SMTC configuration method, satellite base station, UE and storage medium

Abstract

The invention discloses an SMTC configuration method, a satellite base station, UE and a storage medium, a first satellite base station determines that to-be-configured UE is located in an edge coverage area of a cell and is about to be separated from the cell, and obtains a first SMTC configuration parameter determined based on position information of the to-be-configured UE; and sending the first SMTC configuration parameter to the UE to be configured. According to the SMTC configuration method provided by the invention, the first SMTC configuration parameter suitable for the to-be-configured UE can be determined according to the position information of the to-be-configured UE, and the adaptability and flexibility of determining the SMTC configuration parameter of the to-be-configured UE are improved. The first SMTC configuration parameter is determined based on the position information of the to-be-configured UE when the to-be-configured UE is determined to be in the edge coverage area of the cell and is about to be separated from the cell, and the to-be-configured UE can measure the SSB signal of the first satellite base station according to the first SMTC configuration parameter, so that the accuracy of SMTC configuration is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technologies, and in particular, to a method for configuring SMTC, a satellite base station, a UE, and a storage medium. Background Art

[0002] The 5th Generation Mobile Communication Technology (5G) is a new generation of broadband mobile communication technology with the characteristics of high speed, low latency, and large connection. 5G communication facilities are the network infrastructure for realizing the interconnection of humans, machines, and things. In a 5G system, the Synchronization Signal and PBCH block (SSB) is transmitted periodically and the period is configurable. However, for the purpose of avoiding unnecessary measurements and reducing power consumption, the terminal UE does not need to measure the reference signal of the cell according to the transmission period of the SSB. Therefore, the protocol introduces the SSB-based RRM Measurement Timing Configuration window, that is, the SMTC window, which is used for the base station to notify the UE of the period for measuring the SSB of the target cell and the timing for measuring the SSB. From the perspective of measurement, the UE can consider that the SSB outside the SMTC does not exist. That is, when the UE is configured with the SMTC window by the base station, it only needs to detect and measure the SSB within this window and report the measurement result to the base station.

[0003] In the 5G NTN network (non-terrestrial network technology) defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project 3GPP R17, the network can still configure SMTC parameters for the UE to measure the SSB of neighboring cells. In the prior art, the same SMTC is uniformly configured for each UE within the same satellite base station. The problem is that in a low-earth orbit satellite communication network, since the distance between the satellite base station and the UE is relatively far, and there are different transmission delays between different satellite base stations and different UEs, the start time of the SMTC window of the same satellite base station for different UEs will also be quite different, and it may occur that one UE or multiple UEs cannot measure the SSB of the satellite base station. Therefore, the SMTC configured by the prior art has poor accuracy. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a method for configuring SMTC, a satellite base station, a UE, and a storage medium, which is used to solve the problem of poor accuracy of the SMTC configured by the prior art.

[0005] In a first aspect, this application provides a method for configuring SMTC, which is applied to a first satellite base station, and the method includes:

[0006] The first satellite base station determines that the UE to be configured is in the edge coverage area of the current cell and is about to leave the current cell, and obtains first SMTC configuration parameters; wherein, the first SMTC configuration parameters are determined based on the location information of the UE to be configured.

[0007] Send the first SMTC configuration parameters to the UE to be configured.

[0008] In a second aspect, the present application provides an SMTC configuration method, which is applied to a second satellite base station. The method includes:

[0009] The second satellite base station receives the location information of the UE to be configured sent by the first satellite base station that currently serves the UE to be configured, and determines first SMTC configuration parameters according to the location information of the UE to be configured.

[0010] Send the first SMTC configuration parameters to the first satellite base station.

[0011] In a third aspect, the present application provides an SMTC configuration method, which is applied to a UE to be configured. The method includes:

[0012] The UE to be configured sends the location information of the UE to be configured to the first satellite base station that currently serves the UE to be configured.

[0013] Receive the first SMTC configuration parameters sent by the first satellite base station; wherein, the first SMTC configuration parameters are determined based on the location information of the UE to be configured when it is determined that the UE to be configured is in the edge coverage area of the first satellite base station cell and is about to leave the current cell.

[0014] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a first satellite base station, which includes a processor, a communication interface, a memory, and a communication bus. Among them, the processor, the communication interface, and the memory complete mutual communication through the communication bus;

[0015] The memory is used to store computer programs;

[0016] The processor is used to implement the method steps on the first satellite base station side in any one of the above when executing the programs stored on the memory.

[0017] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a second satellite base station, which includes a processor, a communication interface, a memory, and a communication bus. Among them, the processor, the communication interface, and the memory complete mutual communication through the communication bus;

[0018] The memory is used to store computer programs;

[0019] A processor, when executing a program stored in a memory, implements the method steps on the second satellite base station side in any one of the above.

[0020] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a UE to be configured, including a processor, a communication interface, a memory, and a communication bus. Among them, the processor, the communication interface, and the memory complete communication with each other through the communication bus;

[0021] The memory is used to store a computer program;

[0022] The processor, when executing the program stored in the memory, implements the method steps on the UE to be configured side in any one of the above.

[0023] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which a computer program is stored, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the method steps are implemented.

[0024] The present application provides a SMTC configuration method, a satellite base station, a UE, and a storage medium. The method includes:

[0025] The first satellite base station determines that the UE to be configured is in the edge coverage area of the current cell and is about to leave the current cell, and obtains first SMTC configuration parameters; wherein, the first SMTC configuration parameters are determined based on the location information of the UE to be configured; and the first SMTC configuration parameters are sent to the UE to be configured.

[0026] The above technical solutions have the following advantages or beneficial effects:

[0027] The first satellite base station currently serving the UE to be configured determines that the UE to be configured is in the edge coverage area of the current cell and is about to leave the current cell, and obtains first SMTC configuration parameters determined based on the location information of the UE to be configured. The first SMTC configuration parameters are sent to the UE to be configured. The SMTC configuration method provided by the present application can determine first SMTC configuration parameters suitable for the UE to be configured according to the location information of the UE to be configured, improving the adaptability and flexibility of determining the SMTC configuration parameters of the UE to be configured. And the first SMTC configuration parameters are determined when it is determined that the UE to be configured is in the edge coverage area of the current cell and is about to leave the current cell, and are determined based on the location information of the UE to be configured, so as to ensure that the UE to be configured can measure the SSB signal of the first satellite base station according to the first SMTC configuration parameters, improving the accuracy of SMTC configuration. Description of the Drawings

[0028] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0029] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the SMTC configuration system provided by the present application;

[0030] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the SMTC configuration process provided by the present application;

[0031] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the SMTC configuration process provided by the present application;

[0032] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the SMTC configuration process provided by the present application;

[0033] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the process for determining that the UE to be configured is in the edge coverage area of the cell provided by the present application;

[0034] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the SMTC configuration process provided by the present application;

[0035] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the SMTC configuration process provided by the present application;

[0036] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the SMTC configuration process provided by the present application;

[0037] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the SMTC configuration process provided by the present application;

[0038] Figure 10 Schematic diagram of the SMTC configuration process provided by the present application;

[0039] Figure 11 Schematic diagram of the UE application scenario provided by the present application;

[0040] Figure 12 Schematic diagram of the low-earth orbit satellite communication scenario provided by the present application;

[0041] Figure 13 Schematic diagram of the division of the central area and the edge area provided by the present application;

[0042] Figure 14 Schematic diagram of the signaling process for configuring SMTC between the satellite base station S-gNB and the UE in the detached state provided by the present application;

[0043] Figure 15 Schematic diagram of the signaling process for configuring SMTC between the satellite base station S-gNB provided by this application and the UE in the non-detached state;

[0044] Figure 16 Schematic diagram of the internal processing flow for configuring SMTC based on UE location information inside the first satellite base station S-gNB provided by this application;

[0045] Figure 17 Schematic diagram of the structure of the first satellite base station provided by this application;

[0046] Figure 18 Schematic diagram of the structure of the second satellite base station provided by this application;

[0047] Figure 19 Schematic diagram of the structure of the UE to be configured provided by this application. Detailed implementation manners

[0048] To make the objectives and implementation manners of this application clearer, the following will clearly and completely describe the exemplary implementation manners of this application with reference to the accompanying drawings in the exemplary embodiments of this application. Obviously, the described exemplary embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, rather than all of the embodiments.

[0049] It should be noted that the brief description of the terms in this application is only for facilitating the understanding of the subsequent described implementation manners, rather than intending to limit the implementation manners of this application. Unless otherwise specified, these terms should be understood in their ordinary and common meanings.

[0050] The terms "first", "second", "third", etc. in the description, claims and the above-mentioned drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar or like objects or entities, and do not necessarily mean to limit a specific order or sequence, unless otherwise noted. It should be understood that such terms can be interchanged under appropriate circumstances.

[0051] The terms "comprising" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover but not be exclusive of inclusion. For example, a product or device comprising a series of components does not necessarily have to be limited to all the clearly listed components, but may include other components not clearly listed or inherent to these products or devices.

[0052] The term "module" refers to any known or later developed hardware, software, firmware, artificial intelligence, fuzzy logic or a combination of hardware or / and software code that can perform functions related to this element.

[0053] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit them; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements on some or all of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

[0054] For ease of explanation, the above description has been presented in connection with specific embodiments. However, the above exemplary discussion is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the embodiments to the specific forms disclosed. Numerous modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The selection and description of the embodiments are intended to better explain the principles and practical applications, so that those skilled in the art can better use the embodiments and various different variations suitable for specific use considerations.

[0055] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of the SMTC configuration system provided by the present application. The system includes: a UE 11 to be configured, a first satellite base station 12 currently serving the UE to be configured, and at least one adjacent second satellite base station 13.

[0056] The first satellite base station determines that the UE to be configured is in the edge coverage area of the cell and is about to leave the cell, and obtains the first SMTC configuration parameter; wherein, the first SMTC configuration parameter is determined based on the location information of the UE to be configured; and the first SMTC configuration parameter is sent to the UE to be configured.

[0057] The first satellite base station obtains the first SMTC configuration parameter in the following two ways: Way 1: Obtain the first SMTC configuration parameter from at least one second satellite base station adjacent to the first satellite base station. Way 2: The first satellite base station determines the first SMTC configuration parameter.

[0058] Determining the first SMTC configuration parameter based on the location information of the UE to be configured may be determining the first SMTC configuration parameter based on the location information of the UE to be configured and the location information of the first satellite base station. Preferably, the first SMTC configuration parameter is determined based on the first location information of the at least one second satellite base station and the location information of the UE to be configured.

[0059] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the SMTC configuration process provided by the present application, which is applied to the first satellite base station. The first satellite base station is the satellite base station currently serving the UE to be configured. The process includes the following steps:

[0060] S201: The first satellite base station determines that the UE to be configured is in the edge coverage area of this cell and is about to leave this cell, and obtains the first SMTC configuration parameter; wherein, the first SMTC configuration parameter is determined based on the location information of the UE to be configured.

[0061] S202: Send the first SMTC configuration parameter to the UE to be configured.

[0062] The first satellite base station is used to determine that the UE to be configured is in the edge coverage area of this cell and is about to leave this cell, and obtains the first SMTC configuration parameter. Preferably, in order to ensure that the UE to be configured can measure the SSB signals of at least one adjacent second satellite base station according to the first SMTC configuration parameter, the first SMTC configuration parameter is determined based on the first location information of at least one second satellite base station adjacent to the first satellite base station and the location information of the UE to be configured.

[0063] The first SMTC configuration parameter can be obtained through the following two methods. Method 1: The obtaining of the first SMTC configuration parameter includes: sending the location information of the UE to be configured to at least one second satellite base station adjacent to the first satellite base station; receiving the first SMTC configuration parameter determined based on the location information of the UE to be configured sent by the at least one second satellite base station. Preferably, the first satellite base station obtains the location information of the UE to be configured, and sends the location information of the UE to be configured to at least one adjacent second satellite base station; the at least one second satellite base station determines the first SMTC configuration parameter according to its own first location information and the location information of the UE to be configured, and then sends the first SMTC configuration parameter to the first satellite base station; the first satellite base station obtains the first SMTC configuration parameter sent by the at least one second satellite base station. Method 2: The first satellite base station obtains the location information of the UE to be configured, and the at least one second satellite base station sends its own first location information to the first satellite base station; the first satellite base station determines the first SMTC configuration parameter according to the location information of the UE to be configured and the first location information of the at least one second satellite base station.

[0064] The first satellite base station sends the first SMTC configuration parameter to the UE to be configured. The UE to be configured measures the SSB signals of at least one second satellite base station according to the first SMTC configuration parameter.

[0065] In this application, when the first satellite base station of the currently service-to-be-configured UE determines that the UE to be configured is in the edge coverage area of the current cell and is about to leave the current cell, it obtains the first SMTC configuration parameter determined based on the first position information of at least one second satellite base station adjacent to the first satellite base station and the position information of the UE to be configured. The first SMTC configuration parameter is sent to the UE to be configured. The SMTC configuration method provided in this application can determine the first SMTC configuration parameter suitable for the UE to be configured according to the position information of the UE to be configured, improving the adaptability and flexibility of determining the SMTC configuration parameter of the UE to be configured. Moreover, the first SMTC configuration parameter is determined based on the first position information of at least one second satellite base station adjacent to the first satellite base station and the position information of the UE to be configured when it is determined that the UE to be configured is in the edge coverage area of the current cell and is about to leave the current cell, so as to ensure that the UE to be configured can measure the SSB signals of at least one adjacent second satellite base station according to the first SMTC configuration parameter, thereby improving the accuracy of SMTC configuration.

[0066] Figure 3 FIG. is a schematic diagram of the SMTC configuration process provided in this application, and this process includes the following steps:

[0067] S301: When the first satellite base station determines that the UE to be configured is in the edge coverage area of the current cell and is about to leave the current cell, it sends the position information of the UE to be configured to at least one second satellite base station adjacent to the first satellite base station.

[0068] S302: Receive the first SMTC configuration parameter determined based on the first position information of the at least one second satellite base station and the position information of the UE to be configured sent by the at least one second satellite base station.

[0069] S303: Send the first SMTC configuration parameter to the UE to be configured.

[0070] The process of at least one second satellite base station determining the first SMTC configuration parameter based on the first position information of the at least one second satellite base station and the position information of the UE to be configured is specifically as follows: Determine the first transmission delay according to the first position information of the at least one second satellite base station and the position information of the UE to be configured; Determine the first SMTC configuration parameter according to the first SSB signal broadcast parameter of the at least one second satellite base station and the first transmission delay.

[0071] Figure 4 FIG. is a schematic diagram of the SMTC configuration process provided in this application, and this process includes the following steps:

[0072] S401: When the first satellite base station determines that the UE to be configured is in the edge coverage area of the current cell and is about to leave the current cell, it receives the first location information of the at least one second satellite base station sent by the at least one second satellite base station.

[0073] S402: Determine the first SMTC configuration parameter according to the first location information and the location information of the UE to be configured.

[0074] S403: Send the first SMTC configuration parameter to the UE to be configured.

[0075] The process by which the first satellite base station determines the first SMTC configuration parameter according to the first location information and the location information of the UE to be configured is specifically as follows: receive the first SSB signal broadcast parameter of the at least one second satellite base station sent by the at least one second satellite base station; determine the first transmission delay according to the first location information and the location information of the UE to be configured; determine the first SMTC configuration parameter according to the first SSB signal broadcast parameter and the first transmission delay.

[0076] Figure 5 The figure is a schematic diagram of the process for determining that the UE to be configured is in the edge coverage area of the current cell provided by this application. This process includes the following steps:

[0077] S501: Determine the edge coverage area according to the center point location information of the cell coverage range of the first satellite base station and the preset edge coverage area radius.

[0078] S502: If it is determined that the UE to be configured is in the edge coverage area according to the location information of the UE to be configured, determine that the UE to be configured is in the edge coverage area of the current cell.

[0079] Optionally, the first satellite base station may store a preset radius of the edge coverage area and a radius of the central coverage area, where the radius of the edge coverage area is greater than the radius of the central coverage area. Taking the center point of the cell coverage range of the first satellite base station as the center of the circle, the central coverage area can be determined according to the radius of the central coverage area. Taking the center point of the cell coverage range of the first satellite base station as the center of the circle, a candidate coverage area can be determined according to the radius of the edge coverage area, and the area within the candidate coverage area except the central coverage area is determined as the edge coverage area. Alternatively, the first satellite base station stores a preset inner diameter and an outer diameter of the edge coverage area, and taking the center point of the cell coverage range of the first satellite base station as the center of the circle, the annular area between the inner diameter and the outer diameter of the edge coverage area is determined as the edge coverage area. If it is determined, according to the location information of the UE to be configured, that the UE to be configured is within the edge coverage area, it is determined that the UE to be configured is within the edge coverage area of this cell. Otherwise, it is determined that the UE to be configured is not within the edge coverage area.

[0080] In this application, determining that the UE to be configured is about to leave this cell includes:

[0081] Determining that the position information of the center point of the cell coverage range of the first satellite base station (O x , O y ), the moving direction of the first satellite base station and the position information of the UE to be configured (N x , N y ) satisfy When, it is determined that the UE to be configured is about to leave this cell. If it satisfies It is determined that the UE to be configured does not leave this cell.

[0082] Specifically, the first satellite base station determines the position information of the center point of the cell coverage range (O x , O y ) according to its own cell coverage range, and obtains its own moving direction After receiving the position information of the UE to be configured (N x , N y ), according to the position information of the center point of the cell coverage range (O x , O y ) and the position information of the UE to be configured (N x , N y ) to determine the vector Furthermore, calculate If it satisfies It shows that the UE to be configured is gradually moving away from the first satellite base station. At this time, it is determined that the UE to be configured is about to leave this cell; if it satisfies It shows that the UE to be configured is not moving away from the first satellite base station. At this time, it is determined that the UE to be configured does not leave this cell.

[0083] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the SMTC configuration process provided for this application. This process includes the following steps:

[0084] S601: When the first satellite base station determines that the UE to be configured is in the edge coverage area of this cell and does not leave this cell, or determines that the UE to be configured is in the central coverage area of this cell, determine the second SMTC configuration parameter.

[0085] S602: Send the second SMTC configuration parameter to the UE to be configured.

[0086] The specific process of determining that the UE to be configured is in the central coverage area of this cell is as follows: According to the center point position information of the cell coverage range of the first satellite base station and the preset central coverage area radius, determine the central coverage area; if it is determined that the UE to be configured is within the central coverage area according to the position information of the UE to be configured, determine that the UE to be configured is in the central coverage area of this cell.

[0087] The specific process of determining that the UE to be configured is in the edge coverage area of this cell and does not leave this cell is as follows: First, determine that the UE to be configured is in the edge coverage area of this cell according to the preset edge coverage area radius and central coverage area radius saved by the first satellite base station, or determine that the UE to be configured is in the edge coverage area of this cell according to the preset inner diameter and outer diameter of the edge coverage area saved by the first satellite base station. Then determine that the center point position information (O x , O y ) of the cell coverage range of the first satellite base station, the movement direction of the first satellite base station and the position information (N x , N y ) of the UE to be configured satisfy to determine that the UE to be configured does not leave this cell.

[0088] At this time, the first satellite base station determines the second SMTC configuration parameter and sends the second SMTC configuration parameter to the UE to be configured. The UE to be configured measures the SSB signal of the first satellite base station according to the second SMTC configuration parameter. The specific process of the first satellite base station determining the second SMTC configuration parameter is as follows: According to the second position information of the first satellite base station and the position information of the UE to be configured, determine the second transmission delay; according to the second SSB signal broadcast parameter of the first satellite base station and the second transmission delay, determine the second SMTC configuration parameter.

[0089] In this application, the method further includes:

[0090] Send an RRCReconfiguration signaling carrying the first measurement configuration information of the first satellite base station and the coarseLocationRequest flag to the UE to be configured; the coarseLocationRequest flag is used to indicate that the UE to be configured carries the current location information of the UE to be configured when sending a MeasurementReport signaling; the first measurement configuration information includes a measurement object measObject corresponding to the first satellite base station, SMTC configuration parameters, a measurement event based on a reference signal quality change or a location change, and a maximum number of measurement reports reportAmount to be sent.

[0091] The UE to be configured receives the RRCReconfiguration signaling, obtains the carried coarseLocationRequest flag, and in the UEAssistanceInformation signaling sent to the first satellite base station, carries the current location information of the UE to be configured through the cell coarseLocationInfo. The UE to be configured obtains the first measurement configuration information carried in the RRCReconfiguration signaling, specifically obtains the measurement object measObject corresponding to the first satellite base station, SMTC configuration parameters, a measurement event based on a reference signal quality change or a location change, and a maximum number of measurement reports reportAmount to be sent. The measurement object measObject is used to characterize the measurement content of the UE to be configured, the SMTC configuration parameters are used to characterize the measurement time, the measurement event is used to characterize the event condition for triggering a reporting event, and the maximum number of measurement reports reportAmount to be sent is used to limit the maximum number of reporting events. When a reporting event is triggered, first determine whether the number of reported times has reached the maximum number of measurement reports reportAmount to be sent. If not, report the event and increment the number of reported times by 1. If so, no longer report the event. The UE to be configured measures the SSB signal of the first satellite base station according to the first measurement configuration information.

[0092] The method further includes:

[0093] Send an RRCReconfiguration signaling carrying the second measurement configuration information of the at least one second satellite base station and the choConfig flag to the to-be-configured UE; the choConfig flag is used to indicate the conditional handover configuration parameters of the at least one second satellite base station; the second measurement configuration information includes the measurement object measObject corresponding to the at least one second satellite base station, the first SMTC configuration parameter, and a conditional handover trigger condition based on the change of the reference signal quality or based on the change of the location.

[0094] When the to-be-configured UE is in the edge coverage area of the current cell and is about to leave the current cell, the to-be-configured UE measures the SSB signals of at least one adjacent second satellite base station. Specifically, the first satellite base station sends an RRCReconfiguration signaling carrying the second measurement configuration information of the at least one second satellite base station and the choConfig flag to the to-be-configured UE; the choConfig flag is used to indicate the conditional handover configuration parameters of the at least one second satellite base station; the to-be-configured UE measures the SSB signals of the at least one second satellite base station according to the second measurement configuration information; wherein, the second measurement configuration information includes the measurement object measObject corresponding to the at least one second satellite base station, the first SMTC configuration parameter, and a conditional handover trigger condition based on the change of the reference signal quality or based on the change of the location.

[0095] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the SMTC configuration process provided by this application, which is applied to the second satellite base station. This process includes the following steps:

[0096] S701: The second satellite base station receives the location information of the to-be-configured UE sent by the first satellite base station that currently serves the to-be-configured UE, and determines the first SMTC configuration parameter according to the location information of the to-be-configured UE.

[0097] S702: Send the first SMTC configuration parameter to the first satellite base station.

[0098] Among them, the location information of the to-be-configured UE is determined by the first satellite base station that the to-be-configured UE is in the edge coverage area of the current cell and is about to leave the current cell, and is sent to the second satellite base station. The determination of the first SMTC configuration parameter includes: determining the first SMTC configuration parameter according to the first location information of the second satellite base station and the location information of the to-be-configured UE.

[0099] The specific process for the second satellite base station to determine the first SMTC configuration parameter is as follows: Determine the first transmission delay according to the first position information of the second satellite base station and the position information of the UE to be configured; Determine the first SMTC configuration parameter according to the first SSB signal broadcast parameter of the second satellite base station and the first transmission delay.

[0100] In addition, when the first satellite base station determines that the UE to be configured is in the edge coverage area of the current cell and is about to leave the cell, the second satellite base station may also send its first position information to the first satellite base station. The first satellite base station determines the first transmission delay according to the first position information and the position information of the UE to be configured; Determine the first SMTC configuration parameter according to the first SSB signal broadcast parameter and the first transmission delay.

[0101] Figure 8 The figure is a schematic diagram of the SMTC configuration process provided by this application, which is applied to the UE to be configured. This process includes the following steps:

[0102] S801: The UE to be configured sends the position information of the UE to be configured to the first satellite base station that currently serves the UE to be configured.

[0103] S802: Receive the first SMTC configuration parameter sent by the first satellite base station; Among them, the first SMTC configuration parameter is determined based on the position information of the UE to be configured when it is determined that the UE to be configured is in the edge coverage area of the first satellite base station cell and is about to leave the cell.

[0104] The first SMTC configuration parameter is obtained through the following two methods. Method 1: The first SMTC configuration parameter is obtained by the first satellite base station from at least one second satellite base station adjacent to the first satellite base station. The first SMTC configuration parameter is determined by at least one second satellite base station adjacent to the first satellite base station according to the position information of the UE to be configured. Preferably, the first SMTC configuration parameter is determined based on the first position information of the at least one second satellite base station and the position information of the UE to be configured. Method 2: The first SMTC configuration parameter is determined by the first satellite base station.

[0105] The to-be-configured UE sends its own location information to the first satellite base station that currently serves the to-be-configured UE. When the first satellite base station determines, based on the location information of the to-be-configured UE, that the to-be-configured UE is in the edge coverage area of this cell and is about to leave this cell, it obtains the first SMTC configuration parameter. Wherein, the first SMTC configuration parameter is determined by at least one second satellite base station adjacent to the first satellite base station based on the first location information of the at least one second satellite base station and the location information of the to-be-configured UE. Or the first SMTC configuration parameter is determined by the first satellite base station based on the first location information of the at least one second satellite base station and the location information of the to-be-configured UE. The to-be-configured UE measures the SSB signals of at least one second satellite base station adjacent to the first satellite base station according to the first SMTC configuration parameter.

[0106] When the first satellite base station determines, based on the location information of the to-be-configured UE, that the to-be-configured UE is in the edge coverage area of this cell and does not leave this cell, or determines that the to-be-configured UE is in the central coverage area of this cell, it determines the second SMTC configuration parameter according to the second location information of the first satellite base station and the location information of the to-be-configured UE, and sends the second SMTC configuration parameter to the to-be-configured UE. The to-be-configured UE measures the SSB signal of the first satellite base station according to the second SMTC configuration parameter.

[0107] In this application, when the first satellite base station determines, based on its own cell coverage range, movement direction and the location information of the to-be-configured UE, that the to-be-configured UE is in the edge coverage area of this cell and is about to leave this cell, it sends the location information of the to-be-configured UE to the at least one second satellite base station; the at least one second satellite base station 13 receives the location information of the to-be-configured UE, determines the first transmission delay according to its own first location information and the location information of the to-be-configured UE; determines the first SMTC configuration parameter according to its own first SSB signal broadcast parameter and the first transmission delay, and sends the first SMTC configuration parameter to the first satellite base station; the first satellite base station receives the first SMTC configuration parameter and sends the first SMTC configuration parameter to the to-be-configured UE; the to-be-configured UE measures the SSB signals of the at least one second satellite base station according to the first SMTC configuration parameter.

[0108] In this application, the currently serving satellite base station of the UE to be configured is referred to as the first satellite base station. The first satellite base station maintains its own cell coverage area and movement direction. The UE to be configured establishes a wireless connection with the first satellite base station through the 5G random access procedure. After the activation of the AS security mode, the UE Assistance Information signaling is sent to the first satellite base station, and the current location information of the UE to be configured is carried through the cell coarseLocationInfo. The location information can be longitude and latitude information. The first satellite base station determines whether the UE to be configured is in a detached state or an undetached state based on its own cell coverage area, movement direction, and the location information of the UE to be configured. The detached state means that the UE to be configured is about to leave the cell coverage area of the first satellite base station and enter the cell coverage area of another satellite base station. The undetached state means that the UE to be configured is located within the cell coverage area of the first satellite base station, and the first satellite base station meets the service requirements of the UE to be configured.

[0109] In this application, the first satellite base station maintains at least one satellite base station adjacent to the first satellite base station and the cell coverage areas of the at least one satellite base station. When the first satellite base station determines that the UE to be configured is in a detached state based on its own cell coverage area, movement direction, and the location information of the UE to be configured, the satellite base station corresponding to the cell coverage area that the UE to be configured is about to enter can be determined according to the cell coverage areas of the at least one satellite base station and the location information of the UE to be configured. In this application, the satellite base station corresponding to the cell coverage area that the UE to be configured is about to enter is referred to as the second satellite base station. The number of second satellite base stations may be one or more, and the number of second satellite base stations depends on the cell coverage areas of the satellite base stations and the location information of the UE to be configured. Figure 1 In the figure, a second satellite base station 13 is used for illustration.

[0110] For at least one second satellite base station, the first satellite base station sends the location information of the UE to be configured to the second satellite base station; the second satellite base station receives the location information of the UE to be configured, and determines a first transmission delay according to the first location information of the second satellite base station itself and the location information of the UE to be configured. Among them, the distance between the second satellite base station and the UE to be configured can be determined according to the first location information of the second satellite base station itself and the location information of the UE to be configured, and the first transmission delay between the second satellite base station and the UE to be configured can be determined according to the distance between the second satellite base station and the UE to be configured and the signal transmission speed. The second satellite base station obtains its own first SSB signal broadcast parameters, and the first SSB signal broadcast parameters include parameters such as the start time and broadcast period of the second satellite base station broadcasting the SSB signal. According to the first SSB signal broadcast parameters and the first transmission delay, the first SMTC configuration parameters are determined. Among them, the UE to be configured measures the SSB signal according to the first SMTC configuration parameters, and can ensure that the SSB signal broadcast by the second satellite base station is measured. After the second satellite base station determines the first SMTC configuration parameters, the first SMTC configuration parameters are sent to the first satellite base station.

[0111] After the first satellite base station receives the first SMTC configuration parameters sent by the second satellite base station, the first SMTC configuration parameters are sent to the UE to be configured; the UE to be configured measures the SSB signal of the second satellite base station according to the first SMTC configuration parameters.

[0112] In this application, for a UE in an edge coverage area and about to leave the current cell, the first SMTC configuration parameters of the UE are determined by at least one adjacent second satellite base station, and then the first satellite base station currently serving configures the first SMTC configuration parameters for the UE, which improves the self-adaptability of the SMTC configuration of each UE. Self-adaptability means dynamically and flexibly configuring SMTC for the UE according to the location information of the UE. And at least one second satellite base station determines the first SMTC configuration parameters according to its own first location information, the location information of the UE to be configured, and its own first SSB signal broadcast parameters, so as to ensure that the UE can measure the SSB signal of at least one second satellite base station according to the first SMTC configuration parameters, thereby improving the accuracy of the SMTC configuration.

[0113] In this application, when the first satellite base station determines that the UE to be configured is in the edge coverage area of the cell and does not leave the cell according to its own cell coverage range, movement direction and the position information of the UE to be configured, or determines that the UE to be configured is in the central coverage area of the cell, it determines the second transmission delay according to its own second position information and the position information of the UE to be configured; determines the second SMTC configuration parameters according to its own second SSB signal broadcast parameters and the second transmission delay, and sends the second SMTC configuration parameters to the UE to be configured; the UE to be configured measures the SSB signal of the first satellite base station according to the second SMTC configuration parameters.

[0114] When the first satellite base station determines that the UE to be configured is in the edge coverage area of the cell and does not leave the cell, or determines that the UE to be configured is in the central coverage area of the cell, it determines the second transmission delay according to its own second position information and the position information of the UE to be configured. Among them, the distance between the first satellite base station and the UE to be configured can be determined according to the second position information of the first satellite base station itself and the position information of the UE to be configured, and the second transmission delay between the first satellite base station and the UE to be configured can be determined according to the distance between the first satellite base station and the UE to be configured and the signal transmission speed. The first satellite base station obtains its own second SSB signal broadcast parameters, and the second SSB signal broadcast parameters include parameters such as the start time and broadcast period of the first satellite base station broadcasting the SSB signal. The second SMTC configuration parameters are determined according to the second SSB signal broadcast parameters and the second transmission delay. Among them, when the UE to be configured measures the SSB signal according to the second SMTC configuration parameters, it can ensure that the SSB signal broadcast by the first satellite base station can be measured.

[0115] The UE to be configured in this application is in two states, namely the detached state and the non-detached state. The detached state means that the UE to be configured is in the edge coverage area of the cell and is about to leave the cell; the non-detached state means that the UE to be configured is in the edge coverage area of the cell and does not leave the cell, or it is determined that the UE to be configured is in the central coverage area of the cell. This application provides two ways to determine which state the UE to be configured is in.

[0116] Method 1: The first satellite base station determines the position information of the center point of the cell coverage range (O x , O y ) according to its own cell coverage range. If the center point position information (O x , O y ), movement direction and the position information of the UE to be configured (N x , N y ) satisfy Determine that the UE to be configured is in a detached state; if it meets Determine that the UE to be configured is in a non-detached state.

[0117] Method 2: The first satellite base station determines the position information of the center point of the cell coverage range according to its own cell coverage range, and determines the central area coverage range according to the position information of the center point and a preset central area radius; if it is determined that the UE to be configured is within the central area coverage range according to the position information of the UE to be configured, determine that the UE to be configured is in a non-detached state.

[0118] When judging the state of the UE to be configured, the judgment method of Method 2 can be carried out first, that is, first determine the central area coverage range of the first satellite base station. After obtaining the position information of the UE to be configured, judge whether the UE to be configured is within the central area coverage range according to the position information of the UE to be configured. If so, directly determine that the UE to be configured is in a non-detached state. If the UE to be configured is not within the central area coverage range, that is, the UE to be configured is at this time in the edge coverage area of the first satellite base station, at this time it is necessary to further judge whether the UE to be configured is in a detached state or a non-detached state. In order to make the determination of the state of the UE to be configured more accurate, Method 1 can be used for state determination, that is, it is determined in combination with the movement direction of the first satellite base station.

[0119] Specifically, the first satellite base station determines the position information of the center point of the cell coverage range (O x , O y ) according to its own cell coverage range, and obtains its own movement direction After receiving the position information of the UE to be configured (N x , N y ), according to the position information of the center point of the cell coverage range (O x , O y ) and the position information of the UE to be configured (N x , N y ) to determine the vector Furthermore, calculate If it meets It indicates that the UE to be configured is gradually moving away from the first satellite base station. At this time, determine that the UE to be configured is in a detached state; if it meets It indicates that the UE to be configured is not moving away from the first satellite base station. At this time, determine that the UE to be configured is in a non-detached state.

[0120] When the UE to be configured is in the non-detached state, the UE to be configured measures the SSB signal of the first satellite base station that it is currently serving. Specifically, the first satellite base station sends an RRCReconfiguration signaling to the UE to be configured, carrying its own first measurement configuration information and a coarseLocationRequest flag; the coarseLocationRequest flag is used to indicate that the UE to be configured carries the current location information of the UE to be configured when sending a MeasurementReport signaling; the UE to be configured measures the SSB signal of the first satellite base station according to the first measurement configuration information; wherein, the first measurement configuration information includes a measurement object measObject corresponding to the first satellite base station, SMTC configuration parameters, measurement events based on reference signal quality change or based on location change, and the maximum number of measurement reports reportAmount to be sent.

[0121] When the UE to be configured is in the detached state, the UE to be configured measures the SSB signals of at least one adjacent second satellite base station. Specifically, the first satellite base station sends an RRCReconfiguration signaling to the UE to be configured, carrying second measurement configuration information of the at least one second satellite base station and a choConfig flag; the choConfig flag is used to indicate conditional handover configuration parameters of the at least one second satellite base station; the UE to be configured measures the SSB signals of the at least one second satellite base station according to the second measurement configuration information; wherein, the second measurement configuration information includes a measurement object measObject corresponding to the at least one second satellite base station, the first SMTC configuration parameters, and conditional handover trigger conditions based on reference signal quality change or based on location change.

[0122] Figure 9 It is a schematic diagram of the SMTC configuration process provided by this application, and this process includes the following steps:

[0123] S901: When the first satellite base station determines that the UE to be configured is in the detached state according to its own cell coverage range, movement direction and the location information of the UE to be configured, it sends the location information of the UE to be configured to at least one second satellite base station; enables the at least one second satellite base station to receive the location information of the UE to be configured, determines a first transmission delay according to its own first location information and the location information of the UE to be configured; determines first SMTC configuration parameters according to its own first SSB signal broadcast parameters and the first transmission delay, and sends the first SMTC configuration parameters to the first satellite base station.

[0124] S902: Receive the first SMTC configuration parameter, send the first SMTC configuration parameter to the UE to be configured; cause the UE to be configured to measure the SSB signals of the at least one second satellite base station according to the first SMTC configuration parameter.

[0125] The SMTC configuration method provided in this application is applied to the first satellite base station.

[0126] Optionally, when the first satellite base station determines that the UE to be configured is in an unaffiliated state according to its own cell coverage, movement direction, and the location information of the UE to be configured, determine a second transmission delay according to its own second location information and the location information of the UE to be configured; determine a second SMTC configuration parameter according to its own second SSB signal broadcast parameter and the second transmission delay, and send the second SMTC configuration parameter to the UE to be configured; cause the UE to be configured to measure the SSB signal of the first satellite base station according to the second SMTC configuration parameter.

[0127] Optionally, determine the position information of the center point of the cell coverage according to its own cell coverage (O x ,O y ), if the position information of the center point (O x ,O y ), the movement direction and the position information of the UE to be configured (N x ,N y ) satisfy determine that the UE to be configured is in an affiliated state; if it satisfies determine that the UE to be configured is in an unaffiliated state.

[0128] Optionally, determine the position information of the center point of the cell coverage according to its own cell coverage, and determine the central area coverage according to the position information of the center point and a preset central area radius; if it is determined according to the position information of the UE to be configured that the UE to be configured is within the central area coverage, determine that the UE to be configured is in an unaffiliated state.

[0129] Optionally, send an RRCReconfiguration signaling carrying its own first measurement configuration information and a coarseLocationRequest flag to the UE to be configured; the coarseLocationRequest flag is used to indicate that the UE to be configured carries the current location information of the UE to be configured when sending a MeasurementReport signaling; cause the UE to be configured to measure the SSB signal of the first satellite base station according to the first measurement configuration information; wherein, the first measurement configuration information includes a measurement object measObject corresponding to the first satellite base station, SMTC configuration parameters, a measurement event based on a reference signal quality change or a location change, and a maximum number of measurement reports reportAmount to be sent.

[0130] Optionally, send an RRCReconfiguration signaling carrying second measurement configuration information of the at least one second satellite base station and a choConfig flag to the UE to be configured; the choConfig flag is used to indicate conditional handover configuration parameters of the at least one second satellite base station; cause the UE to be configured to measure the SSB signal of the at least one second satellite base station according to the second measurement configuration information; wherein, the second measurement configuration information includes a measurement object measObject corresponding to the at least one second satellite base station, the first SMTC configuration parameters, and a conditional handover trigger condition based on a reference signal quality change or a location change.

[0131] Figure 10 The figure is a schematic diagram of the SMTC configuration process provided by this application, including the following steps:

[0132] S1001: At least one second satellite base station receives the location information of the UE to be configured; wherein, the location information of the UE to be configured is sent by the first satellite base station to the at least one second satellite base station when it determines that the UE to be configured is in a detached state according to its own cell coverage range, movement direction, and the location information of the UE to be configured.

[0133] S1002: Determine a first transmission delay according to its own first location information and the location information of the UE to be configured; determine first SMTC configuration parameters according to its own first SSB signal broadcast parameters and the first transmission delay, and send the first SMTC configuration parameters to the first satellite base station; cause the first satellite base station to receive the first SMTC configuration parameters and send the first SMTC configuration parameters to the UE to be configured; cause the UE to be configured to measure the SSB signal of the at least one second satellite base station according to the first SMTC configuration parameters.

[0134] The SMTC configuration method provided by this application is applied to at least one second satellite base station.

[0135] The following details the SMTC configuration process provided by this application with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0136] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the UE application scenario provided by this application. In the 5G NTN network defined by 3GPP R17, the network can configure SMTC parameters for the UE to measure the SSB of neighboring cells. However, in the low-orbit satellite communication network, due to the long distance between the satellite and the UE, and different transmission delays between different satellites and different UEs, there will be a large difference in the start time of the SMTC window of the same satellite cell for different UEs. As Figure 11 shown, it includes satellite base station 1, satellite base station 2, satellite base station 3, UE1, and UE2. Assume that the SSB broadcast parameters corresponding to the 3 satellite base stations are the same, that is, the start time and period of the SSB broadcast are the same, but the start time and order of the SMTC of the 2 UEs for the 3 satellite base stations are different.

[0137] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the low-orbit satellite communication scenario provided by this application. As Figure 12 shown, it includes satellite base station 1 and satellite base station 2. Under the cell coverage of satellite base station 1, it includes UE1 and UE2. If UE1 and UE2 are configured with the same SMTC parameters to measure the SSB signal of satellite base station 2, it may be due to the different transmission delays of UE1 and UE2, which may cause one UE, or even both UEs, to be unable to measure the SSB signal of satellite base station 2.

[0138] In addition, since the satellite base station is always in a moving state relative to the ground, the transmission delay between the UE and the satellite base station may change. If the SMTC parameters configured for the UE by the network remain fixed, it may also cause the UE to be unable to measure the SSB signal of the target cell after a period of time. Therefore, it is necessary to consider updating the SMTC configuration parameters according to the change of the transmission delay between the UE and the cell to be measured.

[0139] In addition, since the coverage range of the satellite base station is large, and the moving speed of the satellite base station is much higher than the moving speed of the ground UE, the UEs within the central area coverage of the satellite base station do not need to measure the SSB of the neighboring satellite base stations. Only the UEs located at the edge of the satellite base station cell and about to enter the coverage range of the adjacent cell due to the movement of the satellite base station need to be configured with SMTC to measure the SSB of the corresponding target neighboring cell.

[0140] The SMTC configuration system provided by this application mainly includes four parts. First, it is the division process between the central area and the edge area. Second, it is the signaling process for configuring SMTC between the satellite base station S-gNB and the UE in the detached state. Third, it is the signaling process for configuring SMTC between the satellite base station S-gNB and the UE in the non-detached state. Fourth, it is the internal processing process for configuring SMTC based on the UE location information inside the satellite base station S-gNB.

[0141] The division process between the central area and the edge area is described as follows:

[0142] Figure 13 It is the schematic diagram of the division between the central area and the edge area provided by this application. Assume the moving direction of the satellite base station is V, the coverage center point of the satellite base station is point O, and its longitude and latitude coordinates are O(O x , O y ). The coverage range of the satellite base station is a circle with a radius of R outer . Inside the satellite coverage range, with point O as the center, a circle with a radius of R inner is set, and 0 < R inner < R outer .

[0143] For any point M in the coverage range of the satellite base station, its longitude and latitude coordinates are (M x , M y ). It is easy to know that:

[0144]

[0145] If the coordinates of point M satisfy the following conditions:

[0146]

[0147] Then point M is located in the edge area of this satellite base station, otherwise point M is located in the central area of this satellite.

[0148] As can be seen from the above, when the coverage range of the satellite base station is fixed, the division of the central area depends on R inner . When dividing the central area, the size of the overlapping area of adjacent satellite base stations within the coverage range of this satellite base station should be considered, and the relative moving speed of the satellite base station and its coverage range relative to the earth's surface should also be considered.

[0149] The signaling process for configuring SMTC between the satellite base station S-gNB and the UE in the detached state is described as follows:

[0150] Figure 14 It is the schematic diagram of the signaling process for configuring SMTC between the satellite base station S-gNB and the UE in the detached state provided by this application. Figure 14Taking a scenario including a User Equipment (UE for short) to be configured, a first satellite base station of the current service, and a second satellite base station of a neighboring cell as an example for illustration.

[0151] S141. The UE establishes a radio connection with the first satellite base station S-gNB of the current service through the 5G random access procedure. After the activation of the AS security mode, the UE sends the UEAssistanceInformation signaling to the first satellite base station S-gNB and carries the current location information of the UE through the cell coarseLocationInfo.

[0152] S142. The first satellite base station S-gNB where the UE is currently located determines whether the UE is currently at the cell edge and about to leave the cell coverage area according to the UE location coordinates indicated by the coarseLocationInfo cell, combined with its own current coverage area information and movement direction. If so, skip steps S143 to S147 and execute step S148; otherwise, execute step S143. The specific determination method is as follows:

[0153] Let the longitude and latitude coordinates of the UE be (N x ,N y );

[0154] The center point of the current coverage area of the first satellite base station is (O x ,O y );

[0155] The movement direction vector of the first satellite base station / coverage area is

[0156] If the location information of the UE is in the edge area of the coverage area of the first satellite base station and satisfies where is the distance vector from point N to point O, it is determined that the UE is about to leave the cell coverage area, then skip steps S143 to S147 and execute step S148; otherwise, execute step S143.

[0157] S143. The first satellite base station S-gNB sends the RRCReconfiguration signaling to the UE and carries the following cells:

[0158] a. The measurement configuration information of the current cell, including: the measObject corresponding to the current cell, the SMTC configuration of the current cell, the measurement events based on the change of the reference signal quality or the change of the location, and the maximum number of measurement reports to be sent reportAmount.

[0159] The b.coarseLocationRequest flag is used to indicate that the UE shall carry the current location coordinates of the UE when sending a MeasurementReport.

[0160] S144. After the UE parses and applies the received new configuration according to the RRCReconfiguration signaling, the UE sends an RRCReconfigurationComplete signaling to the current first satellite base station, i.e., the serving gNB (S-gNB).

[0161] S145. The UE measures the reference signal SSB of the current serving cell according to the measurement configuration received in step S143, or detects its own location information.

[0162] S146. When a measurement event is triggered, the UE sends a MeasurementReport signaling to the current first satellite base station, i.e., the serving gNB (S-gNB), and carries the current location coordinates of the UE through the coarseLocationInfo cell. The "number of sent measurement reports" is incremented by 1. If the "number of sent measurement reports" is less than the reportAmount configured in step S143, step S145 is repeated.

[0163] S147. The current first satellite base station, i.e., the serving gNB (S-gNB), determines whether the UE is currently located at the cell edge and about to leave the cell coverage area based on the UE location information indicated by the coarseLocationInfo cell, combined with its own current coverage area information and movement direction. If so, step S148 is executed; otherwise, it continues to wait for the MeasurementReport sent by the UE subsequently.

[0164] S148. The current location of the UE is at the cell edge and about to leave the coverage area of the current cell and enter the coverage area of the cell of another adjacent satellite base station. The first satellite base station, i.e., the serving gNB (S-gNB), queries the neighbor cell relationship maintained locally to determine the physical cell identifier (PCI) of the surrounding component expansion interface of the second satellite base station that the UE can potentially detect and the adjacent second satellite base station, i.e., the serving gNB (S-gNB) to which it belongs. It should be noted that: the number of determined adjacent second satellite base stations, i.e., the serving gNB (S-gNB), can be one or more, and the specific number is not limited.

[0165] S149. The first satellite base station, i.e., the serving gNB (S-gNB), sends an Xn interface message, i.e., the SMTCRequest, to the second satellite base station, i.e., the serving gNB (S-gNB), determined in step S148 through the inter-satellite link, and carries the location information of the UE that is about to leave the cell coverage area through the locationInformation cell, which is used for the second satellite base station, i.e., the serving gNB (S-gNB), to calculate the transmission delay with the UE, and further deduce the SMTC configuration parameters that need to be configured for the UE.

[0166] After the second satellite base station S-gNB receives the Xn message SMTCRequest, it calculates the transmission delay with the UE by combining the location information of the UE carried in the cell locationInformation and its own location information, and generates SMTC configuration parameters for the UE, enabling the UE to measure the SSB of the corresponding cell of the second satellite base station S-gNB within the window time of the SMTC configuration parameters.

[0167] S1411. The second satellite base station S-gNB sends the Xn message SMTCRequestAcknowledge to the first satellite base station S-gNB through the inter-satellite link, and carries the SMTC configuration parameters for the UE calculated in step S1410 through the cell measurementTimingConfiguration.

[0168] S1412. The first satellite base station S-gNB will send an RRCReconfiguration signaling to the UE, and carry the following cells:

[0169] a. The measurement configuration of adjacent cells, including: the measObject corresponding to the adjacent cell, the SMTC configuration of the adjacent cell, and the condition handover trigger condition based on the change of the reference signal quality or the change of the location.

[0170] b. choConfig, that is, the conditional handover configuration parameter of the adjacent cell.

[0171] S1413. After the UE parses and applies the received new configuration according to the RRCReconfiguration signaling, it sends an RRCReconfigurationComplete signaling to the first satellite base station S-gNB.

[0172] S1414. The UE measures the SSB reference signal of the corresponding cell of the second satellite base station according to the measurement configuration received in step S1412, or detects its own location information.

[0173] S1415. When the condition for conditional handover is triggered, the UE initiates a handover process to the second satellite base station.

[0174] The signaling process for configuring SMTC between the satellite base station S-gNB and the UE in the non-disconnected state is described as follows:

[0175] Figure 15 This is the signaling process diagram for configuring SMTC between the satellite base station S-gNB and the UE in the non-disconnected state provided by this application.

[0176] S151. The UE establishes a wireless connection with the first satellite base station S-gNB through the 5G random access procedure. After the activation of the AS security mode, the UE sends a UEAssistanceInformation signaling to the first satellite base station S-gNB and carries the current location information of the UE through the cell coarseLocationInfo.

[0177] S152. The first satellite base station S-gNB where the UE is currently located determines whether the UE is currently located in the central area of the cell or in the edge area but will not go out of the satellite coverage area according to the UE location information indicated by the coarseLocationInfo cell, combined with its own current cell coverage area information and movement direction. The specific determination method is as follows:

[0178] Let the location information of the UE be (N x , N y );

[0179] The center point of the current coverage area of the first satellite base station is (O x , O y );

[0180] The movement direction vector of the first satellite base station / coverage area is

[0181] If the location information of the UE is in the central area of the coverage area of the first satellite base station, or the location information of the UE is in the edge area of the coverage area of the first satellite base station and satisfies where is the distance vector from point N to point O, it is determined that the UE will not go out of the coverage area of the first satellite base station.

[0182] S153. The first satellite base station S-gNB sends an RRCReconfiguration signaling to the UE and carries the following cells:

[0183] a. The measurement configuration of the current cell, including: the measObject corresponding to the current cell, the SMTC configuration of the current cell, the measurement events based on the change of the reference signal quality or the change of the location, and the maximum number of measurement reports sent reportAmount.

[0184] b. The coarseLocationRequest flag, which is used to indicate that the UE carries the current location information of the UE when sending a MeasurementReport.

[0185] After the UE parses and applies the received new configuration according to the RRCReconfiguration signaling, it sends an RRCReconfigurationComplete signaling to the first satellite base station S-gNB.

[0186] S155. The UE measures the reference signal SSB of the current serving cell according to the measurement configuration received in step S153, or detects its own location information.

[0187] When a measurement event is triggered, the UE sends a MeasurementReport signaling to the first satellite base station S-gNB, and carries the current location coordinates of the UE through the coarseLocationInfo cell. The "number of measurement reports sent" is incremented by 1. If the "number of measurement reports sent" is less than the reportAmount configured in step S153, step S155 is repeated.

[0188] S157. The first satellite base station S-gNB determines whether the UE is currently in an unaided state based on the UE location information indicated by the coarseLocationInfo cell, combined with its own current coverage information and movement direction, and waits for the MeasurementReport signaling sent by the UE later.

[0189] The internal processing flow of SMTC configured based on the UE location information inside the satellite base station S-gNB is described as follows:

[0190] Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of the internal processing flow of SMTC configured based on the UE location information inside the first satellite base station S-gNB provided by this application, including the following steps:

[0191] S161: The first satellite base station receives the AssistanceInformation signaling sent by the UE and reports the cell coarseLocationInfo.

[0192] S162: Determine whether the UE is in an unaided state. If not, proceed to S163. If so, proceed to S166.

[0193] S163: Send an RRCReconfiguration signaling to the UE to configure the measurement of the current serving cell and require the UE's location information to be carried in the measurement report.

[0194] S164: Receive the MeasurementReport signaling sent by the UE and report the cell coarseLocationInfo.

[0195] S165: Determine whether the UE is in a detached state. If not, proceed to S164; if so, proceed to S166.

[0196] S166: Query the neighbor cell relationships maintained locally to determine the second satellite base stations that the UE can potentially detect.

[0197] S167: Send an SMTCRequest message to the second satellite base station via the Xn interface, carrying the location information of the UE.

[0198] S168: Receive an SMTCRequestAcknowledge message via the Xn interface to obtain the SMTC configuration parameters.

[0199] S169: Send an RRCReconfiguration signaling to the UE to configure the condition switching trigger conditions based on the change of reference signal quality or the change of location for the cell corresponding to the second satellite base station.

[0200] In the satellite-ground link transmission system based on the 5G protocol, this application proposes a method for a satellite base station to configure neighbor cell SMTC based on the UE location information, so as to ensure that users at the edge of the satellite base station coverage area and about to leave the current cell can obtain accurate neighbor cell SMTC information, and also avoid unnecessary neighbor cell measurements for users in the satellite base station coverage area who are in an undetached state, thereby saving air interface signaling load and reducing UE energy consumption.

[0201] This application takes into account the characteristics of wide satellite base station coverage and regular movement, and only issues measurement configurations for neighbor cells to UEs located at the edge of the satellite cell and about to detach from the current satellite base station coverage, avoiding unnecessary neighbor cell measurements for UEs in an undetached state, saving UE energy consumption, and improving downlink resource utilization. On the other hand, this application considers that different UEs have different transmission delays with the same adjacent satellite in the satellite link. Therefore, the configuration parameters of neighbor cell SMTC are no longer universal for all UEs under the same satellite. This application configures different SMTC parameters according to the location information of different UEs, improves the accuracy of neighbor cell SMTC, reduces the probability that the UE cannot accurately measure the neighbor cell SSB, and can also reduce to a certain extent the time for the UE to measure the neighbor cell SSB, indirectly improving the utilization rate of time resources available for user data transmission.

[0202] This application also provides a first satellite base station, as Figure 17 shown, including: a processor 171, a communication interface 172, a memory 173, and a communication bus 174. Among them, the processor 171, the communication interface 172, and the memory 173 complete mutual communication through the communication bus 174;

[0203] A computer program is stored in the memory 173. When the program is executed by the processor 171, the processor 171 is caused to execute any of the above method steps.

[0204] The communication bus mentioned in the above satellite base station may be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, or the like. The communication bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For the sake of convenience of representation, only a thick line is used in the figure, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0205] The communication interface 172 is used for communication between the above satellite base station and other devices.

[0206] The memory may include a Random Access Memory (RAM), or may also include a Non-Volatile Memory (NVM), such as at least one disk memory. Optionally, the memory may also be at least one storage device located far from the aforementioned processor.

[0207] The above processor may be a general-purpose processor, including a central processing unit, a Network Processor (NP), etc.; it may also be a Digital Signal Processing (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc.

[0208] The present application also provides a second satellite base station, as Figure 18 shown, including: a processor 181, a communication interface 182, a memory 183, and a communication bus 184, wherein the processor 181, the communication interface 182, and the memory 183 complete mutual communication through the communication bus 184;

[0209] A computer program is stored in the memory 183. When the program is executed by the processor 181, the processor 181 is caused to execute any of the above method steps.

[0210] The present application also provides a UE to be configured, as Figure 19 shown, including: a processor 191, a communication interface 192, a memory 193, and a communication bus 194, wherein the processor 191, the communication interface 192, and the memory 193 complete mutual communication through the communication bus 194;

[0211] A computer program is stored in the memory 193. When the program is executed by the processor 191, the processor 191 is caused to execute any of the above method steps.

[0212] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium. A computer program executable by a satellite base station is stored in the computer-readable storage medium. When the program runs on the satellite base station, the satellite base station is caused to execute any of the above method steps when implemented.

[0213] Although the preferred embodiments of the present application have been described, those skilled in the art can make additional changes and modifications once they learn the basic creative concepts. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to be construed to include the preferred embodiments as well as all changes and modifications falling within the scope of the present application.

[0214] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalent technologies, the present application is also intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A method for SMTC configuration, characterized in that, Applied to the first satellite base station, the method includes: The first satellite base station determines that the UE to be configured is in the edge coverage area of the cell and is about to leave the cell, and obtains the first SMTC configuration parameters; wherein, the first SMTC configuration parameters are determined based on the location information of the UE to be configured; Send the first SMTC configuration parameters to the UE to be configured.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The obtaining of the first SMTC configuration parameters includes: Obtain the first SMTC configuration parameters from at least one second satellite base station adjacent to the first satellite base station.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The obtaining of the first SMTC configuration parameters includes: Send the location information of the UE to be configured to at least one second satellite base station adjacent to the first satellite base station; receive the first SMTC configuration parameters determined based on the location information of the UE to be configured sent by the at least one second satellite base station.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first SMTC configuration parameters are determined based on the first location information of the at least one second satellite base station and the location information of the UE to be configured.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The obtaining of the first SMTC configuration parameters includes: The first satellite base station determines the first SMTC configuration parameters.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein The obtaining of the first SMTC configuration parameters includes: Receive the first location information of the at least one second satellite base station sent by the at least one second satellite base station; Determine the first SMTC configuration parameters according to the first location information and the location information of the UE to be configured.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, Determining the first SMTC configuration parameters according to the first location information and the location information of the UE to be configured includes: Receive the first SSB signal broadcast parameters of the at least one second satellite base station sent by the at least one second satellite base station; Determine the first transmission delay according to the first location information and the location information of the UE to be configured; determine the first SMTC configuration parameters according to the first SSB signal broadcast parameters and the first transmission delay.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein Determining that the UE to be configured is in the edge coverage area of the cell includes: Determine the edge coverage area according to the center point location information of the cell coverage range of the first satellite base station and the preset edge coverage area radius; If it is determined that the UE to be configured is in the edge coverage area according to the location information of the UE to be configured, determine that the UE to be configured is in the edge coverage area of the cell.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Determining that the UE to be configured is about to leave the cell includes: Determine the position information of the center point (O x , O y ) of the cell coverage area of the first satellite base station, the moving direction of the first satellite base station and the position information (N x , N y ) of the UE to be configured satisfy When, it is determined that the UE to be configured is about to leave this cell.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein The method further includes: When it is determined that the UE to be configured is in the edge coverage area of the cell and does not leave the cell, or when it is determined that the UE to be configured is in the central coverage area of the cell, determine the second SMTC configuration parameters; Send the second SMTC configuration parameters to the UE to be configured.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein Determining that the UE to be configured does not leave the cell includes: Determine the location information of the center point (O x , O y ) of the cell coverage area of the first satellite base station, the moving direction of the first satellite base station and the location information of the UE to be configured (N x , N y ) satisfy When, it is determined that the UE to be configured does not leave this cell.

12. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, Determining that the UE to be configured is in the central coverage area of the cell includes: Determine the central coverage area according to the center point location information of the cell coverage range of the first satellite base station and the preset central coverage area radius; If it is determined, based on the location information of the UE to be configured, that the UE to be configured is within the central coverage area, it is determined that the UE to be configured is within the central coverage area of the current cell.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein The determining of the second SMTC configuration parameter includes: Determining a second transmission delay according to the second location information of the first satellite base station and the location information of the UE to be configured; determining the second SMTC configuration parameter according to the second SSB signal broadcast parameter of the first satellite base station and the second transmission delay.

14. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: Sending an RRCReconfiguration signaling carrying the first measurement configuration information of the first satellite base station and the coarseLocationRequest flag to the UE to be configured; the coarseLocationRequest flag is used to indicate that the UE to be configured carries the current location information of the UE to be configured when sending a MeasurementReport signaling; the first measurement configuration information includes a measurement object measObject corresponding to the first satellite base station, an SMTC configuration parameter, a measurement event based on a change in reference signal quality or a change in location, and a maximum number of measurement reports reportAmount to be sent.

15. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The method further includes: Sending an RRCReconfiguration signaling carrying the second measurement configuration information of the at least one second satellite base station and the choConfig flag to the UE to be configured; the choConfig flag is used to indicate the conditional handover configuration parameter of the at least one second satellite base station; the second measurement configuration information includes a measurement object measObject corresponding to the at least one second satellite base station, the first SMTC configuration parameter, and a conditional handover trigger condition based on a change in reference signal quality or a change in location.

16. A method for configuring SMTC, characterized in that, Applied to a second satellite base station, the method includes: The second satellite base station receives the location information of the UE to be configured sent by the first satellite base station that currently serves the UE to be configured, and determines a first SMTC configuration parameter according to the location information of the UE to be configured; Sending the first SMTC configuration parameter to the first satellite base station.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein The determining of the first SMTC configuration parameter includes: Determining a first SMTC configuration parameter according to the first location information of the second satellite base station and the location information of the UE to be configured.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein The determining of the first SMTC configuration parameter includes: Determining a first transmission delay according to the first location information of the second satellite base station and the location information of the UE to be configured; determining the first SMTC configuration parameter according to the first SSB signal broadcast parameter of the second satellite base station and the first transmission delay.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein The location information of the UE to be configured is sent by the first satellite base station to the second satellite base station when it is determined that the UE to be configured is in the edge coverage area of the current cell and is about to leave the current cell.

20. A method for SMTC configuration, characterized in that, Applied to a UE to be configured, the method includes: The to-be-configured UE sends the location information of the to-be-configured UE to the first satellite base station that currently serves the to-be-configured UE; Receive the first SMTC configuration parameter sent by the first satellite base station; wherein, the first SMTC configuration parameter is determined based on the location information of the to-be-configured UE when it is determined that the to-be-configured UE is in the edge coverage area of the first satellite base station cell and is about to leave this cell.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein The first SMTC configuration parameter is obtained by the first satellite base station from at least one second satellite base station adjacent to the first satellite base station.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein The first SMTC configuration parameter is determined by at least one second satellite base station adjacent to the first satellite base station according to the location information of the to-be-configured UE.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein The first SMTC configuration parameter is determined based on the first location information of the at least one second satellite base station and the location information of the to-be-configured UE.

24. The method according to claim 20, wherein The first SMTC configuration parameter is determined by the first satellite base station.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein The first SMTC configuration parameter is determined by the first satellite base station according to the first location information of the at least one second satellite base station and the location information of the to-be-configured UE.

26. The method according to any one of claims 20 to 25, characterized in that, The method further includes: Measure the SSB signals of at least one second satellite base station adjacent to the first satellite base station according to the first SMTC configuration parameter.

27. The method according to claim 20, wherein The method further includes: Receive the second SMTC configuration parameter sent by the first satellite base station, which is determined based on the second location information of the first satellite base station and the location information of the to-be-configured UE; wherein, the second SMTC configuration parameter is determined by the first satellite base station when it is determined that the to-be-configured UE is in the edge coverage area of this cell and does not leave this cell, or when it is determined that the to-be-configured UE is in the central coverage area of this cell.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein The method further includes: Measure the SSB signal of the first satellite base station according to the second SMTC configuration parameter.

29. A first satellite base station, characterized in that, It includes a processor, a communication interface, a memory, and a communication bus. Among them, the processor, the communication interface, and the memory complete communication with each other through the communication bus; The memory is used to store computer programs; The processor is used to implement the method steps described in any one of claims 1-15 when executing the programs stored on the memory.

30. A second satellite base station, characterized in that, It includes a processor, a communication interface, a memory, and a communication bus. Among them, the processor, the communication interface, and the memory complete communication with each other through the communication bus; The memory is used to store computer programs; The processor is used to implement the method steps described in any one of claims 16-19 when executing the programs stored on the memory.

31. A UE to be configured, characterized in that, It includes a processor, a communication interface, a memory, and a communication bus. Among them, the processor, the communication interface, and the memory complete communication with each other through the communication bus; The memory is used to store computer programs; The processor is used to implement the method steps described in any one of claims 20-28 when executing the programs stored on the memory.

32. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the method steps recited in any one of claims 1-15, or implements the method steps recited in any one of claims 16-19, or implements the method steps recited in any one of claims 20-28.

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