Beam configuration for multiple non-ground nodes

Abstract

A UE-centric method for determining UE-centric beam conversion period configuration information and implementing the configuration information accordingly can be implemented through beam diversity. Beam diversity is understood as a result of having multiple satellites (of the same or different orbits) within the range of sight of the UE in a low earth orbit satellite constellation. The UE may acquire measurements of signals received at different elevations. After obtaining the measurements, the UE may send a feedback report comprising at least one of an indication of the measurements, an indication of UE capabilities, and an indication of beam direction constraints. Upon receiving a feedback report from a plurality of UEs, a network node may configure a UE-centric BTC for each of the plurality of UEs, and then transmit UE-centric BTC configuration information to each UE to transmit at least one of a physical signal and a physical channel. The BTC configuration information for different UEs may enable optimization of spectral efficiency while following various preferences / constraints associated with the plurality of UEs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention generally relates to wireless communication, and to beam configuration in a wireless communication network, and in particular embodiments to multi-satellite beam configuration. Background Art

[0002] Transmission and reception points in mobile wireless communication networks are typically fixed in location and land-based. However, progress is being made in enabling satellites to serve as transmission and reception points in mobile wireless communication networks. Some such satellites may be geostationary, and thus may not require much adjustment to illuminate a fixed target coverage area on the Earth with a specific beam. It can be seen, then, that non-geostationary satellites may need to handle some complex operations in order to continuously illuminate a fixed target coverage area on the Earth with a specific beam. Earth-fixed beam deployment is the name of a known method of deploying beams for use by non-geostationary satellites. Specifically, a satellite implementing earth-fixed beam deployment can adaptively adjust the direction of a projected beam so that the projected beam illuminates a fixed target coverage area on the Earth. Summary of the Invention

[0003] A UE-centric method for determining beam transition cycle (BTC) configuration information centered on a user equipment (UE) and then implementing the UE-centric BTC configuration information can be achieved by leveraging beam diversity, which is understood to be the result of having multiple satellites (in the same or different orbits) within the line of sight of the UE in a LEO satellite mega-constellation. The UE can obtain measurements of signals received at different elevation angles. After obtaining the measurements, the UE can send a feedback report that includes at least one of the following: an indication of the measurements, an indication of UE capabilities, and an indication of beam direction constraints. When receiving feedback reports from multiple UEs, a network node can configure a UE-centric BTC for each UE among the multiple UEs and then send UE-centric BTC configuration information to each UE to transmit at least one of a physical signal and a physical channel. The BTC configuration information for different UEs can achieve optimization of spectral efficiency while adhering to various preferences / constraints associated with the multiple UEs.

[0004] According to one aspect of the present invention, the physical signal can be a downlink and / or uplink reference signal, such as CSI-RS and / or SRS, and the physical channel can be a control channel and a data channel, where the control channel can include PDCCH for the downlink, PUCCH for the uplink, or PSCCH for the sidelink. The data channel can be PDSCH for the downlink, PUSCH for the uplink, or PSSCH for the sidelink.

[0005] As described above, satellite signals may be blocked, may malfunction, or may attenuate at certain elevation angles, while satellite beams follow a fixed beam transition cycle. In response to a user equipment (UE) detecting a beam failure or a connection failure based on measurements of reference signal received power, the UE may request a beam switching operation or a handover through a connection reestablishment procedure. Identifying a beam failure or a connection handover event and, in response, selecting a new beam or a new cell to reestablish the connection can be classified as a "reactive, measurement-based procedure" that may not only incur a significant amount of measurement and signaling overhead but may also result in a lack of robustness of the connection because of the large propagation delay to and from the satellite, resulting in a significant time delay.

[0006] Aspects of the present application may utilize satellite diversity while optimizing spectral efficiency, thereby enhancing connection robustness.

[0007] Aspects of the present application may utilize knowledge of the periodicity of the beam transition cycle, which may reduce the signaling overhead of satellite beam switching, facilitate tracking of the UE's received beam direction, and facilitate satellite beam switching.

[0008] Aspects of the present application related to the UE actively sensing the environment and sending a feedback report may reduce the likelihood of beam failure.

[0009] Aspects of the present application may enable the UE and the network to follow various beam direction constraints. The beam direction constraints may be related to one or more of UE capabilities, maximum interference limits, channel conditions, maximum allowable effective isotropic radiated power, maximum transmission power, and the like.

[0010] According to one aspect of the present invention, a network-side communication method is provided. The method includes: sending beam transition cycle (BTC) configuration information to a user equipment (UE); and transmitting at least one of physical signals and physical channels with the UE from at least one non-terrestrial transmit-receive point (NT-TRP) according to the BTC configuration information.

[0011] According to one aspect of the present invention, a UE-side method is provided. The method includes: receiving beam transition cycle (BTC) configuration information at a user equipment (UE); and transmitting physical signals and physical channels with at least one non-terrestrial transmit-receive point (NT-TRP) according to the BTC configuration information at the UE.

[0012] According to one aspect of the present invention, a network-side method is provided. The method includes: receiving a feedback report from a user equipment (UE); and sending an indication of a selected common BTC to the UE, the selected common BTC being selected from a plurality of common BTCs based on the feedback report.

[0013] According to one aspect of the present invention, a UE-side method is provided. The method includes: selecting a common BTC from a plurality of common BTCs, thereby generating a selected common BTC; and operating according to the configuration information of the selected common BTC.

[0014] In a possible implementation, the BTC configuration information is indicated by RRC signaling, where the RRC signaling may be UE-specific RRC signaling, UE group-specific signaling, or common broadcast RRC signaling.

[0015] In a possible implementation, the BTC configuration information includes at least one of the following: an indication of an initial beam direction or an indication of a beam switching moment sequence. The BTC configuration information may further include an indication of a beam index sequence corresponding to the beam switching moment sequence.

[0016] In a possible implementation, the network-side method further includes parameters, the parameters including at least one of the following: an identification of an orbit of a given NT-TRP among the at least one NT-TRP, a maximum transition time for communication between the UE and the given NT-TRP, or a minimum transition period for communication between the UE and the given NT-TRP.

[0017] In a possible implementation, the transmission includes: switching from a first serving beam to a second serving beam according to the BTC configuration information at a switching time identified in the BTC configuration information.

[0018] According to one aspect of the present invention, a device is provided, which includes components for implementing the above-mentioned network-side method. The device can be an NT-TRP or a T-TRP or a beam management agent. The device can be a component / module / chipset of an NT-TRP or a T-TRP or a beam management agent.

[0019] According to one aspect of the present invention, a device is provided, which includes components for implementing the above-mentioned UE-side method. The device can be a UE. The device can be a component / module / chipset of a UE.

[0020] According to one aspect of the present invention, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium stores instructions, and when the instructions are run on a computer, the computer executes the UE-side method or the network-side method.

[0021] According to one aspect of the present invention, a communication system is provided, which includes at least one device for implementing the network-side method and at least one device for implementing the UE-side method. Description of the Drawings

[0022] To more comprehensively understand the embodiments of the present invention and their advantages, the following description is given by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0023] Figure 1 A communication system is shown in a schematic diagram, and the embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in the communication system, and the communication system includes: a plurality of exemplary electronic devices, a plurality of exemplary transmission and reception points, and various networks;

[0024] Figure 2 Shown in a block diagram is Figure 1 the communication system, which includes: a plurality of exemplary electronic devices, an exemplary terrestrial transmission and reception point, and an exemplary non-terrestrial transmission and reception point, and various networks;

[0025] Figure 3 Shown as a block diagram are Figure 2 the elements of an exemplary electronic device according to various aspects of the present application, Figure 2 the elements of an exemplary terrestrial transmission and reception point, and Figure 2 the elements of an exemplary non-terrestrial transmission and reception point;

[0026] Figure 4 Shown as a block diagram are various modules that can be included in an exemplary electronic device, an exemplary terrestrial transmission and reception point, and an exemplary non-terrestrial transmission and reception point according to various aspects of the present application;

[0027] Figure 5A block diagram illustrates the sensing management function according to various aspects of the present application;

[0028] Figure 6 Shows the known beam deployment of a traditional low Earth orbit satellite constellation;

[0029] Figure 7 Shows a building, a first UE, and a second UE, where the serving beams of the two UEs are provided by non-terrestrial transmission reception points;

[0030] Figure 8 Shows a scenario including a first non-terrestrial transmission reception point, a second non-terrestrial transmission reception point, and a third non-terrestrial transmission reception point, where all three non-terrestrial transmission reception points can be understood as part of a low Earth orbit megaconstellation and can be used to serve a first UE and a second UE, and the first UE and the second UE are in the Figure 7 environment of the shown building;

[0031] Figure 9 Shows exemplary steps of a method for determining UE-centric beam conversion cycle configuration information according to various aspects of the present application;

[0032] Figure 10 Shows exemplary steps of a method for implementing UE-centric beam conversion cycle configuration information according to various aspects of the present application;

[0033] Figure 11A Shows a first example of adjusting the beam direction according to a traditional beam conversion cycle during UE operation;

[0034] Figure 11B Shows a second example of adjusting the beam direction according to a traditional beam conversion cycle during UE operation;

[0035] Figure 11C Shows a third example of adjusting the beam direction according to a traditional beam conversion cycle during UE operation;

[0036] Figure 11D Shows an example of adjusting the beam direction during UE operation according to various aspects of the present application;

[0037] Figure 12 Shows exemplary steps in a method for a non-terrestrial transmission reception point to provide beam conversion cycle configuration information to a UE according to various aspects of the present application;

[0038] Figure 13 Shows a flowchart outlining the signal flow between a beam management agent, a first non-terrestrial transmission reception point, a second non-terrestrial transmission reception point, a third non-terrestrial transmission reception point, and a UE according to various aspects of the present application;

[0039] Figure 14Illustrates exemplary steps in a method of providing UE-centric beam switching period configuration information to a UE according to various aspects of the present application;

[0040] Figure 15 Illustrates exemplary steps in a method executed at a UE for implementing UE-centric beam switching period configuration information according to various aspects of the present application. Detailed implementation

[0041] For illustrative purposes, specific exemplary embodiments will be explained in more detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0042] The embodiments described herein represent that the information is sufficient to practice the claimed subject matter and illustrate the methods of practicing such subject matter. After reading the following description with reference to the drawings, those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the claimed subject matter and will recognize that the applications of these concepts are not specifically mentioned herein. It should be understood that these concepts and their applications are within the scope of the present invention and the appended claims.

[0043] In addition, it should be understood that any module, component, or device that executes instructions disclosed herein may include or otherwise access one or more non-transitory computer / processor-readable storage media for storing information such as computer / processor-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, and / or other data for performing the methods in the present invention. A non-exhaustive list of examples of non-transitory computer / processor-readable storage media includes magnetic storage devices such as magnetic tape cartridges, tapes, disk memories, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital video disc or digital versatile disc (DVD), Blu-ray disc TM and other optical discs, volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology, random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, or other memory technologies. Any of these non-transitory computer / processor storage media may be part of a device / apparatus or be accessed or connected by a device / apparatus. The computer / processor-readable / executable instructions for implementing the methods, applications, or modules described herein may be stored or otherwise held by such non-transitory computer / processor-readable storage media.

[0044] Reference Figure 1 As an illustrative example but without limitation, a simplified schematic diagram of a communication system is provided. Communication system 100 includes a radio access network 120. The radio access network 120 can be a next-generation (e.g., sixth-generation (6G) or later) radio access network or a traditional (e.g., 5G, 4G, 3G, or 2G) radio access network. One or more communication electronic devices (EDs) 110a, 110b, 110c, 110d, 110e, 110f, 110g, 110h, 110i, 110j (generally referred to as 110) can be interconnected with each other or connected to one or more network nodes (170a and 170b, generally referred to as 170) in the radio access network 120. The core network 130 can be part of the communication system and can be dependent on or independent of the radio access technology used in the communication system 100. Additionally, the communication system 100 includes a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 140, the Internet 150, and other networks 160.

[0045] Figure 2 An exemplary communication system 100 is shown. Generally, the communication system 100 enables multiple wireless or wired elements to send data and other content. The purpose of the communication system 100 can be to provide content such as voice, data, video, and / or text through broadcasting, multicasting, and unicasting, etc. The communication system 100 can operate by sharing resources such as carrier spectral bandwidth among its constituent elements. The communication system 100 can include a terrestrial communication system and / or a non-terrestrial communication system. The communication system 100 can provide a wide range of communication services and applications (e.g., earth monitoring, remote sensing, passive sensing and positioning, navigation and tracking, autonomous delivery and mobility). The communication system 100 can provide high availability and robustness through the joint operation of the terrestrial communication system and the non-terrestrial communication system. For example, integrating a non-terrestrial communication system (or its components) into a terrestrial communication system can result in a heterogeneous network including multiple layers. Compared with traditional communication networks, the heterogeneous network can achieve better overall performance through efficient multi-link joint operation, more flexible function sharing, and faster physical layer link switching between the terrestrial network and the non-terrestrial network.

[0046] The terrestrial communication system and the non-terrestrial communication system can be regarded as subsystems of the communication system. In Figure 2In the example shown, the communication system 100 includes electronic devices (EDs) 110a, 110b, 110c, 110d (generally referred to as ED 110), radio access networks (RANs) 120a and 120b, non-terrestrial communication networks 120c, a core network 130, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 140, the Internet 150, and other networks 160. RANs 120a and 120b include corresponding base stations (BSs) 170a and 170b, and base stations 170a and 170b can generally be referred to as terrestrial transmit and receive points (T-TRPs) 170a and 170b. Non-terrestrial communication network 120c includes an access node 172, and access node 172 can generally be referred to as a non-terrestrial transmit and receive point (NT-TRP) 172.

[0047] Alternatively or additionally, any ED 110 can be used to connect to, access, or communicate with any of T-TRP 170a, T-TRP 170b, and NT-TRP 172, the Internet 150, the core network 130, PSTN 140, other networks 160, or any combination of the foregoing. In some examples, ED 110a can perform uplink and / or downlink transmission communication with T-TRP 170a via a terrestrial air interface 190a. In some examples, EDs 110a, 110b, 110c, and 110d can also communicate directly with each other via one or more sidelink air interfaces 190b. In some examples, ED 110d can perform uplink and / or downlink transmission communication with NT-TRP 172 via a non-terrestrial air interface 190c.

[0048] The air interfaces 190a and 190b can use similar communication technologies, such as any applicable radio access technology. For example, the communication system 100 can implement one or more channel access methods in the air interfaces 190a and 190b, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), space division multiple access (SDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), or direct Fourier transform spread OFDMA (DFT-OFDMA). The air interfaces 190a and 190b can utilize other higher-dimensional signal spaces, which can involve combinations of orthogonal and / or non-orthogonal dimensions.

[0049] The non-terrestrial air interface 190c can enable communication between the ED 110d and one or more NT-TRPs 172 via a wireless link or a simple link. In some examples, the link is a dedicated connection for unicast transmission, a connection for broadcast transmission, or a group of connections between a set of EDs 110 and one or more NT-TRPs 175 for multicast transmission.

[0050] RAN 120a and RAN 120b communicate with the core network 130 to provide various services to ED 110a, ED 110b, and ED 110c, such as voice, data, and other services. RAN 120a and RAN 120b and / or the core network 130 can communicate directly or indirectly with one or more other RANs (not shown), where the one or more other RANs may or may not be directly served by the core network 130 and may or may not use the same radio access technology as RAN 120a and / or RAN 120b. The core network 130 can also serve as a gateway access between (i) RAN 120a and RAN 120b and / or ED 110a, ED 110b, and ED 110c and (ii) other networks such as the PSTN 140, the Internet 150, and other networks 160. Additionally, some or all of ED 110a, ED 110b, and ED 110c can include the functionality to communicate with different wireless networks via different wireless links using different wireless technologies and / or protocols. ED 110a, ED 110b, and ED 110c can communicate with a service provider or switch (not shown) and with the Internet 150 via a wired communication channel instead of (or in addition to) wireless communication. The PSTN 140 can include a circuit-switched telephone network for providing plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 150 can include a network of computers and / or subnets (intranets) and incorporates protocols such as the Internet Protocol (IP), the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), and the User Datagram Protocol (UDP). ED 110a, ED 110b, and ED 110c can be multimode devices capable of operating according to multiple radio access technologies and can include multiple transceivers required to support these technologies. Each RAN 120 can correspond to one or more serving cells (or simply "cells"). In this document, a serving cell is a combination of downlink resources and optional uplink resources. Serving cell resources can correspond to one downlink (DL) carrier frequency and optionally one uplink (UL) carrier frequency (in the case of a single-carrier serving cell) or to multiple DL carrier frequencies and optionally multiple UL carrier frequencies (in the case of a multi-carrier serving cell). The association between the carrier frequency of the downlink resources and the carrier frequency of the uplink resources can be indicated in the system information transmitted on the downlink resources. A serving cell can also be defined as a wireless network object that a UE 110 can uniquely identify from the cell identifier (i.e., the physical cell identifier).The cell identifier can be broadcast within a geographical area from one or more TRPs 170 via the synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel (PBCH) block (SSB). The cell can operate in the frequency division duplex (FDD) mode or the time division duplex (TDD) mode.

[0051] Figure 3 Another example of the ED 110 and base stations 170a, 170b, and / or 170c is shown. The ED 110 is used to connect people, objects, machines, etc. The ED 110 can be widely used in various scenarios, such as cellular communication, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle to everything (V2X), peer-to-peer (P2P), machine-to-machine (M2M), machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of things (IoT), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), metaverse, digital twin, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearable devices, smart transportation, smart city, drones, robots, remote sensing, passive sensing, positioning, navigation and tracking, autonomous delivery and mobility, etc.

[0052] Each ED 110 represents any suitable end-user device for wireless operation and may include the following devices (or may be referred to as): user equipment / device (UE), wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), mobile station, fixed or mobile subscriber unit, cellular phone, station (STA), machine type communication (MTC) device, personal digital assistant (PDA), smartphone, laptop computer, computer, tablet, wireless sensor, consumer electronic device, watch, wearable device such as a head-mounted device or glasses, smart book, vehicle, car, truck, bus, train, or IoT device, industrial device, or a device in the above devices (such as a communication module, modem, or chip). The next-generation ED 110 may be referred to using other terms. Base stations 170a and 170b are T-TRPs, hereinafter referred to as T-TRP 170. Also as Figure 3 shown, the NT-TRP will hereinafter be referred to as NT-TRP 172. Each ED 110 connected to the T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172 can be dynamically or semi-statically turned on (i.e., established, activated, or enabled), turned off (i.e., released, deactivated, or disabled), and / or used in response to one or more of the following: connection availability and connection necessity.

[0053] The ED 110 includes a transmitter 201 and a receiver 203 coupled to one or more antennas 204. Only one antenna 204 is shown. Alternatively, one, part, or all of the antennas 204 may be a panel. The transmitter 201 and the receiver 203 may, for example, be integrated into a transceiver. The transceiver is used to modulate data or other content for transmission by at least one antenna 204 or through a network interface controller (NIC). The transceiver may also be used to demodulate data or other content received by at least one antenna 204. Each transceiver includes any suitable structure for generating signals for wireless or wired transmission and / or for processing signals received wirelessly or wiredly. Each antenna 204 includes any suitable structure for transmitting and / or receiving wireless or wired signals.

[0054] ED 110 includes at least one memory 208. The memory 208 stores instructions and data used, generated, or collected by the ED 110. For example, the memory 208 may store software instructions or modules for implementing some or all of the functions and / or embodiments described herein and executed by one or more processing units (e.g., processor 210). Each memory 208 includes any suitable one or more volatile and / or non-volatile storage and retrieval devices. Any suitable type of memory may be used, such as random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), hard disk, optical disk, subscriber identity module (SIM) card, memory stick, secure digital (SD) memory card, on-processor cache.

[0055] ED 110 may also include one or more input / output devices (not shown) or interfaces (e.g., Figure 1 a wired interface connected to the Internet 150). The input / output devices support interaction with users or other devices in the network. Each input / output device includes any suitable structure for providing information to or receiving information from a user, such as by operating as any of the following: speaker, microphone, keypad, keyboard, display, or touch screen, including network interface communication.

[0056] ED 110 includes a processor 210 that is configured to perform various operations, including operations related to preparing a transmission for uplink transmission to NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170, operations related to processing a downlink transmission received from NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170, and operations related to processing sidelink transmissions to / from another ED 110. The processing operations related to preparing a transmission for uplink transmission may include operations such as encoding, modulation, transmit beamforming, and generating symbols for transmission. The processing operations related to processing a downlink transmission may include operations such as receive beamforming, demodulating, and decoding received symbols. According to an embodiment, the downlink transmission may be received by the receiver 203, possibly using receive beamforming, and the processor 210 may extract signaling from the downlink transmission (e.g., by detecting and / or decoding the signaling). Examples of signaling may be reference signals sent by NT-TRP 172 and / or by T-TRP 170. In some embodiments, the processor 210 implements transmit beamforming and / or receive beamforming based on an indication of a beam direction received from T-TRP 170, e.g., beam angle information (BAI). In some embodiments, the processor 210 may perform operations related to network access (e.g., initial access) and / or downlink synchronization, such as operations related to detecting a synchronization sequence, decoding, and acquiring system information. In some embodiments, the processor 210 may perform channel estimation, e.g., using reference signals received from NT-TRP 172 and / or from T-TRP 170.

[0057] The processor 210 may be part of the transmitter 201 and / or part of the receiver 203, but is not shown in the figure. The memory 208 may be part of the processor 210, but is not shown in the figure.

[0058] The processing components of the processor 210, the transmitter 201, and the receiver 203 may be implemented by the same processor or different processors among one or more processors, and the one or more processors are configured to execute instructions stored in a memory (e.g., the memory 208). Alternatively, some or all of the processing components of the processor 210, the transmitter 201, and the receiver 203 may be implemented respectively using dedicated circuits such as a programmed field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a central processing unit (CPU), a graphical processing unit (GPU), or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0059] In some implementations, the T-TRP 170 may have other names: base station, base transceiver station (BTS), radio base station, network node, network device, network-side device, transmit / receive node, Node B, evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), home base station, Generation NodeB (gNB), transmission point (TP), site controller, access point (AP), wireless router, relay station, remote radio head, ground node, ground network device, ground base station, baseband unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), remote radio head (RRH), central unit (CU), distribute unit (DU), positioning node, etc. The T-TRP 170 may be a macro BS, a micro BS, a relay node, a host node, etc., or a combination thereof. The T-TRP 170 may refer to the foregoing devices or to the apparatuses (e.g., communication modules, modems, or chips) in the foregoing devices.

[0060] In some embodiments, the various parts of the T-TRP 170 can be distributed. For example, some modules of the T-TRP 170 can be located away from the device that houses the antenna 256 of the T-TRP 170, and can be coupled to the device that houses the antenna 256 via a communication link (not shown), sometimes referred to as fronthaul, such as the common public radio interface (CPRI). Thus, in some embodiments, the term T-TRP 170 can also refer to the modules on the network side that perform processing operations such as ED 110 location determination, resource allocation (scheduling), message generation, and encoding / decoding. These modules are not necessarily part of the device that houses the antenna 256 of the T-TRP 170. These modules can also be coupled to other T-TRPs. In some embodiments, the T-TRP 170 can actually be multiple T-TRPs that operate together to serve the ED 110 by using techniques such as coordinated multi-point transmission.

[0061] As Figure 3As shown, the T-TRP 170 includes at least one transmitter 252 and at least one receiver 254 coupled to one or more antennas 256. Only one antenna 256 is shown. Alternatively, one, some, or all of the antennas 256 may be panels. The transmitter 252 and the receiver 254 may be integrated into a transceiver. The T-TRP 170 also includes a processor 260 for performing various operations, including operations related to: preparing transmissions for downlink transmission to the ED 110, processing uplink transmissions received from the ED 110, preparing transmissions for backhaul transmission to the NT-TRP 172, and processing transmissions received from the NT-TRP 172 via the backhaul. The processing operations related to preparing transmissions for downlink or backhaul transmission may include operations such as encoding, modulation, precoding (e.g., multiple input multiple output (MIMO) precoding), transmit beamforming, and generating symbols for transmission. The processing operations related to processing the received uplink transmissions or the transmissions received via the backhaul may include operations such as receive beamforming, demodulating the received symbols, and decoding the received symbols. The processor 260 may also perform operations related to network access (e.g., initial access) and / or downlink synchronization, such as generating the content of a synchronization signal block (SSB) (also referred to as a synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel (PBCH) block), generating system information. In some embodiments, the processor 260 also generates an indication of a beam direction, such as a BAI, and the indication of the beam direction may be scheduled for transmission by a scheduler 253. The processor 260 performs other network-side processing operations described herein, such as determining the location of the ED 110 and determining the location where the NT-TRP 172 is deployed. In some embodiments, the processor 260 may generate signaling, such as for configuring one or more parameters of the ED 110 and / or one or more parameters of the NT-TRP 172. Any signaling generated by the processor 260 is transmitted by the transmitter 252. It should be noted that, alternatively, the "signaling" used herein may be referred to as control signaling. Dynamic signaling may be transmitted in control channels such as the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), and static or semi-static high-layer signaling may be included in messages transmitted in data channels such as the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0062] The scheduler 253 can be coupled to the processor 260. The scheduler 253 can be included in the T-TRP 170 or can operate separately from the T-TRP 170. The scheduler 253 can schedule uplink, downlink, and / or backhaul transmissions, including issuing scheduling grants and / or configuring grant-free (“configured grant”) resources. The T-TRP 170 also includes a memory 258 for storing information and data. The memory 258 stores instructions and data used, generated, or collected by the T-TRP 170. For example, the memory 258 can store software instructions or modules for implementing some or all of the functions and / or embodiments described herein and executed by the processor 260.

[0063] The processor 260 can be part of the transmitter 252 and / or part of the receiver 254, but is not shown in the figure. Similarly, the processor 260 can implement the scheduler 253, but is not shown in the figure. The memory 258 can be part of the processor 260, but is not shown in the figure.

[0064] The processor 260, the scheduler 253, the processing components of the transmitter 252, and the processing components of the receiver 254 can be implemented by the same processor or different processors in one or more processors, respectively, the one or more processors being for executing instructions stored in a memory (e.g., the memory 258). Alternatively, some or all of the processor 260, the scheduler 253, the processing components of the transmitter 252, and the processing components of the receiver 254 can be implemented using dedicated circuits such as FPGAs, CPUs, GPUs, or ASICs.

[0065] Note that NT-TRP 172 is shown only as an example of a drone, but NT-TRP 172 can be implemented in any suitable non-ground form, such as a high-altitude platform, a satellite, a high-altitude platform serving as an international mobile communication base station, and an unmanned aerial vehicle, which forms will be discussed below. In addition, NT-TRP 172 may adopt other names in some implementations, such as non-ground node, non-ground network device, or non-ground base station. NT-TRP 172 includes a transmitter 272 and a receiver 274 coupled to one or more antennas 280. Only one antenna 280 is shown. Alternatively, one, some, or all of the antennas may be panels. The transmitter 272 and the receiver 274 may be integrated into a transceiver. NT-TRP 172 also includes a processor 276 for performing various operations, including operations related to: preparing a transmission for downlink transmission to ED 110, processing an uplink transmission received from ED 110, preparing a transmission for backhaul transmission to T-TRP 170, and processing a transmission received from T-TRP 170 via the backhaul. The processing operations related to preparing a transmission for downlink transmission or backhaul transmission may include operations such as encoding, modulation, precoding (e.g., MIMO precoding), transmit beamforming, and generating symbols for transmission. The processing operations related to processing the received uplink transmission or the transmission received via the backhaul may include operations such as receive beamforming, demodulating the received signal, and decoding the received symbols. In some embodiments, the processor 276 implements transmit beamforming and / or receive beamforming according to beam direction information (e.g., BAI) received from T-TRP 170. In some embodiments, the processor 276 may generate signaling for configuring one or more parameters of, for example, ED 110. In some embodiments, NT-TRP 172 implements physical layer processing but does not implement high-layer functions such as functions of a medium access control (MAC) or radio link control (RLC) layer. Since this is only an example, generally speaking, NT-TRP 172 may also implement high-layer functions in addition to physical layer processing.

[0066] NT-TRP 172 also includes a memory 278 for storing information and data. The processor 276 may be part of the transmitter 272 and / or part of the receiver 274, but not shown in the figure. The memory 278 may be part of the processor 276, but not shown in the figure.

[0067] The processor 276, the processing components of the transmitter 272, and the processing components of the receiver 274 may be implemented by the same processor or different processors among one or more processors, and the one or more processors are configured to execute instructions stored in a memory (e.g., the memory 278). Alternatively, some or all of the processing components of the processor 276, the processing components of the transmitter 272, and the processing components of the receiver 274 may be implemented using dedicated circuits such as programmed FPGAs, CPUs, GPUs, or ASICs. In some embodiments, the NT-TRP 172 may actually be multiple NT-TRPs that operate together to serve the ED 110 through techniques such as coordinated multi-point transmission.

[0068] The T-TRP 170, the NT-TRP 172, and / or the ED 110 may include other components, but these components have been omitted for clarity.

[0069] One or more steps of the example methods provided herein may be performed by Figure 4 the corresponding units or modules provided. Figure 4 Units or modules in devices such as the ED 110, the T-TRP 170, or the NT-TRP 172 are shown. For example, a signal may be transmitted by a transmitting unit or a transmitting module. A signal may be received by a receiving unit or a receiving module. A signal may be processed by a processing unit or a processing module. Other steps may be performed by an artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML) module. The corresponding units or modules may be implemented using hardware, one or more components or devices that execute software, or a combination thereof. For example, one or more of these units or modules may be integrated circuits, such as programmed FPGAs, CPUs, GPUs, or ASICs. It should be understood that if these modules are implemented by a processor executing software (e.g.), then these modules may be retrieved in whole or in part as needed by the processor, retrieved individually or collectively for processing, retrieved in one or more instances, and these modules may themselves include instructions for further deployment and instantiation.

[0070] Other details regarding the ED 110, the T-TRP 170, and the NT-TRP 172 are known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Thus, these details are omitted here.

[0071] The air interface typically includes many components and related parameters that together specify how transmissions are sent and / or received over a wireless communication link between two or more communication devices. For example, the air interface may include one or more components that define one or more waveforms, one or more frame structures, one or more multiple access schemes, one or more protocols, one or more coding schemes, and / or one or more modulation schemes for transmitting information (e.g., data) over the wireless communication link. The wireless communication link may support a link between a radio access network and a user equipment (e.g., the "Uu" link), and / or the wireless communication link may support a link between device and device, such as a link between two user equipments (e.g., the "sidelink"), and / or the wireless communication link may support a link between a non-terrestrial (NT) communication network and a user equipment (UE). Some examples of the above components are as follows:

[0072] The waveform component may specify the shape and form of the signal being transmitted. Waveform options may include orthogonal multiple access waveforms and non-orthogonal multiple access waveforms. Non-limiting examples of such waveform options include orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-OFDM), filtered OFDM (f-OFDM), time-windowed OFDM, filter bank multicarrier (FBMC), universal filtered multicarrier (UFMC), generalized frequency division multiplexing (GFDM), wavelet packet modulation (WPM), faster than Nyquist (FTN) waveforms, and low peak to average power ratio waveforms (low PAPR WF).

[0073] The frame structure component may specify the configuration of a frame or a group of frames. The frame structure component may indicate one or more of the time, frequency, pilot signature, code, or other parameters of the frame or group of frames. More details of the frame structure are discussed below.

[0074] Multiple access scheme components can specify multiple access technology options, including technologies that define how communication devices share a common physical channel, such as: TDMA, FDMA, CDMA, SDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, Low Density Signature Multicarrier CDMA (LDS-MC-CDMA), Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA), Pattern Division Multiple Access (PDMA), Lattice Partition Multiple Access (LPMA), Resource Spread Multiple Access (RSMA), and Sparse Code Multiple Access (SCMA). In addition, the multiple access technology options can include: scheduled access and unscheduled access, also known as grant-free access; non-orthogonal multiple access and orthogonal multiple access, e.g., via dedicated channel resources (e.g., not shared among multiple communication devices); contention-based shared channel resources and non-contention-based shared channel resources, and cognitive radio-based access.

[0075] The hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) protocol component can specify how transmission and / or retransmission is performed. Non-limiting examples of transmission and / or retransmission mechanism options include mechanisms that specify the size of the scheduled data pipeline, signaling mechanisms for transmission and / or retransmission, and retransmission mechanisms.

[0076] The encoding and modulation component can specify how the information being transmitted is encoded / decoded and modulated / demodulated for transmission / reception purposes. Encoding can refer to methods of error detection and forward error correction. Non-limiting examples of encoding options include turbo lattice codes, turbo product codes, fountain codes, low density parity check codes, and polar codes. Modulation can simply refer to the constellation (e.g., including modulation technique and order), or more specifically to various types of advanced modulation methods such as layered modulation and low PAPR modulation.

[0077] In some embodiments, the air interface can be a "one-size-fits-all" concept. For example, it can be as follows: once the air interface is defined, the components within the air interface cannot be changed or adjusted. In some implementations, only limited parameters or modes of the air interface can be configured, such as the cyclic prefix (CP) length or the MIMO mode. In some embodiments, the air interface design can provide a unified or flexible framework to support frequencies below the known 6 GHz band and frequencies above the 6 GHz band (e.g., the mmWave band) for licensed and unlicensed access. For example, the flexibility of the configurable air interface provided by scalable numerology and symbol duration can enable the optimization of transmission parameters for different spectral bands and different services / devices. Another example is that the unified air interface can be self - contained in the frequency domain, and the frequency - domain self - contained design can support more flexible RAN slicing through channel resource sharing in frequency and time among different services.

[0078] The frame structure is a characteristic of the physical layer of wireless communication, which defines the time - domain signal transmission structure. For example, it is used to achieve the timing reference and timing alignment of the basic time - domain transmission unit. Wireless communication between communication devices can be carried out on the time - frequency resources controlled by the frame structure. Alternatively, the frame structure can sometimes be referred to as the wireless frame structure.

[0079] According to the frame structure and / or the configuration of the frames in the frame structure, it is possible to implement frequency - division duplex (FDD) communication and / or time - division duplex (TDD) communication and / or full - duplex (FD) communication. FDD communication means that transmissions in different directions (e.g., uplink and downlink) are carried out in different frequency bands. TDD communication means that transmissions in different directions (e.g., uplink and downlink) are carried out in different durations. FD communication means that transmission and reception are carried out on the same time - frequency resources, that is, the device can transmit and receive simultaneously on the same frequency resources.

[0080] An example of a frame structure is the one specified for the known long-term evolution (LTE) cellular system, with the following specifications: The duration of each frame is 10 ms; each frame has 10 subframes, and the duration of each subframe is 1 ms; each subframe includes two time slots, and the duration of each time slot is 0.5 ms; each time slot is used to transmit 7 OFDM symbols (assuming normal CP); each OFDM symbol has a symbol duration and a specific bandwidth (or partial bandwidth or bandwidth partition) related to the number of subcarriers and the subcarrier spacing; the frame structure is based on OFDM waveform parameters such as subcarrier spacing and CP length (where CP has a fixed length or a finite length option); the switching gap between uplink and downlink in TDD is specified as an integer multiple of the OFDM symbol duration.

[0081] Another example of a frame structure is the one specified for the known new radio (NR) cellular system, with the following specifications: Multiple subcarrier spacings are supported, and each subcarrier spacing corresponds to corresponding system parameters; the frame structure depends on the system parameters, but in any case, the frame length is set to 10 ms, each frame consists of 10 subframes, and the duration of each subframe is 1 ms; a time slot is defined as 14 OFDM symbols, and the time slot length depends on the system parameters. For example, the NR frame structure with a normal CP 15 kHz subcarrier spacing (“system parameter 1”) is different from the NR frame structure with a normal CP 30 kHz subcarrier spacing (“system parameter 2”). For a 15 kHz subcarrier spacing, the time slot length is 1 ms; for a 30 kHz subcarrier spacing, the time slot length is 0.5 ms. The NR frame structure can be more flexible than the LTE frame structure.

[0082] Another example of a frame structure is, for example, for a 6G network or a higher network version. In a flexible frame structure, a symbol block can be defined as having the minimum duration that can be scheduled in the flexible frame structure. A symbol block can be a transmission unit with an optional redundant part (e.g., a CP part) and an information (e.g., data) part. An OFDM symbol is an example of a symbol block. Alternatively, a symbol block can be referred to as a symbol. Embodiments of the flexible frame structure include configurable different parameters, such as frame length, subframe length, symbol block length. In some embodiments of the flexible frame structure, a non-exhaustive list of possible configurable parameters includes: frame length, subframe duration, time slot configuration, subcarrier spacing (SCS), flexible transmission duration of the basic transmission unit, and flexible switching gap.

[0083] The frame length does not need to be restricted to 10 ms. The frame length can be configurable and can change over time. In some embodiments, each frame includes one or more downlink synchronization channels and / or one or more downlink broadcast channels, and each synchronization channel and / or broadcast channel can be transmitted in different directions through different beamforming. The frame length can be multiple possible values and is configured according to the application scenario. For example, an autonomous vehicle may require relatively fast initial access. In this case, for the autonomous vehicle application, the frame length can be set to 5 ms. Another example is that a smart meter on a house may not require fast initial access. In this case, for the smart meter application, the frame length can be set to 20 ms.

[0084] Sub-frames may or may not be defined in a flexible frame structure, depending on the implementation. For example, a frame can be defined to include time slots but not sub-frames. In a frame where sub-frames are defined, for example, for time domain alignment, the duration of the sub-frame can be configurable. For example, the length of the sub-frame can be configured to 0.1 ms, 0.2 ms, 0.5 ms, 1 ms, 2 ms, or 5 ms, etc. In some embodiments, if sub-frames are not required in a specific scenario, the sub-frame length can be defined to be the same as the frame length or not defined.

[0085] Time slots may or may not be defined in a flexible frame structure, depending on the implementation. In a frame where time slots are defined, the definition of the time slot (e.g., in terms of duration and / or the number of symbol blocks) can be configurable. In one embodiment, the time slot configuration is common to all UEs 110 or a group of UEs 110. For this case, the time slot configuration information can be sent to the UEs 110 on a broadcast channel or one or more common control channels. In other embodiments, the time slot configuration can be UE-specific, in which case the time slot configuration information can be sent on a UE-specific control channel. In some embodiments, the time slot configuration signaling can be sent together with the frame configuration signaling and / or the sub-frame configuration signaling. In other embodiments, the time slot configuration can be sent independently of the frame configuration signaling and / or the sub-frame configuration signaling. Generally, the time slot configuration can be system-common, base station-common, UE-group-common, or UE-specific.

[0086] The range of the SCS can be from 15 kHz to 480 kHz. The SCS can vary with the frequency of the spectrum and / or the maximum UE speed to minimize the effects of Doppler shift and phase noise. In some examples, there can be separate transmit frames and receive frames, and the SCS of the symbols in the receive frame structure can be configured independently of the SCS of the symbols in the transmit frame structure. The SCS in the receive frame can be different from the SCS in the transmit frame. In some examples, the SCS of each transmit frame can be half of the SCS of each receive frame. If the SCS is different between the receive frame and the transmit frame, the difference does not necessarily have to be scaled by two. For example, if the inverse discrete Fourier transform (IDFT) is used instead of the fast Fourier transform (FFT) to achieve a more flexible symbol duration. Additional examples of frame structures can be used with different SCSs.

[0087] The basic transmission unit can be a symbol block (alternatively referred to as a symbol), which typically includes a redundant portion (referred to as the CP) and an information (e.g., data) portion. In some embodiments, the CP can be omitted from the symbol block. The CP length can be flexible and configurable. The CP length can be fixed within a frame or flexible within a frame. The CP length can vary from one frame to another, or from one set of frames to another set of frames, or from one subframe to another subframe, or from one time slot to another time slot, or can vary dynamically from one scheduling to another scheduling. The information (e.g., data) portion can be flexible and configurable. Another possible parameter related to the symbol block that can be defined is the ratio of the CP duration to the information (e.g., data) duration. In some embodiments, the symbol block length can be adjusted according to channel conditions (e.g., multipath delay, Doppler) and / or latency requirements and / or available duration. For another example, the symbol block length can be adjusted to accommodate the available duration within a frame.

[0088] A frame can include a downlink portion for downlink transmission from the base station 170 and an uplink portion for uplink transmission from the UE 110. There can be a gap between each uplink and downlink portion, and this gap is called a switching gap. The switching gap length (duration) can be configurable. The switching gap duration can be fixed within a frame or flexible within a frame. The switching gap duration can vary from one frame to another, or from one set of frames to another set of frames, or from one subframe to another subframe, or from one time slot to another time slot, or can vary dynamically from one scheduling to another scheduling.

[0089] Devices such as base station 170 can cover a cell. Wireless communication with the device can be carried out on one or more carrier frequencies. The carrier frequency is called a carrier. Alternatively, a carrier can be called a component carrier (CC). A carrier can be characterized by its bandwidth and reference frequency (e.g., the center frequency, the lowest frequency, or the highest frequency of the carrier). A carrier can be on licensed spectrum or on unlicensed spectrum. Wireless communication with the device can also or alternatively be carried out on one or more bandwidth parts (BWPs). For example, a carrier can have one or more BWPs. Generally speaking, wireless communication with the device can be carried out on a spectrum. The spectrum can include one or more carriers and / or one or more BWPs.

[0090] A cell can include one or more downlink resources, optionally, and can include one or more uplink resources. A cell can include one or more uplink resources, optionally, and can include one or more downlink resources. A cell can include both one or more downlink resources and one or more uplink resources at the same time. For example, a cell can include only one downlink carrier / BWP, or only one uplink carrier / BWP, or include multiple downlink carriers / BWPs, or include multiple uplink carriers / BWPs, or include one downlink carrier / BWP and one uplink carrier / BWP, or include one downlink carrier / BWP and multiple uplink carriers / BWPs, or include multiple downlink carriers / BWPs and one uplink carrier / BWP, or include multiple downlink carriers / BWPs and multiple uplink carriers / BWPs. In some embodiments, alternatively or additionally, a cell can include one or more sidelink resources, including sidelink transmission and reception resources.

[0091] A BWP is a set of contiguous or non - contiguous frequency sub - carriers on a carrier, or a set of contiguous or non - contiguous frequency sub - carriers on multiple carriers, or a set of non - contiguous or contiguous frequency sub - carriers, and a BWP can have one or more carriers.

[0092] In some embodiments, a carrier may have one or more BWPs. For example, a carrier may have a bandwidth of 20 MHz and consist of one BWP, or a carrier may have a bandwidth of 80 MHz and consist of two adjacent and continuous BWPs, etc. In other embodiments, a BWP may have one or more carriers. For example, a BWP may have a bandwidth of 40 MHz and consist of two adjacent and continuous carriers, where each carrier has a bandwidth of 20 MHz. In some embodiments, a BWP may include discontinuous spectrum resources composed of multiple discontinuous multi-carriers. Among them, the first carrier of the discontinuous multiple carriers may be in the mmW band, the second carrier may be in the low-frequency band (e.g., 2 GHz band), the third carrier (if any) may be in the THz band, and the fourth carrier (if any) may be in the visible light band. The resources in one carrier belonging to a BWP may be continuous or discontinuous. In some embodiments, a BWP has discontinuous spectrum resources on one carrier.

[0093] Wireless communication can be carried out on the occupied bandwidth. The occupied bandwidth can be defined as the width of the frequency band such that, below the lower frequency limit and above the upper frequency limit, the average transmitted power is respectively equal to a specified percentage β / 2 of the total average transmission power. For example, the value of β / 2 is taken as 0.5%.

[0094] A carrier, BWP, or occupied bandwidth can be dynamically indicated by a network device (e.g., by base station 170) in physical layer control signaling such as known downlink control information (DCI), semi-statically indicated in radio resource control (RRC) signaling or in signaling in the medium access control (MAC) layer, or predefined according to the application scenario; or determined by UE 110 as a function of other parameters known to UE 110, or can be fixed by a standard, for example.

[0095] Figure 2 It includes a beam management agent 178 (also referred to as a beam management entity). Different from ED 110 and BS170, the beam management agent 178 does not send or receive communication signals. However, the beam management agent 178 can send configuration information within the communication system 100. The beam management agent 178 can communicate with the core network 130 to communicate information with the rest of the communication system 100. For example, according to various aspects of the present application, the beam management agent 178 can receive a feedback report from ED 110a, determine a beam conversion period based on the feedback report, and send beam conversion period configuration information to NT-TRP 172 through the core network 130. Although Figure 2Only one beam management agent 178 is shown, but any number of beam management agents may be implemented in the communication system 100. In some embodiments, one or more beam management agents may be implemented at one or more non-terrestrial radio access communication networks 120C. The beam management agent 178 may be implemented as a physically separate entity located at the core network 130, which is connected to a plurality of NT-TRPs 172. In other aspects of the present application, the beam management agent 178 may be implemented as a logical entity co-located inside the NT-TRP 172 by logic executed by a processor 276. In other aspects of the present application, the beam management agent 178 may be implemented as a logical entity co-located inside the T-TRP 170 or gNB.

[0096] In cellular communication networks, UE location information is typically used to improve various performance metrics of the network. For example, these performance metrics may include capacity, agility, and efficiency. Improvements can be achieved when network elements utilize the location, behavior, mobility patterns, etc. of the UE in the context of prior information describing the radio environment in which the UE operates.

[0097] Sensing systems can be used to help collect UE pose information, including the location of the UE in a global coordinate system, the UE velocity and direction of movement in the global coordinate system, orientation information, and information about the radio environment. "Location" is also referred to as "position", and these two terms may be used interchangeably herein. Examples of well-known sensing systems include radar (radio detection and ranging) and lidar (light detection and ranging). Although sensing systems are typically separate from communication systems, it may be advantageous to use an integrated system to collect information, which reduces the hardware (and cost) in the system as well as the time, frequency, or spatial resources required to perform both functions. However, using communication system hardware to perform sensing of UE pose and environmental information is a highly challenging and open problem. The difficulty of this problem is related to factors such as the limited resolution of the communication system, the dynamics of the environment, and the large number of objects for which electromagnetic characteristics and positions need to be estimated.

[0098] Therefore, integrated sensing and communication (also known as integrated communication and sensing) is a desirable feature in existing and future communication systems.

[0099] Any or all of ED 110 and BS170 can be sensing nodes in system 100. A sensing node is a network entity that performs sensing by sending and / or receiving sensing signals. Some sensing nodes are communication devices that perform communication and sensing simultaneously. However, some sensing nodes may not perform communication but are dedicated to sensing. Sensing agent 174 is an example of a sensing node dedicated to sensing. Different from ED 110 and BS170, sensing agent 174 does not send or receive communication signals. However, sensing agent 174 can send configuration information, sensing information, signaling information, or other information within communication system 100. Sensing agent 174 can communicate with core network 130 to communicate information with the rest of communication system 100. For example, sensing agent 174 can determine the location of ED 110a and send this information to base station 170a through core network 130. Although Figure 2 only one sensing agent 174 is shown in Figure 2 , any number of sensing agents can be implemented in communication system 100. In some embodiments, one or more sensing agents can be implemented at one or more RANs 120.

[0100] Sensing nodes can combine sensing-based techniques with reference signal-based techniques to enhance the determination of UE pose. This type of sensing node can also be referred to as a sensing management function (SMF). In some networks, SMF can also be referred to as a location management function (LMF). SMF can be implemented as a physically independent entity located at core network 130, and core network 130 is connected to multiple BS170s. In other aspects of this application, SMF can be implemented as a logical entity co-located inside BS170 through the logic executed by processor 260.

[0101] As Figure 5As shown, when implemented as a physically independent entity, the SMF 176 includes at least one processor 290, at least one transmitter 282, at least one receiver 284, one or more antennas 286, and at least one memory 288. A transceiver (not shown) may be used instead of the transmitter 282 and the receiver 284. The scheduler 283 may be coupled to the processor 290. The scheduler 283 may be included in the SMF 176 or may operate separately from the SMF 176. The processor 290 implements various processing operations of the SMF 176, such as signal encoding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, or any other function. The processor 290 may also be used to implement some or all of the functions and / or embodiments described in detail above. Each processor 290 includes any suitable processing or computing device for performing one or more operations. For example, each processor 290 may include a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor, a field programmable gate array, or an application specific integrated circuit.

[0102] The pose determination technique based on reference signals belongs to the "active" pose estimation paradigm. In the active pose estimation paradigm, the querier of pose information (e.g., the UE 110) participates in the process of determining the pose of the querier. The querier may send and / or receive signals specific to the pose determination process. The positioning technique based on a known global navigation satellite system such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) is another example of the active pose estimation paradigm.

[0103] In contrast, the sensing technique based on, for example, radar can be regarded as belonging to the "passive" pose determination paradigm. In the passive pose determination paradigm, the target knows nothing about the pose determination process.

[0104] By integrating sensing and communication in one system, the system does not need to operate only according to a single paradigm. Therefore, the combination of sensing-based techniques and reference signal-based techniques can result in enhanced pose determination.

[0105] For example, enhanced pose determination may include: obtaining UE channel subspace information, which is particularly useful for UE channel reconstruction at the sensing node, especially for beam-based operations and communications. The UE channel subspace is a subset of the entire algebraic space, defined over the spatial domain in which the entire channel from the TP to the UE lies. Thus, the UE channel subspace defines the channel from the TP to the UE with very high precision. The impact of signals transmitted through other subspaces on the UE channel can be negligible. Understanding the UE channel subspace helps reduce the effort required for UE channel measurement and network-side channel reconstruction. Therefore, compared with traditional methods, the combination of sensing-based techniques and reference signal-based techniques can enable UE channel reconstruction with less overhead. Subspace information can also facilitate subspace-based sensing to reduce sensing complexity and improve sensing accuracy.

[0106] In some embodiments of integrated sensing and communication, radio access technology (RAT) is used for sensing and the same RAT is used for communication. This avoids multiplexing two different RATs under one carrier spectrum or the need to employ two different carrier spectra for two different RATs.

[0107] In embodiments of integrating sensing and communication under one RAT, a first set of channels may be used to transmit sensing signals and a second set of channels may be used to transmit communication signals. In some embodiments, each channel in the first set of channels and each channel in the second set of channels are logical channels, transport channels, or physical channels.

[0108] At the physical layer, communication and sensing may be performed through separate physical channels. For example, the first physical downlink shared channel PDSCH-C is defined for data communication, while the second physical downlink shared channel PDSCH-S is defined for sensing. Similarly, separate physical uplink shared channels (physical uplink shared channel, PUSCH), PUSCH-C and PUSCH-S, may be defined for uplink communication and sensing, respectively.

[0109] In another example, the same PDSCH and PUSCH may also be used for both communication and sensing, where separate logical layer channels and / or transport layer channels are defined for communication and sensing. It should also be noted that one or more control channels and one or more data channels for sensing may have the same or different channel structures (formats), occupying the same or different frequency bands or bandwidth parts.

[0110] In yet another example, a common physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and a common physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) can be used to carry control information for both sensing and communication. Alternatively, separate physical layer control channels can be used to carry separate control information for communication and sensing. For example, PUCCH-S and PUCCH-C can be used for uplink control for sensing and communication respectively, and PDCCH-S and PDCCH-C can be used for downlink control for sensing and communication respectively.

[0111] At each of the physical layer, transport layer, and logical layer, there may be different combinations of shared channels and dedicated channels for sensing and communication.

[0112] The term "RADAR" originated from the phrase "radio detection and ranging"; however, expressions with different capitalizations (e.g., "Radar" and "radar") are equally valid and now more common. Radar is typically used to detect the presence and location of objects. A radar system radiates radio frequency energy and receives the echoes of the energy reflected from one or more targets. The system determines the pose of a given target based on the echoes returned from the given target. The radiated energy can be in the form of energy pulses or continuous waves and can be represented or defined by a specific waveform. Examples of waveforms used in radar include frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) and ultra-wideband (UWB) waveforms.

[0113] A radar system can be monostatic, bistatic, or multistatic. In a monostatic radar system, the radar signal transmitter and receiver are co-located, e.g., integrated in a transceiver. In a bistatic radar system, the transmitter and receiver are spatially separated, and the separation distance is equal to or greater than the expected target distance (usually called the range). In a multistatic radar system, two or more radar components are spatially distinct but have a common coverage area. Multistatic radar is also known as multistatic or netted radar.

[0114] Ground radar applications face challenges such as multipath propagation and shadow interference. Another challenge is the identifiability problem because ground targets have similar physical properties. Integrating sensing into a communication system is likely to face these same challenges and even more challenges.

[0115] A communication node can be half-duplex or full-duplex. A half-duplex node cannot simultaneously transmit and receive using the same physical resources (time, frequency, etc.); in contrast, a full-duplex node can transmit and receive using the same physical resources. Existing commercial wireless communication networks are all half-duplex. Even if future full-duplex communication networks become practical, it is expected that at least some nodes in the network will still be half-duplex nodes because half-duplex devices have lower complexity, as well as lower cost and lower power consumption. Specifically, full-duplex implementation is more challenging at higher frequencies (e.g., in the millimeter wave band) and is very challenging for small low-cost devices (e.g., femtocell base stations and UEs).

[0116] The limitations of half-duplex nodes in a communication network pose further challenges for devices and systems that integrate sensing and communication into the communication network. For example, both half-duplex and full-duplex nodes can perform bistatic or multistatic sensing, but monostatic sensing generally requires the sensing node to have full-duplex capabilities. A half-duplex node can perform monostatic sensing under certain limitations, such as in a pulsed radar with a specific duty cycle and ranging capabilities.

[0117] The characteristics of a sensing signal or a signal that is used for both sensing and communication include the waveform of the signal and the frame structure of the signal. The frame structure defines the time-domain boundaries of the signal. The waveform describes the shape of the signal as a function of time and frequency. Examples of waveforms that can be used for sensing signals include ultra-wide band (UWB) pulses, Frequency-Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) or "chirp", orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM), cyclic prefix (CP)-OFDM, and Discrete Fourier Transform spread (DFT-s)-OFDM.

[0118] In one embodiment, the sensing signal is a linear chirp signal with a bandwidth of B and a duration of T. The use of such a linear chirp signal in an FMCW radar system is well known. The linear chirp signal is defined by a linear relationship where the frequency increases from an initial frequency f chirp0 at an initial time t chirp0 to a final frequency f chirp1 at a final time t chirp1 , and the relationship between the frequency (f) and time (t) can be expressed as f - f chirp0 = α(t - t chirp0 ), where Defined as the chirp slope. The bandwidth of a linear chirp signal can be defined as B = f chirp1 - f chirp0 , and the duration of a linear chirp signal can be defined as T = t chirp1 - t chirp0 . In the baseband representation, such a linear chirp signal can be expressed as

[0119] The precoding used in this paper can refer to any one or more coding operations or modulations that convert an input signal into an output signal. The precoding can be performed in different domains and generally converts an input signal in a first domain into an output signal in a second domain. The precoding can include linear operations.

[0120] A terrestrial communication system can also be referred to as a land-based or ground-based communication system, but a terrestrial communication system can also or alternatively be implemented over water or in water. A non-terrestrial communication system can expand the coverage of a cellular network by using non-terrestrial nodes, bridging the coverage gap in underserved areas, which will be crucial for establishing global seamless coverage and providing mobile broadband services to unserved / underserved areas. In the current scenario, it is almost impossible to implement terrestrial access point / base station infrastructure in areas such as the ocean, mountains, forests, or other remote regions.

[0121] The terrestrial communication system may be a wireless communication system using 5G technology and / or next-generation wireless technologies (e.g., 6G or higher). In some examples, the terrestrial communication system may also be adapted to some traditional wireless technologies (e.g., 3G or 4G wireless technologies). The non-terrestrial communication system may be a communication system using a satellite constellation, such as a traditional geostationary orbit (GEO) satellite, and the traditional geostationary orbit satellite is used to broadcast public / popular content to a local server. The non-terrestrial communication system may be a communication system using low earth orbit (LEO) satellites, and it is known that LEO satellites can establish a better balance between a large coverage area and propagation path loss / delay. The non-terrestrial communication system may be a communication system using very low earth orbit (VLEO) stable satellite technology, thereby significantly reducing the cost of launching satellites into lower orbits. The non-terrestrial communication system may be a communication system using high altitude platforms (HAPs), and HAPs are known to provide a low-path-loss air interface for users with limited power budgets. The non-terrestrial communication system may be a communication system using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) (or unmanned aerial systems (UASs)) to achieve dense deployment, because the coverage area of UAVs can be limited to a local area, such as the air, balloons, quadcopters, drones, etc. In some examples, GEO satellites, LEO satellites, UAVs, HAPs, and VLEOs may be horizontal and two-dimensional. In some examples, UAVs, HAPs, and VLEOs may be coupled to integrate satellite communication into a cellular network. The emerging 3D vertical network consists of many mobile (except geostationary satellites) and high-altitude access points, such as UAVs, HAPs, and VLEOs.

[0122] MIMO technology enables an antenna array of multiple antennas to perform signal transmission and reception to meet high transmission rate requirements. The ED 110 and T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP may use MIMO to communicate through radio resource blocks. MIMO utilizes multiple antennas at the transmitter to transmit radio resource blocks through parallel radio signals. Thus, multiple antennas can be utilized at the receiver. MIMO can perform beamforming on the parallel radio signals to facilitate reliable multipath transmission of radio resource blocks. MIMO can bind and transmit parallel radio signals carrying different data to increase the data rate of radio resource blocks.

[0123] In recent years, MIMO (Massive MIMO) wireless communication systems with a large number of antennas configured for T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172 have received extensive attention in the academic and industrial communities. In a massive MIMO system, T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172 are typically configured with more than 10 antenna elements (see Figure 3 for antenna 256 and antenna 280). T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172 can typically serve dozens (e.g., 40) of ED 110. The large number of antenna elements of T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172 can greatly increase the spatial degrees of freedom of wireless communication, greatly improve the transmission rate, spectral efficiency, and power efficiency, and largely reduce inter-cell interference. The increase in the number of antennas enables each antenna element to be made in a smaller size and at a lower cost. Utilizing the spatial degrees of freedom provided by the massive antenna elements, T-TRP 170 and NT-TRP 172 of each cell can communicate with multiple ED 110 in the cell simultaneously on the same time-frequency resources, thus greatly improving the spectral efficiency. The large number of antenna elements of T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172 also gives each user better uplink and downlink transmission spatial directivity, thereby reducing the transmission power of T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172 and ED 110 and correspondingly improving the power efficiency. When the number of antennas of T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172 is large enough, the random channels between each ED 110 and T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172 can approach orthogonality, thus reducing the interference and noise effects between the cell and the user. The above-mentioned multiple advantages make massive MIMO have broad application prospects.

[0124] A MIMO system can include a receiver connected to a receive (Rx) antenna, a transmitter connected to a transmit (Tx) antenna, and a signal processor connected to the transmitter and the receiver. Each of the Rx antenna and the Tx antenna can include multiple antennas. For example, the Rx antenna can have a uniform linear array (ULA) antenna, where multiple antennas are arranged in a straight line at uniform intervals. When a radio frequency (RF) signal is transmitted through the Tx antenna, the Rx antenna can receive the signal reflected and returned from the forward target.

[0125] In some embodiments of a MIMO system, a non-exhaustive list of possible units or possible configurable parameters includes: panels and beams.

[0126] A panel is a unit of an antenna group, antenna array, or antenna subarray that can independently control the Tx beam or the Rx beam.

[0127] A beam can be formed by performing amplitude and / or phase weighting on data transmitted or received by at least one antenna port. A beam can be formed by other methods (e.g., adjusting relevant parameters of antenna elements). A beam can include a Tx beam and / or an Rx beam. A transmit beam indicates the distribution of signal strengths formed in different directions in space after a signal is transmitted through an antenna. A receive beam indicates the distribution of signal strengths of wireless signals received from an antenna in different directions in space. Beam information can include a beam identifier, an antenna port identifier, a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resource identifier, an SSB resource identifier, a sounding reference signal (SRS) resource identifier, or other reference signal resource identifiers.

[0128] Traditional LEO satellite constellations include multiple satellites distributed in a small number of orbits to cover the globe. In the deployment of a relatively small constellation, each satellite has a relatively large satellite coverage area, and each satellite coverage area usually only partially overlaps with one or more other satellite coverage areas. In such a deployment, a given user on the Earth's surface can maintain line-of-sight (LoS) with up to a few (e.g., 1 to 3) satellites when observed at an elevation angle greater than a minimum threshold (e.g., an elevation angle greater than a 10° minimum threshold). Each given satellite can deploy a beam to cover a target coverage area below the given satellite, where the elevation angle spans a certain range. For example, the range can include an elevation angle greater than 30°, as Figure 6 shown in the exemplary traditional deployment 600 shown. In Figure 6 the traditional deployment 600 shown, the first satellite 602-1 has a first target coverage area 604-1, and the second satellite 602-2 has a second target coverage area 604-2.

[0129] As described above, Earth-fixed beam deployment is the name of a known method of deploying beams for non-geostationary satellites. Taking the case of a satellite with Earth-fixed beam deployment as an example, when the satellites move in their respective orbits, the elevation angle of the beam on a given target coverage area can span a certain elevation angle range. That is, starting from a lower range of angle θ min (e.g., θ min = 30°), the elevation angle of a given beam can increase to 90° and then decrease to the minimum elevation angle θ min . When the elevation angle of a given beam has decreased to the minimum elevation angle, the given beam may no longer be easily maintained by the same satellite. At this time, the given beam can be switched to an adjacent satellite, thereby replacing the current serving satellite and becoming the satellite responsible for maintaining the given beam.

[0130] New LEO satellite constellation systems, sometimes referred to as "mega constellations", are known to deploy thousands of satellites. A given user of one of these new systems can maintain LoS to dozens of satellites (e.g., 20 to 60) when observing within a limited elevation angle range (e.g., ≥53°). Regarding SpaceX TM deployed Starlink TM For a visual representation of the reported numerical results of the constellation, see "A technical comparison of three low earth orbit satellite constellation systems to provide global broadband" by Del Portillo et al., Acta astronautica 159 (2019): 123 - 135. The visual representation compares the Starlink TM constellation with some smaller traditional constellations. In relatively larger constellations, each satellite covers the target coverage area below it in the same way as satellites in relatively smaller constellations. However, it should be noted that the target coverage area of satellites in relatively larger constellations is expected to be smaller than that of satellites in relatively smaller constellations. In addition, satellites in relatively larger constellations can maintain LoS to users further away from their respective target coverage areas.

[0131] In the existing beam configuration schemes of satellite networks, for each point in a given target coverage area, there is only one satellite deploying a beam, except for points in the handover area between two satellites. Thus, the beam configuration schemes used in mega constellations do not utilize diversity enhancement and spectral efficiency enhancement. It should be noted that in the case where a satellite beam is blocked within a certain elevation angle range, users may encounter connection failure situations, which may occur when the satellite moves in its orbit.

[0132] It is well known that the beam deployment in existing LEO satellite networks can follow a beam handover cycle. A specific beam handover cycle can be preconfigured and fixed for each target coverage area. The serving beam of a target coverage area can span a specific elevation angle range. At the time point when a given LEO satellite can no longer provide a serving beam within a specific elevation angle range, the task of providing the serving beam can be switched from the given LEO satellite to the next LEO satellite on the same orbit. This switch can be repeated within a specific time period. The beam handover cycle is carried out in time periods.

[0133] It is easily understandable that when a given LEO satellite moves in its orbit, users will experience service beams with continuously changing elevation angles. Thus, there may exist specific elevation angles or direction ranges within which the service beams may be blocked, may attenuate, and / or may malfunction.

[0134] Figure 7 Buildings 707, the first UE 110 - A, and the second UE 110 - B are shown. The service beams for the two UEs 110 - A, 110 - B are provided by the NT - TRP 172. Figure 7 The NT - TRP 172 is shown at the following three different time points: the first time point t1, the second time point and the third time point t1 + T0. At the first time point t1, the beam from the NT - TRP 172 to the second UE 110 - B is blocked by the building 707. The building 707 can be understood to represent a general obstacle that hinders the LoS connection between the NT - TRP 172 and the second UE 110 - B. Another exemplary obstacle is a mountain. At the second time point both UEs 110 - A, 110 - B have LoS connections with the NT - TRP 172. At the third time point t1 + T0, the beam from the NT - TRP 172 to the first UE 110 - A is blocked by the building 707.

[0135] In addition to the blocking, attenuation, and malfunction caused by obstacles, other obstacle factors for robust signal reception can also be identified. For example, the signal from the NT - TRP 172 may be interfered with by signals from other nodes. The other nodes can be the T - TRP 170 or the NT - TRP 172. The interference may occur only in a limited set of directions. That is, in some parts of the beam switching cycle, the UE may be affected by strong interference sources.

[0136] Furthermore, the beams passing through the satellite channel may vary due to various atmospheric conditions at different elevation angles. Another problem is that the distance covered by the beam may exceed the range covered by the antenna panel used by the UE within a given beam switching cycle. The range covered by the antenna panel can depend on the type of antenna panel and the orientation of the UE.

[0137] Given the UE-specific complexities described above, when the satellite moves, the communication connection between the UE and the satellite may fail due to being blocked or otherwise attenuated. In response to a beam / connection failure, the UE can perform beam failure recovery operations and / or cell handover operations. These operations can be performed according to the well-established NR connection re-establishment procedure. Switching from a serving beam provided by a first satellite to a serving beam provided by a second satellite according to a reactive, measurement-based NR connection re-establishment procedure may be relatively slow because, due to the large propagation delay associated with the signal path from the satellite to the UE, the UE may not be able to re-establish the connection in a timely manner.

[0138] In summary, aspects of the present application relate to a UE-centric approach that utilizes beam diversity, which is understood as a result of having multiple satellites or other non-terrestrial nodes (in the same or different orbits) within the line of sight of the UE in a LEO satellite megaconstellation. Aspects of the present application can maintain a robust UE-satellite connection and enhance spectral efficiency while maintaining low complexity and signaling overhead. Aspects of the present application can utilize knowledge of the satellite constellation and the periodicity of beam direction changes.

[0139] In a megaconstellation of LEO satellites, the deployment of overlapping beams by multiple satellites for a given target coverage area can be referred to as "satellite diversity". Aspects of the present application relate to leveraging satellite diversity to maintain a robust UE-satellite connection by implementing a "UE-centric beam transition cycle (BTC)". The UE-centric BTC can be contrasted with known beam transition cycles used in traditional satellite networks. The known beam transition cycles can be specific to a target coverage area. Specifically, it can be understood that a given UE has certain beam direction constraints. These constraints can depend at least in part on the UE location, UE orientation, and the environment around the UE. The environment can include nearby obstacles, channel conditions, and sources of interference, etc. The constraints can depend at least in part on UE-specific capabilities, such as the type of antenna panel used by the UE. Additionally, aspects of the present application relate to a UE capable of filtering available beams spatially to consider only a subset of the beams. For example, the filtering can depend on the elevation angle of the satellites in orbit at each point and UE-specific capabilities. Aspects of the present application relate to a UE sending a feedback report to a satellite, where the feedback report includes an indication of the constraints and / or UE capabilities. The satellite can use the indications received in the feedback report to generate a UE-centric beam transition cycle configuration. The UE-centric BTC configuration can optimize spectral efficiency while enhancing connection robustness. Then, one or more NT-TRPs 172 can communicate with the UE 110 according to the UE-centric BTC configuration via at least one of a physical signal and a physical channel. The term "physical signal" can be understood to refer to reference signals, such as, for example, a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) (UL or DL), a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) in the downlink direction, a sounding reference signal (SRS) in the uplink direction, etc.

[0140] Figure 8 A scenario including a first NT-TRP 172-1, a second NT-TRP 172-2, and a third NT-TRP 172-3 (collectively or individually referred to as 172) is shown. The NT-TRP 172 can be understood to be part of a LEO megaconstellation. The NT-TRP 172 can be used to serve a first UE 110-A and a second UE 110-B, where the first UE 110-A and the second UE 110-B are in Figure 7 the environment of the building 707 shown.

[0141] When using a fixed common BTC that is known to be used for a target coverage area in a traditional satellite network, during certain portions of the duration of the common BTC period, the serving beam of a single UE (e.g., UE 110-A or the second UE 110-B) may be blocked. For example, the first UE 110-A is expected to possibly encounter a beam failure in the second half of the common BTC. To maintain a robust connection, aspects of the present application relate to switching the first UE 110-A to be served by beams deployed by an adjacent NT-TRP 172 in the same or a different orbit. This method works best when the adjacent NT-TRP 172 is within the desired elevation angle range from the perspective of the first UE 110-A.

[0142] Aspects of the present application can be applicable to wireless communication with LEO satellites (NT-TRP) in an integrated terrestrial and non-terrestrial network. The satellites (NT-TRP) can be arranged in multiple orbits, where the orbits can adopt the same or different orbit configurations. Exemplary orbit configurations include orbit inclination, number of satellites, etc. It should be clear that the UE can be implemented as a fixed terminal or a mobile user device. Aspects of the present application can facilitate beam tracking on the UE side and facilitate handover between different satellites while following UE-specific constraints or preferences.

[0143] Aspects of the present application can be applicable to beam switching and tracking functions in the RAN of an integrated terrestrial and satellite (non-terrestrial) network. Aspects of the present application can be implemented by collecting feedback reports from the UE at the NT-TRP. The feedback reports may be related to beam direction constraints and UE-specific capabilities. Then, certain configurations can be broadcast, where these configurations are related to the satellite constellation and basic beam conversion parameters. This configuration can configure a specific beam conversion period for the UE. Such signaling and feedback reports can distinguish aspects of the present application from the prior art.

[0144] Aspects of the present application relate to a method for implementing UE-centric BTC that utilizes a periodic pattern of beam conversion in a LEO satellite constellation.

[0145] Since the NT-TRP is expected to move in an orbital manner, the beam originating from the NT-TRP is expected to follow a periodic pattern. The minimum time period T0 can be determined for the beam switching periodic pattern based on the constellation parameters of each orbit. The minimum time period T0 of a given periodic pattern represents a duration, namely the "beam switching period", which refers to the time required for a given NT-TRP to reach the position where the next leading NT-TRP had reached at the start of this duration. It should be noted that for both geostationary beam deployment and earth-moving beam deployment, the periodic pattern can be followed. In this application, the focus is limited to the case of geostationary beam deployment. Therefore, for the sake of easy introduction, the focus is on the target coverage area (i.e., the coverage range of a beam).

[0146] As described above, the beam information may include the SSB resource identifier, which may also be referred to as the SSB index. In other instances, the beam information may additionally or alternatively include the physical cell identity (PCI). Any one of these values and other values can be collectively referred to as the "serving beam index". There may be a periodic pattern for the serving beam index, and this periodic pattern may have a serving beam index period T = NT0. The serving beam index period may include the number parameter N of the beam switching periods (where N ≥ N min ). The number parameter N of the beam switching periods may also be referred to as the number N of beam indices. Setting the number N of beam indices to be greater than the minimum number N of beam indices min can distinguish overlapping beams from each other at the receiver. The maximum switching time Δ n (Δ n ≥ T0) can be used to represent the time when the beam from the nth NT-TRP sweeps across the entire elevation range (i.e., from the minimum elevation increasing to 90°, and then decreasing from 90° to the minimum elevation ). The minimum number N of beam indices min can be determined as a function of the minimum time period T0 and the maximum switching time Δ n

[0147] The beam switching function δ b (t) can be defined to provide the beam direction for a given beam with the beam center P0 and associated with the beam index b at a given time t. The successor beam switching function δ b+1 (t) can also be defined. The successor beam switching function δ b+1 (t) can be understood as providing the beam direction for the successor beam of a given beam. The successor beam may be associated with the beam index b + 1. According to the expression δ b+1 (t) = δ b ​(t - T0), the expected subsequent beam conversion function δ b+1 (t) may be related to a given beam conversion function δ b (t). A basic beam conversion function δ n can be defined for the maximum beam conversion time interval [0, Δ n ), τ ∈ [0, Δ n ) to specify the direction change of the beam associated with communicating with the nth NT - TRP for use by the UE. The nth NT - TRP may be associated with a minimum elevation angle . The beam conversion function δ b (t) of the beam with a specific beam index b can be described according to the basic beam conversion function δ n as follows:

[0148]

[0149] where τ0 represents a constant shift amount corresponding to the beam center P0. Thus, the set of beam conversion functions at time t can be expressed as where represents the set of beam indices of the beams suitable for communicating with the NT - TRP in the nth orbit, where it is known that these beams overlap.

[0150] Aspects of the present application relate to a method, the exemplary steps of which are shown in Figure 9 for generating beam transition cycle (BTC) configuration information for a specific UE 110, i.e., UE - centered BTC configuration information for a specific UE 110. The beam management agent 178 (see Figure 2 ) can generate UE - centered BTC configuration information according to the basic beam conversion function δ n . The beam management agent 178 can first receive (step 902) a set of parameters, and based on this set of parameters, UE - centered BTC configuration information can be determined. For example, the set of parameters received (step 902) by the beam management agent 178 may include parameters identifying the nth orbit with the maximum conversion time Δ n and the minimum conversion period T0. The beam management agent 178 can also receive (step 904) a feedback report from the specific UE 110. The feedback report may include an indication of constraints and / or capabilities specific to the specific UE 110. Based on the parameters and the feedback report, the beam management agent 178 can determine (step 906) the initial beam direction of the specific UE 110. The initial beam direction may correspond to the relative to the basic beam conversion function δ n(τ) Defined time offset τ0. Basic beam conversion function δ n (τ) can be understood as starting from the minimum elevation angle Then, the beam management agent 178 can determine (step 908) a sequence of beam switching moments within the time period [t0, t0 + mT0). The time period [t0, t0 + mT0) can be defined according to the parameter m, where Then, the beam management agent 178 can determine (step 910) a sequence of beam indices that a specific UE 110 can switch between. The switching can be understood as being expected to occur at periodic time intervals. Then, the beam management agent 178 can send (step 912) configuration information to the specific UE 110, where the configuration information includes UE-centered BTC configuration information for the specific UE 110. UE-centered BTC configuration information can be understood as including an indication of the sequence of beam switching moments and the sequence of beam indices that the specific UE 110 can switch between. It should be noted that the beam management agent 178 can be associated with a single serving cell or multiple serving cells. As described above, one or more serving cells can correspond to one or more RANs 120 (see Figure 2 ).

[0151] In the first example, upon receiving (step 902) a set of parameters and / or receiving (step 904) a UE-specific feedback report, the beam management agent 178 can configure UE-centered BTC configuration information that specifies the use of a single beam in each time period. The beam management agent 178 can first determine (step 906) an initial beam direction of the beam associated with a specific beam index b for the specific UE 110. As described above, the initial beam direction can correspond to a time offset τ0 defined with respect to the basic beam conversion function δ n (τ). The parameters received in step 902 can include an indication of the selected time period (i.e., [t0, t0 + mT0)) and a rule that enables the specific UE 110 to determine the next beam index. An exemplary rule that enables the specific UE 110 to determine the next beam index can be expressed as b ← b + I (mod N), where the "beam index shift amount" I represents a value to be configured by the beam management agent 178.

[0152] Figure 10Illustrates exemplary steps in a method for implementing UE - centered BTC configuration information performed at a UE. The UE can first receive (step 1002) a set of parameters, and in the absence of UE - centered BTC configuration information, the UE will operate according to this set of parameters. The UE can connect (step 1004) to an NT - TRP in an initial beam direction. The UE can obtain (step 1006) measurement values based on which the UE can determine UE - specific constraints and / or capabilities. Through the connection with the NT - TRP, the UE can send (step 1008) a feedback report. The feedback report can include a measurement report (including the measurement values obtained in step 1006), an indication of UE - specific constraints and / or capabilities. Then, the UE can receive (step 1010) the UE - centered BTC configuration information sent by the beam management agent 178 in step 912 (see Figure 9 ). In response to receiving the UE - centered BTC configuration information, the UE can operate (step 1012) according to the UE - centered BTC configuration information. That is, the UE can transmit (step 1012) channels and data signals with one or more NT - TRPs according to the BTC configuration information.

[0153] It can be understood that from the perspective of the UE, the beam management agent 178 can be a radio access network node such as the NT - TRP 172, T - TRP 170, etc., or a node in the core network 130. Therefore, steps 1002, 1008, 1010 can be understood as being carried out between the UE and the radio access network node 120 or the core network 130.

[0154] Figure 11A Illustrates a first example of a UE (not shown) adjusting the beam direction according to traditional BTC during operation. At a first time t1, the UE uses a first beam direction π - θ0 when communicating with an NT - TRP (not shown). When the NT - TRP moves in its orbit, the UE adjusts the beam direction. In the middle of a specific duration period T0, that is, at a second time Figure 11A Illustrates that the UE is using a second beam direction At the end of this period, that is, at a third time t1 + T0, it can be seen that the UE is using a third beam direction θ0.

[0155] Figure 11B Illustrates a second example of a UE (not shown) adjusting the beam direction according to traditional BTC during operation. At a first time t1, the UE uses a first beam direction when communicating with a first NT - TRP (not shown). The UE communicates with the first NT - TRP using a beam with a beam index of 0. At Figure 11BAmong them, the beam with a beam index of 0 is associated with the reference numeral 1102-B. When the first NT-TRP moves on its orbit, the UE adjusts the direction of the beam 1102-B with a beam index of 0.

[0156] Figure 11C The third example of adjusting the beam direction according to the traditional BTC during the operation of the UE (not shown) is shown. At the first time t1, the UE uses the second beam direction when communicating with the second NT-TRP (not shown). The UE communicates with the second NT-TRP using the beam with a beam index of 1. Figure 11C Among them, the beam with a beam index of 1 is associated with the reference numeral 1102-C. When the second NT-TRP moves on its orbit, the UE adjusts the direction of the beam 1102-C with a beam index of 1. At a certain point in time, the direction of the beam 1102-C with a beam index of 1 may no longer be adjusted further to communicate with the second NT-TRP. That is to say, after multiple adjustments, the direction of the beam 1102-C with a beam index of 1 is expected to reach the minimum elevation angle for communicating with the second NT-TRP. At this time, the UE adjusts the direction of the beam 1102-C with a beam index of 1 to communicate with the third NT-TRP (not shown).

[0157] In Figure 11B and Figure 11C In the example of the traditional BTC, the duration of the traditional BTC time interval may not necessarily cover the entire duration of Δ (in fact, Δ can include multiple T0s, which is exactly why multiple NT-TRPs can cover the same target coverage area while following the minimum elevation angle). For example, if Δ = 3T0 and the BTC includes the entire duration of Δ, then at the end of the interval when the UE should have switched to the next NT-TRP in the same orbit, the UE can be used to skip two NT-TRPs and switch to the third NT-TRP in the orbit.

[0158] Figure 11D An example of adjusting the beam direction according to the received UE-centered BTC configuration information during the operation of the UE (not shown) is shown, where the selected time period is [t0, t0 + T0), that is, m = 1 and N = 2.

[0159] The UE first communicates with the first NT-TRP using the beam 1102-B with a beam index of 0 and an initial beam direction corresponding to the time offset t0 - t1.

[0160] At the end of each time period [t0, t0+T0), the beam index is shifted by an amount of beam index shift I = 1, and the UE starts communicating with an NT-TRP different from the first NT-TRP using beam 1102-C with beam index 1. As described above, generally, at the end t0+T0 of the time period [t0, t0+T0), the beam direction of the beam with beam index b+1 will be the same as the beam direction of the beam with beam index b at the start t0 of the time period [t0, t0+T0). Therefore, as Figure 11D shown, the initial beam direction of beam 1102-C with beam index 1 corresponds to the initial beam direction of beam 1102-B with beam index 0.

[0161] The beam management agent 178 can send (step 912, see Figure 9 ) UE-centric BTC configuration information that specifies two or more beams on the same track. This can be achieved by specifying a set of different beam indices b1, b2, …, b z and a set of time instances t0, t1, …, t z so as to switch between beams with different beam indices within a time period [t0, t z ), where t z = t0 + mT0. The UE-centric BTC configuration information sent by the beam management agent 178 (step 912) can also include a rule that enables the UE to determine the next beam index. An exemplary rule can be expressed as b j ←b j +ImodN. The UE-centric BTC configuration information that specifies two or more beams on different tracks can be similarly achieved by specifying a subset of beam indices of certain tracks. At a specified time instance within a time period, the UE can switch to a beam with a beam index in the specified subset of beam indices.

[0162] Receive (step 1010, Figure 10) The UE - centered BTC configuration information obtained can be used by the UE to track the receiving beam direction and switch between different NT - TRPs on the same or different orbits. Aspects of the present application can reduce the overhead of beam measurements and related signaling. In known beam switching schemes, beam measurements and related signaling may be repeated at each beam switching moment. Aspects of the present application can reduce the overhead by leveraging the beam transition periodic pattern while reducing the likelihood of beam failures. For IoT devices, the discontinuous reception (DRX) window can be configured according to the UE - centered BTC configuration information. Therefore, the likelihood of successful transmission / reception is increased while facilitating the access of the UE by providing an estimate of the beam direction according to the UE - centered BTC configuration information.

[0163] Preparing ( Figure 9 Steps 906, 908, 910) The UE - centered BTC configuration can help the beam management agent 178 adaptively activate / deactivate different numbers of overlapping beams from NT - TRPs on the same or different orbits. The adaptive activation / deactivation of overlapping beams can depend on the UE service requirements at various points in the coverage area. Preparing the UE - centered BTC configuration can also enable the beam management agent 178 to follow certain beam direction constraints. For example, following beam direction constraints can include: following the maximum interference limit to other nodes. For example, following beam direction constraints can include: following the maximum allowable Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP). Each UE - centered BTC can be configured in a way that maximizes the spectral efficiency while following the UE constraints and preferences.

[0164] Some beam direction and signal space filtering constraints depend on the UE's position / orientation and the surrounding environment. Therefore, aspects of the present application benefit from the UE actively sensing (step 1004, Figure 10 ) the channel and sending (step 1008, Figure 10 ) a feedback report to the beam management agent 178. For example, the UE can detect obstacles within a certain nearby distance in a certain direction range, and the LoS may be blocked within that direction range. The UE antenna panel can be understood to cover a certain elevation angle range. However, the covered elevation angle range can vary according to the UE's orientation. In addition, the signals exchanged on the channel between the UE and the NT - BTC may be subject to various atmospheric conditions at various elevation angles. Therefore, a particular UE may not be able to receive strong signals at certain elevation angles.

[0165] Another example of location - related constraints is the interference received by the UE due to signals from the UE's local nodes. The UE's local nodes can include T - TRP, HAP, etc. Another example of location - related constraints is the uplink transmission power limit (maximum value). The maximum uplink transmission power can be set to limit interference in certain directions. Another example of location - related constraints is the Maximum Permissible Exposure (MPE) in certain directions.

[0166] Various aspects of the present application related to the UE actively sensing (step 1006) the channel and transmitting (step 1008) a feedback report through the NT - TRP to which the UE has an established connection (step 1004) can facilitate compliance with these types of constraints and thus facilitate avoiding beam failures. The UE feedback report can indicate a preferred direction range by indicating a specific portion of the beam transition period Δ n in which the UE can detect the beam. Alternatively, the UE can directly indicate the range of azimuth or elevation angles available for communication.

[0167] The inter - beam interference observed by the UE can vary with different elevation angles. Depending on the UE's capabilities, each UE may be able to perform spatial filtering on different subsets of beams in each part of the beam transition time interval Δ n The UE can transmit (step 1008) a feedback report that indicates one or more beam subsets and the associated portion of the beam transition time interval in which the UE can mitigate / eliminate the inter - beam interference of each pair of beams in the beam subset .

[0168] Each UE can have certain capabilities that imply specific beam - direction constraints or signal - space filtering constraints. For example, capabilities such as the number of antenna panels, the type of antenna panels, and the steering capabilities (electrical steering, mechanical steering, steering range) can imply certain beam - direction constraints. Specific constraints can be predefined for certain capabilities. For example, a certain elevation - angle range (constraint) can be predefined for each type of antenna panel (capability). The capability called "antenna panel type" can be used to correspond to a certain capability group, etc. Subsequently, the UE can send an indication of a certain capability group by sending an indication of the capability - group index.

[0169] Capabilities such as the required minimum angular separation and the number of beams that can be detected can imply certain signal - space filtering constraints. As described above, specific constraints can be predefined for certain capabilities. Therefore, capabilities that imply space - filtering constraints can be used to correspond to a certain capability group, etc. Subsequently, the UE can send an indication of a certain capability group by sending an indication of the capability - group index.

[0170] In summary, various aspects of the present application are directed to the goal of addressing UE-specific beam direction constraints / preferences when configuring a UE-centric BTC at the beam management agent 178. To achieve this goal, the UE may obtain (step 1004) measurements of signals from a given NT-TRP at different elevation angles using certain configurations. Specifically, the NT-TRP constellation information and parameters describing the basic beam conversion patterns of the NT-TRP may be pre-configured (step 1002) for the UE. Such pre-configuration may be useful, for example, in enabling the UE to express constraints / preferences based on the basic beam conversion time intervals. Such pre-configuration may also be useful, for example, in enabling the UE to identify a subset of beams that can be spatially filtered by the UE. After obtaining (step 1004) the measurements, the UE may send (step 1008) a feedback report that includes an indication of the measurements, an indication of the UE capabilities, and an indication of the beam direction constraints. Upon receiving (step 904, Figure 9 ) the feedback from multiple UEs, the beam management agent 178 may configure a UE-centric BTC for each UE among the multiple UEs and then send (step 912) the UE-centric BTC configuration information to each UE. The BTC configuration information for different UEs may optimize spectral efficiency (e.g., by minimizing inter-beam interference), while adhering to various preferences / constraints associated with the multiple UEs.

[0171] It should be noted that, according to various aspects of the present application, a given UE may repeat channel measurements (step 1006) from time to time and send (step 1008) additional feedback reports to the beam management agent 178, enabling the beam management agent 178 to update (steps 906, 908, and 910) the UE-centric BTC configuration information. For example, since the UE is in a moving state, the UE may reach a new location where the UE detects new obstacles. The new obstacles may limit the elevation angle range available for communication with the NT-TRP. The UE may send (step 1008) a feedback report directly indicating a change in one of the beam direction constraints. Alternatively, the UE may request an adjustment to the current UE-centric BTC configuration information, for example, by suggesting a shift to the start time of the BTC period (i.e., t0 ← t0 + Δt0). It should be noted that considering the long distance between the NT-TRP and the UE, it may take some time for the slow movement of the UE to cause a significant change to the NT-TRP on a given trajectory. Thus, the frequency of such adjustments to the UE-centric BTC is expected to be relatively low (about a few minutes / minutes), and thus the UE-centric BTC configuration information may be updated only in a semi-static manner.

[0172] Figure 12Illustrates exemplary steps in a method where NT-TRP 172 provides BTC configuration information to UE 110. NT-TRP 172 can first receive (step 1202) a feedback report from UE 110. When it is identified that the destination of the feedback report is beam management agent 178, NT-TRP 172 can forward (step 1204) the feedback report to beam management agent 178. In fact, if beam management agent 178 is a logical part of NT-TRP 172, the forwarding (step 1204) does not need to involve sending the feedback report to a far place. Subsequently, NT-TRP 172 can receive (step 1206) UE-centric BTC configuration information destined for UE 110. Then, NT-TRP 172 can send (step 1208) the BTC configuration information to UE 110.

[0173] NT-TRP 172 can send (step 1208) UE-centric BTC configuration information to UE 110 using UE 110-specific RRC signaling. For example, UE 110-specific RRC signaling can include unicast dedicated / UE-specific RRC signaling. As another example, UE-specific signaling can include signaling specific to a group of UEs of which UE 110 is a part, i.e., UE group-specific RRC signaling. UE group-specific signaling can include group common multicast RRC signaling to all UEs within the group. Cell-specific RRC signaling can include common broadcast RRC signaling to all UEs within the cell. As yet another example, cell-specific signaling can include broadcast RRC signaling using the master information block (MIB) or system information block (SIB).

[0174] Then, NT-TRP 172 can continue to operate (step 1210) according to the BTC configuration information. That is, NT-TRP 172 can transmit (step 1210) channels and / or data signals with UE 110 according to the BTC configuration information.

[0175] Figure 13 Illustrates a flowchart outlining the signal flow between beam management agent 178, first NT-TRP 172-1, second NT-TRP 172-2, third NT-TRP 172-3, and UE 110. Before the signal flow begins, UE 110 obtains (step 1006, Figure 10 ) measurement values of the channel between UE 110 and third NT-TRP 172-3. UE 110 sends (step 1008, Figure 10 ) a feedback report, which is then received (step 1202, Figure 12)。Then, the third NT-TRP 172-3 forwards the feedback report (step 1204, Figure 12 ) to the beam management agent 178. Upon receiving (step 904, Figure 9 ) the feedback report, the beam management agent 178 may prepare ( Figure 9 steps 906, 908, 910) UE-centric BTC configuration information. Then, the beam management agent 178 may send (step 912, Figure 9 ) the UE-centric BTC configuration information to the UE 110. More specifically, the beam management agent 178 may send (step 912, Figure 9 ) the UE-centric BTC configuration information to the third NT-TRP 172-3. Upon receiving (step 1206, Figure 12 ) the UE-centric BTC configuration information, the third NT-TRP 172-3 may forward (step 1208, Figure 12 ) the UE-centric BTC configuration information to the UE 110. Upon receiving (step 1010, Figure 10 ) the UE-centric BTC configuration information, the UE 110 may start operating (step 1012) according to the UE-centric BTC configuration information. That is, the UE may transmit (step 1012) channels and data signals with one or more NT-TRPs according to the BTC configuration information. In response, the third NT-TRP 172-3 may start operating (step 1210) according to the BTC configuration information. That is, the third NT-TRP 172 may transmit (step 1210) channels and data signals with the UE 110 according to the BTC configuration information.

[0176] Aspects of the present application relate to a method for implementing UE-centric BTC, the method including defining a plurality of common BTCs. Figure 14 Illustrates exemplary steps in a method of providing BTC configuration information to a UE.

[0177] Then, the beam management agent 178 may select a given common BTC from the plurality of common BTCs for a given UE. To assist in the selection, the beam management agent 178 may determine that the given common BTC best satisfies the preferences / constraints specific to the given UE.

[0178] The beam management agent 178 can first configure (step 1402) multiple common BTCs. Specifically, the beam management agent 178 can configure (step 1402) the common BTCs according to historical data of the service requirements of UEs in a given target coverage area and known constraints of UEs in the given target coverage area. In this case, the common BTCs can also be configured (step 1402) in a way that maximizes the average spectral efficiency. Then, the beam management agent 178 can broadcast (step 1404) the configuration information of the multiple BTCs to the UEs in the given target coverage area.

[0179] Figure 15 Illustrated are exemplary steps in a method implemented at a UE for implementing UE-centric BTC configuration information. First, the UE receives (step 1502) the configuration information of the multiple BTCs, which is broadcast by the beam management agent 178 in step 1404.

[0180] Based on the received configuration information of the multiple common BTCs, the UE can obtain (step 1504) measurement values of the signal variations of each common BTC at different elevation angles. Then, the UE can select (step 1506) one common BTC among the common BTCs that optimally meets UE-specific constraints / preferences. Then, the UE can send (step 1508) a feedback report to the beam management agent 178. The feedback report can include an indication of the selected common BTC. For example, in the case where the configuration information of the multiple common BTCs includes different indices associated with each of the multiple common BTCs, the feedback report can include an indication of the index associated with the selected common BTC.

[0181] Alternatively, then, the UE can select (step 1506) multiple common BTCs, each of which meets UE-specific constraints / preferences. In this alternative, the feedback report sent by the UE (step 1508) can include a report indicating the list of the multiple common BTCs that have been selected.

[0182] Referring again to Figure 14 , the beam management agent 178 receives (step 1406) the feedback report. The feedback report can include a detailed measurement report and an indication of UE-specific constraints and / or capabilities. In the case where the feedback report includes a report with a list, the beam management agent 178 can select (step 1408) one common BTC among the common BTCs in the list in response to receiving (step 1406) the feedback report. For example, the selection (step 1408) can consider the feedback received (step 1406) from each of the multiple UEs. Then, the beam management agent 178 can send (step 1410) an indication of the selected common BTC to the UE.

[0183] Subsequently, the UE may receive (step 1510) an indication of the selected common BTC and continue to operate according to the selected common BTC (step 1512). It should be noted that receiving (step 1510) an indication of the common BTC selected from the list is only applicable when the feedback report sent (step 1508) by the UE includes the list.

[0184] Various aspects of the present application are partly based on the assumption of geostationary beam deployment based on NT-TRP. However, the UE-centric beam switching cycle configuration representing various aspects of the present application can be applicable when NT-TRP implements geostationary beam deployment. In the case of geostationary beam deployment, the UE generally switches between different beams of the same NT-TRP until the UE reaches the edge beam (with the minimum elevation angle). When reaching the edge beam, the UE switches to the beam of an adjacent NT-TRP. Using the UE-centric method representing various aspects of the present application, the UE may not need to switch to the beam from an adjacent satellite only when the UE reaches the edge beam with the minimum elevation angle. Instead, the UE can switch to the beam from an adjacent satellite at the configuration point according to the UE-centric BTC configuration information specifying the beam switching sequence. Therefore, the concept of the UE-centric beam switching cycle and other related signaling can be extended to the context of a network where NT-TRP implements geostationary beam deployment.

[0185] It should be understood that one or more steps in the method of the embodiments provided herein can be executed by corresponding units or modules. For example, data can be sent by a sending unit or a sending module (or by a transmitter in a specific implementation). Data can be received by a receiving unit or a receiving module (or by a receiver in a specific implementation). Data can be processed by a processing unit or a processing module (or by a processor in a specific implementation). The corresponding unit / module can be hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, one or more unit / modules can be integrated circuits, such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). It should be understood that if these modules are software, these modules can be retrieved in whole or in part by the processor as needed, retrieved individually or collectively for processing, retrieved in one or more instances as needed, and these modules themselves can include instructions for further deployment and instantiation.

[0186] Although combinations of features are shown in the illustrative embodiments, it is not necessary to combine all features to realize the advantages of various embodiments of the present invention. In other words, a system or method designed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention does not necessarily include all features shown in any one of the drawings or in all parts schematically shown in the drawings. In addition, selected features of an exemplary embodiment may be combined with selected features of other exemplary embodiments.

[0187] Although the present invention has been described with reference to the illustrative embodiments, such description is not intended to be construed in a limiting sense. After referring to this specification, various modifications and combinations of the illustrative embodiments, as well as other embodiments of the present invention, will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to cover any such modifications or embodiments.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Comprising: Sending beam conversion cycle (BTC) configuration information to a user equipment (UE); Transmitting at least one of physical signals and physical channels from at least one non-terrestrial transmission receiving point (NT-TRP) to the UE according to the BTC configuration information.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein Sending the BTC configuration information is performed by a beam management entity.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein The beam management entity includes a given NT-TRP.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein The given NT-TRP includes one NT-TRP among the at least one NT-TRP that transmits at least one of the physical signal and the physical channel to the UE.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein The beam management entity includes a terrestrial transmission receiving point (T-TRP).

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein The UE is a first UE, and the beam management entity includes a second UE different from the first UE.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The physical channel includes a data channel.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein The transmission includes at least one of the following: Transmitting in the downlink direction, and the physical data channel includes a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH); or Receiving in the uplink direction, and the physical data channel includes a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The physical channel includes a control channel.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein The transmission includes at least one of the following: Transmitting in the downlink direction, and the physical data channel includes a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH); or Receiving in the uplink direction, and the physical data channel includes a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH).

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that, Sending the BTC configuration information includes: using radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein The RRC signaling includes: Unicast dedicated / UE-specific RRC signaling; UE group-specific RRC signaling; or Common broadcast RRC signaling.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that, Further comprising: Receiving a feedback report from the UE before the sending, wherein the BTC configuration information is generated based on the feedback report.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein The feedback report includes measurement information of a communication channel with a given NT-TRP among the at least one NT-TRP obtained at the UE.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that The feedback report includes at least one of the following: An indication of beam direction constraints; or An indication of the capabilities of the UE.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that, The BTC configuration information includes at least one of the following: an indication of an initial beam direction or an indication of a sequence of beam switching moments.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that The BTC configuration information includes an indication of a sequence of beam indices corresponding to the sequence of beam switching moments.

18. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that, Further comprising: Receiving parameters.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, The parameters include at least one of the following: an identification of an orbit of a given NT-TRP among the at least one NT-TRP, a maximum transition time for communication between the UE and the given NT-TRP, or a minimum transition period for communication between the UE and the given NT-TRP.

20. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 19, characterized in that Performing the transmission with the UE includes: switching from a first serving beam to a second serving beam according to the BTC configuration information at a switching time identified in the BTC configuration information.

21. A method, characterized in that, Comprising: Receiving beam conversion cycle (BTC) configuration information at a user equipment (UE); At the UE, transmitting at least one of physical signals and physical channels with at least one non-terrestrial transmission receiving point (NT-TRP) according to the BTC configuration information.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein, Further comprising: A feedback report is sent from the UE, wherein the BTC configuration information is determined based on the feedback report.

23. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that The destination of the sending includes a given NT-TRP among the at least one NT-TRP.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein, It further includes: Obtaining a measurement value of a channel between the UE and the given NT-TRP; Including an indication of the measurement value in the feedback report.

25. The method according to any one of claims 22 to 24, characterized in that, The feedback report includes at least one of the following: an indication of beam direction constraints or an indication of the capabilities of the UE.

26. The method according to claim 22, wherein, The BTC configuration information includes at least one of the following: an indication of an initial beam direction or an indication of a beam switching time sequence.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein The BTC configuration information includes an indication of a beam index sequence corresponding to the beam switching time sequence.

28. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that It further includes: Receiving parameters.

29. The method according to claim 28, characterized in that, The parameters include at least one of the following: an identification of the orbit of a given NT-TRP among the at least one NT-TRP, a maximum transition time for communication between the UE and the given NT-TRP, or a minimum transition period for communication between the UE and the given NT-TRP.

30. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 29, characterized in that, The physical channel includes a data channel.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein The transmission includes at least one of the following: Sending in the uplink direction, and the physical data channel includes a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH); or Receiving in the downlink direction, and the physical data channel includes a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

32. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 31, characterized in that, The physical channel includes a control channel.

33. The method according to claim 32, wherein The transmission includes at least one of the following: Sending in the uplink direction, and the physical data channel includes a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH); or Receiving in the downlink direction, and the physical data channel includes a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH).

34. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 33, characterized in that, Performing the transmission with the at least one NT-TRP includes: at a switching time identified in the BTC configuration information, switching from a first serving beam to a second serving beam according to the BTC configuration information.

35. A method, characterized in that, It includes: Receiving a feedback report from a user equipment (UE); Sending an indication of a selected common beam transition cycle (BTC) to the UE, the selected common BTC being selected from a plurality of common BTCs based on the feedback report.

36. The method according to claim 35, wherein It further includes: Broadcasting the configuration information of the plurality of common BTCs.

37. A method, characterized in that, It includes: Selecting a common beam transition cycle (BTC) from the plurality of common BTCs, thereby generating a selected common BTC; Operating according to the configuration information of the selected common BTC.

38. The method according to claim 37, wherein It further includes: Receiving the configuration information of the plurality of BTCs.

39. The method according to claim 37 or 38, characterized in that, It further includes: Receiving an indication; Performing the selection according to the indication.

40. The method according to claim 37 or 38, characterized in that, It further includes: Obtaining a measurement value of a channel; Performing the selection according to the measurement value.

41. The method according to claim 37, characterized in that, It further includes: Sending a feedback report, wherein the feedback report indicates the selected common BTC.

42. A device, characterized in that, Comprising means for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 20 or any one of claims 35 and 36.

43. A device, characterized in that, Comprising means for performing the method according to any one of claims 21 to 34 or any one of claims 37 to 41.

44. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, characterized in that, The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium stores instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 41.

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