Cell determination method and device

Abstract

The invention provides a cell determination method and device, which are used for reducing the overhead of configuration information and improving the communication efficiency. In the method, a network can group all cells, the cells capable of providing services for the same object are regarded as a cell set, and different objects can correspond to different cell sets. Thus, for the target object, the configuration information can only indicate the service time of the at least two cells in the first cell set in all the cells for providing services for the target object, so that the overhead of the configuration information can be reduced, and the communication efficiency can be improved.

Description

Cell determination method and device Technical Field

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

[0002] Non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) utilize high-altitude platforms, such as satellites, to provide data transmission, voice communication, and other services to user equipment (UE). The data processing capabilities and transmit power of NTNs are often limited by the manufacturing and launch costs of satellites. To overcome these limitations, satellite operators can deploy large low-orbit (LEO) constellations. This involves increasing the number of satellites, such as those in low Earth orbit (LEO), to compensate for the limited communication capabilities of a single satellite. Multiple satellites can simultaneously provide communication services over a period of time, enabling multi-satellite coordinated transmission and improving the overall signal processing capabilities and communication throughput of NTNs.

[0003] To ensure that the UE can discover and access the cells of satellites that can simultaneously provide communication services, the network can configure the service start and end times of all satellite cells in the non-geosynchronous constellation for the UE. Based on these service start and end times, the UE can determine which cells are providing communication services during the required time period, and then perform measurements on these cells to access these cells and obtain communication services. However, this configuration method has high overhead and low communication efficiency.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide a cell determination method and apparatus to reduce configuration information overhead and improve communication efficiency.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] In a first aspect, a cell determination method is provided. The method includes: a terminal obtaining configuration information. The configuration information includes configuration information of a first cell set, the configuration information of the first cell set including service times during which at least two cells in the first cell set provide services for a target object, and the first cell set is a set of cells that provide services for the target object. In this manner, the terminal determines a first cell to be measured in the first cell set based on the configuration information of the first cell set.

[0008] Based on the method described in the first aspect, the network can group all cells, treating cells that can provide services to the same target as a cell set. Different targets can correspond to different cell sets. In this way, for a target target, the configuration information can only indicate the service time during which at least two cells in the first cell set among all cells provide services to the target target, thereby reducing configuration information overhead and improving communication efficiency.

[0009] In one possible design scheme, the service time during which at least two cells in the first cell set provide services to the target object includes at least one of the following: the service start time of at least two cells in the first cell set, or the service end time of at least two cells in the first cell set. For cells that can provide services to the same target object, such as cells in the first cell set, these cells can usually provide services to the target object in chronological order. In this case, it is also possible to determine which cells may be providing services to the target object at a certain point in time based only on the service start time or service end time of these cells. Therefore, the configuration information can only indicate the service start time or service end time of at least two cells in the first cell set providing services to the target object, thereby further reducing the overhead of the configuration information and further improving communication efficiency.

[0010] Optionally, at least two cells in the first cell set include a first cell and a second cell whose service end times are adjacent, the first time when the terminal initiates measurement is after the service end time of the first cell, and the first time is before the service end time of the second cell, and the first cell to be measured includes the second cell. It can be understood that in order to ensure the continuity of service, the service times of the first cell and the second cell usually overlap. For example, when the first cell stops service, the second cell has started service. In this case, if the first time is between the service end time of the first cell and the service end time of the second cell, the second cell is providing service. Therefore, the terminal can perform measurements on the second cell that is providing service without performing measurements on the first cell that has stopped service, so as to avoid measurement redundancy and reduce power consumption of the terminal.

[0011] Furthermore, at least two cells in the first cell set also include a third cell whose service end time is adjacent to that of the second cell, and the service end time of the third cell is after the service end time of the second cell. The first cell to be measured also includes the third cell. It is understood that the service times of the second cell and the third cell often overlap. For example, before the second cell stops providing service, the third cell has already started providing service to ensure service continuity. In this case, the third cell may have already started providing service at the first time. Therefore, the terminal needs to perform measurements on the third cell that may be providing service to ensure that the terminal can discover more cells that are providing service.

[0012] Optionally, at least two cells in the first cell set include a first cell and a second cell whose service start times are adjacent. The first time when the terminal initiates measurement is after the service start time of the first cell, and before the service start time of the second cell. The first cell to be measured includes the first cell. It can be understood that in order to ensure service continuity, the service times of the first cell and the second cell usually overlap. For example, when the second cell has started service, the first cell has not stopped service. In this case, if the first time is between the service start time of the first cell and the service start time of the second cell, the first cell is providing service. Therefore, the terminal can perform measurements on the first cell that is providing service without performing measurements on the second cell that has not yet started service, so as to avoid measurement redundancy and reduce power consumption of the terminal.

[0013] Furthermore, at least two cells in the first cell set also include a third cell whose service start time is adjacent to the first cell, and the service start time of the third cell is before the service start time of the first cell. The first cell to be measured also includes the third cell. It is understandable that the service times of the first cell and the third cell usually overlap. For example, when the first cell starts service, the third cell has not yet stopped service to ensure service continuity. In this case, the third cell may not have stopped service at the first time. Therefore, the terminal needs to perform measurements on the third cell that may provide service to ensure that the terminal can discover more cells providing service.

[0014] In one possible design scheme, the first cell set is a cell set that provides services to the target object in chronological order. Specifically, it can be a cell set that provides services to the target object by different satellites in chronological order to ensure that the target object can continuously obtain services and avoid service interruption.

[0015] In one possible design, the configuration information further includes configuration information of a second cell set, where the configuration information of the second cell set includes service times provided by at least two cells in the second cell set, where the at least two cells in the second cell set partially overlap with at least two cells in the first cell set. The method of the first aspect may further include: the terminal determining, based on the configuration information of the second cell set, a second cell to be measured in the second cell set.

[0016] It can be seen that since at least two cells in the second cell set partially overlap with at least two cells in the first cell set, at least two cells in the second cell set may also provide services for the target object. Therefore, the configuration information can also indicate the service time of at least two cells in the first cell set, so that the terminal can perform measurements on the second cell to be measured that may provide services for the target object, ensuring that the terminal can discover more cells that are providing services.

[0017] Optionally, the service time of at least two cells in the second cell set includes at least one of the following: a service start time of the at least two cells in the second cell set, or a service end time of the at least two cells in the second cell set. It can be seen that, similar to the first cell set, it is also possible to determine which cells may provide services at a certain point in time based solely on the service start time or service end time of the at least two cells in the second cell set. Therefore, the configuration information may also only indicate the service start time or service end time of the at least two cells in the second cell set, thereby further reducing configuration information overhead and further improving communication efficiency.

[0018] Furthermore, at least two cells in the second cell set include a fourth cell and a fifth cell whose service end times are adjacent. The first time when the terminal initiates measurement is after the service end time of the fourth cell, and the first time is before the service end time of the fifth cell. The second cell to be measured includes the fifth cell. It can be understood that in order to ensure the continuity of service, the service times of the fourth cell and the fifth cell usually overlap. For example, when the fourth cell stops service, the fifth cell has started service. In this case, if the first time is between the service end time of the fourth cell and the service end time of the fifth cell, the fifth cell is providing service. Therefore, the terminal can perform measurement on the fifth cell that is providing service without performing measurement on the fourth cell that has stopped service, so as to avoid measurement redundancy and reduce power consumption of the terminal.

[0019] Furthermore, at least two cells in the second cell set also include a sixth cell whose service end time is adjacent to that of the fifth cell, and the service end time of the sixth cell is after the service end time of the fifth cell. The second cell to be measured also includes the sixth cell. It is understandable that the service times of the fifth and sixth cells typically overlap. For example, before the fifth cell stops providing service, the sixth cell has already started providing service to ensure service continuity. In this case, the sixth cell may have started providing service at the first time. Therefore, the terminal needs to perform measurements on the sixth cell that may have provided service to ensure that the terminal can discover more cells providing service.

[0020] Furthermore, at least two cells in the second cell set include a fourth cell and a fifth cell whose service start times are adjacent. The first time at which the terminal initiates measurement is after the service start time of the fourth cell, and the first time is before the service start time of the fifth cell. The second cell to be measured includes the fourth cell. It can be understood that to ensure service continuity, the service times of the fourth cell and the fifth cell usually overlap. For example, when the fifth cell has started service, the fourth cell has not stopped service. In this case, if the first time is between the service start time of the fourth cell and the service start time of the fifth cell, the fourth cell is providing service. Therefore, the terminal can perform measurements on the fourth cell that is providing service without performing measurements on the fifth cell that has not yet started service, so as to avoid measurement redundancy and reduce power consumption of the terminal.

[0021] Furthermore, at least two cells in the second cell set also include a sixth cell whose service start time is adjacent to the fourth cell, and the sixth cell's service start time is before the fourth cell's service start time. The second cell to be measured also includes the sixth cell. It is understandable that the service times of the fourth cell and the sixth cell typically overlap. For example, when the fourth cell starts service, the sixth cell has not yet stopped service to ensure service continuity. In this case, the sixth cell may not have stopped service at the first time. Therefore, the terminal needs to perform measurements on the sixth cell that may provide service to ensure that the terminal can discover more cells providing service.

[0022] In one possible design, the service time of at least two cells is Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), or the service time of at least two cells is a time offset relative to a reference UTC. It is understandable that since the at least two cells provide services to the target object in chronological order, the service time of the cell providing the service later can be determined based on the reference UTC and the time offset superimposed. Therefore, the configuration information can indicate only one reference UTC and one time offset, further reducing the overhead of the configuration information.

[0023] In one possible design, the target object is any one of the following: a target area, a target ground site, a target base station, or a target terminal, so as to be applicable to different scenarios.

[0024] In a second aspect, a cell determination method is provided. The method includes: a network device obtaining configuration information and sending the configuration information. The configuration information includes configuration information of a first cell set, the configuration information of the first cell set including service time during which at least two cells in the first cell set provide services for a target object. The first cell set is a set of cells that provide services for the target object. The configuration information of the first cell set is used by a terminal to determine a cell to be measured in the first cell set.

[0025] In one possible design scheme, the service time of at least two cells in the first cell set providing services for the target object includes at least one of the following: the service start time of at least two cells in the first cell set, or the service end time of at least two cells in the first cell set.

[0026] In a possible design, the first cell set is a cell set that provides services to the target object in chronological order.

[0027] In a possible design, the first cell set is a cell set in which different satellites provide services for the target object in chronological order.

[0028] In one possible design scheme, the configuration information also includes configuration information of the second cell set, and the configuration information of the second cell set includes: service time of at least two cells in the second cell set, at least two cells in the second cell set partially overlapping with at least two cells in the first cell set, and the configuration information of the second cell set is used by the terminal to determine the cell to be measured in the second cell set.

[0029] Optionally, the service time of at least two cells in the second cell set includes at least one of the following: service start time of at least two cells in the second cell set, or service end time of at least two cells in the second cell set.

[0030] In one possible design, the service time of the at least two cells is Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), or the service time of the at least two cells is a time offset relative to a reference UTC.

[0031] In one possible design, the target object is any one of the following: a target area, a target ground site, a target base station, or a target terminal.

[0032] In addition, the technical effects of the cell determination method described in the second aspect can refer to the technical effects of the cell determination method described in the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0033] In a third aspect, a cell determination method is provided. The method includes: a network device obtaining configuration information and sending the configuration information. The configuration information includes configuration information of a first cell set, the configuration information of the first cell set including service times during which at least two cells in the first cell set provide services for a target object. The first cell set is a set of cells that provide services for the target object. The configuration information of the first cell set is used by a terminal to determine a cell to be measured in the first cell set. In this manner, the terminal determines a first cell to be measured in the first cell set based on the configuration information of the first cell set.

[0034] In one possible design scheme, the service time of at least two cells in the first cell set providing services for the target object includes at least one of the following: the service start time of at least two cells in the first cell set, or the service end time of at least two cells in the first cell set.

[0035] Optionally, at least two cells in the first cell set include a first cell and a second cell whose service end times are adjacent, the first time at which the terminal initiates measurement is after the service end time of the first cell and before the service end time of the second cell, and the first cell to be measured includes the second cell.

[0036] Furthermore, at least two cells in the first cell set further include a third cell whose service end time is adjacent to that of the second cell, and the service end time of the third cell is later than that of the second cell. The first cell to be measured further includes the third cell.

[0037] Optionally, at least two cells in the first cell set include a first cell and a second cell whose service start times are adjacent, the first time at which the terminal initiates measurement is after the service start time of the first cell and before the service start time of the second cell, and the first cell to be measured includes the first cell.

[0038] Furthermore, at least two cells in the first cell set also include a third cell whose service start time is adjacent to the first cell, the service start time of the third cell is before the service start time of the first cell, and the first cell to be measured also includes the third cell.

[0039] In a possible design, the first cell set is a cell set that provides services to the target object in chronological order, and specifically may be a cell set that is provided by different satellites in chronological order.

[0040] In one possible design, the configuration information further includes configuration information of a second cell set, where the configuration information of the second cell set includes service times of at least two cells in the second cell set, where the at least two cells in the second cell set partially overlap with at least two cells in the first cell set. The method according to the third aspect may further include: the terminal determining, based on the configuration information of the second cell set, a second cell to be measured in the second cell set.

[0041] Optionally, the service time of at least two cells in the second cell set includes at least one of the following: service start time of at least two cells in the second cell set, or service end time of at least two cells in the second cell set.

[0042] Furthermore, at least two cells in the second cell set include a fourth cell and a fifth cell having adjacent service end times, the terminal initiates measurement at a first time after the service end time of the fourth cell and before the service end time of the fifth cell, and the second cell to be measured includes the fifth cell.

[0043] Furthermore, at least two cells in the second cell set further include a sixth cell whose service end time is adjacent to that of the fifth cell, and the service end time of the sixth cell is later than that of the fifth cell. The second cell to be measured further includes the sixth cell.

[0044] Furthermore, at least two cells in the second cell set include a fourth cell and a fifth cell whose service start times are adjacent, the first time when the terminal initiates measurement is after the service start time of the fourth cell, and the first time is before the service start time of the fifth cell, and the second cell to be measured includes the fourth cell.

[0045] Furthermore, at least two cells in the second cell set also include a sixth cell whose service start time is adjacent to the fourth cell, and the service start time of the sixth cell is before the service start time of the fourth cell. The second cell to be measured also includes the sixth cell.

[0046] In one possible design, the service time of at least two cells is the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), or the service time of at least two cells is a time offset relative to a reference UTC.

[0047] In one possible design, the target object is any one of the following: a target area, a target ground site, a target base station, or a target terminal.

[0048] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device includes: a module for executing the method described in the first aspect, such as a transceiver module and a processing module. For example, the transceiver module is used to indicate the transceiver function of the communication device, and the processing module is used to perform functions of the communication device other than the transceiver function.

[0049] Optionally, the transceiver module may include a sending module and a receiving module, wherein the sending module is used to implement the sending function of the communication device described in the fourth aspect, and the receiving module is used to implement the receiving function of the communication device described in the fourth aspect.

[0050] Optionally, the communication device described in the fourth aspect may further include a storage module, wherein the storage module stores a program or instruction. When the processing module executes the program or instruction, the communication device may execute the method described in the first aspect.

[0051] It can be understood that the communication device described in the fourth aspect can be a terminal, or a chip (system) or other parts or components that can be set in the terminal, or a device including a terminal, which is not limited in this application.

[0052] In addition, the technical effects of the communication device described in the fourth aspect can refer to the technical effects of the method described in the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0053] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device includes: a module for executing the method described in the second aspect, such as a transceiver module and a processing module. For example, the transceiver module is used to indicate the transceiver function of the communication device, and the processing module is used to perform functions of the communication device other than the transceiver function.

[0054] Optionally, the transceiver module may include a sending module and a receiving module, wherein the sending module is used to implement the sending function of the communication device described in the fifth aspect, and the receiving module is used to implement the receiving function of the communication device described in the fifth aspect.

[0055] Optionally, the communication device described in the fifth aspect may further include a storage module, wherein the storage module stores a program or instruction. When the processing module executes the program or instruction, the communication device may execute the method described in the second aspect.

[0056] It can be understood that the communication device described in the fifth aspect can be a network device, or a chip (system) or other parts or components that can be set in the network device, or a device that includes a network device. This application does not limit this.

[0057] In addition, the technical effects of the communication device described in the fifth aspect can refer to the technical effects of the method described in the second aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0058] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor configured to execute the method described in any possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0059] In one possible design solution, the communication device described in the sixth aspect may further include a transceiver. The transceiver may be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver may be used for the communication device described in the sixth aspect to communicate with other communication devices.

[0060] In one possible design, the communication device described in aspect 6 may further include a memory. The memory may be integrated with the processor or provided separately. The memory may be used to store the computer program and / or data involved in the method described in either aspect 1 or aspect 2.

[0061] In an embodiment of the present application, the communication device described in the sixth aspect may be the terminal described in the first aspect or the network device described in the second aspect, or a chip (system) or other parts or components that can be set in the terminal or network device, or a device that includes the terminal or network device.

[0062] In addition, the technical effects of the communication device described in the sixth aspect can refer to the technical effects of the method described in any one of the implementation methods of the first aspect or the second aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0063] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor coupled to a memory, the processor configured to execute a computer program stored in the memory, so that the communication device performs the method described in any possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0064] In one possible design solution, the communication device described in the seventh aspect may further include a transceiver. The transceiver may be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver may be used for the communication device described in the seventh aspect to communicate with other communication devices.

[0065] In an embodiment of the present application, the communication device described in the seventh aspect may be the terminal described in the first aspect or the network device described in the second aspect, or a chip (system) or other parts or components that can be set in the terminal or network device, or a device that includes the terminal or network device.

[0066] In addition, the technical effects of the communication device described in the seventh aspect can refer to the technical effects of the method described in any one of the implementation methods of the first aspect or the second aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0067] In an eighth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and a memory; the memory is used to store a computer program, and when the processor executes the computer program, the communication device executes the method described in any one of the implementation methods of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0068] In one possible design solution, the communication device described in the eighth aspect may further include a transceiver. The transceiver may be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver may be used for the communication device described in the eighth aspect to communicate with other communication devices.

[0069] In an embodiment of the present application, the communication device described in the eighth aspect may be the terminal described in the first aspect or the network device described in the second aspect, or a chip (system) or other parts or components that can be set in the terminal or network device, or an apparatus that includes the terminal or network device.

[0070] In addition, the technical effects of the communication device described in the eighth aspect can refer to the technical effects of the method described in any one of the implementation methods of the first aspect or the second aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0071] In a ninth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising: a terminal for executing the method according to the first aspect, and a network device for executing the method according to the second aspect.

[0072] In a tenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, comprising: a computer program or instructions; when the computer program or instructions are run on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method described in any possible implementation method of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0073] In the eleventh aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising a computer program or instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method described in any possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0074] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the NTN communication architecture in transparent transmission mode;

[0075] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of NTN communication in regeneration mode;

[0076] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a multi-satellite coordinated transmission scenario;

[0077] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0078] FIG5 is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0079] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of the service time of cells in a cell set;

[0080] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0081] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0082] For ease of understanding, the technical terms involved in the embodiments of this application are first introduced below.

[0083] 1. Non-terrestrial networks (NTN) communications:

[0084] Currently, the New Radio (NR) system has moved from standardization to commercial deployment. Designed specifically for terrestrial communications, the NR system provides high-speed, highly reliable, and low-latency communications for user terminals. Compared to terrestrial communications, NTN communications boast wide coverage and flexible networking. Currently, various research institutes, communications organizations, and companies are participating in research on NTN communication technologies and standards, striving to build a unified network for space, air, and ground communications.

[0085] NTN communications can be networked using equipment such as drones and high-altitude platforms to provide data transmission, voice communication, and other services to user equipment (UE). For example, satellites on high-altitude platform stations (HAPS) typically operate at altitudes between 8 kilometers (km) and 50 km above the Earth's surface. Satellites can be categorized into three types based on their orbital altitude: geostationary Earth orbit (GEO), also known as synchronous orbit satellites; medium Earth orbit (MEO), and low Earth orbit (LEO).

[0086] GEO satellites orbit at an altitude of 35,786 km. Their primary advantages are their ability to remain stationary relative to the Earth and provide a wide coverage area. However, GEO satellites also have disadvantages: 1) GEO satellites are located at a considerable distance from the Earth, resulting in significant free-space propagation losses, which constrains communication link budgets. To maximize transmit / receive gain, satellites require larger antennas. 2) Communication transmission latency is significant, reaching around 500 milliseconds (ms) round-trip, making it difficult to meet the demands of real-time services. 3) Orbital resources are relatively limited, launch costs are high, and coverage of the polar regions is limited. MEO satellites orbit at altitudes between 2,000 km and 35,786 km. Their advantage is that a relatively small number of satellites can achieve global coverage. However, their orbital altitude is higher than that of LEO satellites, and transmission latency is still higher than that of LEO satellite communications. Therefore, MEO satellites are primarily used for positioning and navigation. LEO satellites orbit at altitudes between 300 km and 2,000 km. LEO satellites, operating at lower altitudes than both MEO and GEO satellites, offer advantages such as reduced data transmission latency, minimal transmission losses, and relatively low launch costs. Therefore, LEO satellite communications have also received widespread attention in recent years.

[0087] NTN communications can be classified according to the satellite's operating mode, including transparent mode and regenerative mode.

[0088] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of NTN communication in transparent transmission mode. As shown in Figure 1, the satellite has the function of relaying. The NTN gateway has the functions of a base station or some of the functions of a base station. The NTN gateway can be understood as a base station, such as the next generation node B (gNB). The communication delay of NTN is the transmission delay from the satellite to the NTN gateway. Alternatively, the NTN gateway and the base station can also be deployed separately. The communication delay of NTN includes two parts: the transmission delay from the satellite to the NTN gateway, and the transmission delay from the NTN gateway to the base station. The UE can access the base station via satellite, thereby communicating with the data network (DN) through the core network (CN), such as the fifth generation (5G) CN.

[0089] Figure 2 illustrates the architecture of NTN communications in regenerative mode. As shown in Figure 2, the satellite has data processing capabilities and performs some or all of the functions of a base station. In other words, the satellite can be considered a base station. UEs can access the satellite, enabling communication with the DN via the CN.

[0090] As can be seen, whether in transparent transmission mode or regeneration mode, NTN communication can achieve satellite-CN interconnection through the interface defined between the base station and the CN, and can also achieve more timely assistance and interconnection between satellites through the interface defined between base stations. Among them, in the new radio (NR) system, that is, the 5G system, the interface between base stations is called the Xn interface, and the interface between the base station and the core network is called the NG interface.

[0091] It should be understood that the above description uses satellites as an example. Satellites can also be replaced with other HAPS equipment or drones. Satellites can also be further divided into medium-orbit satellites, high-orbit satellites, inclined synchronous orbit satellites, and synchronous orbit satellites.

[0092] 2. Multi-satellite coordinated transmission:

[0093] NTN communications' data processing capabilities and transmission power are often limited by the manufacturing and launch costs of satellites, making it impossible for NTN communications to provide UEs with communication speeds comparable to terrestrial communications. To overcome this limitation, satellite operators are primarily preparing to deploy large-scale low-orbit (LEO) constellations. This involves increasing the number of LEO satellites to compensate for the limited communication capabilities of a single satellite. In this scenario, a UE can discover multiple LEO satellites capable of communication over a period of time, or in other words, these multiple LEO satellites are visible to the UE. These multiple LEO satellites can provide communication services to the UE, enabling multi-satellite coordinated transmission and improving NTN communications' overall signal processing capabilities and communication throughput. For ease of explanation, unless otherwise specified, all satellites mentioned below are LEO satellites.

[0094] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a multi-satellite coordinated transmission scenario. As shown in Figure 3, the physical areas on the ground may include Area 1, Area 2, and Area 3. Area 1 is adjacent to Area 2, and Area 2 is adjacent to Area 3. Multiple satellites can orbit sequentially over Areas 1 through 3, allowing their signals to sequentially cover Areas 1 through 3, thereby providing services to UEs within Areas 1 through 3.

[0095] Taking region 1 as an example, when satellite 1a orbits to the point where its signal begins to cover region 1, it can be considered that satellite 1a provides a cell 1a, creating cell 1a. Cell 1a can be understood as a logical area that provides services to UEs within region 1, such as UE1. The time when satellite 1a's signal begins covering region 1 can also be understood as the time when satellite 1a begins providing services for region 1, i.e., the service start time of cell 1a. Later, when satellite 1a orbits to the point where its signal no longer covers region 1, it can be considered that cell 1a provided by satellite 1a ends, meaning that cell 1a disappears and can no longer provide services to UE1. The time when satellite 1a's signal no longer covers region 1 can also be understood as the time when satellite 1a ceases to provide services for region 1, i.e., the service end time of cell 1a. The period between the service start time and the service end time of cell 1a can be understood as the existence period of cell 1a, or the service period, i.e., the period during which satellite 1a provides services for region 1. To ensure service continuity, before cell 1a disappears, satellite 1b, which is in the same orbit as satellite 1a, can move according to its orbit until satellite 1b's signal begins to cover area 1. Cell 1b is generated and continues to provide services to UE1. Later, when satellite 1b moves according to its orbit until satellite 1b's signal can no longer cover area 1, cell 1b disappears and can no longer provide services to UE1. Before cell 1b disappears, satellite 1c, which is in the same orbit as satellite 1b, can move according to its orbit until satellite 1c's signal begins to cover area 1. Cell 1c is generated and continues to provide services to UE1, and so on. In other words, for area 1, as multiple satellites move, cells that can cover area 1 can be continuously generated in area 1, and the existence time of temporally adjacent cells can overlap, so as to achieve continuous service to UE1 and avoid service interruption.

[0096] It's understood that the service principles for Areas 2 and 3 can be referenced from the description of Area 1 and will not be elaborated on here. In network design, adjacent cells coexisting for a period of time may overlap to ensure seamless coverage. This article assumes that the satellite signal coverage area is elliptical for simplicity. That is, the cell shape is typically circular or elliptical, allowing for overlap between adjacent cells coexisting for a period of time. The design may vary depending on the beam strategy. For example, when adjacent cells 1a and 2a coexist, cell 1a can cover not only Area 1 but also at least part of Area 2. Similarly, cell 2a can cover not only Area 2 but also at least part of Area 1, providing service to at least part of Area 1. Cells 1a and 2a can also be referred to as neighboring cells. For another example, when adjacent cells 1a and 3a coexist for a period of time, cell 1a can cover not only Area 1 but also at least part of Area 3. Similarly, cell 3a can cover not only Area 3 but also at least part of Area 1, providing service to at least part of Area 1. Cells 1a and 3a can also be referred to as neighboring cells. That is to say, cell 1a, cell 2a, and cell 3a can exist simultaneously within a period of time. At this time, UE1 can not only be located within the coverage area of ​​cell 1a, that is, receive the signal of satellite 1a, but also, depending on the location of UE1, UE1 may also be located within the coverage area of ​​cell 2a and / or cell 3a, that is, receive the signal of satellite 2a and / or satellite 3a.

[0097] Since the cells in coverage area 1 are time-sensitive, when the cell where UE1 is located is about to disappear, UE1 can perform signal measurement to access a new cell to ensure that it can continue to receive service. Alternatively, when UE1 is about to move out of the coverage area of ​​the cell where UE1 is located, UE1 can also perform signal measurement to access a new cell to ensure that it can continue to receive service.

[0098] For example, assuming UE1 is located in cell 1a, the base station can broadcast the service end time of cell 1a and all potential neighboring cells of cell 1a to UE1 via the system information block (SIB). All potential neighboring cells of cell 1a can be cells that can coexist with cell 1a for a period of time and cover at least part of area 1, such as cells 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, and 3b. UE1 can perform signal measurements on all potential neighboring cells of cell 1a before the service end time of cell 1a. However, the actual potential neighboring cells of cell 1a vary at different times before the service end time of cell 1a. For example, at time t1, the actual potential neighboring cells include only cells 2a and 3a; at time t2, the actual potential neighboring cells include only cells 2a, 3a, and 3b; and at time t3, the actual potential neighboring cells include only cells 2b and 3b. That is, if the UE performs signal measurements on all potential neighboring cells of cell 1a, it may perform signal measurements on potential neighboring cells that do not actually exist, resulting in measurement redundancy and increased UE power consumption.

[0099] For example, assuming UE1 is located in cell 1a, the base station can broadcast the service start and end time of cell 1a, as well as the service start and end times of all potential neighboring cells of cell 1a, to UE1 via the SIB. This allows UE1 to perform signal measurement at a certain time before the service end time of cell 1a. Based on the service start and end times of cell 1a and the service start and end times of all potential neighboring cells of cell 1a, UE1 can determine the potential neighboring cells that actually exist at that time, thereby performing signal measurement only on the potential neighboring cells that actually exist. For example, at time t1, UE1 can perform signal measurement only on cells 2a and 3a; at time t2, UE1 can perform signal measurement only on cells 2a, 3a, and 3b; and at time t3, UE1 can perform signal measurement only on cells 2b and 3b. This approach avoids redundant UE measurements and reduces UE power consumption. However, broadcasting the service start and end times of all potential neighboring cells results in significant SIB overhead, reducing communication efficiency.

[0100] In response to the above technical problems, the embodiments of the present application propose the following technical solutions to reduce the overhead of configuration information and improve communication efficiency.

[0101] The technical solution in this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0102] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as wireless fidelity (WiFi) systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems, device-to-device (D2D) communication systems, Internet of Vehicles communication systems, fourth-generation (4G) mobile communication systems, such as long-term evolution (LTE) systems, world-wide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication systems, 5G mobile communication systems, such as NR systems, and future communication systems.

[0103] This application will present various aspects, embodiments, or features in the context of systems that may include multiple devices, components, modules, etc. It should be understood and appreciated that each system may include additional devices, components, modules, etc., and / or may not include all of the devices, components, modules, etc. discussed in conjunction with the figures. Furthermore, combinations of these aspects may also be used.

[0104] Additionally, in the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplary" and "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described in this application as "exemplary" should not be construed as being preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of the word "exemplary" is intended to present concepts in a concrete manner.

[0105] In the embodiments of the present application, "information", "signal", "message", "channel" and "signaling" can sometimes be used interchangeably. It should be noted that when the distinction between them is not emphasized, the meanings they intend to express are matched. "of", "corresponding, relevant" and "corresponding" can sometimes be used interchangeably. It should be noted that when the distinction between them is not emphasized, the meanings they intend to express are matched. In addition, the " / " mentioned in this application can be used to express an "or" relationship.

[0106] The network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application. Ordinary technicians in this field will know that with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0107] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, a communication system applicable to the embodiments of the present application is first described in detail using the communication system shown in Figure 4 as an example. For example, Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system applicable to the cell determination method provided in the embodiments of the present application.

[0108] As shown in FIG4 , the communication system mainly includes: a terminal and network equipment.

[0109] The terminal may be a terminal with transceiver functions, or a chip or chip system that can be set in the terminal. The terminal may also be called user equipment (UE), access terminal, subscriber unit, user station, mobile station (MS), mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent or user device. The terminal in the embodiments of the present application can be a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a tablet computer, a wireless data card, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a handset, a laptop computer, a machine type communication (MTC) terminal, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal, an augmented reality (AR) terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, a vehicle-mounted terminal, a road side unit (RSU) with terminal function, etc. The terminal of the present application may also be an on-board module, on-board module, on-board component, on-board chip or on-board unit built into the vehicle as one or more components or units.

[0110] The network equipment can be a drone, a high-altitude platform, or other equipment, such as a satellite suitable for NTN communications as shown in Figures 1 or 2 above. Alternatively, the network equipment can also be ground equipment, such as access network (AN) equipment, or can be called radio access network (RAN) equipment. RAN equipment can provide access functions for terminals and is responsible for functions such as radio resource management, quality of service (QoS) management, data compression and encryption on the air interface side. RAN equipment can include 5G, such as a gNB in ​​an NR system, or one or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) of a base station in a 5G system, or network nodes that constitute a gNB, a transmission and reception point (TRP or transmission point, TP), or a transmission measurement function (TMF), such as a baseband unit (BBU), a centralized unit (CU) or a distributed unit (DU), an RSU with base station functions, or a wired access gateway, or a 5G core network element. Alternatively, the RAN device may also include an access point (AP) in a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system, a wireless relay node, a wireless backhaul node, various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations (also known as small stations), relay stations, access points, wearable devices, vehicle-mounted devices, etc. Alternatively, the RAN device may also include a next-generation mobile communication system, such as 6G access network equipment, such as a 6G base station, or in the next-generation mobile communication system, the network equipment may also have other naming methods, all of which are included in the protection scope of the embodiments of this application, and this application does not impose any limitations on this.

[0111] In an embodiment of the present application, a network device can obtain configuration information and send configuration information. The configuration information may include configuration information of a first cell set, and the configuration information of the first cell set includes: the service time during which at least two cells in the first cell set provide services for the target object, and the first cell set is a cell set that provides services for the target object. In this way, the terminal can obtain the configuration information and determine the first cell to be measured in the first cell set based on the configuration information of the first cell set, thereby performing measurement. In other words, the network can group all cells and regard the cells that can provide services for the same object as a cell set, and different objects can correspond to different cell sets. In this way, for the target object, the configuration information can only indicate the service time during which at least two cells in the first cell set among all cells provide services for the target object, thereby reducing the overhead of the configuration information and improving communication efficiency.

[0112] For ease of understanding, the cell determination method provided in the embodiment of the present application will be specifically described below with reference to FIG5 .

[0113] For example, Figure 5 is a flowchart of a cell determination method provided by an embodiment of the present application. This method can be applied to the communication between the network device and the terminal in the above communication system.

[0114] As shown in FIG5 , the process of the cell determination method is as follows:

[0115] S501: The network device obtains configuration information.

[0116] The configuration information may include configuration information of the first cell set. The configuration information of the first cell set may include: service time during which at least two cells in the first cell set provide services for the target object, recorded as the service time of the first cell set. Optionally, the configuration information of the first cell set may further include: identifiers of at least two cells in the first cell set, such as a physical cell identifier (PCI), or any other possible cell identifier, without limitation.

[0117] The first cell set can be a set of cells that provide services to the target object. For example, the first cell set can be a set of cells that provide services to the target object in chronological order, such as a set of cells that are provided by different satellites in chronological order, to ensure that the target object receives continuous service and avoid service interruptions. It can be seen that the at least two cells in the first cell set can be understood as at least two service cells provided by different satellites. These satellites can be the low-orbit satellites mentioned above in NTN communications, or any other possible satellite configuration. These satellites can be satellites in the same orbit or satellites in the same orbit. The target object can be any of the following: a target area, a target ground site, a target base station, a target terminal, or any other possible object. For a target area, the terminal can be located within the target area; for a target ground site or target base station, the target ground site or target base station can provide services to the terminal; for a target terminal, the target terminal can be the terminal itself, or another terminal that obtains service through the terminal. In this case, the terminal can also be understood as a relay terminal, and the target terminal can be understood as a remote terminal.

[0118] The service time of the first cell set may include at least one of the following: the service start time of at least two cells in the first cell set, or the service end time of at least two cells in the first cell set. That is to say, for cells that can provide services for the same target object, such as the cells in the first cell set, these cells can usually provide services for the target object in chronological order. In this case, it is also possible to determine which cells may be providing services for the target object at a certain point in time based only on the service start time or service end time of these cells. Therefore, the configuration information can only indicate the service start time or service end time of at least two cells in the first cell set providing services for the target object, thereby further reducing the overhead of the configuration information and further improving communication efficiency.

[0119] For example, the service start time of at least two cells in the first cell set may be: the time when the at least two cells start to provide services for the target object, or the time when the at least two cells may start to provide services for the target object. For example, for any one of the at least two cells, if the satellite providing the cell orbits until the beam of the satellite can illuminate the target object, then the satellite generates the cell to start providing services for the target object, and this time is the service start time of the cell. The service start time of at least two cells in the first cell set may specifically be UTC, so as to facilitate the terminal to determine when these cells can start service. Alternatively, the service start time of at least two cells in the first cell set may be a time offset from the reference UTC. The reference UTC may be the service start time of other cells in the first cell set except the at least two cells, or the reference UTC may also be any other possible time point, without limitation.

[0120] It can be understood that since at least two cells in the first cell set provide services to the target object in chronological order, the service start time of these cells can be determined by superimposing the time offset on the basis of the reference UTC. For example, the reference UTC is the service start time of the other cells mentioned above. When the service time is the same, the time offset can be the service time. The service start time of at least two cells can be determined by superimposing a corresponding number of time offsets on the basis of the reference UTC. At this time, according to the order of service, there are several cells between at least two cells and the other cells mentioned above, and the number of superimposed time offsets is also several. In this case, the configuration information of the first cell set can indicate a reference UTC and a time offset, further reducing the overhead of the configuration information.

[0121] For easier understanding, an example is given below to illustrate.

[0122] As shown in FIG6 , the cell set 1 includes: cell 1a, cell 1b, cell 1c, cell 1d, cell 1e, and cell 1f.

[0123] Case 1: An example of configuration information of cell set 1 may be shown in Table 1 below.

[0124] Table 1

[0125]

[0126] It can be seen from Table 1 that the service start time of each cell in Cell 1a to Cell 1f can be UTC, so that the terminal can directly determine when each cell in Cell 1a to Cell 1f starts serving.

[0127] Case 2: An example of configuration information of cell set 1 may be shown in Table 2 below.

[0128] Table 2

[0129]

[0130] Table 2 shows that the service start time for cell 1a can be UTC and used as a reference for UTC. The PCI sequence of PCIs #1a to #1f can implicitly indicate the service order for cells 1a to 1f. The service start time t11a can be used by the terminal to directly determine when cell 1a starts service. The service order and time offset Δt1 for cells 1a to 1f can be used by the terminal to jointly determine when cells 1b to 1f start service. For example, if PCI #1b's service order is one position after PCI #1a, the service start time for cell 1b is: service start time t11a + 1 * time offset Δt1; if PCI #1c's service order is two positions after PCI #1a, the service start time for cell 1c is: service start time t11a + 2 * time offset Δt1; if PCI #1c's service order is three positions after PCI #1a, the service start time for cell 1c is: service start time t11a + 3 * time offset Δt1, and so on. In addition, the service start time of cell 1a as the reference UTC is only an example and is not intended to be limiting. The service start time of any cell among cells 1a to 1f can be used as the reference UTC.

[0131] For another example, the service end time of at least two cells in the first cell set may be: the time when the at least two cells stop providing services to the target object, or the time when the at least two cells may stop providing services to the target object. For example, for any one of the at least two cells, if the satellite providing the cell orbits until the beam of the satellite can no longer illuminate the target object, the cell that provides services to the target object disappears and stops providing services to the target object. This is the service end time of the cell. Similar to the service start time, the service end time of at least two cells in the first cell set may also be UTC, to facilitate the terminal to determine when these cells end service. Alternatively, the service end time of at least two cells in the first cell set may also be a time offset from the reference UTC, further reducing the overhead of configuration information.

[0132] For easier understanding, please refer to FIG6 , which continues to illustrate the above example.

[0133] Case 3: An example of configuration information of cell set 1 may be shown in Table 3 below.

[0134] Table 3

[0135]

[0136] It can be seen from Table 3 that the service end time of each cell in Cell 1a to Cell 1f can be UTC, so that the terminal can directly determine when each cell in Cell 1a to Cell 1f stops serving.

[0137] Case 4: An example of configuration information of cell set 1 may be shown in Table 4 below.

[0138] Table 4

[0139]

[0140] As shown in Table 4, the service end time of cell 1a can be UTC and used as a reference UTC. The PCI sequence of PCI#1a-PCI#1f can be used to implicitly indicate the service order of cells 1a-1f. The service end time t12a can be used by the terminal to directly determine when cell 1a stops serving. The service order and time offset Δt1 of cells 1a-1f can be used by the terminal to jointly determine when cells 1b-1f stop serving. For example, if the service order of PCI#1b is one order after PCI#1a, the service end time of cell 1b is: service end time t11a + 1 * time offset Δt1; if the service order of PCI#1c is two orders after PCI#1a, the service end time of cell 1c is: service end time t11a + 2 * time offset Δt1; if the service order of PCI#1c is three orders after PCI#1a, the service end time of cell 1c is: service end time t11a + 3 * time offset Δt1, and so on. In addition, the service end time of cell 1a as the reference UTC is only an example and is not intended to be limiting. The service end time of any cell from cell 1a to cell 1f can be used as the reference UTC.

[0141] In addition, the service time of the first cell set may also include any other possible time, such as an intermediate time of at least two cells in the first cell set. The intermediate time may be between the service start time and the service end time of the at least two cells, and may be a time agreed upon by the terminal and the network, so as to allow the terminal to roughly determine the service start time and / or service end time of the at least two cells.

[0142] It can be understood that the configuration information of the first cell set may further include: other information of at least two cells in the first cell set, such as frequency, subcarrier spacing, etc., which will not be elaborated herein.

[0143] It can also be understood that the cell mentioned in the embodiment of the present application can also be replaced by a beam, a synchronization signal-broadcast channel (physical broadcast channel, PBCH) physical broadcast channel measurement resource block (synchronization signal and PBCH block, SSB), a pilot, such as a (de-modulation reference signal, DMRS) demodulation reference signal port, a channel state information reference signal (channel status information reference signal, CSI-RS) port, etc. The cell set mentioned in the embodiment of the present application can also be replaced by a beam set, a PBCH set, a pilot set, such as a DMRS port set, a CSI-RS port set, etc., without limitation.

[0144] In an embodiment of the present application, the configuration information of the first cell set can be used by the terminal to determine the cell to be measured in the first cell set. The cell to be measured is a cell that the terminal needs to measure at a corresponding time point. For example, the service end time of the cell to be measured may be before the time point, or the service start time of the cell to be measured may be after the time point. For the specific implementation principle, please refer to the relevant introduction of S503 and will not be repeated here.

[0145] S502: The network device sends configuration information, and the terminal obtains the configuration information.

[0146] The network device may broadcast configuration information, such as a SIB carrying the configuration information, or any other possible information element. Alternatively, the network device may send configuration information to the terminal in a targeted manner, such as by sending a radio resource control (RRC) message carrying the configuration information. Accordingly, the terminal may receive the configuration information from the network device. Of course, if the terminal is pre-configured with the configuration information, the terminal may also obtain the configuration information directly from the local device.

[0147] S503: The terminal determines a first cell to be measured in the first cell set according to the configuration information of the first cell set.

[0148] The first cell to be measured may be a cell in the first cell set that needs to be measured at a first time. The first time may be the time point at which the terminal determines that cell measurement needs to be performed. For example, when the terminal determines that it is located at the edge of the current cell or that the current cell is about to be out of service, the terminal determines that cell measurement needs to be performed. The service end time of the first cell to be measured may be before the first time, or the service start time of the first cell to be measured may be after the first time.

[0149] In one possible implementation, taking the service start time as an example, at least two cells in the first cell set include a first cell and a second cell with adjacent service start times, the first time is after the service start time of the first cell, and the first time is before the service start time of the second cell, and the first cell to be measured includes the first cell, that is, the terminal can determine the first cell as the first cell to be measured to perform measurement on the second cell. It can be understood that in order to ensure service continuity, the service times of the first cell and the second cell usually overlap. For example, when the second cell has started service, the first cell has not stopped service. In this case, if the first time is between the service start time of the first cell and the service start time of the second cell, the first cell is providing service. Therefore, the terminal can perform measurement on the first cell that is providing service, without having to perform measurement on the second cell that has not yet started service, so as to avoid measurement redundancy and reduce power consumption of the terminal.

[0150] Optionally, at least two cells in the first cell set may further include a third cell whose service start time is adjacent to the first cell, and the service start time of the third cell is before the service start time of the first cell. The first cell to be measured also includes the third cell, that is, the terminal may determine the third cell as the first cell to be measured to perform measurement on the third cell. It can be understood that the service times of the first cell and the third cell usually overlap. For example, when the first cell starts service, the third cell has not stopped service to ensure service continuity. In this case, the third cell may not have stopped service at the first time. Therefore, the terminal needs to perform measurement on the third cell that may provide service to ensure that the terminal can discover more cells that are providing service.

[0151] Of course, whether the terminal determines the third cell as the first cell to be measured may also depend on the length of time between the first time and the service start time of the first cell. For example, if the time between the first time and the service start time of the first cell is long, then the third cell is likely to have stopped service. Therefore, the terminal may not determine the third cell as the first cell to be measured and may not perform measurements on the third cell. For another example, if the time between the first time and the service start time of the first cell is short, then the third cell is likely to have not yet stopped service. Therefore, the terminal may determine the third cell as the first cell to be measured and perform measurements on the third cell.

[0152] For easier understanding, please refer to FIG6 , which continues to illustrate the above example.

[0153] For the above situation 1 or situation 2, at the first time T1, the terminal can determine based on cells 1a-cell 1f that cell 1a may not have stopped service, cell 1b has started service, and cell 1c has not started service. Therefore, the terminal can determine cell 1a and cell 1b as the first cells to be measured and perform measurements on cell 1a and cell 1b.

[0154] Alternatively, in another possible implementation, taking the service end time as an example, at least two cells in the first cell set include a first cell and a second cell with adjacent service end times, the first time is after the service end time of the first cell, and the first time is before the service end time of the second cell, and the first cell to be measured includes the second cell, that is, the terminal determines the second cell as the first cell to be measured to perform measurement on the second cell. It can be understood that in order to ensure the continuity of the service, the service times of the first cell and the second cell usually overlap. For example, when the first cell stops service, the second cell has started service. In this case, if the first time is between the service end time of the first cell and the service end time of the second cell, the second cell is providing service. Therefore, the terminal can perform measurement on the second cell that is providing service without performing measurement on the first cell that has stopped service, so as to avoid measurement redundancy and reduce power consumption of the terminal.

[0155] Optionally, at least two cells in the first cell set further include a third cell whose service end time is adjacent to the second cell, and the service end time of the third cell is after the service end time of the second cell. The first cell to be measured further includes the third cell, that is, the terminal determines the third cell as the first cell to be measured to perform measurement on the third cell. It can be understood that the service times of the second cell and the third cell usually overlap. For example, before the second cell stops serving, the third cell has started serving to ensure service continuity. In this case, the third cell may have started providing service at the first time, or in other words, the third cell is a potential serving cell. Therefore, the terminal needs to perform measurement on the third cell that may provide service to ensure that the terminal can discover more cells that are providing service.

[0156] Of course, whether the terminal determines the third cell as the first cell to be measured may also depend on the length of time between the first time and the service end time of the second cell. For example, if the time between the first time and the service end time of the second cell is long, it is still too early for the second cell to stop service, and the third cell may not have started service yet. Therefore, the terminal may not determine whether the third cell is the first cell to be measured and not perform measurements on the third cell. For another example, if the time between the first time and the service end time of the second cell is short, the second cell is about to stop service, and the third cell may have started service. Therefore, the terminal may determine whether the third cell is the first cell to be measured and perform measurements on the third cell.

[0157] For easier understanding, please refer to FIG6 , which continues to illustrate the above example.

[0158] For the above situation 3 or situation 4, at the first time T2, the terminal can determine based on cells 1a-cell 1f that cell 1a has stopped service, cell 1b has not stopped service, and cell 1c may have started service. Therefore, the terminal can determine cell 1b and cell 1c as the first cells to be measured and perform measurements on cell 1b and cell 1c.

[0159] In summary, the network can group all cells, treating cells that can serve the same target as a cell set. Different targets can correspond to different cell sets. In this way, for a target target, the configuration information can only indicate the service time for at least two cells in the first cell set among all cells to provide service for the target target, thereby reducing configuration information overhead and improving communication efficiency.

[0160] Optionally, in combination with the above embodiment, the configuration information may further include configuration information of the second cell set. The configuration information of the second cell set may include: service time of at least two cells in the second cell set. Optionally, the configuration information of the second cell set may further include: identifiers of at least two cells in the second cell set, such as PCI, or any other possible cell identifier, without limitation, and

[0161] The second cell set may be a cell set that provides services to other objects. For example, the second cell set may be a cell set that provides services to other objects in chronological order, specifically a cell set that different satellites provide services to other objects in chronological order, to ensure that other objects can obtain services continuously, thereby avoiding service interruption. It can be seen that, similar to the first cell set, at least two cells in the second cell set can also be understood as at least two service cells provided by different satellites. For details, please refer to the relevant introduction of the first cell set above, which will not be repeated here. Other objects may be objects different from the above-mentioned target objects, including any of the following: other areas, other ground sites, other base stations, or other terminals, or any other possible forms of objects, without limitation.

[0162] The service times of at least two cells in the second cell set may include at least one of the following: a service start time of the at least two cells in the second cell set, or a service end time of the at least two cells in the second cell set. As can be seen, similar to the first cell set, it is also possible to determine which cells may provide services at a certain point in time based solely on the service start time or service end time of the at least two cells in the second cell set. Therefore, the configuration information may also only indicate the service start time or service end time of the at least two cells in the second cell set, thereby further reducing configuration information overhead and further improving communication efficiency.

[0163] For example, the service start time of at least two cells in the second cell set may be: the time when these at least two cells start to provide services to other objects, or the time when these at least two cells may start to provide services. The specific implementation can also refer to the above-mentioned related introduction and will not be repeated here. The service start time of at least two cells in the second cell set may specifically be UTC, so as to facilitate the terminal to determine when these cells can start service. Alternatively, the service start time of at least two cells in the second cell set may also be a time offset from the reference UTC. The reference UTC may be the service start time of other cells in the second cell set except the at least two cells, or the reference UTC may also be any other possible time point, such as the service start time or service end time of the cells in the first cell set, without limitation.

[0164] It will be appreciated that, similar to the first cell set, when the reference UTC is the service start time of cells other than the at least two cells in the second cell set, and the service times of any two cells in the second cell set are the same, the configuration information of the second cell set may also indicate a reference UTC and a time offset, further reducing configuration information overhead. Furthermore, when the reference UTC is the service start time or service end time of a cell in the first cell set, there may be multiple time offsets, each of which may be a time offset of the service start time of a cell in the second cell set relative to the reference UTC. Alternatively, when the reference UTC is the service start time or service end time of a cell in the first cell set, and the service times of any two cells in the second cell set are the same, there may be two time offsets: one time offset may be the time offset of the service start time of a target cell in the second cell set relative to the reference UTC, and the other time offset may be the service times of any two cells in the second cell set. In this case, the service start times of the cells other than the target cell in the second cell set may be determined by adding a corresponding number of time offsets to the service start time of the target cell. For example, based on the order of service, the number of cells between the target cell and the other cells in the second cell set, excluding the target cell, is the same as the number of superimposed time offsets. In this case, the configuration information of the second cell set can indicate one reference UTC and two time offsets, thereby reducing the configuration information overhead.

[0165] For ease of understanding, the above example is explained below.

[0166] As shown in FIG6 , the cell set 2 may include: cell 2a, cell 2b, cell 2c, cell 2d, cell 2e, and cell 2f.

[0167] Case A: An example of configuration information of the cell set 2 may be shown in Table 5 below.

[0168] Table 5

[0169]

[0170] It can be seen from Table A that the service start time of each cell in cells 2a to 2f can be UTC, so that the terminal can directly determine when each cell in cells 2a to 2f starts serving.

[0171] Case B: An example of configuration information of cell set 2 may be shown in Table 6 below.

[0172] Table 6

[0173]

[0174] As can be seen from Table 6, the service start time of cell 2a can be UTC and used as the reference UTC. The PCI sequence of PCI#2a-PCI#2f can be used to implicitly indicate the service order of cells 2a-2f. The service start time t21a can be used by the terminal to directly determine when cell 2a starts service. The service order and time offset Δt2 of cells 2a-2f can be used by the terminal to jointly determine when cells 2b-2f start service. For example, if the service order of PCI#2b is one order after PCI#2a, the service start time of cell 2b is: service start time t21a + 1 * time offset Δt2; if the service order of PCI#2c is two orders after PCI#2a, the service start time of cell 2c is: service start time t21a + 2 * time offset Δt2, and so on. In addition, the use of the service start time of cell 2a as the reference UTC is only an example and not a limitation. The service start time of any cell from cells 2a-2f can be used as the reference UTC.

[0175] Case C: An example of configuration information of the configuration information of the cell set 2 may be shown in Table 7 below.

[0176] Table 7

[0177]

[0178]

[0179] As shown in Table 7, the service start time of cell 1a can be UTC and used as the reference UTC for cell 2a, allowing the service start time of cell 2a to be determined based on the service start time t11a and the time offset Δt21, such as: service start time t11a+ and time offset Δt21. The service start time of cell 2a can be used as the reference UTC for cells 2b through 2f. The PCI sequence of PCI#2a through PCI#2f can be used to implicitly indicate the service order of cells 2a through 2f. The service order of cells 2a through 2f and the time offset Δt22 can be used by terminals to jointly determine when services in cells 2b through 2f begin. For example, the service order of PCI#2b is one order after PCI#2a, and the service start time of cell 2b is: service start time t11a + time offset Δt21 + time offset Δt22; the service order of PCI#2c is two orders after PCI#2a, and the service start time of cell 2c is: service start time t11a + time offset Δt21 + 2*time offset Δt2, and so on. In addition, the service start time of cell 2a is used as the reference UTC for cells 2b-2f for only an example and not as a limitation. The service start time of any cell from cells 2a-2f can be used as the reference UTC.

[0180] For another example, the service end time of at least two cells in the second cell set may be: the time when the at least two cells stop providing services to other objects, or the time when the at least two cells may stop providing services to other objects. For the specific implementation, please refer to the above-mentioned related introduction and will not be repeated here. Similar to the service start time, the service end time of at least two cells in the second cell set may also be UTC, so as to facilitate the terminal to determine when these cells end service. Alternatively, the service end time of at least two cells in the second cell set may also be a time offset from the reference UTC, further reducing the overhead of configuration information.

[0181] For easier understanding, please refer to FIG6 , which continues to illustrate the above example.

[0182] Case D: An example of configuration information of cell set 2 may be shown in Table 8 below.

[0183] Table 8

[0184]

[0185] It can be seen from Table 8 that the service end time of each cell in cells 2a to 2f can be UTC, so that the terminal can directly determine when each cell in cells 2a to 2f stops serving.

[0186] Case E: An example of configuration information of cell set 2 may be shown in Table 9 below.

[0187] Table 9

[0188]

[0189]

[0190] As can be seen from Table 9, the service end time of cell 2a can be UTC and used as the reference UTC. The PCI sequence of PCI#2a-PCI#2f can be used to implicitly indicate the service order of cells 2a-2f. The service end time t22a can be used by the terminal to directly determine when cell 2a stops serving. The service order and time offset Δt2 of cells 2a-2f can be used by the terminal to jointly determine when cells 2b-2f stop serving. For example, if the service order of PCI#2b is one order after PCI#2a, the service end time of cell 2b is: service end time t22a + 1 * time offset Δt2; if the service order of PCI#2c is two orders after PCI#2a, the service end time of cell 2c is: service end time t22a + 2 * time offset Δt2, and so on. In addition, the service end time of cell 2a is used as the reference UTC for only example and not as a limitation. The service end time of any cell from cells 2a to cell 2f can be used as the reference UTC.

[0191] Case F: An example of configuration information of the configuration information of the cell set 2 may be shown in Table 10 below.

[0192] Table 10

[0193]

[0194] As shown in Table 10, the service end time of cell 1a can be in UTC and used as the reference UTC for cell 2a. This allows the service end time of cell 2a to be determined based on the service end time t12a and the time offset Δt21, such as: service end time t12a+ and time offset Δt21. The service end time of cell 2a can be used as the reference UTC for cells 2b through 2f. The PCI sequence of PCI#2a through PCI#2f can be used to implicitly indicate the service order of cells 2a through 2f. The service order of cells 2a through 2f and the time offset Δt22 can be used by terminals to jointly determine when services begin in cells 2b through 2f. For example, the service order of PCI#2b is one order after PCI#2a, and the service end time of cell 2b is: service end time t12a + time offset Δt21 + time offset Δt22; the service order of PCI#2c is two orders after PCI#2a, and the service end time of cell 2c is: service end time t12a + time offset Δt21 + 2*time offset Δt2, and so on. In addition, the service end time of cell 2a is used as the reference UTC for cells 2b-2f for only an example and not as a limitation. The service end time of any cell from cells 2a-2f can be used as the reference UTC.

[0195] In addition, the service time of the second cell set may also include any other possible time, such as the intermediate time of at least two cells in the first cell set. The intermediate time may be between the service start time and the service end time of the at least two cells, and may be a time agreed upon by the terminal and the network, so that the terminal can roughly determine the service start time and / or service end time of the at least two cells.

[0196] It can be understood that the above example is based on the example of indicating the configuration information of cell set 1 and the configuration information of cell set 2 through different table entries, which is not a limitation. For example, the configuration information of cell set 1 and the configuration information of cell set 2 can also be indicated jointly in one table entry.

[0197] It can also be understood that the configuration information of the second cell set may further include: other information of at least two cells in the second cell set, such as frequency, subcarrier spacing, etc., which will not be elaborated herein.

[0198] In an embodiment of the present application, at least two cells in the second cell set may partially overlap with at least two cells in the first cell set, serving as neighboring cells of the at least two cells in the first cell set. In this case, while the at least two cells in the second cell set are providing services to other targets, the at least two cells in the second cell set may also incidentally provide services to the target target. For example, the at least two cells in the second cell set may cover a portion of a target area, thereby providing services to that portion of the target area. Alternatively, if a target ground battle site, target base station, or target terminal is located within the overlapping area of ​​at least two cells in the second cell set and at least two cells in the first cell set, the at least two cells in the second cell set may also provide services to the target ground battle site, target base station, or target terminal. Therefore, the terminal may also determine a second cell to be measured in the second cell set based on the configuration information of the second cell set. The second cell to be measured may be a cell in the second cell set that is likely to provide services to the target target at the first time, i.e., a cell in the second cell set that needs to be measured at the first time, so that the terminal can perform measurements on the second cell to be measured that is likely to provide services to the target target, ensuring that the terminal can discover more cells providing services.

[0199] In one possible implementation, taking the service start time as an example, at least two cells in the second cell set may include a fourth cell and a fifth cell with adjacent service start times. The first time is after the service start time of the fourth cell, and the first time is before the service start time of the fifth cell. The second cell to be measured includes the fourth cell, that is, the terminal may determine the fourth cell as the second cell to be measured to perform measurement on the fourth cell. It can be understood that in order to ensure service continuity, the service times of the fourth cell and the fifth cell usually overlap. For example, when the fifth cell has started service, the fourth cell has not stopped service. In this case, if the first time is between the service start time of the fourth cell and the service start time of the fifth cell, the fourth cell is providing service. Therefore, the terminal can perform measurement on the fourth cell that is providing service, without having to perform measurement on the fifth cell that has not yet started service, so as to avoid measurement redundancy and reduce power consumption of the terminal.

[0200] Optionally, at least two cells in the second cell set may further include a sixth cell whose service start time is adjacent to the fourth cell, and the service start time of the sixth cell is before the service start time of the fourth cell. The second cell to be measured also includes the sixth cell, that is, the terminal may further determine the sixth cell as the second cell to be measured to perform measurement on the sixth cell. It can be understood that the service times of the fourth cell and the sixth cell usually overlap. For example, when the fourth cell starts service, the sixth cell has not yet stopped service to ensure service continuity. In this case, the sixth cell may not have stopped service at the first time. Therefore, the terminal needs to perform measurement on the sixth cell that may provide service to ensure that the terminal can discover more cells that are providing service.

[0201] Of course, whether the terminal determines the sixth cell as the second cell to be measured may also depend on the length of time between the first time and the service start time of the fourth cell. The specific implementation principle is similar to that of the third cell mentioned above, and can be used as a reference for understanding and will not be repeated here.

[0202] For easier understanding, please refer to FIG6 , which continues to illustrate the above example.

[0203] For the above situation A or situation B, at the first time t1, the terminal can determine based on cells 2a-cell 2f that cell 2a may not have stopped service, cell 2b has started service, and cell 2c has not started service. Therefore, the terminal can determine that cells 2a and cell 2b are the second cells to be measured and perform measurements on cells 2a and cell 2b.

[0204] Alternatively, in another possible implementation, taking the service end time as an example, at least two cells in the second cell set may include a fourth cell and a fifth cell with adjacent service end times. The first time is after the service end time of the fourth cell, and the first time is before the service end time of the fifth cell. The second cell to be measured includes the fifth cell, that is, the terminal may determine the fifth cell as the second cell to be measured to perform measurement on the fifth cell. It can be understood that in order to ensure service continuity, the service times of the fourth cell and the fifth cell usually overlap. For example, when the fourth cell stops service, the fifth cell has started service. In this case, if the first time is between the service end time of the fourth cell and the service end time of the fifth cell, the fifth cell is providing service. Therefore, the terminal can perform measurement on the fifth cell that is providing service without performing measurement on the fourth cell that has stopped service, so as to avoid measurement redundancy and reduce power consumption of the terminal.

[0205] Optionally, the second cell set may further include a sixth cell whose service end time is adjacent to the fifth cell, and the service end time of the sixth cell is after the service end time of the fifth cell. The second cell to be measured also includes the sixth cell, that is, the terminal may determine the sixth cell as the second cell to be measured to perform measurement on the sixth cell. It can be understood that the service times of the fifth cell and the sixth cell usually overlap. For example, before the fifth cell stops serving, the sixth cell has started serving to ensure service continuity. In this case, the sixth cell may have started providing service at the first time. Therefore, the terminal needs to perform measurement on the sixth cell that may provide service to ensure that the terminal can discover more cells providing service.

[0206] Of course, whether the terminal determines the sixth cell as the second cell to be measured may also depend on the length of time between the first time and the service end time of the fifth cell. The specific implementation principle is similar to that of the third cell mentioned above, and can be used as a reference for understanding and will not be repeated here.

[0207] For easier understanding, please refer to FIG6 , which continues to illustrate the above example.

[0208] For the above situation C or situation D, at the first time t1, the terminal can determine based on cells 2a-cell 2f that cell 2a has stopped service, cell 2b has not stopped service, and cell 2c may have started service. Therefore, the terminal can determine that cell 2b and cell 2c are the first cells to be measured and perform measurements on cell 2b and cell 2c.

[0209] It can be understood that in addition to the at least two cells in the second cell set, the neighboring areas of the at least two cells in the first cell set can also include other cells in other cell sets. The specific implementation principle is similar to that of the at least two cells in the second cell set. You can refer to it for understanding and will not repeat it here.

[0210] The cell determination method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail above in conjunction with Figure 5. The communication device for executing the cell determination method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail below in conjunction with Figures 7-8.

[0211] Figure 7 is a first structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 7 , communication device 700 includes a transceiver module 701 and a processing module 702. Transceiver module 701 is configured to indicate the transceiver function of communication device 700, and processing module 702 is configured to perform functions other than the transceiver function of communication device 700.

[0212] For ease of explanation, FIG7 only shows the main components of the communication device.

[0213] In some embodiments, the communication device 700 may be applicable to the communication system shown in FIG. 4 , and perform the functions of the terminal in the method shown in FIG. 4 .

[0214] Transceiver module 701 is configured to obtain configuration information. The configuration information includes configuration information of a first cell set, including service time during which at least two cells in the first cell set provide services for a target object. The first cell set is a set of cells that provide services for the target object. Processing module 702 is configured to determine a first cell to be measured in the first cell set based on the configuration information of the first cell set.

[0215] In one possible design scheme, the service time of at least two cells in the first cell set providing services for the target object includes at least one of the following: the service start time of at least two cells in the first cell set, or the service end time of at least two cells in the first cell set.

[0216] Optionally, at least two cells in the first cell set include a first cell and a second cell whose service end times are adjacent, the first time at which the terminal initiates measurement is after the service end time of the first cell and before the service end time of the second cell, and the first cell to be measured includes the second cell.

[0217] Furthermore, at least two cells in the first cell set further include a third cell whose service end time is adjacent to that of the second cell, and the service end time of the third cell is later than that of the second cell. The first cell to be measured further includes the third cell.

[0218] Optionally, at least two cells in the first cell set include a first cell and a second cell whose service start times are adjacent, the first time at which the terminal initiates measurement is after the service start time of the first cell and before the service start time of the second cell, and the first cell to be measured includes the first cell.

[0219] Furthermore, at least two cells in the first cell set also include a third cell whose service start time is adjacent to the first cell, the service start time of the third cell is before the service start time of the first cell, and the first cell to be measured also includes the third cell.

[0220] In a possible design, the first cell set is a cell set that provides services to the target object in chronological order, and specifically may be a cell set that is provided by different satellites in chronological order.

[0221] In one possible design, the configuration information further includes configuration information of a second cell set, where the configuration information of the second cell set includes service time provided by at least two cells in the second cell set, where the at least two cells in the second cell set partially overlap with at least two cells in the first cell set. The processing module 702 is further configured to determine a second cell to be measured in the second cell set based on the configuration information of the second cell set.

[0222] Optionally, the service time of at least two cells in the second cell set includes at least one of the following: service start time of at least two cells in the second cell set, or service end time of at least two cells in the second cell set.

[0223] Furthermore, at least two cells in the second cell set include a fourth cell and a fifth cell whose service end times are adjacent, the first time when the terminal initiates measurement is after the service end time of the fourth cell, and the first time is before the service end time of the fifth cell, and the second cell to be measured includes the fifth cell.

[0224] Furthermore, at least two cells in the second cell set further include a sixth cell whose service end time is adjacent to that of the fifth cell, and the service end time of the sixth cell is later than that of the fifth cell. The second cell to be measured further includes the sixth cell.

[0225] Furthermore, at least two cells in the second cell set include a fourth cell and a fifth cell whose service start times are adjacent, the first time when the terminal initiates measurement is after the service start time of the fourth cell, and the first time is before the service start time of the fifth cell, and the second cell to be measured includes the fourth cell.

[0226] Furthermore, at least two cells in the second cell set also include a sixth cell whose service start time is adjacent to the fourth cell, and the service start time of the sixth cell is before the service start time of the fourth cell. The second cell to be measured also includes the sixth cell.

[0227] In one possible design, the service time of at least two cells is the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), or the service time of at least two cells is a time offset relative to a reference UTC.

[0228] In one possible design, the target object is any one of the following: a target area, a target ground site, a target base station, or a target terminal.

[0229] Optionally, the transceiver module 701 may include a sending module (not shown in FIG7 ) and a receiving module (not shown in FIG7 ). The sending module is used to implement the sending function of the communication device 700 , and the receiving module is used to implement the receiving function of the communication device 700 .

[0230] Optionally, the communication device 700 may further include a storage module (not shown in FIG7 ) storing a program or instruction. When the processing module 702 executes the program or instruction, the communication device 700 may perform the functions of the terminal in the method of FIG5 .

[0231] It can be understood that the communication device 700 can be a terminal, or a chip (system) or other parts or components that can be set in the terminal, or a device including a terminal, which is not limited in this application.

[0232] In addition, the technical effects of the communication device 700 can refer to the technical effects of the method shown in Figure 5, and will not be repeated here.

[0233] In some embodiments, the communication apparatus 700 may be applicable to the communication system shown in FIG. 4 , and perform the functions of the network device in the method shown in FIG. 5 .

[0234] The processing module 702 is configured to obtain configuration information, and the transceiver module 701 is configured to send the configuration information. The configuration information includes configuration information of a first cell set, the configuration information of the first cell set including service time during which at least two cells in the first cell set provide services for the target object. The first cell set is a set of cells that provide services for the target object. The configuration information of the first cell set is used by the terminal to determine the cell to be measured in the first cell set.

[0235] In one possible design scheme, the service time of at least two cells in the first cell set providing services for the target object includes at least one of the following: the service start time of at least two cells in the first cell set, or the service end time of at least two cells in the first cell set.

[0236] In a possible design, the first cell set is a cell set that provides services to the target object in chronological order.

[0237] In a possible design, the first cell set is a cell set in which different satellites provide services for the target object in chronological order.

[0238] In one possible design scheme, the configuration information also includes configuration information of the second cell set, and the configuration information of the second cell set includes: service time of at least two cells in the second cell set, at least two cells in the second cell set partially overlapping with at least two cells in the first cell set, and the configuration information of the second cell set is used by the terminal to determine the cell to be measured in the second cell set.

[0239] Optionally, the service time of at least two cells in the second cell set includes at least one of the following: service start time of at least two cells in the second cell set, or service end time of at least two cells in the second cell set.

[0240] In one possible design, the service time of the at least two cells is Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), or the service time of the at least two cells is a time offset relative to a reference UTC.

[0241] In one possible design, the target object is any one of the following: a target area, a target ground site, a target base station, or a target terminal.

[0242] Optionally, the transceiver module 701 may include a sending module (not shown in FIG7 ) and a receiving module (not shown in FIG7 ). The sending module is used to implement the sending function of the communication device 700 , and the receiving module is used to implement the receiving function of the communication device 700 .

[0243] Optionally, the communication device 700 may further include a storage module (not shown in FIG. 7 ) storing a program or instruction. When the processing module 702 executes the program or instruction, the communication device 700 may perform the functions of the network device in the method of FIG. 5 .

[0244] It can be understood that the communication device 700 can be a terminal, or a chip (system) or other parts or components that can be set in the terminal, or a device including a terminal, which is not limited in this application.

[0245] In addition, the technical effects of the communication device 700 can refer to the technical effects of the method shown in Figure 5, and will not be repeated here.

[0246] FIG8 is a second structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Exemplarily, the communication device may be a terminal, or a chip (system) or other component or assembly that can be provided in a terminal. As shown in FIG8 , the communication device 800 may include a processor 801. Optionally, the communication device 800 may further include a memory 802 and / or a transceiver 803. The processor 801 is coupled to the memory 802 and the transceiver 803, such as by a communication bus.

[0247] The following is a detailed introduction to the various components of the communication device 800 in conjunction with FIG8 :

[0248] The processor 801 is the control center of the communication device 800 and can be a single processor or a collective term for multiple processing elements. For example, the processor 801 can be one or more central processing units (CPUs), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the embodiments of the present application, such as one or more digital signal processors (DSPs) or one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).

[0249] Optionally, the processor 801 may execute various functions of the communication device 800 , such as the method shown in FIG. 5 , by running or executing a software program stored in the memory 802 and calling data stored in the memory 802 .

[0250] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the processor 801 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU0 and CPU1 shown in FIG8 .

[0251] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the communication device 800 may also include multiple processors, such as the processor 801 and the processor 804 shown in FIG8 . Each of these processors may be a single-core processor (single-CPU) or a multi-core processor (multi-CPU). The processor herein may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

[0252] The memory 802 is used to store the software program for executing the solution of the present application, and the execution is controlled by the processor 801. The specific implementation method can refer to the above method embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0253] Alternatively, the memory 802 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device that can store information and instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, an optical disc storage (including a compact disc, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc, Blu-ray disc, etc.), a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory 802 may be integrated with the processor 801 or exist independently and be coupled to the processor 801 via an interface circuit (not shown in FIG8 ) of the communication device 800. This embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this.

[0254] Transceiver 803 is used for communication with other communication devices. For example, if communication device 800 is a terminal, transceiver 803 can be used to communicate with a network device or another terminal device. For another example, if communication device 800 is a network device, transceiver 803 can be used to communicate with a terminal or another network device.

[0255] Optionally, the transceiver 803 may include a receiver and a transmitter (not shown separately in FIG8 ), wherein the receiver is used to implement a receiving function, and the transmitter is used to implement a sending function.

[0256] Optionally, the transceiver 803 may be integrated with the processor 801 or exist independently and be coupled to the processor 801 through an interface circuit (not shown in FIG. 8 ) of the communication device 800 . This embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this.

[0257] It is understandable that the structure of the communication device 800 shown in FIG8 does not constitute a limitation on the communication device, and an actual communication device may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or arrange the components differently.

[0258] In addition, the technical effects of the communication device 800 can refer to the technical effects of the methods described in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0259] It should be understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), and the processor may also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc.

[0260] It should also be understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of random access memory (RAM) are available, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous link DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0261] The above embodiments can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware (such as circuits), firmware or any other combination. When implemented using software, the above embodiments 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 or computer programs. When the computer instructions or computer program are loaded or executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer 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 one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center via a wired (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) method. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that contains one or more available media sets. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (for example, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a tape), an optical medium (for example, a DVD), or a semiconductor medium. The semiconductor medium can be a solid-state drive.

[0262] It should be understood that the term "and / or" as used herein simply describes a relationship between associated objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent: A alone, A and B together, or B alone. A and B can be singular or plural. Furthermore, the character " / " as used herein generally indicates an "or" relationship between the associated objects, but it may also indicate an "and / or" relationship. For specific understanding, please refer to the context.

[0263] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "plurality" means two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or plural.

[0264] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0265] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0266] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0267] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0268] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0269] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0270] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

[0271] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A cell determination method, characterized in that: The method comprises: The terminal obtains configuration information, where the configuration information includes configuration information of a first cell set, the configuration information of the first cell set including: service time during which at least two cells in the first cell set provide services for a target object, the first cell set being a cell set providing services for the target object; The terminal determines a first cell to be measured in the first cell set according to the configuration information of the first cell set.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The service time during which the at least two cells in the first cell set provide services for the target object includes at least one of the following: a service start time of the at least two cells in the first cell set, or a service end time of the at least two cells in the first cell set.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that At least two cells in the first cell set include a first cell and a second cell whose service end times are adjacent, the first time when the terminal initiates measurement is after the service end time of the first cell, and the first time is before the service end time of the second cell, and the first cells to be measured include the second cell.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The at least two cells in the first cell set further include a third cell whose service end time is adjacent to that of the second cell, and the service end time of the third cell is later than that of the second cell. The first cell to be measured further includes the third cell.

5. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that At least two cells in the first cell set include a first cell and a second cell whose service start times are adjacent, the first time when the terminal initiates measurement is after the service start time of the first cell, and the first time is before the service start time of the second cell, and the first cell to be measured includes the first cell.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that At least two cells in the first cell set further include a third cell whose service start time is adjacent to the first cell, and the service start time of the third cell is before the service start time of the first cell. The first cell to be measured further includes the third cell.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The first cell set is a cell set that provides services to the target object in chronological order.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The first cell set is a cell set in which different satellites provide services for the target object in chronological order.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that The configuration information further includes configuration information of a second cell set, the configuration information of the second cell set including service times of at least two cells in the second cell set, wherein the at least two cells in the second cell set partially overlap with the at least two cells in the first cell set. The method further includes: The terminal determines, according to the configuration information of the second cell set, a second cell to be measured in the second cell set.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The service time of at least two cells in the second cell set includes at least one of the following: a service start time of at least two cells in the second cell set, or a service end time of at least two cells in the second cell set.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that At least two cells in the second cell set include a fourth cell and a fifth cell whose service end times are adjacent, the first time when the terminal initiates measurement is after the service end time of the fourth cell, and the first time is before the service end time of the fifth cell, and the second cells to be measured include the fifth cell.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The at least two cells in the second cell set further include a sixth cell whose service end time is adjacent to that of the fifth cell, and the service end time of the sixth cell is later than that of the fifth cell. The second cells to be measured further include the sixth cell.

13. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that At least two cells in the second cell set include a fourth cell and a fifth cell whose service start times are adjacent, the first time when the terminal initiates measurement is after the service start time of the fourth cell, and the first time is before the service start time of the fifth cell, and the second cell to be measured includes the fourth cell.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that At least two cells in the second cell set further include a sixth cell whose service start time is adjacent to that of the fourth cell, and the service start time of the sixth cell is before the service start time of the fourth cell. The second cells to be measured further include the sixth cell.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that The service time of the at least two cells is the Coordinated Universal Time UTC, or the service time of the at least two cells is a time offset compared to a reference UTC.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that The target object is any one of the following: a target area, a target ground site, a target base station, or a target terminal.

17. A cell determination method, characterized in that: The method comprises: The network device acquires configuration information, where the configuration information includes configuration information of a first cell set, the configuration information of the first cell set including: service time during which at least two cells in the first cell set provide services for a target object, the first cell set being a cell set providing services for the target object, and the configuration information of the first cell set being used by the terminal to determine a cell to be measured in the first cell set; The network device sends the configuration information.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The service time during which the at least two cells in the first cell set provide services for the target object includes at least one of the following: a service start time of the at least two cells in the first cell set, or a service end time of the at least two cells in the first cell set.

19. The method according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that The first cell set is a cell set that provides services to the target object in chronological order.

20. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 19, characterized in that The first cell set is a cell set in which different satellites provide services for the target object in chronological order.

21. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 20, characterized in that: The configuration information also includes configuration information of a second cell set, the configuration information of the second cell set including: service time provided by at least two cells in the second cell set, at least two cells in the second cell set partially overlapping with at least two cells in the first cell set, and the configuration information of the second cell set is used by the terminal to determine the cell to be measured in the second cell set.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that The service time of at least two cells in the second cell set includes at least one of the following: a service start time of at least two cells in the second cell set, or a service end time of at least two cells in the second cell set.

23. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 22, characterized in that The service time of the at least two cells is the Coordinated Universal Time UTC, or the service time of the at least two cells is a time offset compared to a reference UTC.

24. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 23, characterized in that The target object is any one of the following: a target area, a target ground site, a target base station, or a target terminal.

25. A communication device, characterized in that: The apparatus comprises means for performing the method of any one of claims 1-16.

26. A communication device, characterized in that: The apparatus comprises means for performing the method of any one of claims 17-24.

27. A communication device, characterized in that: The device includes: a processor coupled to a memory, wherein the processor is configured to execute a computer program stored in the memory, so that the device performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 24.

28. A communication device, characterized in that: The device includes: a processor and a memory, wherein the memory is used to store computer instructions. When the processor executes the computer instructions, the device executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 24.

29. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer-readable storage medium comprises a computer program or instructions, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 24.

30. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises a computer program or instructions, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 24.

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