Method, device and system for acquiring ephemeris information

Abstract

The invention discloses a method, device and system for obtaining ephemeris information, and relates to the technical field of communication. The terminal device maintains a first timer and a second timer, the terminal device obtains ephemeris information of a first satellite and starts the first timer, and the first satellite is a satellite providing satellite communication service for the terminal device at the current moment; ephemeris information of a second satellite is obtained, a second timer is started, and the second satellite is a satellite which does not provide satellite communication service for the terminal equipment at the current moment. Therefore, in the terminal device, the second timer is specially used for timing the acquisition period of the adjacent star ephemeris, and the problem that the accuracy of acquiring the adjacent star ephemeris by the terminal device is not high due to the fact that the validity period difference between the current star ephemeris and the adjacent star ephemeris is large is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a method, device, and system for obtaining ephemeris information. Background Art

[0002] With the development of communication technology, network equipment needs to provide services for larger communication areas to support wider communication service coverage. Non-terrestrial networks (NTNs), for example, offer advantages such as wide coverage, long communication distances, high reliability, flexibility, and high throughput. NTNs are also unaffected by geographical conditions, climate conditions, and natural disasters, and have been widely used in aviation, maritime, and military communications. However, when satellites provide communication services to terminal devices, the purposes for obtaining local and neighboring star ephemeris are often different. For example, local ephemeris is often used for time-frequency synchronization, while neighboring star ephemeris is often used for measurement reselection. Therefore, the acquisition periods for local and neighboring star ephemeris often differ. Currently, the same timer is often used to time the acquisition periods for local and neighboring star ephemeris, resulting in low accuracy of the ephemeris obtained by the terminal device. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The present application provides a method, device and system for obtaining ephemeris information, which can use different timers to respectively time the acquisition period of the ephemeris of the local star and the ephemeris of the neighboring star, thereby avoiding the problem of low accuracy of the ephemeris of the neighboring star obtained by the terminal device.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0005] In a first aspect, the present application provides a method for obtaining ephemeris information, which is applied to a terminal device. The terminal device maintains a first timer and a second timer. The method may include: obtaining ephemeris information of a first satellite, which is a satellite currently providing satellite communication services to the terminal device, and starting the first timer; obtaining ephemeris information of a second satellite, which is a satellite currently not providing satellite communication services to the terminal device, and starting the second timer. Based on this, upon receiving ephemeris information from the first satellite, the first timer is started to time the ephemeris information acquisition period for the first satellite; upon receiving ephemeris information from the second satellite, the second timer is started to time the ephemeris information acquisition period for the second satellite. The second satellite may include one or more satellites. In some examples, obtaining ephemeris information for the first satellite may be obtaining ephemeris for the local satellite, and obtaining ephemeris information for the second satellite may be obtaining ephemeris for a neighboring satellite.

[0006] In the solution provided by the first aspect above, a first timer and a second timer are maintained in the terminal device, wherein the second timer is specifically used to time the acquisition period of the neighboring star ephemeris, thereby avoiding the problem of low accuracy of the terminal device in obtaining the neighboring star ephemeris due to the large difference in validity period between the local star ephemeris and the neighboring star ephemeris.

[0007] As a possible implementation, the method may further include: obtaining configuration information corresponding to a second satellite; and starting the second timer includes: determining a time parameter for the second timer based on the configuration information, configuring the time parameter for the second timer, and starting the second timer. Based on this, the terminal device can receive configuration information corresponding to one or more second satellites sent by the network device, and determine the time parameter for the second timer in the terminal device based on the configuration information. The determined time parameter is used to configure relevant parameters of the second timer. When the second timer configuration is complete, the second timer is started to begin timing. In this way, the time parameter for the second timer can be determined based on the configuration information for one or more second satellites, allowing the second timer to time the ephemeris information acquisition period for the one or more second satellites, thereby improving the accuracy of the terminal device in acquiring the ephemeris of neighboring stars.

[0008] As a possible implementation, obtaining ephemeris information for a second satellite may include: obtaining ephemeris information for multiple second satellites; obtaining configuration information corresponding to the second satellites, including obtaining configuration information corresponding to each of the multiple second satellites; and determining the time parameter of the second timer based on the configuration information, including determining the time parameter of the second timer based on the configuration information corresponding to each of the multiple second satellites. Based on this, the terminal device may receive ephemeris information and corresponding configuration information for one or more second satellites sent by the network device, determine the time parameter of the second timer from the configuration information of the one or more second satellites, and configure the second timer based on the time parameter. Thus, if there are multiple second satellites, the time parameter of the second timer may be determined from the configuration information corresponding to the second satellites, allowing the second timer to time the ephemeris information acquisition period for multiple second satellites, thereby improving the accuracy of the terminal device in acquiring the ephemeris of neighboring stars.

[0009] As a possible implementation, the method may further include: obtaining a time parameter of the second timer; and starting the second timer includes: configuring the time parameter of the second timer according to the time parameter of the second timer, and starting the second timer. Based on this, the terminal device can directly receive the time parameter of the second timer from the network device, where the time parameter is determined by the network device from configuration information corresponding to one or more second satellites, and configure the second timer based on the time parameter. If the second timer is successfully configured, the second timer is started to enable the second timer to time the ephemeris information acquisition cycle of multiple second satellites, thereby improving the accuracy of the terminal device in obtaining the ephemeris of neighboring stars.

[0010] As a possible implementation, the time parameters of the second timer may include a start time and a validity period, or include a start time and an end time. Based on this, the terminal device determines the time parameters of the second timer based on the configuration information of the second satellite. In some examples, the time parameters of the second timer may include a start time and a validity period, and the terminal device may configure the second timer based on the start time and the validity period. In some embodiments, the time parameters of the second timer may include a start time and an end time, and the terminal device may configure the second timer based on the start time and the end time, thereby implementing configuration of the time parameters of the second timer.

[0011] As a possible implementation, the time parameters of the second timer include a start time and a validity period. Determining the time parameters of the second timer based on the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites may include: determining the minimum value of the start time in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites as the start time of the second timer; and determining the minimum value of the validity period in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites as the validity period of the second timer. Based on this, when the time parameters of the second timer include a start time and a validity period, the minimum start time from the multiple start times included in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites may be selected as the start time of the second timer, and the minimum validity period from the multiple validity periods included in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites may be selected as the validity period of the second timer. In this way, the second timer can time the ephemeris information acquisition period of the plurality of second satellites, thereby improving the accuracy of the terminal device in acquiring the ephemeris of neighboring stars.

[0012] As a possible implementation, determining the minimum value of the start time in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites as the start time of the second timer may include: the start time in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites includes t1, t2, t3, ..., tn, where t1 is less than or equal to t2, t3, ..., tn; and determining the start time of the second timer as t1. Based on this, when the terminal device receives multiple configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites, it may select a smaller start time from the start times in the multiple configuration information as the start time of the second timer. Exemplarily, if the configuration information corresponding to two second satellites each includes t1 and t2, the smaller of the two start times t1 may be determined as the start time of the second timer, thereby configuring the time parameters of the second timer. Exemplarily, if the configuration information corresponding to four second satellites each includes t1, t2, t3, and t4, the smaller of the four start times t1 may be determined as the start time of the second timer, thereby configuring the time parameters of the second timer.

[0013] As a possible implementation, determining the minimum validity period of the at least one neighboring satellite ephemeris as the validity period of the second timer may include: the validity periods in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites include a1, a2, a3, ..., an, where a1 is less than or equal to a2, a3, ..., an; and determining the validity period of the second timer to be a1. Based on this, when the terminal device receives multiple configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites, it may select a smaller validity period from the validity periods in the multiple configuration information as the validity period of the second timer. Exemplarily, the configuration information corresponding to the two second satellites includes a1 and a2, and the smaller of the two validity periods a1 may be determined as the validity period of the second timer, thereby configuring the time parameters of the second timer. Exemplarily, the configuration information corresponding to the four second satellites includes a1, a2, a3, and a4, and the smaller of the four starting times a1 may be determined as the starting time of the second timer, thereby configuring the time parameters of the second timer.

[0014] As a possible implementation, the time parameters of the second timer include a start time and an end time. Determining the time parameters of the second timer based on the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites may include: determining the minimum value of the start time in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites as the start time of the second timer; and determining the minimum value of the expiration time nodes of the validity period in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites as the expiration time of the second timer. Based on this, when the time parameters of the second timer include a start time and an end time, the minimum start time from the multiple start times included in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites can be selected as the start time of the second timer, and the minimum expiration time node of the validity period included in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites can be selected as the expiration time of the second timer. In this way, the second timer can be used to time the ephemeris information acquisition period of the plurality of second satellites, thereby improving the accuracy of the terminal device in obtaining the ephemeris of neighboring stars.

[0015] As a possible implementation, determining the minimum starting time of the at least one neighboring satellite ephemeris as the starting time of the second timer may include: the starting times in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites include t1, t2, t3, ..., tn, where t1 is less than or equal to t2, t3, ..., tn; and determining the starting time of the second timer as t1. Based on this, when the terminal device receives multiple configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites, it may select a smaller starting time from the starting times in the multiple configuration information as the starting time of the second timer. Exemplarily, if the configuration information corresponding to two second satellites each includes t1 and t2, the smaller of the two starting times t1 may be determined as the starting time of the second timer, thereby configuring the time parameters of the second timer. Exemplarily, if the configuration information corresponding to four second satellites each includes t1, t2, t3, and t4, the smaller of the four starting times t1 may be determined as the starting time of the second timer, thereby configuring the time parameters of the second timer.

[0016] As a possible implementation manner, determining the minimum value of the expiration time node of the validity period of at least one neighboring star ephemeris as the expiration time of the second timer may include: the starting time in the configuration information corresponding to the multiple second satellites includes t1, t2, t3,…, tn, the validity period includes a1, a2, a3,…, an, and a1+t1 is less than or equal to a2+t2, a3+t3,…, an+tn; determining the expiration time of the second timer as a1+t1. Based on this, when the terminal device receives multiple configuration information corresponding to multiple second satellites, it can select a smaller validity period expiration time point from multiple validity periods in the multiple configuration information as the expiration time of the second timer. Exemplarily, the configuration information corresponding to each of the two second satellites includes t1 and t2, and the validity period includes a1 and a2. The smaller validity period expiration time point a1+t1 can be determined as the expiration time of the second timer, thereby realizing the configuration of the time parameters of the second timer. Exemplarily, the configuration information corresponding to each of the three second satellites includes t1, t2 and t3, and the validity period includes a1, a2 and a3. The smaller validity period expiration time point a1+t1 can be determined as the expiration time of the second timer, thereby realizing the configuration of the time parameters of the second timer.

[0017] As a possible implementation, the method may further include: obtaining the ephemeris information of the second satellite sent by the network device and the time parameters of the second timer before the second timer expires. Based on this, when the second timer is about to expire, the terminal device can re-obtain the ephemeris information of the second satellite and the time parameters of the second timer from the network device. In some examples, the terminal device configures the second timer based on the time parameters and restarts the second timer if the second timer configuration is successful, so that the second timer can time the ephemeris information acquisition cycle of multiple second satellites, thereby improving the accuracy of the terminal device in obtaining the ephemeris of neighboring stars.

[0018] As a possible implementation, the ephemeris information of the first satellite is used by the terminal device for time and frequency synchronization, and the ephemeris information of the second satellite is used by the terminal device for reselection-related measurements. Based on this, the first timer is used to count when time and frequency synchronization is performed using the ephemeris information of the first satellite, and the second timer is used to count when the network device reselects using the ephemeris information of the second satellite. In some examples, the first satellite may be the local satellite currently providing service to the terminal device, and the second satellite may be a neighboring satellite that is not currently providing service to the terminal device.

[0019] In a second aspect, the present application provides a method for obtaining ephemeris information, applied to a network device. The method may include: sending a time parameter of a second timer to a terminal device, where the time parameter of the second timer is determined based on configuration information corresponding to one or more second satellites. Based on this, the network device may determine the time parameter of the second timer based on the configuration information corresponding to the one or more second satellites, and send the time parameter to the terminal device for the terminal device to configure the second timer, so that the second timer can time the ephemeris information acquisition period of multiple second satellites, thereby improving the accuracy of the terminal device in obtaining the ephemeris of neighboring stars.

[0020] In a third aspect, the present application provides a terminal device, which may include: a transceiver for sending and receiving signals; a memory for storing computer program instructions; and a processor for executing the computer program instructions to support the terminal device in implementing a method as described in any one of the first aspects.

[0021] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a network device, which may include: a transceiver for sending and receiving signals; a memory for storing computer program instructions; and a processor for executing the computer program instructions to support the network device to implement a method as described in any one of the second aspects.

[0022] In a fifth aspect, a communication system is provided, which may include a terminal device and a network device, wherein the terminal device is used to implement the method as described in any one of the first aspects, and the network device is used to implement the method as described in any one of the second aspects.

[0023] In a sixth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which computer program instructions are stored. When the computer program instructions are executed by a processing circuit, the method as described in any one of the first aspect or the second aspect is implemented.

[0024] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided, which, when run on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method as described in any one of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0025] In the eighth aspect, a chip system may include a processing circuit and a storage medium, wherein the storage medium stores computer program instructions; when the computer program instructions are executed by the processing circuit, the method as described in any one of the first aspect or the second aspect is implemented. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of satellite coverage area in an NTN scenario;

[0027] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the principle of determining the validity period of a neighboring star ephemeris;

[0028] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the principle of NTN transparent load transmission provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the principle of NTN regenerative load transmission provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Figure 6 A flowchart of a method for obtaining ephemeris information provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Figure 7 A signaling flow diagram of a method for obtaining ephemeris information provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the principle of determining the validity period of a timer provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 9 A signaling flow diagram of another method for obtaining ephemeris information provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of another principle for determining the validity period of a timer provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Figure 11 A schematic diagram of another principle for determining the validity period of a timer provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Figure 12 A signaling flow diagram of another method for obtaining ephemeris information provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Figure 13 A schematic diagram of a detailed signaling flow of a method for obtaining ephemeris information provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Figure 14 A schematic diagram of the structure of a device for obtaining ephemeris information provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] Figure 15 A schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. In the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, " / " means or, for example, A / B can mean A or B; "and / or" in this article is merely a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist, for example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, in the description of the embodiments of the present application, "multiple" means two or more than two.

[0042] Hereinafter, the terms "first," "second," and so on are used solely to distinguish different descriptive objects and have no limiting effect on the position, order, priority, quantity, or content of the described objects. For example, if the described object is a "field," the ordinal number preceding the "field" in "first field" and "second field" does not define the position or order of the "fields." "First" and "second" do not define whether the modified "fields" are in the same message, nor do they restrict the order of the "first field" and "second field." For another example, if the described object is a "level," the ordinal number preceding the "level" in "first level" and "second level" does not define the priority of the "levels." For another example, the number of described objects is not limited by the ordinal number and can be one or more. For example, in the case of "first device," the number of "devices" can be one or more. Furthermore, the objects modified by different prefixes can be the same or different. For example, if the described object is a "device," the "first device" and "second device" can be the same type of device or different types of devices. For another example, if the described object is "information," the "first information" and "second information" can be information of the same content or different contents. In short, the use of prefixes such as ordinal numbers to distinguish the described objects in the embodiments of the present application does not constitute a restriction on the described objects. For the statement of the described objects, please refer to the description in the context of the claims or embodiments, and no unnecessary restrictions should be constituted due to the use of such prefixes.

[0043] Furthermore, in the embodiments of the present application, "connection" may be a direct connection or an indirect connection; in addition, it may refer to an electrical connection or a communication connection; for example, the connection between two electrical components A and B may refer to a direct connection between A and B, or may refer to an indirect connection between A and B through other electrical components or connection media, or may refer to an indirect connection between A and B through other communication devices or communication media, as long as communication between A and B can be achieved.

[0044] Because satellites are less susceptible to natural disasters or external damage, research is underway to use them as access network equipment (e.g., base stations) in mobile communication systems, enabling communication services in areas such as oceans and forests. Unlike terrestrial base stations, satellites move at higher speeds relative to the ground and their signals travel greater distances, resulting in greater signal path loss when used as base stations. Current communication mechanisms designed for terminal devices and terrestrial base stations in mobile communication systems cannot be directly applied to connections between terminal devices and satellite base stations. First, satellite communication covers a large area, resulting in significant two-way transmission latency. Second, the high speed of satellites can lead to dynamic changes in the distance between the user equipment (UE) and the satellite. Therefore, in order for satellites to function as base stations and provide communication services to terminal devices, it is necessary to improve the transmission performance of communication signals between the terminal device and the satellite base station.

[0045] See also Figure 1 , which shows a schematic diagram of the satellite coverage area in an NTN scenario, such as Figure 1 As shown in the figure, in satellite communication scenarios, in order to support wider business coverage, network equipment needs to provide network services for a larger communication area. Taking non-terrestrial networks (NTN) as an example, in NTN communication systems, each satellite / high-altitude platform / base station can generally cover a large area (such as Figure 1 The satellite currently providing services to the terminal device is the local satellite, and the satellite currently not providing services to the terminal device is the neighboring satellite.

[0046] In some embodiments, in NTN communication scenarios, satellite ephemeris information can be delivered via system information (e.g., SIB19), allowing terminal devices to obtain satellite ephemeris from the system information and thus calculate satellite positions. A T430 timer is defined for system information; the system information is valid until the T430 timer expires. The ephemeris information carried in the system information includes the ephemeris of the local star and the ephemeris of neighboring stars. Upon receiving the system information, the UE starts or restarts the T430 timer.

[0047] However, the local star ephemeris and the neighboring star ephemeris have different purposes and different validity periods, so it is not appropriate to use the same timer. The local star ephemeris is used for time and frequency synchronization and has a short validity period; while the neighboring star ephemeris is used for measurement reselection, which does not require such high accuracy of ephemeris, does not require such a long extrapolation period, and does not require frequent acquisition. Therefore, the local star ephemeris and the neighboring star ephemeris sent by the network device use the T430 timer together, which will result in low accuracy of the neighboring star ephemeris obtained by the terminal device. Furthermore, if the terminal device and the network device are not aligned, the terminal will misunderstand the ephemeris sent by the network device, which will cause the ephemeris to expire. In some examples, see Figure 2 , which shows a schematic diagram of the principle of determining the validity period of the neighboring star ephemeris, such as Figure 2 As shown, the validity period of Neighbor Star Almanac 1 is validity period 1, the validity period of Neighbor Star Almanac 2 is validity period 2, the start time of Neighbor Star Almanac 2 is t0, and the end time is t2. The terminal device updates Neighbor Star Almanac 1 and Neighbor Star Almanac 2 at the end time t1 of validity period 1. The terminal device may understand that the obtained Neighbor Star Almanac 2 is the Neighbor Star Almanac 2 after t0+1024 system frames, resulting in the Neighbor Star Almanac 2 being expired and not updated, thereby making the accuracy of the Neighbor Star Almanac obtained by the terminal device low.

[0048] Based on this, the present application provides a method, device, and system for obtaining ephemeris information, relating to the field of communications technology. A terminal device maintains a first timer and a second timer. The terminal device obtains ephemeris information from a first satellite, which is currently providing satellite communication services to the terminal device, and activates the first timer. The first satellite also obtains ephemeris information from a second satellite, which is currently not providing satellite communication services to the terminal device, and activates the second timer. In this way, the second timer in the terminal device is specifically used to time the acquisition period of neighboring star ephemeris, avoiding the problem of low accuracy in obtaining neighboring star ephemeris due to the large difference in validity period between the local and neighboring star ephemeris.

[0049] The technical solution provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: long term evolution (LTE) system, 5G system or new wireless (NR), non-terrestrial network (NTN) and future communication systems, such as the sixth generation mobile communication system; the present invention is not limited to satellite scenarios. Satellite is only one of the application scenarios and is still applicable in the future 6G evolution. No limitation is made here.

[0050] In some embodiments, the communication system may include a network device and a terminal device, wherein the network device may include an entity for transmitting or receiving signals, such as a gNB, a satellite, etc.; the terminal device may include an entity on the user side for receiving or transmitting signals, such as a UE.

[0051] It is understandable that network equipment is mainly responsible for radio resource management, service quality management, data compression and encryption, etc. on the air interface side. For example: macro base station, micro base station, distributed unit-control unit (DU-CU), etc. In addition, the base station can also be A wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario, or a relay station, access point, vehicle-mounted device, wearable device, or network equipment in a future public land mobile network (PLMN) network. It should be noted that the names of devices with base station functions may vary in systems using different radio access technologies. For example, a base station can be an evolved NodeB (eNB or e-NodeB) in Long Term Evolution (LTE) or a gNB in ​​a 5G system.

[0052] A terminal device is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities. Terminal devices can be deployed on land, including indoors, outdoors, handheld, or vehicle-mounted; on water (such as ships); or in the air (such as on airplanes, balloons, and satellites). Terminal devices may include, but are not limited to, user terminals (UEs), mobile stations (MSs), mobile terminals (MTs), and the like, or devices used to provide voice or data connectivity to users. For example, UEs include handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, vehicle-mounted devices (such as cars, bicycles, electric vehicles, airplanes, ships, trains, high-speed trains, etc.), wearable devices (such as smart watches, smart bracelets, pedometers, etc.), or computing devices. Exemplarily, a UE can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, laptop computer, PDA, mobile internet device (MID), satellite terminal, or computer with wireless transceiver capabilities. The UE may also be a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless modem, a smart point of sale (POS) machine, customer-premises equipment (CPE), an intelligent robot, a robotic arm, workshop equipment, smart home equipment (e.g., refrigerators, televisions, air conditioners, electric meters, etc.), a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in unmanned driving, a wireless terminal in telemedicine, a wireless terminal in smart grids, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart cities, a wireless terminal in smart homes, an in-vehicle terminal, a roadside unit (RSU) with terminal functions, or an aerial device (e.g., an intelligent robot, a hot air balloon, a drone, an airplane), etc. The UE may also be other devices with terminal functions, for example, the UE may also be a device that functions as a terminal in device-to-device (D2D) communication.

[0053] In some embodiments, see Figure 3 , which shows a schematic diagram of the composition structure of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 3 As shown, the communication system provided by the present application may include at least one access network device (such as Figure 3 310a, 310b, 310c), and may further include at least one terminal device (such as Figure 3320a-320g in FIG). Access network devices, access network devices, terminal devices, and terminal devices can be connected to each other via wired or wireless means. A network device is an entity on the network that transmits or receives signals, such as a gNB or satellite. A terminal device is an entity on the user side that transmits or receives signals, such as a user equipment terminal (UE). In some examples, the communication system may also include other network devices, such as wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices, without limitation.

[0054] It is understandable that, in the NTN network, satellites can implement transparent pay load transmission or regenerative pay load transmission.

[0055] On the one hand, see Figure 4 , which shows a schematic diagram of the principle of NTN transparent load transmission provided by an embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 4 As shown, the UE and base station communicate via the user-Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (Uu) interface via the terrestrial base station. Satellites enable transparent payload transmission between the user and the terrestrial base station. The satellite and NTN gateway collaborate to function as the remote radio unit (RRU) of the terrestrial base station, enabling transparent signal forwarding. Specifically, the satellite only supports functions such as RF filtering, frequency conversion, and amplification, while the signal waveform remains unchanged. Satellite forwarding is transparent to the terminal device. Furthermore, the base station and the core network (CN) can communicate via the next-generation network (NG) interface, exchanging core network non-access stratum (NAS) signaling and UE service data via the NG interface.

[0056] On the other hand, see Figure 5 , which shows a schematic diagram of the principle of NTN regeneration load transmission provided by an embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 5As shown, the satellite, as a satellite base station, has some or all of the functions of an access network device, providing wireless access services and scheduling wireless resources for terminal devices accessing the network through the satellite base station. The satellite base station communicates with the UE via the Uu interface. Furthermore, the satellite base station and the CN can communicate via the NG interface. The satellite base station and the core network can exchange NAS signaling and UE service data via the NG interface. The satellite radio interface (SRI) is the feeder link between the NTN gateway and the satellite. The SRI interface can also serve as part of the NG interface to enable communication between the satellite and the core network.

[0057] The following will describe in detail the method for obtaining ephemeris information provided in the embodiment of the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0058] In the examples of this application, see Figure 6 , which shows a flow chart of a method for obtaining ephemeris information provided by an embodiment of the present application, which is applied to a terminal device, and the terminal device maintains a first timer and a second timer, such as Figure 6 As shown, the method may include:

[0059] S601: The terminal device obtains ephemeris information of a first satellite from a network device and starts a first timer.

[0060] The first satellite is a satellite that currently provides satellite communication services to the terminal device. Exemplarily, the first satellite may be the local satellite, that is, the current service satellite.

[0061] S602: The terminal device obtains the ephemeris information of the second satellite from the network device and starts a second timer.

[0062] The second satellite is a satellite that does not currently provide satellite communication services for the terminal device. Exemplarily, the second satellite may be a neighboring satellite, that is, an adjacent satellite to the current service satellite, and the neighboring satellite may provide communication services for the terminal device in the future.

[0063] It should be noted that upon receiving ephemeris information from a first satellite, a first timer is started to time the ephemeris information acquisition period for the first satellite. Upon receiving ephemeris information from a second satellite, a second timer is started to time the ephemeris information acquisition period for the second satellite. The second satellite may include one or more satellites. In some examples, the ephemeris information obtained from the first satellite may be local ephemeris obtained by the terminal device, and the ephemeris information obtained from the second satellite may be neighboring ephemeris obtained by the terminal device. The terminal device maintains a first timer and a second timer. The second timer is specifically used to time the neighboring ephemeris acquisition period, thereby avoiding the problem of low accuracy of neighboring ephemeris obtained by the terminal device due to a large difference in the validity period of the local and neighboring ephemeris.

[0064] In some embodiments, the terminal device obtains configuration information corresponding to the second satellite from the network device.

[0065] In some embodiments, starting the second timer may include: determining a time parameter of the second timer based on the configuration information, configuring the time parameter of the second timer, and starting the second timer. Based on this, the terminal device may receive configuration information corresponding to one or more second satellites sent by the network device, and determine the time parameter of the second timer in the terminal device based on the configuration information. The determined time parameter is used to configure relevant parameters of the second timer. When the second timer configuration is complete, the second timer is started to start timing. In this way, the time parameter of the second timer can be determined based on the configuration information of the one or more second satellites, so that the second timer can time the ephemeris information acquisition period of the one or more second satellites.

[0066] In some embodiments, obtaining ephemeris information of a second satellite may include: obtaining ephemeris information of multiple second satellites; obtaining configuration information corresponding to the second satellite may include: obtaining configuration information corresponding to each of the multiple second satellites; and determining the time parameter of the second timer based on the configuration information may include: determining the time parameter of the second timer based on the configuration information corresponding to each of the multiple second satellites. Based on this, the terminal device may receive ephemeris information and corresponding configuration information of one or more second satellites sent by the network device, determine the time parameter of the second timer from the configuration information of the one or more second satellites, and configure the second timer based on the time parameter. In this way, if there are multiple second satellites, the time parameter of the second timer may be determined from the configuration information corresponding to the second satellites, so that the second timer can time the ephemeris information acquisition period of the multiple second satellites.

[0067] In some embodiments, the time parameters of the second timer may include a starting time and a validity period, or include a starting time and an end time. Based on this, the terminal device determines the time parameters of the second timer according to the configuration information of the second satellite. In some examples, the time parameters of the second timer may include a starting time and a validity period, and the terminal device may configure the second timer according to the starting time and the validity period. In some embodiments, the time parameters of the second timer may include a starting time and an end time, and the terminal device may configure the second timer according to the starting time and the end time.

[0068] For some examples, see Figure 7 , which shows a signaling flow diagram of a method for obtaining ephemeris information provided by an embodiment of the present application, taking the network device as a base station as an example, such as Figure 7 As shown, the method may include:

[0069] S701: The base station sends a system message related to the neighboring star ephemeris to the terminal device;

[0070] S702: Accordingly, the terminal device receives a system message sent by the base station. The system message may include neighboring star ephemeris information and configuration information (e.g., ntn-Config);

[0071] S703: The terminal device determines the starting time and validity period of the neighboring star ephemeris timer (i.e., the second timer in the aforementioned embodiment) according to the network device system message and the configuration rules for the timer, and starts the neighboring star ephemeris timer when receiving the system message.

[0072] It should be noted that the terminal device starts a separate Neighbor Star Ephemeris timer for the Neighbor Star Ephemeris and defines the timer's start time, validity period, etc. This embodiment defines the Neighbor Star Ephemeris timer duration selection method based on the minimum validity period in the Neighbor Star Ephemeris, and the start time is the minimum start time in the Neighbor Star Ephemeris list to ensure the accuracy of the Neighbor Star Ephemeris timer.

[0073] In some examples, the starting time of the neighboring ephemeris timer, min(epochTime), is the minimum value of the epochTime in the neighboring list (i.e., the starting time in the aforementioned embodiment). The validity period of the neighboring ephemeris timer is the minimum value of the validity period in the neighboring ephemeris (i.e., min(ntn-U lSyncValidityDuration)).

[0074] In some embodiments, the behavior of receiving a system message carrying neighboring star ephemeris: when receiving neighboring star ephemeris in a radio resource control (RRC) connected state, the terminal device should start or restart the neighboring star ephemeris timer, wherein the value of the neighboring star ephemeris timer is set to the smallest ntn-UlSyncVa l id ityDurat ion among multiple neighboring star configuration information (ntn-Config), and the starting time is set to the subframe indicated by the smallest epochTime among the multiple neighboring star configuration information.

[0075] In some embodiments, the system message carrying the neighboring star ephemeris may be SIB19, or may be a newly defined system message carrying the neighboring star ephemeris.

[0076] In some embodiments, when a system message carrying neighboring star ephemeris is updated, the network device updates the UE with all neighboring star ephemeris, even if it is not currently expired. The UE, through the terminal device, reacquires the system message carrying neighboring star ephemeris before the minimum starting time and the minimum validity period indicated by the duration expire.

[0077] In some embodiments, the time parameters of the second timer include a start time and a validity period. Determining the time parameters of the second timer based on the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites may include: determining the minimum value of the start time in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites as the start time of the second timer; and determining the minimum value of the validity period in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites as the validity period of the second timer. Based on this, when the time parameters of the second timer include a start time and a validity period, the minimum start time from the plurality of start times included in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites may be selected as the start time of the second timer, and the minimum validity period from the plurality of validity periods included in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites may be selected as the validity period of the second timer. In this way, the second timer can be used to time the ephemeris information acquisition period of the plurality of second satellites.

[0078] In some embodiments, determining the minimum value of the starting time in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites as the starting time of the second timer may include: the starting time in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites includes t1, t2, t3, ..., tn, where t1 is less than or equal to t2, t3, ..., tn; and determining the starting time of the second timer as t1. Based on this, when the terminal device receives multiple configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites, it may select a smaller starting time from the starting times in the multiple configuration information as the starting time of the second timer. Exemplarily, if the configuration information corresponding to two second satellites each includes t1 and t2, the smaller t1 may be determined as the starting time of the second timer. Exemplarily, if the configuration information corresponding to four second satellites each includes t1, t2, t3, and t4, the smaller t1 among the four starting times may be determined as the starting time of the second timer, thereby configuring the time parameters of the second timer.

[0079] In some embodiments, determining the minimum validity period of the at least one neighboring satellite ephemeris as the validity period of the second timer may include: the validity periods in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites include a1, a2, a3, ..., an, where a1 is less than or equal to a2, a3, ..., an; and determining the validity period of the second timer to be a1. Based on this, when the terminal device receives multiple configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites, it may select a smaller validity period from the validity periods in the multiple configuration information as the validity period of the second timer. Exemplarily, the configuration information corresponding to the two second satellites each includes a1 and a2, and the smaller a1 may be determined as the validity period of the second timer. Exemplarily, the configuration information corresponding to the four second satellites each includes a1, a2, a3, and a4, and the smaller a1 among the four starting times may be determined as the starting time of the second timer, thereby configuring the time parameters of the second timer.

[0080] See also Figure 8 , which shows a schematic diagram of the principle of determining the validity period of a timer provided in an embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 8 As shown, there are two neighboring ephemeris. Neighboring ephemeris 1 starts at t1, has a validity period equal to validity period 1, and ends at t1 + validity period 1. Neighboring ephemeris 2 starts at t2, has a validity period equal to validity period 2, and ends at t2 + validity period 2. Validity period 1 > validity period 2, and t1 < t2. According to the rules of this embodiment, the start time of the new timer is the minimum start time, that is, t1; the validity period of the new timer is the shortest validity period among the neighboring ephemeris, and the validity period of the timer is Validity Period 2 of Neighboring ephemeris 2. Therefore, the validity period of the timer for this neighboring ephemeris system message is from t1 to t1 + validity period 2.

[0081] In some embodiments, when local and neighboring star ephemeris are designed to be separate system messages, a separate timer can be started for the system message carrying the neighboring star ephemeris to improve the accuracy of the neighboring star ephemeris timer and ensure the effective acquisition of the neighboring star ephemeris. When local and neighboring star ephemeris are carried in the same system message, starting a separate timer for the neighboring star ephemeris also facilitates the determination of the validity period and accurate acquisition of the neighboring star ephemeris.

[0082] In some embodiments, the time parameters of the second timer include a start time and an end time. Determining the time parameters of the second timer based on the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites may include: determining the minimum value of the start time in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites as the start time of the second timer; and determining the minimum value of the end time nodes of the validity period in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites as the end time of the second timer. Based on this, when the time parameters of the second timer include a start time and an end time, the minimum start time can be selected from the plurality of start times included in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites as the start time of the second timer, and the minimum end time node of the validity period can be selected from the plurality of validity periods included in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites as the end time of the second timer. In this way, the second timer can be used to time the ephemeris information acquisition period of the plurality of second satellites.

[0083] For some examples, see Figure 9 , which shows a signaling flow diagram of another method for obtaining ephemeris information provided by an embodiment of the present application, taking the network device as a base station as an example, such as Figure 9 As shown, the method may include:

[0084] S901: The base station sends a system message related to the neighboring star ephemeris to the terminal device;

[0085] S902: Accordingly, the terminal device receives a system message sent by the base station. The system message may include neighboring star ephemeris information and configuration information (e.g., ntn-Config);

[0086] S903: The terminal device determines the start time and end time of the neighboring star ephemeris timer (i.e., the second timer in the aforementioned embodiment) according to the network device system message and the configuration rules for the timer, and starts the neighboring star ephemeris timer when receiving the system message.

[0087] In some embodiments, the terminal device can start a separate neighboring ephemeris timer for each neighboring satellite and define the start and end times of the timer. In this embodiment, the expiration time of the neighboring ephemeris timer is defined as the time when the validity period of the neighboring ephemeris expires first, and the starting epochTime is the minimum value of the epochTime in the neighboring satellite list to ensure the accuracy of the neighboring ephemeris timer.

[0088] In some examples, the start time of the neighboring ephemeris is the minimum epochTime value in the neighboring list, i.e., min(epochTime). The end time of the neighboring ephemeris is the time node at which the validity period of the neighboring ephemeris expires first. Accordingly, the validity period of the timer is equal to the expiration time minus the start time. In some examples, the start time and validity period can also be expressed.

[0089] In some embodiments, the behavior of receiving a system message carrying neighboring satellite ephemeris is as follows: When receiving neighboring satellite ephemeris in the RRC connected state, the UE should start or restart the T431 timer, where the timer starts at the subframe indicated by the smallest epochTime in multiple neighboring satellite ntn-Configs and ends at the earliest expiration time node in the validity period of the neighboring satellite ephemeris. In some examples, the system message carrying neighboring satellite ephemeris can be SIB19 or a newly defined system message carrying neighboring satellite ephemeris.

[0090] In some embodiments, determining the minimum starting time of the at least one neighboring satellite ephemeris as the starting time of the second timer may include: the starting times in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites include t1, t2, t3, ..., tn, where t1 is less than or equal to t2, t3, ..., tn; and determining the starting time of the second timer as t1. Based on this, when the terminal device receives multiple configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites, it may select a smaller starting time from the starting times in the multiple configuration information as the starting time of the second timer. Exemplarily, the configuration information corresponding to the two second satellites each includes t1 and t2, and the smaller t1 may be determined as the starting time of the second timer. Exemplarily, the configuration information corresponding to the four second satellites each includes t1, t2, t3, and t4, and the smaller t1 among the four starting times may be determined as the starting time of the second timer, thereby configuring the time parameters of the second timer.

[0091] In some embodiments, determining that the minimum value of the expiration time node of the validity period of the at least one neighboring star ephemeris is the expiration time of the second timer may include: the starting time in the configuration information corresponding to the multiple second satellites includes t1, t2, t3,…, tn, the validity period includes a1, a2, a3,…, an, and a1+t1 is less than or equal to a2+t2, a3+t3,…, an+tn; and determining the expiration time of the second timer to be a1+t1. Based on this, when the terminal device receives multiple configuration information corresponding to multiple second satellites, it can select a smaller validity period expiration time point from multiple validity periods in the multiple configuration information as the expiration time of the second timer. Exemplarily, the configuration information corresponding to each of the two second satellites includes t1 and t2, and the validity period includes a1 and a2. The smaller validity period expiration time point a1+t1 can be determined as the expiration time of the second timer. Exemplarily, the configuration information corresponding to each of the three second satellites includes t1, t2 and t3, and the validity period includes a1, a2 and a3. The smaller validity period expiration time point a1+t1 can be determined as the expiration time of the second timer, thereby realizing the configuration of the time parameters of the second timer.

[0092] In some examples, when a system message carrying the ephemeris of neighboring stars is updated, the network device updates the ephemeris of all neighboring stars to the UE, and updates the ephemeris of all neighboring stars to a time node later than the current time node even if the ephemeris is not expired.

[0093] In some examples, see Figure 10 and Figure 11 , Figure 10 A schematic diagram of another principle for determining the validity period of a timer provided in an embodiment of the present application is provided. Figure 11 Another schematic diagram of the principle of determining the validity period of a timer provided in an embodiment of the present application is as follows: Figure 10 and Figure 11 It shows how to determine the validity period when different neighboring star almanacs have different validity periods and starting times. The starting time of neighboring star almanac 1 is t1, the validity period is validity period 1, and the end time is t1+validity period 1. The starting time of neighboring star almanac 2 is t2, the validity period is validity period 2, and the end time is t2+validity period 2. Validity period 1>validity period 2, t1<t2. According to the rules of this embodiment, the starting time of the new timer is the smallest starting time, which is t1. The end time of the new timer is the first time node to expire in the neighboring star almanac. In the example in the figure, the first time node to expire is when the neighboring star almanac 1 expires, which is t1+validity period 1. Therefore, the effective time of timer T431 for this neighboring star almanac system message is the period from t1 to t1+validity period 1. In some examples, such as Figure 10As shown in the figure, the validity period of Neighbor Star Almanac 2 and Neighbor Star Almanac 1 overlaps. At t1+validity period 1, Neighbor Star Almanac 2 has been effective and has not expired, but Neighbor Star Almanac 1 has expired. Therefore, the network device needs to update both Neighbor Star Almanac 1 and Neighbor Star Almanac 2. Figure 11 As shown, the validity periods of Neighbor Star Almanac 1 and Neighbor Star Almanac 2 do not overlap. At t1+validity period 1, Neighbor Star Almanac 2 has not yet taken effect, but Neighbor Star Almanac 1 has expired. Therefore, at this time, the network device only needs to update Neighbor Star Almanac 1.

[0094] In some embodiments, a terminal device can re-acquire a system message carrying the neighboring star's ephemeris before a timer expires. When local and neighboring star ephemeris system messages are designed separately, a separate timer can be started for the system message carrying the neighboring star's ephemeris, improving the accuracy of the neighboring star's ephemeris timer and ensuring effective acquisition of the neighboring star's ephemeris. When local and neighboring star ephemeris are carried in the same system message, starting a separate timer for the neighboring star's ephemeris also facilitates determining the validity period and accurately acquiring the neighboring star's ephemeris.

[0095] In some embodiments, the method may further include: obtaining a time parameter of the second timer; and starting the second timer includes: configuring the time parameter of the second timer according to the time parameter of the second timer, and starting the second timer. Based on this, the terminal device may directly receive the time parameter of the second timer from the network device, where the time parameter is determined by the network device from configuration information corresponding to one or more second satellites, and configure the second timer according to the time parameter. If the second timer is successfully configured, the second timer is started to enable the second timer to time the ephemeris information acquisition period of the multiple second satellites.

[0096] For some examples, see Figure 12 , another signaling flow diagram of a method for obtaining ephemeris information provided in an embodiment of the present application, taking the network device as a base station as an example, such as Figure 12 As shown, the method may include:

[0097] S1201: The base station determines a time parameter of the timer according to the configuration information corresponding to the second satellite, and sends the time parameter to the terminal device;

[0098] S1202: Accordingly, the terminal device receives a system message sent by the base station. The system message may include a neighboring star ephemeris and a time parameter of a timer.

[0099] S1203: The terminal device determines the start time and end time of the neighboring star ephemeris timer according to the time parameters of the timer indicated by the network side, and starts the timer when receiving the system message.

[0100] In some embodiments, the network device can directly send the start and end times of the neighboring ephemeris timer to ensure the accuracy of the neighboring ephemeris timer. The start and end times of the timer can be determined by the network device and sent to the UE via the start and end time parameters.

[0101] In some examples, the network device determines the start time and end time of the timer in the same way as the terminal device determines the start time and end time of the timer in the aforementioned embodiment, which is not repeated here.

[0102] In some examples, the network device calculates and directly sends the start time (startTime) and end time (endTime) to the terminal device through existing signaling or new signaling. The start time startTime is the min (epochTime); the end time endTime is the time node at which the validity period of the neighboring star ephemeris expires first.

[0103] In some examples, the network device may also directly send the start time and validity period to the terminal device through existing signaling or newly added signaling, instructing the terminal device to configure the neighboring star ephemeris timer.

[0104] In some examples, the terminal device receives signaling, determines the start and end times of the neighboring star ephemeris timer, and when receiving a system message carrying the neighboring star ephemeris in the RRC connection state, the UE starts or restarts the neighboring star ephemeris timer.

[0105] In some examples, the system message carrying the ephemeris of the neighboring stars is updated: when the network device updates the system message carrying the ephemeris of the neighboring stars, it updates all the ephemeris of the neighboring stars to the UE, and updates them to a time node later than the current time node even if they are not expired; the UE implements it through the terminal device and re-acquires the system message carrying the ephemeris of the neighboring stars before the timer expires.

[0106] In some embodiments, see Figure 13 The embodiment of the present application provides a detailed signaling flow diagram of a method for obtaining ephemeris information. Taking the network device as a base station as an example, the method may include:

[0107] S1301: The base station determines a time parameter of the timer according to the configuration information corresponding to the second satellite, and sends the time parameter to the terminal device;

[0108] S1302: Accordingly, the terminal device receives the system message (neighboring star ephemeris information, timer time parameters) sent by the base station;

[0109] S1303: The terminal device determines the start time and end time of the neighboring ephemeris timer according to the time parameters of the timer indicated by the network side, and starts the timer when receiving the system message;

[0110] S1304: Neighboring Star ephemeris expires, and the network side updates the system message;

[0111] S1305: Accordingly, the terminal device receives the system message (neighboring star ephemeris information, timer time parameters) sent by the base station;

[0112] S1306: The terminal device re-acquires the system message before the timer expires.

[0113] In some embodiments, when local and neighboring star ephemeris are designed to be separate system messages, a separate timer can be started for the system message carrying the neighboring star ephemeris to improve the accuracy of the neighboring star ephemeris timer and ensure the effective acquisition of the neighboring star ephemeris. When local and neighboring star ephemeris are carried in the same system message, starting a separate timer for the neighboring star ephemeris also facilitates the determination of the validity period and accurate acquisition of the neighboring star ephemeris.

[0114] In some embodiments, the method may further include: obtaining the ephemeris information of the second satellite sent by the network device and the time parameters of the second timer before the second timer expires. Based on this, when the second timer is about to expire, the terminal device can re-obtain the ephemeris information of the second satellite and the time parameters of the second timer from the network device. In some examples, the terminal device configures the second timer based on the time parameters and restarts the second timer if the second timer configuration is successful, so that the second timer can count the ephemeris information acquisition cycles of multiple second satellites.

[0115] In some embodiments, the ephemeris information of the first satellite is used by the terminal device for time and frequency synchronization, and the ephemeris information of the second satellite is used by the terminal device for reselection-related measurements. Based on this, the first timer is used to count when time and frequency synchronization is performed using the ephemeris information of the first satellite, and the second timer is used to count when the network device reselects using the ephemeris information of the second satellite. In some examples, the first satellite may be the local satellite currently providing service to the terminal device, and the second satellite may be a neighboring satellite that is not currently providing service to the terminal device.

[0116] In some embodiments, the present application provides a method for obtaining ephemeris information, applied to a network device, the method including: sending a time parameter of a second timer to a terminal device, where the time parameter of the second timer is determined based on configuration information corresponding to one or more second satellites. Based on this, the network device may determine the time parameter of the second timer based on the configuration information corresponding to the one or more second satellites, and send the time parameter to the terminal device for the terminal device to configure the second timer.

[0117] In some embodiments, to address the issue of obtaining the validity period of neighboring star ephemeris in the NTN network, a terminal device can start a separate timer for the neighboring star ephemeris and define the timer's start time, validity period, and other parameters. In some examples, the timer duration for the neighboring star ephemeris is selected based on the minimum validity period in the neighboring star ephemeris, with the starting epochTime being the minimum value in the neighboring star list, ensuring the accuracy of the neighboring star ephemeris timer. In some examples, the expiration time node of the neighboring star ephemeris timer is defined as the time node at which the neighboring star ephemeris' validity period first expires, with the starting epochTime being the minimum value in the neighboring star list, ensuring the accuracy of the neighboring star ephemeris timer. In some examples, the network device sends the start and end times of the neighboring star ephemeris timer to ensure the accuracy of the neighboring star ephemeris timer.

[0118] The solution provided by the embodiment of the present application is that the terminal device starts a separate timer for the neighboring star ephemeris, enables the separation of the timers of the local star ephemeris and the neighboring star ephemeris, ensures the accurate use of the timer, and improves communication performance; at the same time, the neighboring star uses one timer to reduce the implementation complexity of the terminal device; determines the start time and end time, or the start time and validity period, of the neighboring star ephemeris timer, ensures that the terminal device and the network device have a consistent understanding of the validity period of the neighboring star ephemeris, and ensures the effective acquisition of the ephemeris.

[0119] Based on the same inventive concept as the above embodiments, see Figure 14 , which shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a device 140 for obtaining ephemeris information provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 14 As shown, the communication device is used to implement any one of the methods for obtaining ephemeris information in the aforementioned embodiments. Specifically, the device for obtaining ephemeris information may include:

[0120] The receiving unit 1401 is configured to obtain ephemeris information of a first satellite and start a first timer, where the first satellite is a satellite that currently provides satellite communication services to the terminal device; and obtain ephemeris information of a second satellite and start a second timer, where the second satellite is a satellite that currently does not provide satellite communication services to the terminal device.

[0121] In some embodiments, the receiving unit 1401 is further configured to obtain configuration information corresponding to the second satellite;

[0122] In some embodiments, the apparatus 140 for acquiring ephemeris information may further include a processing unit 1402 configured to determine a time parameter of the second timer according to the configuration information, configure the time parameter of the second timer, and start the second timer.

[0123] In some embodiments, the receiving unit 1401 is specifically configured to obtain ephemeris information of a plurality of second satellites and obtain configuration information corresponding to each of the plurality of second satellites.

[0124] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1402 is further configured to determine a time parameter of the second timer according to configuration information corresponding to each of the plurality of second satellites.

[0125] In some embodiments, the receiving unit 1401 is further configured to obtain a time parameter of the second timer.

[0126] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1402 is further configured to configure the time parameters of the second timer according to the time parameters of the second timer and start the second timer.

[0127] In some embodiments, the time parameters of the second timer include a start time and a validity period, or include a start time and an end time.

[0128] In some embodiments, the time parameters of the second timer include a start time and a validity period. The processing unit 1402 is specifically configured to determine that the minimum value of the start time in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites is the start time of the second timer; and determine that the minimum value of the validity period in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites is the validity period of the second timer.

[0129] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1402 is specifically configured to: determine that the start time in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites includes t1, t2, t3, ..., tn, where t1 is less than or equal to t2, t3, ..., tn; and determine that the start time of the second timer is t1.

[0130] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1402 is specifically configured to determine that the validity period of the second timer is a1, a2, a3, ..., an in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites, where a1 is less than or equal to a2, a3, ..., an.

[0131] In some embodiments, the time parameters of the second timer include a start time and an end time. The processing unit 1402 is specifically configured to determine that the minimum value of the start time in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites is the start time of the second timer; and determine that the minimum value of the end time node of the validity period in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites is the end time of the second timer.

[0132] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1402 is specifically configured to: determine that the start time in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites includes t1, t2, t3, ..., tn, where t1 is less than or equal to t2, t3, ..., tn; and determine that the start time of the second timer is t1.

[0133] In some embodiments, the processing unit 1402 is specifically configured to: determine the expiration time of the second timer as a1+t1, wherein the start time in the configuration information corresponding to each of the plurality of second satellites includes t1, t2, t3, ..., tn, the validity period includes a1, a2, a3, ..., an, and a1+t1 is less than or equal to a2+t2, a3+t3, ..., an+tn.

[0134] In some embodiments, the receiving unit 1401 is further configured to obtain the ephemeris information of the second satellite and the time parameter of the second timer sent by the network device before the second timer expires.

[0135] In some embodiments, the ephemeris information of the first satellite is used by the terminal device for time and frequency synchronization, and the ephemeris information of the second satellite is used by the terminal device for reselection-related measurements.

[0136] In some embodiments, the device 140 for obtaining ephemeris information may further include a sending unit configured to send a time parameter of the second timer to the terminal device, where the time parameter of the second timer is determined according to configuration information corresponding to one or more second satellites.

[0137] It is understood that in this embodiment, a "unit" can be a portion of a circuit, a portion of a processor, a portion of a program or software, etc., and can also be a module or a non-modular system. Furthermore, the various components in this embodiment can be integrated into a single processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into a single unit. The aforementioned integrated units can be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional modules.

[0138] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional module and is not sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this embodiment, or the part that contributes to the existing technology, or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes a number of instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) or a processor to perform all or part of the steps of the method provided in this embodiment. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program code, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0139] Therefore, this embodiment provides a computer storage medium storing a paging program. When the paging program is executed by at least one processor, the steps of any one of the methods in the above embodiments are implemented.

[0140] Based on the above-mentioned composition of the communication device and the computer storage medium, see Figure 15 , which shows a hardware structure diagram of a terminal device 150 provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 15 As shown, it may include: a processor 1501, a memory 1502 and a communication interface 1503; each component is coupled together via a communication line 1504. It is understood that the communication line 1504 is used to achieve connection and communication between these components. In addition to the data bus, the communication line 1504 also includes a power bus, a control bus and a status signal bus. However, for the sake of clarity, Figure 15 Various buses are labeled as communication lines 1504.

[0141] The processor 1501 is configured to execute the steps of any one of the methods described in the foregoing embodiments when running the computer program.

[0142] The memory 1502 is used to store computer programs that can be executed on the processor 1501 .

[0143] The communication interface 1503 is used to send and receive signals when sending and receiving information with other external network elements.

[0144] It is understood that the memory 1502 in the embodiments of the present application can be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or can include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory can be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory can be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDRSDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct RAM bus random access memory (DRRAM). The memory 1502 of the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0145] The processor 1501 may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by hardware integrated logic circuits in the processor 1501 or by software instructions. The processor 1501 may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. The methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be implemented or executed. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly implemented and executed by a hardware decoding processor, or by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium mature in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory 1502 , and the processor 1501 reads the information in the memory 1502 and completes the steps of the above method in combination with its hardware.

[0146] It is understood that the embodiments described herein may be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, or a combination thereof. For hardware implementation, the processing unit may be implemented in one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), general-purpose processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, other electronic units for performing the functions described herein, or a combination thereof.

[0147] For software implementation, the techniques described herein can be implemented by modules (e.g., procedures, functions, etc.) that perform the functions described herein. The software code can be stored in a memory and executed by a processor. The memory can be implemented in the processor or external to the processor.

[0148] Optionally, as another embodiment, the processor 1501 is further configured to execute the steps of the method in any one of the aforementioned embodiments when running a computer program.

[0149] In some embodiments, based on the composition of the above-mentioned device for obtaining ephemeris information, an embodiment of the present application provides another terminal device, which may include the device for obtaining ephemeris information described in any one of the above-mentioned embodiments.

[0150] Optionally, the computer-executable instructions in this application may also be referred to as application code, which is not specifically limited in this application.

[0151] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the processor 1501 may include one or more CPUs, such as Figure 15 CPU0 and CPU1 in.

[0152] It should be noted that Figure 15 This is merely an example of a terminal device and does not limit the specific structure of the terminal device. For example, the terminal device or network device may further include other functional modules.

[0153] An embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute any one of the methods provided in the aforementioned embodiments.

[0154] An embodiment of the present application provides a chip system, which may include a processing circuit and a storage medium, wherein the storage medium stores computer program instructions; when the computer program instructions are executed by the processing circuit, the method provided in any one of the aforementioned embodiments is implemented.

[0155] It should be noted that, in this application, the terms "comprises," "includes," or any other variations thereof are intended to encompass non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not explicitly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. In the absence of further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising a ..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus comprising the element.

[0156] The serial numbers of the above embodiments of the present application are for description only and do not represent the advantages or disadvantages of the embodiments.

[0157] The methods disclosed in the several method embodiments provided in this application can be arbitrarily combined without conflict to obtain new method embodiments.

[0158] The features disclosed in the several product embodiments provided in this application can be arbitrarily combined without conflict to obtain new product embodiments.

[0159] The features disclosed in the several method or device embodiments provided in this application can be arbitrarily combined without conflict to obtain new method embodiments or device embodiments.

[0160] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for obtaining ephemeris information, characterized in that: Applied to a terminal device, the terminal device maintains a first timer and a second timer, and the method includes: Acquire ephemeris information of a first satellite and start a first timer, where the first satellite is a satellite that currently provides satellite communication services for the terminal device; Acquire ephemeris information of a second satellite and start a second timer, where the second satellite is a satellite that does not currently provide satellite communication services for the terminal device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: Obtaining configuration information corresponding to the second satellite; The starting the second timer includes: determining a time parameter of the second timer according to the configuration information, configuring the time parameter of the second timer, and starting the second timer.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The acquiring the ephemeris information of the second satellite includes: acquiring the ephemeris information of a plurality of the second satellites; Acquiring configuration information corresponding to the second satellite includes: acquiring configuration information corresponding to a plurality of second satellites respectively; The determining the time parameter of the second timer according to the configuration information includes: The time parameter of the second timer is determined according to the configuration information corresponding to each of the plurality of second satellites.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein The method further includes: obtaining a time parameter of the second timer; The starting the second timer includes: configuring the time parameter of the second timer according to the time parameter of the second timer and starting the second timer.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The time parameters of the second timer include a start time and a validity period, or include a start time and an end time.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The time parameters of the second timer include a start time and a validity period, and determining the time parameters of the second timer according to the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites includes: Determine a minimum value of start times in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites as a start time of the second timer; Determine the minimum value of the validity period in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites as the validity period of the second timer.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The determining the minimum value of the start time in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites as the start time of the second timer includes: The starting times in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites respectively include t1, t2, t3, ..., tn, where t1 is less than or equal to t2, t3, ..., tn; The starting time of the second timer is determined to be t1.

8. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The determining the minimum value of the validity period of the at least one neighboring star ephemeris as the validity period of the second timer includes: The validity periods in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites respectively include a1, a2, a3, ..., an, where a1 is less than or equal to a2, a3, ..., an; The validity period of the second timer is determined to be a1.

9. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The time parameters of the second timer include a start time and an end time, and determining the time parameters of the second timer according to the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites includes: Determine a minimum value of start times in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites as a start time of the second timer; The minimum value of the expiration time nodes of the validity periods in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites is determined as the expiration time of the second timer.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The determining the minimum value of the starting time of the at least one neighboring star ephemeris as the starting time of the second timer includes: The starting times in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites respectively include t1, t2, t3, ..., tn, where t1 is less than or equal to t2, t3, ..., tn; The starting time of the second timer is determined to be t1.

11. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The determining that the minimum value of the expiration time node of the validity period of the at least one neighboring star ephemeris is the expiration time of the second timer includes: The starting times in the configuration information corresponding to the plurality of second satellites include t1, t2, t3, ..., tn, the validity periods include a1, a2, a3, ..., an, and a1+t1 is less than or equal to a2+t2, a3+t3, ..., an+tn; The expiration time of the second timer is determined to be a1+t1.

12. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The method further comprises: Before the second timer expires, the ephemeris information of the second satellite and the time parameter of the second timer sent by the network device are obtained.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that The ephemeris information of the first satellite is used by the terminal device for time and frequency synchronization, and the ephemeris information of the second satellite is used by the terminal device for reselection-related measurements.

14. A method for obtaining ephemeris information, characterized in that: Applied to a network device, the method includes: Sending a time parameter of the second timer to the terminal device, where the time parameter of the second timer is determined according to configuration information corresponding to one or more second satellites.

15. A terminal device, characterized in that: The terminal device includes: Transceiver, used for sending and receiving signals; a memory for storing computer program instructions; A processor, configured to execute the computer program instructions to support the terminal device in implementing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

16. A network device, characterized in that: The network equipment includes: Transceiver, used for sending and receiving signals; a memory for storing computer program instructions; A processor is configured to execute the computer program instructions to support the network device in implementing the method according to claim 14.

17. A communication system, characterized in that: The communication system includes a terminal device and a network device, the terminal device and the network device are communicatively connected, the terminal device is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, and the network device is used to implement the method according to claim 14.

18. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer-readable storage medium stores computer program instructions, which implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13 or 14 when executed by the processing circuit.

19. A computer program product comprising instructions, characterized in that When the computer program product is run on a computer, the computer is caused to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13 or 14.

20. A chip system, characterized in that: The chip system includes a processing circuit and a storage medium, wherein the storage medium stores computer program instructions; when the computer program instructions are executed by the processing circuit, the method according to any one of claims 1-13 or 14 is implemented.

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