devices with the best communication quality with the terminal device, may be any one or several of the one or more network devices, etc., may be specified by the protocol, and no specific limitation is made to this.

[0279] This embodiment is described by taking one or more network devices or some network devices sending "configuration information" to the terminal device as an example. The configuration information is used to configure the measurement process of the timing drift rate and / or timing offset, and the configuration information is carried by high-layer signaling.

[0280] Specifically, during the configuration process, the configuration content configured by the network device to the terminal device includes at least one of the following: configuration of the format of the pilot signal, configuration of the measurement window, configuration of the feedback method of the timing drift rate, or configuration of the feedback method of the timing offset.

[0281] That is, the configuration information includes at least one of the following: configuration of the format of the pilot signal, configuration of the measurement window, configuration of the feedback method of the timing drift rate, or configuration of the feedback method of the timing offset.

[0282] It should be noted that when the network device configures different configuration contents to the terminal device for measurement, the different configuration contents can be carried by the same high-level signaling, can be carried by multiple high-level signaling, can be completed in the same process (such as resource scheduling process), can be completed in different processes, can be acquired sequentially in time sequence, can be acquired simultaneously in time sequence, and there is no specific restriction on this. The above configuration contents are specifically described below.

[0283] [Configuration of pilot signal format]

[0284] The configuration of the pilot signal format can be understood as the network device configuring the format of the pilot signal of one or more network devices respectively to the terminal device during the measurement process. In this way, the terminal device can obtain the pilot signal required to be measured according to the format of the pilot signal.

[0285] In the following, the present embodiment is described by taking the configuration information including the "first information" and the first information being used to configure the format of the pilot signal of one or more network devices as an example. In this way, a certain network device or certain network devices among the one or more network devices send the first information to the terminal device, so as to configure the format of the pilot signal of one or more network devices through the first information.

[0286] Optionally, the format of the pilot signal includes at least one of the following: a sequence of the pilot signal, a time-frequency resource position of the pilot signal, or a port of the pilot signal. The following will describe each in detail.

[0287] The sequence of pilot signals, which can be called pilot sequences, is a sequence composed of a series of known symbols and is used for channel estimation and phase calibration. The pilot sequence can be a set of determined symbol sequences or a pseudo-random sequence. The pilot sequence can be defined in advance by the transmitter and periodically inserted into the data stream during data transmission so that the receiver can achieve channel estimation and calibration through the demodulation process. The pilot sequence can have good autocorrelation and cross-correlation for correct identification and demodulation at the receiver. In addition, the length of the pilot sequence should be long enough to achieve accurate channel estimation and phase calibration in complex environments such as channel multipath and interference.

[0288] The time-frequency resource location of the pilot signal can refer to the distribution of the pilot signal in the time domain and the frequency domain. The pilot signal is usually arranged in a specific time slot or subcarrier so that the receiving end can perform channel estimation and synchronization calibration.

[0289] For example, in an OFDM system, a pilot signal is usually arranged in the leading part of each OFDM symbol so that the receiving end can accurately estimate the channel response. Specifically, the leading part of each OFDM symbol contains a pilot sequence for channel estimation and synchronization calibration, and its length and position depend on the specific OFDM standard and application scenario.

[0290] For another example, in the LTE system, the pilot signal is arranged on a specific symbol of each time slot and allocated to different antenna ports so that the receiving end can obtain accurate channel state information (CSI). Specifically, the LTE system uses two pilot distribution methods with adjacent pilot symbols spaced 3 or 4 apart, where the first pilot symbol is allocated to the first antenna port and the second pilot symbol is allocated to the second antenna port.

[0291] In addition, the time-frequency resource location of the pilot signal may also be different. For example, in a CDMA system, the pilot signal is usually located at the beginning of each chip so that the receiving end can perform synchronization calibration and symbol demodulation. In a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system, the pilot signal is usually allocated to different antenna ports so that the receiving end can obtain accurate channel matrix information.

[0292] In a MIMO system, pilot signals are usually allocated to different antenna ports so that the receiving end can accurately estimate the channel matrix. For example, in an LTE system, pilot signals are allocated to two different antenna ports so that the receiving end can obtain accurate channel state information.

[0293] The port of the pilot signal may refer to the antenna port to which the pilot signal is assigned in a MIMO system. The MIMO system improves the capacity and reliability of the system by using multiple antennas to send and receive signals. The pilot signal is used for channel estimation and phase calibration so that the receiving end can perform optimized signal processing.

[0294] In a MIMO system, pilot signals can be allocated to the same or different antenna ports, and different transmission modes can be used to achieve spatial diversity or spatial multiplexing so that the receiving end can accurately estimate the channel matrix.

[0295] For example, in a MIMO spatial diversity system, pilot signals are allocated to different antenna ports and transmitted in an independent manner, so that the receiving end can estimate the channel and optimize signal processing by jointly estimating the pilot signals received on different antennas.

[0296] For another example, in a MIMO spatial multiplexing system, pilot signals are allocated to the same antenna port and transmitted in a shared manner, so that the receiving end estimates the channel and optimizes signal processing by processing the pilot signals received on the same antenna.

[0297] For another example, in an LTE system, pilot signals are allocated to two different antenna ports so that a receiving end can obtain accurate CSI.

[0298]

Measurement window configuration

[0299] The configuration of the measurement window can be understood as the network device configuring the measurement window required in the measurement process to the terminal device. In this way, the terminal device only needs to perform measurement within the measurement window to avoid continuous measurement.

[0300] This embodiment is described by taking the configuration information including the "second information" and the second information being used to configure the measurement window as an example. In this way, one or some network devices among the one or more network devices send the second information to the terminal device so as to configure the measurement window through the second information.

[0301] Before measurement, one or more network devices may agree with the terminal device on a measurement window, wherein the measurement window may refer to a time period, and during this time period the terminal device measures the pilot signals of the one or more network devices to avoid continuous measurement.

[0302] For example, Figure 7 As shown, the one or more network devices include network device 721, network device 722, and network device 723. Network device 721 sends configuration information to terminal device 710, and the configuration information is used to configure the measurement process of the timing drift rate and / or the timing offset, and the configuration information includes second information. In this way, terminal device 710 measures the pilot signal of network device 721, the pilot signal of network device 722, and the pilot signal of network device 723 within the measurement window configured by the second information, and obtains the timing drift rate and / or timing offset corresponding to each pilot signal.

[0303] The purpose of introducing the measurement window in this embodiment is that the terminal device can measure a stable timing drift rate and / or timing offset in the measurement window and avoid continuous measurement. In order to ensure that the terminal device can measure a stable timing drift rate and / or timing offset in the measurement window, this embodiment can be defined as follows:

[0304] The pilot signals of the multiple network devices meet at least one of the following conditions within the measurement window: the carrier phase of the pilot signal remains continuous, the downlink timing of the pilot signal remains continuous, the frequency of the pilot signal remains continuous, or the sampling rate of the pilot signal remains continuous. At the same time, when the terminal device performs timing drift rate measurement within the measurement window, it meets at least one of the following conditions: the downlink timing remains continuous, the frequency offset compensation amount remains unchanged, or the sampling rate remains unchanged.

[0305] The downlink timing of the pilot signal remains continuous, which means that there is no jump in the downlink timing of the pilot signal, that is, the downlink timing of the pilot signal will not suddenly change significantly. This is done to ensure that the terminal device can stably receive and process the pilot signal so as to perform accurate channel estimation and demodulation operations.

[0306] The pilot signal frequency remains continuous, which means that the pilot signal has no frequency jump, that is, the pilot signal frequency does not suddenly change significantly. This is to ensure that the terminal device can stably receive and process the pilot signal, so as to perform accurate channel estimation and demodulation operations.

[0307] The sampling rate of the pilot signal remains continuous, which means that there is no jump in the sampling rate of the pilot signal, that is, the sampling rate of the pilot signal will not suddenly change significantly. The purpose of this is to ensure that the terminal device can stably receive and process the pilot signal, so as to perform accurate channel estimation and demodulation operations.

[0308] Downlink timing is kept continuous, which can be understood as the terminal device does not adjust the downlink timing when measuring the timing drift rate, that is, the downlink timing will not suddenly change significantly. The purpose of this is to ensure that the downlink timing, frequency, carrier phase, etc. of the measured pilot signal remain continuous, so as to accurately measure the timing drift rate.

[0309] The frequency offset compensation amount remains unchanged, which can be understood as the terminal device does not adjust the frequency offset compensation amount when measuring the timing drift rate. The purpose of this is to ensure that the downlink timing, frequency, carrier phase, etc. of the measured pilot signal remain continuous so as to accurately measure the timing drift rate.

[0310] The sampling rate remains unchanged, which can be understood as the terminal device does not adjust the sampling rate when measuring the timing drift rate. The purpose of this is to ensure that the downlink timing, frequency, carrier phase, etc. of the measured pilot signal remain continuous so as to accurately measure the timing drift rate.

[0311] Specifically, the configuration of the measurement window (i.e., the second information) may include one of the following: the format of the pilot signal of each of the one or more network devices associated with the measurement window, the starting position of the measurement window, the length of the measurement window, the end position of the measurement window, the period of the measurement window, and the timing reference point associated with the measurement window. The following are detailed descriptions.

[0312] In order to ensure that the terminal device can know that certain pilot signals need to be measured within the measurement window, when the network device configures the measurement window to the terminal device, the network device will configure the measurement window to associate the format of the pilot signals of one or more network devices, and configure it to the terminal device through high-level signaling. In this way, the terminal device can measure the pilot signals associated with the measurement window within the measurement window.

[0313] In addition, the format of the pilot signal associated with the configuration measurement window includes the format of the reference pilot, such as the port of the reference pilot. That is, the network device tells the terminal device that a certain pilot signal among the pilot signals associated with the measurement window is a reference pilot signal. The reference pilot signal can be used to determine the reference value of the timing drift rate and / or the timing offset, and is specifically described in the "feedback process" below, so as to reduce the feedback amount of the timing drift and / or the timing offset, save the signaling overhead during feedback, etc.

[0314] The starting position of the measurement window can refer to the start time of the measurement window. It describes when the measurement window should start so that the pilot signal can be correctly captured and measured, and the channel state can be estimated and adjusted. The starting position of the measurement window can be configured by the network device. Generally, it is selected according to different communication scenarios and user needs.

[0315] For example, the network device may directly configure the first symbol of a time slot in a wireless frame as the starting position of the measurement window.

[0316] For another example, the network device may configure an offset, which is used to represent the time offset between the receiving position of the configuration information (or the second information) and the starting position of the measurement window. In this way, since the terminal device can know the receiving position of the configuration information, the starting position of the measurement window can be determined according to the receiving position of the configuration information and the offset.

[0317] The length of the measurement window may refer to the duration of the measurement window, which is used to describe when the measurement window ends. The length of the measurement window may be selected according to specific application scenarios and system requirements.

[0318] For example, in the case of high-speed motion, a shorter measurement window may be selected to allow for more timely channel estimation and measurement.

[0319] The end position of the measurement window can refer to the end time of the measurement window. It can usually be calculated from the starting position and length of the measurement window, or it can be directly configured by the network device. When the end position of the measurement window is reached, the terminal device will stop the measurement operation and feed back the measurement results to the network device.

[0320] For example, the network device may directly configure the last symbol of a time slot in a wireless frame as the end position of the measurement window.

[0321] The period of the measurement window may refer to how long a measurement is required, for example, once a second, or once every 5 milliseconds. In addition, the period of the measurement window may be selected according to specific application scenarios and system requirements to better achieve estimation and measurement of the channel state.

[0322] The timing reference point can be understood as a time domain position associated with the measurement window, wherein the time domain position of the timing reference point can be within the measurement window or outside the measurement window.

[0323] In addition, the timing reference point can be used to calculate the timing offset of the pilot signal at the timing reference point, which is specifically described in the "measurement process" below, so as to solve the ambiguity problem of feedback and interpretation caused by the time-varying timing drift.

[0324] Optionally, the time domain position of the timing reference point can be represented by a symbol. That is, the time domain position of the timing reference point is at a symbol level. For example, the network device configures a symbol of a time slot in a radio frame as a timing reference point.

[0325] In this way, compared with the time slot level, the time domain position of the timing reference point has a smaller granularity due to the symbol level, so as to facilitate the calculation of the timing offset of the pilot signal at the timing reference point.

[0326] [Configuration of the feedback method of the timing drift rate]

[0327] The configuration of the feedback mode of the timing drift rate can be understood as the network device configuring the feedback mode of the timing drift rate corresponding to the pilot signal of one or more network devices to the terminal device during the feedback process. In this way, the terminal device can know how to feedback the timing drift rate corresponding to each pilot signal according to the feedback mode of the timing drift rate.

[0328] This embodiment is described by taking the configuration information including the "third information" and the third information being used to configure the feedback mode of the timing drift rate corresponding to each pilot signal as an example. In this way, a certain network device or certain network devices among the one or more network devices send the third information to the terminal device, so as to implement the feedback mode of the timing drift rate corresponding to the pilot signal of each of the one or more network devices through the third information.

[0329] Specifically, the feedback mode of the timing drift rate may include an absolute feedback mode and a relative feedback mode.

[0330] The absolute feedback method may refer to the terminal device directly sending the measured value of the timing drift rate to the network device so that the network device can perform corresponding clock compensation and adjustment according to the measured value. This method can provide a relatively accurate timing drift rate.

[0331] Relative feedback means that the terminal device sends the difference between the measured value of the timing drift rate and a reference value to the network device. This method can reduce signaling overhead because only a difference value needs to be transmitted instead of the complete measured value. The network device can calculate the actual timing drift rate based on the reference value and the difference value and make corresponding adjustments.

[0332] It should be noted that the choice of absolute feedback or relative feedback depends on the specific application requirements and system design. The absolute feedback method provides more accurate timing drift rate information and is suitable for scenarios with high requirements for timing drift rate. The relative feedback method can reduce signaling overhead and is suitable for scenarios with relatively low requirements for timing drift rate accuracy and considering transmission overhead. In addition, no matter which feedback method is used, the measurement and feedback of the timing drift rate are for network equipment to compensate and adjust in time to maintain the clock synchronization performance of the system.

[0333] [Configuration of timing offset feedback method]

[0334] The configuration of the feedback method of the timing offset can be understood as the network device configuring the feedback method of the timing offset corresponding to the pilot signal of one or more network devices in the feedback process to the terminal device. In this way, the terminal device can know how to feedback the timing offset corresponding to each pilot signal according to the feedback method of the timing offset.

[0335] This embodiment is described by taking the configuration information including the "fourth information" and the fourth information being used to configure the feedback mode of the timing offset corresponding to each pilot signal as an example. In this way, a certain network device or certain network devices among the one or more network devices send the fourth information to the terminal device, so as to implement the feedback mode of configuring the timing offset corresponding to the pilot signal of each of the one or more network devices through the fourth information.

[0336] Specifically, the feedback mode of the timing offset may include absolute feedback and relative feedback.

[0337] Absolute feedback may refer to the terminal device directly sending the measured value of the timing offset to the network device so that the network device can perform corresponding clock compensation and adjustment based on the measured value. This method can provide a relatively accurate timing offset.

[0338] Relative feedback refers to the terminal device sending the difference between the measured value of the timing offset and a reference value to the network device. This method can reduce signaling overhead because only a difference value needs to be transmitted instead of the complete measurement value. The network device can calculate the actual timing offset based on the reference value and the difference value and make corresponding adjustments.

[0339] It should be noted that the choice of absolute feedback or relative feedback depends on the specific application requirements and system design. Absolute feedback provides more accurate timing offset information and is suitable for scenarios with high requirements for timing offset. Relative feedback can reduce signaling overhead and is suitable for scenarios with relatively low requirements for timing offset accuracy and consideration of transmission overhead. In addition, no matter which feedback method is used, the measurement and feedback of timing offset is to enable network equipment to compensate and adjust in time to maintain the clock synchronization performance of the system.

[0340]

Measurement process

[0341] After the corresponding network configuration is performed for the measurement process, the terminal device performs corresponding measurement behavior according to the network configuration. During the measurement process, the terminal device can measure the pilot signals of one or more network devices to obtain the timing drift rate and / or timing offset corresponding to each pilot signal.

[0342] The following describes how to measure the timing offset and timing drift rate corresponding to each pilot signal.

[0343] The specific steps of measuring the pilot signal to obtain the timing offset and the timing drift rate are as follows:

[0344] Step 1: Pilot signal transmission

[0345] Each network device inserts a known pilot signal in the downlink, which is fixed in time and frequency. The pilot signal is usually sent at a specific interval.

[0346] Step 2: Signal sampling

[0347] After receiving the signal sample containing the pilot signal, the terminal device samples the pilot signal. The sampling rate should match the bandwidth of the pilot signal.

[0348] Step 3: Channel Estimation

[0349] The terminal device uses the sampled pilot signal to match the expected pilot signal and compares the difference between them. This process is called channel estimation. By comparing the actual received value of the pilot signal with the expected value, information about channel fading and distortion can be obtained.

[0350] Step 4: Pilot symbol alignment

[0351] The terminal device aligns the pilot symbol by finding the maximum correlation peak between the received pilot signal and the expected pilot signal. This is because the pilot sequence is known, so the terminal device can find the timing position of the pilot symbol by finding the maximum correlation peak.

[0352] Step 5: Calculate the timing offset

[0353] By calculating the time delay difference between the received pilot signal and the expected pilot signal, the timing offset can be obtained. The timing offset represents the offset of the received pilot signal relative to the expected position in time.

[0354] It should be noted that the "timing offset corresponding to each pilot signal" mentioned in this embodiment may include at least one of the following items: the timing offset corresponding to at least one pilot symbol of each pilot signal, the accumulation of the timing offsets corresponding to multiple pilot symbols of each pilot signal, or the timing offset corresponding to the symbol of each pilot signal at the timing reference point.

[0355] For example, the timing offset corresponding to the pilot symbol is expressed as follows:

[0356] TOA(i)=R(i)·exp(-j2πf d T s i)

[0357] Where i represents the index of the received pilot symbol; TOA(i) represents the timing offset corresponding to the i-th received pilot symbol; R(i) represents the received pilot symbol; f d represents the frequency offset in the channel; T s Indicates the sampling period.

[0358] The accumulation of the timing offsets corresponding to multiple pilot symbols of the pilot signal is expressed as follows:

[0359]

[0360] Wherein, N represents the number of pilot symbols; TOA represents the accumulation of timing offsets corresponding to N pilot symbols.

[0361] For the timing offset corresponding to the symbol of the pilot signal at the timing reference point, since the terminal device can measure the timing offset corresponding to at least two pilot symbols of the pilot signal, the terminal device can perform linear fitting on the timing offset corresponding to the at least two pilot symbols to obtain a linear fitting straight line. At this time, on the linear fitting straight line, the timing offset corresponding to the symbol of the timing reference point is calculated, thereby obtaining the timing offset corresponding to the symbol of the pilot signal at the timing reference point.

[0362] That is to say, the timing offset corresponding to the symbol of each pilot signal at the timing reference point is determined based on the time at which the symbol of the timing reference point is located, the timing offset corresponding to at least two pilot symbols of each pilot signal, and the time at which the at least two pilot symbols are located, which is easy to implement.

[0363] For example, in Figure 8 In the figure, the time at which the symbol of the timing reference point is located is time t1, and the time at which the three pilot symbols of the pilot signal are located is time t2, time t3 and time t4 respectively. At the same time, the terminal device measures the measurement values ​​of the timing offsets corresponding to the three pilot symbols, which are d1, d2 and d3 respectively. In this way, a linear fitting is performed through the timing offsets corresponding to each of the three pilot symbols, and a linear fitting line corresponding to the pilot signal is obtained as y=ax+b. At this time, on the linear fitting line, the measurement value of the timing offset corresponding to the symbol of the timing reference point is calculated to be y(t1), so that the measurement value of the timing offset corresponding to the symbol of the pilot signal at the timing reference point is y(t1).

[0364] Step 6: Calculate the Timing Drift Rate

[0365] For signals such as time division multiplexing (TDMA), the signals of different terminal devices need to be separated in the time domain. To this end, the network equipment will send predefined pilot symbols in sequence at a certain time interval. The terminal device can estimate the timing drift rate corresponding to the pilot signal by observing the delay difference changes of these pilot symbols in the actual channel.

[0366] Normally, the terminal device calculates the delay difference between two consecutive pilot symbols of the pilot signal (i.e., the difference between the timing offsets corresponding to the two consecutive pilot symbols) and uses it as the reference value. Then, when the terminal device continuously observes that the delay difference between two consecutive pilot symbols changes, the delay difference change rate can be calculated by calculating their difference. Since the delay difference change rate is related to the frequency offset rate of the pilot signal, the timing drift rate corresponding to the pilot signal, i.e., the slope of the linear fitting line, is determined by analyzing the delay difference change rate.

[0367] That is to say, the timing drift rate corresponding to each pilot signal is determined according to the timing offset corresponding to two continuous pilot symbols of each pilot signal and the time interval between the two continuous pilot symbols. In this way, the terminal device can calculate the difference between the timing offsets corresponding to the two continuous pilot symbols and the ratio between the time interval between the two continuous pilot symbols to obtain the timing drift rate corresponding to the pilot signal, which is easy to implement.

[0368] For example, in Figure 8 In the example, the delay differences of two consecutive pilot symbols observed by the terminal device are d1 and d2 respectively, and their time interval is t3-t2. The delay difference change rate is calculated to be a=(d2-d1) / (t3-t2). At this time, the timing drift rate corresponding to the pilot signal can be a=(d2-d1) / (t3-t2).

[0369]

Feedback process of timing drift rate

[0370] a. Description

[0371] After measuring the timing drift rates corresponding to the pilot signals of the respective one or more network devices, the terminal device feeds back the timing drift rates.

[0372] During the feedback process of the timing drift rate, the terminal device may provide feedback in accordance with the feedback method configured by the network in the above-mentioned "Configuration of the feedback method of the timing drift rate", or may not provide feedback in accordance with the feedback method configured by the network but may be determined autonomously by the terminal device, or may provide feedback in accordance with the default feedback method, or may provide feedback in accordance with the latest configured feedback method, or may provide feedback in accordance with the old feedback method / the originally configured feedback method, and there is no specific restriction on this.

[0373] This embodiment is mainly described by taking an example in which a terminal device performs feedback according to a feedback mode configured by a network, and the terminal device sends first feedback information to implement feedback of these timing drift rates.

[0374] Among them, in combination with the content of the above-mentioned "configuration of the feedback method of the timing drift rate", a network device or some network devices in one or more network devices send third information to the terminal device so as to implement the network configuration of the feedback method of the timing drift rate through the third information. The feedback method configured by the network includes an absolute feedback method and a relative feedback method.

[0375] b. Instructions for feedback information

[0376] During the feedback process of the timing drift rate, the terminal device can send first feedback information to each network device respectively, and the first feedback information is used to indicate the timing drift rate corresponding to the pilot signal of a network device that needs to be fed back, so as to realize the feedback of the timing drift rate corresponding to the respective pilot signal to each network device.

[0377] In this way, since the terminal devices feed back the timing drift rates corresponding to their respective pilot signals respectively, each network device can directly obtain the timing drift rate corresponding to its own pilot signal, so that the feedback efficiency of the timing drift rate is high.

[0378] For example, in Fig. 9 In the embodiment, the one or more network devices include network device 921, network device 922 and network device 923. Network device 921 sends configuration information to terminal device 910, where the configuration information is used to configure the measurement process of the timing drift rate, and the configuration information includes first information, second information and third information.

[0379] Then, terminal device 910 measures the pilot signal of network device 921, the pilot signal of network device 922, and the pilot signal of network device 923 within the measurement window configured by the second information to obtain the timing drift rate corresponding to each pilot signal.

[0380] Finally, the terminal device 910 sends the first feedback information to the network device 921, and the first feedback information includes the timing drift rate corresponding to the pilot signal of the network device 921; the terminal device 910 sends the first feedback information to the network device 922, and the first feedback information includes the timing drift rate corresponding to the pilot signal of the network device 922; the terminal device 910 sends the first feedback information to the network device 923, and the first feedback information includes the timing drift rate corresponding to the pilot signal of the network device 923.

[0381] In the feedback process of the timing drift rate, the terminal device may feedback the timing drift rate corresponding to the pilot signals of all network devices to a network device among one or more network devices, and the network device then forwards the timing drift rate corresponding to the pilot signals of the respective network devices to other network devices. In addition, the feedback of the terminal device to a network device among one or more network devices may be determined by interactive negotiation between the terminal device and the one or more network devices, may be a network device with the best communication quality with the terminal device, may be any one of the one or more network devices, etc., may be stipulated by the protocol, and there is no specific limitation on this.

[0382] In this way, since the terminal device only needs to feed back the timing drift rates corresponding to the respective pilot signals of all network devices to one network device, the overhead of feedback signaling is small.

[0383] For example, in Fig.10 In the embodiment, the one or more network devices include network device 1021, network device 1022 and network device 1023. Network device 1021 sends configuration information to terminal device 1010, the configuration information is used to configure the measurement process of the timing drift rate, and the configuration information includes first information, second information and third information.

[0384] Then, the terminal device 1010 measures the pilot signal of the network device 1021, the pilot signal of the network device 1022, and the pilot signal of the network device 1023 within the measurement window configured by the second information to obtain the timing drift rate corresponding to each pilot signal.

[0385] Finally, the terminal device 1010 sends first feedback information to the network device 1021, and the first feedback information includes the timing drift rate corresponding to each pilot signal. After the network device 1021 receives the first feedback information, the network device 1021 sends the timing drift rate corresponding to the pilot signal of the network device 1022 to the network device 1022, and sends the timing drift rate corresponding to the pilot signal of the network device 1023 to the network device 1023.

[0386] c. Feedback method

[0387] In combination with the content in the above “Configuration of feedback mode of timing drift rate”, the third information may indicate an absolute feedback mode or a relative feedback mode.

[0388] If the third information indicates an absolute feedback mode, the terminal device directly sends the measured value of the timing drift rate to the network device. At this time, the first feedback information includes the timing drift rate corresponding to the pilot signal of a network device to be fed back, or the timing drift rate corresponding to each pilot signal.

[0389] In addition, in the absolute feedback mode, the timing drift rate corresponding to each pilot signal can be expressed by a sampling rate proportional relationship. In this way, the terminal device can use the sampling rate proportional relationship to provide absolute feedback on the timing drift rate corresponding to each pilot signal. Figure 8 In the example, the timing drift rate corresponding to the pilot signal is a=(d2-d1) / (t3-t2). At this time, (d2-d1) / (t3-t2) can represent a sampling rate ratio relationship.

[0390] If the third information indicates a relative feedback mode, the terminal device sends the difference between the measured value of the timing drift rate and a reference value to the network device. At this time, the first feedback information includes the difference between the timing drift rate corresponding to the pilot signal of a network device to be fed back and the reference timing drift rate, or the difference between the timing drift rate corresponding to each pilot signal and the reference timing drift rate.

[0391] Optionally, the reference timing drift rate is a reference value configured or preconfigured by the network. That is, the network device configures a reference value for the terminal device to achieve relative feedback.

[0392] Optionally, the reference timing drift rate is a timing drift rate corresponding to a reference pilot signal in pilot signals of one or more network devices. That is, the network device configures a pilot signal among these pilot signals as a reference pilot signal to the terminal device, so that the terminal device uses the measured value of the timing drift rate corresponding to the reference pilot signal as a reference value to achieve relative feedback.

[0393]

Feedback process of timing offset

[0394] a. Description

[0395] After measuring the timing offsets corresponding to the pilot signals of one or more network devices, the terminal device feeds back the timing offsets according to the network configuration.

[0396] During the feedback process of the timing offset, the terminal device may provide feedback in accordance with the feedback method configured by the network in the above-mentioned "Configuration of the feedback method of the timing offset", or may not provide feedback in accordance with the feedback method configured by the network but may be determined autonomously by the terminal device, or may provide feedback in accordance with the default feedback method, or may provide feedback in accordance with the latest configured feedback method, or may provide feedback in accordance with the old feedback method / the originally configured feedback method, and there is no specific restriction on this.

[0397] This embodiment is mainly described by taking an example in which the terminal device performs feedback according to the feedback mode configured by the network, and the terminal device sends the second feedback information to implement the feedback of these timing offsets.

[0398] Among them, in combination with the content of the above-mentioned "configuration of the feedback method of the timing offset", a network device or some network devices among one or more network devices send fourth information to the terminal device so as to implement the network configuration timing offset feedback method through the fourth information. The feedback method configured by the network includes an absolute feedback method and a relative feedback method.

[0399] b. Instructions for feedback information

[0400] During the feedback process of the timing offset, the terminal device can send second feedback information to each network device respectively, and the second feedback information is used to indicate the timing offset corresponding to the pilot signal of a network device that needs to be fed back, so as to realize the feedback of the timing offset corresponding to the respective pilot signal to each network device respectively.

[0401] In this way, since the terminal devices feed back the timing offsets corresponding to their respective pilot signals respectively, each network device can directly obtain the timing offsets corresponding to its respective pilot signals, thereby increasing the feedback efficiency of the timing offsets.

[0402] For example, in Fig.11 In the embodiment, the one or more network devices include network device 1121, network device 1122 and network device 1123. Network device 1121 sends configuration information to terminal device 1110, the configuration information is used to configure the measurement process of the timing offset, and the configuration information includes first information, second information and fourth information.

[0403] Then, terminal device 1110 measures the pilot signal of network device 1121, the pilot signal of network device 1122, and the pilot signal of network device 1123 within the measurement window configured by the second information to obtain the timing offset corresponding to each pilot signal.

[0404] Finally, the terminal device 1110 sends second feedback information to the network device 1121, and the second feedback information includes the timing offset corresponding to the pilot signal of the network device 1121; the terminal device 1110 sends second feedback information to the network device 1122, and the second feedback information includes the timing offset corresponding to the pilot signal of the network device 1122; the terminal device 1110 sends second feedback information to the network device 1123, and the second feedback information includes the timing offset corresponding to the pilot signal of the network device 1123.

[0405] In the feedback process of the timing offset, the terminal device can feedback the timing offset corresponding to the pilot signal of all network devices to a network device among one or more network devices, and then the network device forwards the timing offset corresponding to the pilot signal of each network device to other network devices. In addition, the terminal device specifically feedbacks to a network device among one or more network devices, which can be determined by interactive negotiation between the terminal device and one or more network devices, can be a network device with the best communication quality with the terminal device, can be any one of one or more network devices, etc., can be stipulated by the protocol, and there is no specific limitation on this.

[0406] In this way, since the terminal device only needs to feed back the timing offsets corresponding to the respective pilot signals of all network devices to one network device, the overhead of feedback signaling is small.

[0407] For example, in Fig.12 In the embodiment, the one or more network devices include network device 1221, network device 1222 and network device 1223. Network device 1221 sends configuration information to terminal device 1210, the configuration information is used to configure the measurement process of the timing offset, and the configuration information includes first information, second information and fourth information.

[0408] Then, the terminal device 1210 measures the pilot signal of the network device 1221, the pilot signal of the network device 1222, and the pilot signal of the network device 1223 within the measurement window configured by the second information to obtain the timing offset corresponding to each pilot signal.

[0409] Finally, terminal device 1210 sends second feedback information to network device 1221, and the second feedback information includes the timing offset corresponding to each pilot signal. After network device 1221 receives the second feedback information, network device 1221 sends the timing offset corresponding to the pilot signal of network device 1222 to network device 1222, and sends the timing offset corresponding to the pilot signal of network device 1223 to network device 1223.

[0410] c. Feedback method

[0411] In combination with the content in the above “Configuration of feedback mode of timing offset”, the fourth information may indicate an absolute feedback mode or a relative feedback mode.

[0412] If the fourth information indicates an absolute feedback mode, the terminal device directly sends the measured value of the timing offset to the network device. At this time, the second feedback information includes the timing offset corresponding to the pilot signal of a network device to be fed back, or the timing offset corresponding to each pilot signal.

[0413] If the fourth information indicates a relative feedback mode, the terminal device sends the difference between the measured value of the timing offset and a reference value to the network device. At this time, the second feedback information includes the difference between the timing offset corresponding to the pilot signal of a network device to be fed back and the reference timing offset, or the difference between the timing offset corresponding to each pilot signal and the reference timing offset.

[0414] Optionally, the reference timing offset is a reference value configured or preconfigured by the network, that is, the network device configures a reference value for the terminal device to achieve relative feedback.

[0415] Optionally, the reference timing offset is a timing offset corresponding to a reference pilot signal in the pilot signals of one or more network devices. In other words, the network device configures a pilot signal among these pilot signals as a reference pilot signal to the terminal device, so that the terminal device uses the measured value of the timing offset corresponding to the reference pilot signal as a reference value to achieve relative feedback.

[0416] A communication method

[0417] In combination with the above content, an example of a communication method in an embodiment of the present application is introduced below. It should be noted that the terminal device can be a chip, a chip module or a communication module, etc., and the network device can be a chip, a chip module or a communication module, etc.

[0418] like Fig.13 FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application, which specifically includes the following steps:

[0419] S1310. The terminal device obtains configuration information.

[0420] It should be noted that the configuration information may be sent by a certain network device or certain network devices among one or more network devices, and there is no specific limitation on this.

[0421] S1320. The network device sends a first pilot signal.

[0422] It should be noted that the "network device" here refers to a network device in one or more network devices, and the first pilot signal refers to a pilot signal sent by the network device. In addition, each of the one or more network devices sends a pilot signal. In this way, the terminal device receives at least one pilot signal, each of the at least one pilot signal corresponds to a network device, and the at least one pilot signal includes the first pilot signal.

[0423] S1330. The terminal device measures at least one pilot signal according to the configuration information to obtain at least one timing drift rate and / or at least one timing offset.

[0424] Therein, at least one timing drift rate and / or at least one timing offset corresponds to at least one pilot signal.

[0425] S1340. The terminal device sends first feedback information and / or second feedback information to the network device, where the first feedback information is used to indicate at least one timing drift rate, and the second feedback information is used to indicate at least one timing offset.

[0426] It should be noted that the terminal device may send the first feedback information and / or the second feedback information to each of the one or more network devices, such as Fig. 9 and Fig.11 At this time, the first feedback information in S1340 only includes the timing drift rate corresponding to the first pilot signal, and the second feedback information only includes the timing offset corresponding to the first pilot signal.

[0427] Alternatively, the terminal device may only send the first feedback information and / or the second feedback information to the network device that sends the first pilot signal, and then the network device forwards it to other network devices, such as Fig.10 and Fig.12 At this time, the first feedback information in S1340 includes the timing drift rate corresponding to each pilot signal, and the second feedback information includes the timing offset corresponding to each pilot signal.

[0428] Correspondingly, the network device receives the first feedback information and / or the second feedback information.

[0429] S1350. The network device resamples and / or adjusts the timing of the downlink signal according to the first feedback information and / or the second feedback information.

[0430] It should be noted that each of the one or more network devices resamples and / or adjusts the timing of the downlink signal according to the timing offset and / or timing offset corresponding to the respective pilot signal. At this time, in S1350, the timing drift rate corresponding to the first pilot signal of the network device and / or the timing offset corresponding to the first pilot signal resamples and / or adjusts the timing of the downlink signal.

[0431] In addition, the “configuration information”, “measurement of pilot signal”, “first feedback information” and “second feedback information” etc. can be found in the above contents in detail and will not be elaborated on here.

[0432] It can be seen that in multi-satellite communications, the terminal device can measure the pilot signals of one or more network devices, obtain the timing drift rate and / or timing offset corresponding to each pilot signal, and then feed back these timing drift rates and / or timing offsets to one or more network devices.

[0433] Correspondingly, one or more network devices can adjust the resampling rate and / or timing of the downlink signal to be sent according to these timing drift rates and / or timing offsets, thereby achieving phase level calibration under multi-satellite communication. At the same time, by adjusting the resampling rate and / or timing of the downlink signals of one or more network devices, the adjusted downlink signals can generate coherent superposition after reaching the terminal device, so as to improve the communication quality through coherent superposition.

[0434] 3. Example description of a functional unit of a communication device

[0435]

describe

[0436] The above mainly introduces the scheme of the embodiment of the present application from the perspective of the method side. It is understandable that in order to realize the above functions, the terminal device includes a hardware structure and / or software module corresponding to each function. It should be easily appreciated by those skilled in the art that, in combination with the units and algorithm steps of each example described in the embodiment disclosed herein, the present embodiment can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art may use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this embodiment.

[0437] The embodiment of the present application can divide the terminal device into functional units according to the above method example. For example, each functional unit can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing unit. The above integrated unit can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of a software program module. It should be noted that the division of units in the embodiment of the present application is schematic, which is only a logical function division, and there may be other division methods in actual implementation.

[0438] In the case of an integrated unit, Fig.14 The communication device 1400 includes an acquisition unit 1401 , a measurement unit 1402 , and a sending unit 1403 .

[0439] Optionally, the acquisition unit 1401 may be a module unit for acquiring and processing signals, information, etc., and there is no specific limitation on this.

[0440] Optionally, the measuring unit 1402 may be a module unit for measuring and processing a signal, etc., and there is no specific limitation to this.

[0441] Optionally, the sending unit 1403 may be a module unit for sending and processing signals, information, etc., and there is no specific limitation on this.

[0442] Optionally, the communication device 1400 may further include a storage unit for storing computer program codes or instructions executed by the communication device 1400. The storage unit may be a memory.

[0443] Optionally, the communication device 1400 may be a chip or a chip module.

[0444] Optionally, the acquisition unit 1401, the measurement unit 1402 and the sending unit 1403 may be integrated into the same unit or may be integrated into different units.

[0445] For example, the acquisition unit 1401 and the sending unit 1403 may be integrated into a communication unit, and the measuring unit 1402 may be integrated into a processing unit. The communication unit may be a communication interface, a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, and the like.

[0446] For another example, the acquiring unit 1401 , the measuring unit 1402 , and the sending unit 1403 may be integrated into a processing unit.

[0447] It should be noted that the processing unit may be a processor or a controller, for example, a baseband processor, a baseband chip, a central processing unit (CPU), a general processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components or any combination thereof. It may implement or execute various exemplary logic blocks, modules and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure of this embodiment. The processing unit may also be a combination that implements a computing function, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, etc.

[0448] Optionally, the communication device 1400 is used to execute any step performed by the terminal device / chip / chip module, etc. in the above method embodiment.

[0449] In specific implementation, the acquisition unit 1401, the measurement unit 1402 and the sending unit 1403 are used to perform any step in the above method embodiment, and when performing actions such as sending, other units can be selectively called to complete corresponding operations. Detailed description is given below.

[0450] An acquisition unit 1401 is used to acquire configuration information;

[0451] The measuring unit 1402 is configured to measure the at least one pilot signal according to the configuration information to obtain at least one timing drift rate and / or at least one timing offset, wherein the at least one timing drift rate and / or the at least one timing offset corresponds to the at least one pilot signal one-to-one, and each pilot signal in the at least one pilot signal corresponds to a network device;

[0452] The sending unit 1403 is used to send first feedback information and / or second feedback information, where the first feedback information is used to indicate at least one timing drift rate, and the second feedback information is used to indicate at least one timing offset.

[0453] It can be seen that in multi-satellite communications, the terminal device can measure the pilot signals of one or more network devices, obtain the timing drift rate and / or timing offset corresponding to each pilot signal, and then feed back these timing drift rates and / or timing offsets to one or more network devices.

[0454] Correspondingly, one or more network devices can adjust the resampling rate and / or timing of the downlink signal to be sent according to these timing drift rates and / or timing offsets, thereby achieving phase level calibration under multi-satellite communication. At the same time, by adjusting the resampling rate and / or timing of the downlink signals of one or more network devices, the adjusted downlink signals can generate coherent superposition after reaching the terminal device, so as to improve the communication quality through coherent superposition.

[0455] It should be noted that Fig.14 The specific implementation of each operation in the embodiment can be found in the description of the method embodiment shown above, and will not be described in detail here.

[0456] Some possible implementations

[0457] Some possible implementations are described below, wherein some specific descriptions can be found above and will not be repeated here.

[0458] Optional configuration information, including at least one of the following:

[0459] first information, used to configure a format of at least one pilot signal;

[0460] The second information is used to configure the measurement window;

[0461] The third information is used to configure at least one timing drift rate feedback method;

[0462] The fourth information is used to configure a feedback method of at least one timing offset.

[0463] Optionally, the second information includes at least one of the following:

[0464] The measurement window is associated with a format of at least one pilot signal;

[0465] The starting position of the measurement window;

[0466] Measure the length of the window;

[0467] The end position of the measurement window;

[0468] The period of the measurement window;

[0469] The timing reference point to which the measurement window is associated.

[0470] Optionally, at least one pilot signal satisfies at least one of the following conditions within the measurement window:

[0471] The carrier phase of at least one pilot signal remains continuous, the downlink timing of at least one pilot signal remains continuous, the frequency of at least one pilot signal remains continuous, or the sampling rate of at least one pilot signal remains continuous.

[0472] Optionally, when the terminal device performs measurement within the measurement window, at least one of the following conditions is met: the downlink timing remains continuous, the frequency offset compensation amount remains unchanged, or the sampling rate remains unchanged.

[0473] Optionally, the format of at least one pilot signal includes at least one of the following: a sequence of at least one pilot signal, a time-frequency resource position of at least one pilot signal, or a port of at least one pilot signal.

[0474] Optionally, the third information indicates a first absolute feedback mode, where the first absolute feedback mode is used to indicate that the first feedback information includes at least one timing drift rate; or,

[0475] The third information indicates a first relative feedback mode, and the first relative feedback mode is used to indicate that the first feedback information includes a difference between at least one timing drift rate and a reference timing drift rate.

[0476] Optionally, at least one timing drift rate is represented by a sampling rate proportional relationship.

[0477] Optionally, the reference timing drift rate is a first reference value configured or preconfigured by the network; or,

[0478] The reference timing drift rate is a timing drift rate corresponding to a reference pilot signal in at least one pilot signal.

[0479] Optionally, the fourth information indicates a second absolute feedback mode, where the second absolute feedback mode is used to indicate that the second feedback information includes at least one timing offset; or,

[0480] The fourth information indicates a second relative feedback mode, and the second relative feedback mode is used to indicate that the second feedback information includes a difference between at least one timing offset and a reference timing offset.

[0481] Optionally, the reference timing offset is a second reference value configured or preconfigured by the network; or,

[0482] The reference timing offset is a timing offset corresponding to a reference pilot signal in at least one pilot signal.

[0483] Optionally, the timing offset corresponding to at least one pilot signal includes:

[0484] a timing offset corresponding to at least one pilot symbol of each pilot signal in at least one pilot signal; and / or,

[0485] A timing offset corresponding to a symbol of a timing reference point of each pilot signal in at least one pilot signal.

[0486] Optionally, the time domain position of the timing reference point is represented by a symbol.

[0487] Optionally, the timing offset corresponding to the symbol of the timing reference point of each pilot signal in at least one pilot signal is determined based on the time at which the symbol of the timing reference point is located, the timing offset corresponding to each of at least two pilot symbols of each pilot signal in at least one pilot signal, and the time at which the at least two pilot symbols are located.

[0488] Optionally, at least one timing drift rate is determined based on a timing offset corresponding to two consecutive pilot symbols of each pilot signal in at least one pilot signal and a time interval between the two consecutive pilot symbols.

[0489] 4. Example description of functional units of another communication device

[0490]

describe

[0491] The above mainly introduces the scheme of the embodiment of the present application from the perspective of the method side. It is understandable that in order to realize the above functions, the network device includes a hardware structure and / or software module corresponding to each function. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that, in combination with the units and algorithm steps of each example described in the embodiment disclosed in this article, the present embodiment can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to exceed the scope of this embodiment.

[0492] The embodiment of the present application can divide the network device into functional units according to the above method example. For example, each functional unit can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing unit. The above integrated unit can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of a software program module. It should be noted that the division of units in the embodiment of the present application is schematic, which is only a logical function division, and there may be other division methods in actual implementation.

[0493] In the case of an integrated unit, Fig.15 15 is a block diagram of functional units of another communication device according to an embodiment of the present application, wherein the communication device 1500 includes a sending unit 1501 , a receiving unit 1502 and an adjusting unit 1503 .

[0494] Optionally, the sending unit 1501 may be a module unit for sending and processing signals, information, etc., and there is no specific limitation on this.

[0495] Optionally, the receiving unit 1502 may be a module unit for receiving and processing signals, information, etc., and there is no specific limitation on this.

[0496] Optionally, the adjustment unit 1503 may be a module unit for performing adjustment processing on signals, information, etc., and there is no specific limitation on this.

[0497] Optionally, the communication device 1500 may further include a storage unit for storing computer program codes or instructions executed by the communication device 1500. The storage unit may be a memory.

[0498] Optionally, the communication device 1500 may be a chip or a chip module.

[0499] Optionally, the sending unit 1501, the receiving unit 1502 and the adjusting unit 1503 may be integrated into the same unit or may be integrated into different units.

[0500] For example, the sending unit 1501, the receiving unit 1502 and the adjusting unit 1503 may be integrated in a communication unit, wherein the communication unit may be a communication interface, a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, and the like.

[0501] For another example, the sending unit 1501 and the receiving unit 1502 may be integrated into a communication unit, and the adjusting unit 1503 may be integrated into a processing unit.

[0502] It should be noted that the processing unit may be a processor or a controller, for example, a baseband processor, a baseband chip, a central processing unit (CPU), a general processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components or any combination thereof. It may implement or execute various exemplary logic blocks, modules and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure of this embodiment. The processing unit may also be a combination that implements a computing function, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, etc.

[0503] Optionally, the communication device 1500 is used to execute any step executed by the chip / chip module / network device, etc. in the above method embodiment.

[0504] In specific implementation, the sending unit 1501, the receiving unit 1502 and the adjusting unit 1503 are used to perform any step in the above method embodiment, and when performing actions such as sending, other units can be selectively called to complete corresponding operations. Detailed description is given below.

[0505] The sending unit 1501 is configured to send a first pilot signal.

[0506] The receiving unit 1502 is configured to receive first feedback information and / or second feedback information, where the first feedback information is used to indicate at least one timing drift rate, and the second feedback information is used to indicate at least one timing offset, where the at least one timing drift rate and / or the at least one timing offset has a one-to-one correspondence with at least one pilot signal, each pilot signal in the at least one pilot signal corresponds to a network device, and the at least one pilot signal includes a first pilot signal;

[0507] The adjustment unit 1503 is configured to resample and / or adjust the timing of the downlink signal according to the first feedback information and / or the second feedback information.

[0508] It can be seen that in multi-satellite communications, the terminal device can measure the pilot signals of one or more network devices, obtain the timing drift rate and / or timing offset corresponding to each pilot signal, and then feed back these timing drift rates and / or timing offsets to one or more network devices.

[0509] Correspondingly, one or more network devices can adjust the resampling rate and / or timing of the downlink signal to be sent according to these timing drift rates and / or timing offsets, thereby achieving phase level calibration under multi-satellite communication. At the same time, by adjusting the resampling rate and / or timing of the downlink signals of one or more network devices, the adjusted downlink signals can generate coherent superposition after reaching the terminal device, so as to improve the communication quality through coherent superposition.

[0510] It should be noted that Fig.15 The specific implementation of each operation in the embodiment can be found in the description of the method embodiment shown above, and will not be described in detail here.

[0511] Some possible implementations

[0512] Optionally, before sending the first pilot signal, the sending unit 1501 is further configured to send configuration information;

[0513] Configuration information, including at least one of the following:

[0514] first information, used to configure a format of at least one pilot signal;

[0515] The second information is used to configure the measurement window;

[0516] The third information is used to configure at least one timing drift rate feedback method;

[0517] The fourth information is used to configure a feedback method of at least one timing offset.

[0518] Optionally, the second information includes at least one of the following:

[0519] The measurement window is associated with a format of at least one pilot signal;

[0520] The starting position of the measurement window;

[0521] Measure the length of the window;

[0522] The end position of the measurement window;

[0523] The period of the measurement window;

[0524] The timing reference point to which the measurement window is associated.

[0525] Optionally, at least one pilot signal satisfies at least one of the following conditions within the measurement window:

[0526] The carrier phase of at least one pilot signal remains continuous, the downlink timing of at least one pilot signal remains continuous, the frequency of at least one pilot signal remains continuous, or the sampling rate of at least one pilot signal remains continuous.

[0527] Optionally, the measurement window is used to indicate that the terminal device satisfies at least one of the following when performing measurements within the measurement window: the downlink timing remains continuous, the frequency offset compensation amount remains unchanged, or the sampling rate remains unchanged.

[0528] Optionally, the format of at least one pilot signal includes at least one of the following: a sequence of at least one pilot signal, a time-frequency resource position of at least one pilot signal, or a port of at least one pilot signal.

[0529] Optionally, the third information indicates a first absolute feedback mode, where the first absolute feedback mode is used to indicate that the first feedback information includes at least one timing drift rate; or,

[0530] The third information indicates a first relative feedback mode, and the first relative feedback mode is used to indicate that the first feedback information includes a difference between at least one timing drift rate and a reference timing drift rate.

[0531] Optionally, at least one timing drift rate is represented by a sampling rate proportional relationship.

[0532] Optionally, the reference timing drift rate is a first reference value configured or preconfigured by the network; or,

[0533] The reference timing drift rate is a timing drift rate corresponding to a reference pilot signal in at least one pilot signal.

[0534] Optionally, the fourth information indicates a second absolute feedback mode, where the second absolute feedback mode is used to indicate that the second feedback information includes at least one timing offset; or,

[0535] The fourth information indicates a second relative feedback mode, and the second relative feedback mode is used to indicate that the second feedback information includes a difference between at least one timing offset and a reference timing offset.

[0536] Optionally, the reference timing offset is a second reference value configured or preconfigured by the network; or,

[0537] The reference timing offset is a timing offset corresponding to a reference pilot signal in at least one pilot signal.

[0538] Optionally, at least one timing offset, including:

[0539] a timing offset corresponding to at least one pilot symbol of each pilot signal in at least one pilot signal; and / or,

[0540] A timing offset corresponding to a symbol of a timing reference point of each pilot signal in at least one pilot signal.

[0541] Optionally, the time domain position of the timing reference point is represented by a symbol.

[0542] 5. Example of a terminal device structure

[0543] See also Fig.16 , Fig.16 16 is a schematic diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application. The terminal device 1600 may include a processor 1610 , a memory 1620 , and a communication bus for connecting the processor 1610 and the memory 1620 .

[0544] Optionally, the memory 1620 includes but is not limited to random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) or portable read-only memory (CD-ROM), and the memory 1420 is used to store the program code executed by the terminal device 1600 and the transmitted data.

[0545] Optionally, the terminal device 1600 also includes a communication interface for receiving and sending data.

[0546] Optionally, the terminal device 1600 may be the first terminal device mentioned above.

[0547] Optionally, the processor 1610 may be one or more CPUs. When the processor 1610 is a CPU, the CPU may be a single-core CPU or a multi-core CPU.

[0548] Optionally, the processor 1610 may be a baseband chip, a chip, a CPU, a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, a transistor logic device, a hardware component or any combination thereof.

[0549] In a specific implementation, the processor 1610 in the terminal device 1600 is used to execute the computer program or instruction 1621 stored in the memory 1620 to perform the following operations:

[0550] Receive configuration information;

[0551] Measuring pilot signals of one or more network devices according to the configuration information to obtain a timing drift rate and / or a timing offset corresponding to each pilot signal;

[0552] The first feedback information and / or the second feedback information are sent, where the first feedback information is used to indicate a timing drift rate corresponding to each pilot signal, and the second feedback information is used to indicate a timing offset corresponding to each pilot signal.

[0553] It can be seen that in multi-satellite communications, the terminal device can measure the pilot signals of one or more network devices, obtain the timing drift rate and / or timing offset corresponding to each pilot signal, and then feed back these timing drift rates and / or timing offsets to one or more network devices.

[0554] Correspondingly, one or more network devices can adjust the resampling rate and / or timing of the downlink signal to be sent according to these timing drift rates and / or timing offsets, thereby achieving phase level calibration under multi-satellite communication. At the same time, by adjusting the resampling rate and / or timing of the downlink signals of one or more network devices, the adjusted downlink signals can generate coherent superposition after reaching the terminal device, so as to improve the communication quality through coherent superposition.

[0555] It should be noted that the specific implementation of each operation can adopt the corresponding description of the method embodiment shown above, and the terminal device 1600 can be used to execute the above method embodiment of this embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0556] 6. Example of a network device structure

[0557] See also Fig.17 , Fig.17 17 is a schematic diagram of a network device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The network device 1700 includes a processor 1710 , a memory 1720 , and a communication bus for connecting the processor 1710 and the memory 1720 .

[0558] Optionally, the memory 1720 includes but is not limited to RAM, ROM, EPROM or CD-ROM, and the memory 1720 is used to store relevant instructions and data.

[0559] Optionally, the network device 1700 also includes a communication interface for receiving and sending data.

[0560] Optionally, the processor 1710 may be one or more CPUs. When the processor 1710 is a CPU, the CPU may be a single-core CPU or a multi-core CPU.

[0561] Optionally, the processor 1710 may be a baseband chip, a chip, a CPU, a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, a transistor logic device, a hardware component or any combination thereof.

[0562] Optionally, the processor 1710 in the network device 1700 is used to execute a computer program or instruction 1721 stored in the memory 1720 to perform the following operations:

[0563] receiving first feedback information and / or second feedback information, the first feedback information being used to indicate a timing drift rate corresponding to a pilot signal of one or more network devices, and the second feedback information being used to indicate a timing offset corresponding to a pilot signal of one or more network devices;

[0564] Resample and / or adjust the timing of the downlink signal according to the first feedback information and / or the second feedback information.

[0565] It can be seen that in multi-satellite communications, the terminal device can measure the pilot signals of one or more network devices, obtain the timing drift rate and / or timing offset corresponding to each pilot signal, and then feed back these timing drift rates and / or timing offsets to one or more network devices.

[0566] Correspondingly, one or more network devices can adjust the resampling rate and / or timing of the downlink signal to be sent according to these timing drift rates and / or timing offsets, thereby achieving phase level calibration under multi-satellite communication. At the same time, by adjusting the resampling rate and / or timing of the downlink signals of one or more network devices, the adjusted downlink signals can generate coherent superposition after reaching the terminal device, so as to improve the communication quality through coherent superposition.

[0567] It should be noted that the specific implementation of each operation can adopt the corresponding description of the method embodiment shown above, and the network device 1700 can be used to execute the above method embodiment of this embodiment, which will not be described in detail.

[0568] VII. Other related examples

[0569] Optionally, the above method embodiment can be applied to a terminal device or in a terminal device. That is to say, the execution subject of the above method embodiment can be a terminal device, a chip, a chip module or a module, etc., and there is no specific limitation on this.

[0570] Optionally, the above method embodiment can be applied to a network device or in a network device. That is to say, the execution subject of the above method embodiment can be a network device, a chip, a chip module or a module, etc., and there is no specific limitation on this.

[0571] An embodiment of the present application also provides a chip, including a processor, a memory, and a computer program or instructions stored in the memory, wherein the processor executes the computer program or instructions to implement the steps described in the above method embodiment.

[0572] An embodiment of the present application also provides a chip module, including a transceiver component and a chip, the chip including a processor, a memory and a computer program or instructions stored in the memory, wherein the processor executes the computer program or instructions to implement the steps described in the above method embodiment.

[0573] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions, which implements the steps described in the above method embodiment when executed.

[0574] The embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, including a computer program or instructions, which implement the steps described in the above method embodiment when executed.

[0575] An embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system, including the above-mentioned terminal device and the above-mentioned network device.

[0576] It should be noted that, for the above-mentioned various embodiments, for the sake of simple description, they are all expressed as a series of action combinations. Those skilled in the art should be aware that the present application is not limited by the described order of actions, because some steps in the embodiments of the present application can be performed in other orders or simultaneously. In addition, those skilled in the art should also be aware that the embodiments described in the specification are all preferred embodiments, and the actions, steps, modules or units involved are not necessarily required by the embodiments of the present application.

[0577] In the above embodiments, the embodiments of the present application have different focuses on the description of each embodiment. For parts that are not described in detail in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0578] The steps of the method or algorithm described in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in hardware or by executing software instructions by a processor. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, and the software modules can be stored in RAM, flash memory, ROM, EPROM, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (electrically EPROM, EEPROM), registers, hard disks, mobile hard disks, read-only compact disks (CD-ROMs) or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in a terminal device or a management device. Of course, the processor and the storage medium can also be present in a terminal device or a management device as discrete components.

[0579] Those skilled in the art should be aware that in one or more of the above examples, the functions described in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiments of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from a website site, computer, server, or data center to another website site, computer, server, or data center by wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (digital subscriber line, DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrations. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a digital video disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state disk (SSD)).

[0580] The modules / units included in the devices and products described in the above embodiments may be software modules / units or hardware modules / units, or may be partially software modules / units and partially hardware modules / units. For example, for the devices and products applied to or integrated in the chip, the modules / units included therein may all be implemented in the form of hardware such as circuits, or at least some of the modules / units may be implemented in the form of software programs, which run on the processor integrated inside the chip, and the remaining (if any) modules / units may be implemented in the form of hardware such as circuits; for the devices and products applied to or integrated in the chip module, the modules / units included therein may all be implemented in the form of hardware such as circuits, and different modules / units may be located in the same component (such as a chip, circuit module, etc.) or in different components of the chip module, or at least some of the modules / units may be implemented in the form of software programs. The software programs run on the processor integrated inside the chip, and the remaining (if any) modules / units may be implemented in the form of hardware such as circuits. It is implemented in the form of a software program, which runs on a processor integrated inside the chip module, and the remaining (if any) modules / units can be implemented in hardware such as circuits; for various devices and products applied to or integrated in the terminal equipment, the various modules / units contained therein can be implemented in hardware such as circuits, and different modules / units can be located in the same component (for example, chip, circuit module, etc.) or in different components in the terminal equipment, or, at least some modules / units can be implemented in the form of a software program, which runs on a processor integrated inside the terminal equipment, and the remaining (if any) modules / units can be implemented in hardware such as circuits.

[0581] The specific implementation methods described above further illustrate the purpose, technical solutions and beneficial effects of the embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that the above description is only the specific implementation method of the embodiments of the present application and is not intended to limit the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made on the basis of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application should be included in the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Get configuration information; Measuring at least one pilot signal according to the configuration information to obtain at least one timing drift rate and / or at least one timing offset, wherein the at least one timing drift rate and / or the at least one timing offset has a one-to-one correspondence with the at least one pilot signal, and each pilot signal in the at least one pilot signal corresponds to a network device; Sending first feedback information and / or second feedback information, wherein the first feedback information is used to indicate the at least one timing drift rate, and the second feedback information is used to indicate the at least one timing offset.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The configuration information includes at least one of the following: first information, used to configure the format of the at least one pilot signal; The second information is used to configure the measurement window; third information, used to configure a feedback method of the at least one timing drift rate; The fourth information is used to configure the feedback method of the at least one timing offset.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The second information includes at least one of the following: The measurement window is associated with a format of the at least one pilot signal; The starting position of the measurement window; The length of the measurement window; the end position of the measurement window; The period of the measurement window; The timing reference point associated with the measurement window.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The at least one pilot signal satisfies at least one of the following conditions within the measurement window: The carrier phase of the at least one pilot signal remains continuous, the downlink timing of the at least one pilot signal remains continuous, the frequency of the at least one pilot signal remains continuous, or the sampling rate of the at least one pilot signal remains continuous.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that: When the terminal device performs measurement within the measurement window, at least one of the following conditions is met: the downlink timing remains continuous, the frequency offset compensation amount remains unchanged, or the sampling rate remains unchanged.

6. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that: The format of the at least one pilot signal includes at least one of the following: a sequence of the at least one pilot signal, a time-frequency resource position of the at least one pilot signal, or a port of the at least one pilot signal.

7. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that: The third information indicates a first absolute feedback mode, where the first absolute feedback mode is used to indicate that the first feedback information includes the at least one timing drift rate; or, The third information indicates a first relative feedback mode, and the first relative feedback mode is used to indicate that the first feedback information includes a difference between the at least one timing drift rate and a reference timing drift rate.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The at least one timing drift rate is represented by a sampling rate proportional relationship.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The reference timing drift rate is a first reference value configured or preconfigured by the network; or, The reference timing drift rate is a timing drift rate corresponding to a reference pilot signal in the at least one pilot signal.

10. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 9, characterized in that: The fourth information indicates a second absolute feedback mode, where the second absolute feedback mode is used to indicate that the second feedback information includes the at least one timing offset; or, The fourth information indicates a second relative feedback mode, and the second relative feedback mode is used to indicate that the second feedback information includes a difference between the at least one timing offset and a reference timing offset.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The reference timing offset is a second reference value configured or preconfigured by the network; or, The reference timing offset is a timing offset corresponding to a reference pilot signal in the at least one pilot signal.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that: The at least one timing offset comprises: A timing offset corresponding to at least one pilot symbol of each pilot signal in the at least one pilot signal; and / or, The timing offset corresponding to each pilot signal in the at least one pilot signal on the symbol of the timing reference point.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The time domain position of the timing reference point is represented by a symbol.

14. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The timing offset corresponding to the symbol of the timing reference point of each pilot signal in the at least one pilot signal is determined based on the time at which the symbol of the timing reference point is located, the timing offset corresponding to each of at least two pilot symbols of each pilot signal in the at least one pilot signal, and the time at which the at least two pilot symbols are located.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that: The at least one timing drift rate is determined according to the timing offsets corresponding to two consecutive pilot symbols of each pilot signal in the at least one pilot signal and the time interval between the two consecutive pilot symbols.

16. A communication method, characterized in that: include: sending a first pilot signal; receiving first feedback information and / or second feedback information, where the first feedback information is used to indicate at least one timing drift rate, and the second feedback information is used to indicate at least one timing offset, where the at least one timing drift rate and / or the at least one timing offset has a one-to-one correspondence with at least one pilot signal, each pilot signal in the at least one pilot signal corresponds to a network device, and the at least one pilot signal includes the first pilot signal; Resample and / or adjust the timing of the downlink signal according to the first feedback information and / or the second feedback information.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that Before sending the first pilot signal, the method further includes: Send configuration information; The configuration information includes at least one of the following: first information, used to configure the format of the at least one pilot signal; The second information is used to configure the measurement window; third information, used to configure a feedback method of the at least one timing drift rate; The fourth information is used to configure the feedback method of the at least one timing offset.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The second information includes at least one of the following: The measurement window is associated with a format of the at least one pilot signal; The starting position of the measurement window; The length of the measurement window; the end position of the measurement window; The period of the measurement window; The timing reference point associated with the measurement window.

19. The method according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that The at least one pilot signal satisfies at least one of the following conditions within the measurement window: The carrier phase of the at least one pilot signal remains continuous, the downlink timing of the at least one pilot signal remains continuous, the frequency of the at least one pilot signal remains continuous, or the sampling rate of the at least one pilot signal remains continuous.

20. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 19, characterized in that: The measurement window is used to indicate that the terminal device satisfies at least one of the following when performing measurements within the measurement window: the downlink timing remains continuous, the frequency offset compensation amount remains unchanged, or the sampling rate remains unchanged.

21. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 20, characterized in that: The format of the at least one pilot signal includes at least one of the following: a sequence of the at least one pilot signal, a time-frequency resource position of the at least one pilot signal, or a port of the at least one pilot signal.

22. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 21, characterized in that: The third information indicates a first absolute feedback mode, where the first absolute feedback mode is used to indicate that the first feedback information includes the at least one timing drift rate; or, The third information indicates a first relative feedback mode, and the first relative feedback mode is used to indicate that the first feedback information includes a difference between the at least one timing drift rate and a reference timing drift rate.

23. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that The timing drift rate corresponding to the at least one pilot signal is represented by a sampling rate proportional relationship.

24. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that The reference timing drift rate is a first reference value configured or preconfigured by the network; or, The reference timing drift rate is a timing drift rate corresponding to a reference pilot signal in the at least one pilot signal.

25. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 24, characterized in that: The fourth information indicates a second absolute feedback mode, where the second absolute feedback mode is used to indicate that the second feedback information includes the at least one timing offset; or, The fourth information indicates a second relative feedback mode, and the second relative feedback mode is used to indicate that the second feedback information includes a difference between the at least one timing offset and a reference timing offset.

26. The method according to claim 25, characterized in that The reference timing offset is a second reference value configured or preconfigured by the network; or, The reference timing offset is a timing offset corresponding to a reference pilot signal in the at least one pilot signal.

27. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 26, characterized in that: The timing offset corresponding to the at least one pilot signal includes: A timing offset corresponding to at least one pilot symbol of each pilot signal in the at least one pilot signal; and / or, The timing offset corresponding to each pilot signal in the at least one pilot signal on the symbol of the timing reference point.

28. The method according to claim 27, characterized in that The time domain position of the timing reference point is represented by a symbol.

29. A communication device, characterized in that: include: An acquisition unit, used for acquiring configuration information; a measuring unit, configured to measure at least one pilot signal according to the configuration information to obtain at least one timing drift rate and / or at least one timing offset, wherein the at least one timing drift rate and / or the at least one timing offset corresponds to the at least one pilot signal one-to-one, and each pilot signal in the at least one pilot signal corresponds to a network device; The sending unit is used to send first feedback information and / or second feedback information, wherein the first feedback information is used to indicate the at least one timing drift rate, and the second feedback information is used to indicate the at least one timing offset.

30. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A sending unit, configured to send a first pilot signal; a receiving unit, configured to receive first feedback information and / or second feedback information, wherein the first feedback information is used to indicate at least one timing drift rate, and the second feedback information is used to indicate at least one timing offset, wherein the at least one timing drift rate and / or the at least one timing offset has a one-to-one correspondence with at least one pilot signal, each pilot signal in the at least one pilot signal corresponds to a network device, and the at least one pilot signal includes the first pilot signal; An adjustment unit is used to resample and / or adjust the timing of the downlink signal according to the first feedback information and / or the second feedback information.

31. A terminal device, comprising a processor, a memory and a computer program or instruction stored in the memory, characterized in that: The processor executes the computer program or instructions to implement the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

32. A network device comprising a processor, a memory and a computer program or instruction stored in the memory, characterized in that: The processor executes the computer program or instructions to implement the steps of the method according to any one of claims 16 to 28.

33. A chip, comprising a processor, characterized in that: The processor executes the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 28.

34. A communication system, characterized in that: Comprises the terminal device as described in claim 31 and the network device as described in claim 32.

35. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: It stores a computer program or instruction, and when the computer program or instruction is executed, the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 28 are performed.

36. A computer program product comprising a computer program or instructions, characterized in that When the computer program or instruction is executed, the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 28 are performed.

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