Wireless communication method and device

Abstract

A method and apparatus for wireless communication are provided. The method comprises: when a first condition is satisfied, a first terminal device executes a first operation, the first operation being related to a process in which the first terminal device accesses a network device through a first relay device; the first condition is associated with first position information and / or first time information, the first position information is used for indicating position information of the first terminal device in the serving cell, and the first time information is used for indicating time information of the serving cell serving / stopping serving the first terminal device. In the embodiment of the invention, the first terminal equipment can execute multiple operations involved in the process of relaying the sidelink from the first terminal equipment to the network based on the first position information and / or the first time information, so that the influence that measurement based on signal quality cannot accurately reflect a near-far effect can be weakened; and the method can be better applied to the sidelink relay process in the NTN cell.

Description

Wireless communication method and device Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and more specifically, to a method and apparatus for wireless communication. Background Art

[0002] Some communication systems (e.g., new radio (NR) systems) support sidelink relaying from a terminal device to the network. During the sidelink relaying process, the terminal device may need to perform multiple operations, such as relay discovery and relay selection.

[0003] In terrestrial communication networks, many of the above operations are performed based on signal quality measurements, such as measuring reference signal receiving power (RSRP). However, in non-terrestrial networks (NTNs), the signal quality of NTN cells does not accurately reflect the near-far effect, resulting in signal quality-based measurements being no longer applicable to NTN communications.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present application provides a method and apparatus for wireless communication. The following introduces various aspects of the present application.

[0006] In a first aspect, a method for wireless communication is provided, comprising: when a first condition is met, a first terminal device performs a first operation, the first operation being related to a process in which the first terminal device accesses a network device through a first relay device; wherein the first condition is associated with first location information and / or first time information, the first location information is used to indicate the location information of the first terminal device in a service cell, and the first time information is used to indicate the time information at which the service cell serves / stops serving the first terminal device.

[0007] In a second aspect, a method for wireless communication is provided, including: when a second condition is met, a first relay device performs a second operation, and the second operation is related to a process in which a first terminal device accesses a network device through the first relay device; wherein the second condition is associated with second location information, and the second location information is used to indicate the location information of the first relay device in the service cell.

[0008] According to a third aspect, a terminal device is provided, which is a first terminal device, and the terminal device includes: an execution module for performing a first operation when a first condition is met, and the first operation is related to a process in which the first terminal device accesses a network device through a first relay device; wherein the first condition is associated with first location information and / or first time information, the first location information is used to indicate the location information of the first terminal device in a service cell, and the first time information is used to indicate the time information when the service cell serves / stops serving the first terminal device.

[0009] In a fourth aspect, a relay device is provided, which is a first relay device, and the relay device includes: an execution module for performing a second operation when a second condition is met, and the second operation is related to a process in which a first terminal device accesses a network device through the first relay device; wherein the second condition is associated with second location information, and the second location information is used to indicate the location information of the first relay device in the service cell.

[0010] In a fifth aspect, a terminal device is provided, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory is used to store one or more computer programs, and the processor is used to call the computer program in the memory so that the terminal device executes part or all of the steps in the method of the first aspect.

[0011] In the sixth aspect, a relay device is provided, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory is used to store one or more computer programs, and the processor is used to call the computer program in the memory so that the relay device executes part or all of the steps in the method of the second aspect.

[0012] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, which includes the above-mentioned terminal device and / or relay device. In another possible design, the system may also include other devices that interact with the terminal device or relay device in the solution provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0013] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program, and the computer program enables a terminal device or a relay device to execute part or all of the steps in the methods of the above aspects.

[0014] In a ninth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a computer program product, wherein the computer program product includes a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, wherein the computer program is operable to cause a terminal device or a relay device to perform some or all of the steps of the methods of the various aspects described above. In some implementations, the computer program product may be a software installation package.

[0015] In the tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip, which includes a memory and a processor. The processor can call and run a computer program from the memory to implement some or all of the steps described in the methods of the above aspects.

[0016] In an embodiment of the present application, the first terminal device can perform multiple operations (first operations) involved in the sidelink relay process from the first terminal device to the network based on the first location information and / or the first time information. In other words, the embodiment of the present application can combine the first location information and / or the first time information to reduce the impact of the inability of signal quality-based measurements to accurately reflect the near-far effect, thereby facilitating better application to the sidelink relay process in the NTN cell. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] FIG1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system architecture of a wireless communication system to which an embodiment of the present application may be applied.

[0018] FIG2 is an example diagram of a transparent forwarding NTN network architecture.

[0019] FIG3 is an example diagram of a regeneration and forwarding NTN network architecture.

[0020] FIG4 is a schematic flow chart of a wireless communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0021] FIG5 is a schematic flow chart of a wireless communication method provided in another embodiment of the present application.

[0022] FIG6 is a schematic flow chart of a wireless communication method provided in yet another embodiment of the present application.

[0023] FIG7 is a flowchart of a wireless communication method provided in yet another embodiment of the present application.

[0024] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0025] FIG9 is a schematic structural diagram of a relay device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0026] FIG10 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] In order to facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, a brief introduction to the relevant technologies of the present application is first given.

[0028] Communication system architecture

[0029] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: global system of mobile communication (GSM) system, code division multiple access (CDMA) system, wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) system, general packet radio service (GPRS), long term evolution (LTE) system, advanced long term evolution (LTE-A) system, new radio (NR) system, evolution system of NR system, LTE-based access to unlicensed spectrum (LTE-U) system on unlicensed spectrum, NR-based access to unlicensed spectrum (NR-U) system on unlicensed spectrum, NTN system, universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), wireless local area networks (WLAN), wireless fidelity (WLAN), etc. fidelity, WiFi), fifth-generation communication (5G) systems or other communication systems, such as future communication systems, such as sixth-generation mobile communication systems, and satellite communication systems.

[0030] Generally speaking, traditional communication systems support a limited number of connections and are easy to implement. However, with the development of communication technology, mobile communication systems will not only support traditional communications, but will also support, for example, device-to-device (D2D) communication, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, and the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to these communication systems.

[0031] The communication system in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to a carrier aggregation (CA) scenario, a dual connectivity (DC) scenario, and a standalone (SA) networking scenario (for example, a NR standalone deployment scenario).

[0032] The communication system in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to an unlicensed spectrum, where the unlicensed spectrum can also be considered as a shared spectrum; or, the communication system in the embodiment of the present application can also be applied to an authorized spectrum, where the authorized spectrum can also be considered as a dedicated spectrum.

[0033] The embodiments of the present application can be applied to NTN systems as well as terrestrial networks (TN) systems. By way of example and not limitation, NTN systems include NR-based NTN systems and Internet of Things (IoT)-based NTN systems. For example, in scenarios where narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) and enhanced machine type communications (eMTC) are connected to NTN, the system consisting of IoT terminal devices and NTN networks can be understood as an IoT-based NTN system.

[0034] The embodiments of the present application describe various embodiments in conjunction with network devices and terminal devices, where the terminal device may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent or user device, etc.

[0035] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device may be a station (STATION, ST) in a WLAN, a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA) device, a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a next-generation communication system such as a terminal device in an NR network, or a terminal device in a future-evolved public land mobile network (PLMN) network, etc.

[0036] In an embodiment of the present application, a terminal device may be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user and can be used to connect people, objects, and machines, such as a handheld device with wireless connection capabilities, an in-vehicle device, etc. The terminal device in the embodiment of the present application may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a PDA, a mobile internet device (MID), a wearable device, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home, etc. Optionally, the terminal device can be used to act as a base station. For example, the terminal device can act as a scheduling entity that provides sidelink signals between terminal devices in V2X or D2D, etc. For example, a cellular phone and a car communicate with each other using sidelink signals. Cellular phones and smart home devices communicate with each other without relaying the communication signal through a base station.

[0037] The network device in the embodiments of the present application may be a device for communicating with a terminal device, and may also be referred to as an access network device or a radio access network device. For example, the network device may be a base station. The network device in the embodiments of the present application may refer to a radio access network (RAN) node (or device) that connects a terminal device to a wireless network. A base station may broadly cover various names as follows, or be replaced with the following names, such as: NodeB, evolved NodeB (eNB), next generation NodeB (gNB), relay station, access point, transmitting and receiving point (TRP), transmitting point (TP), master station MeNB, secondary station SeNB, multi-standard radio (MSR) node, home base station, network controller, access node, wireless node, access point (AP), transmission node, transceiver node, baseband unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), remote radio head (RRH), central unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), positioning node, etc. A base station may be a macro base station, a micro base station, a relay node, a donor node, or the like, or a combination thereof. The base station may also refer to a communication module, modem or chip provided in the aforementioned device or apparatus. The base station may also be a mobile switching center and a device-to-device D2D, vehicle-to-everything (V2X), machine-to-machine (M2M) communication device that performs the base station function, a network side device in a 6G network, a device that performs the base station function in a future communication system, etc. The base station may support networks with the same or different access technologies. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the network equipment.

[0038] Base stations can be fixed or mobile. For example, a helicopter or drone can be configured to act as a mobile base station, and one or more cells can move based on the location of the mobile base station. In other examples, a helicopter or drone can be configured to act as a device that communicates with another base station.

[0039] In some deployments, the network device in the embodiments of the present application may refer to a CU or a DU, or the network device includes a CU and a DU. The gNB may also include an AAU.

[0040] The network equipment and terminal devices can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; they can also be deployed in the air on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the scenarios in which the network equipment and terminal devices are located.

[0041] As an example and not a limitation, in an embodiment of the present application, the network device may have a mobile feature, for example, the network device may be a mobile device. In some embodiments of the present application, the network device may be a satellite or a balloon station. For example, the satellite may be a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, a medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite, a geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite, a high elliptical orbit (HEO) satellite, etc. In some embodiments of the present application, the network device may also be a base station set up in a location such as land or water.

[0042] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device can provide services for a cell, and the terminal device communicates with the network device through the transmission resources used by the cell (for example, frequency domain resources, or spectrum resources). The cell can be a cell corresponding to the network device (for example, a base station). The cell can belong to a macro base station or a base station corresponding to a small cell. The small cells here may include: metro cells, micro cells, pico cells, femto cells, etc. These small cells have the characteristics of small coverage and low transmission power, and are suitable for providing high-speed data transmission services.

[0043] For example, FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG1 , the communication system 100 may include a network device 110, a terminal device 120, and a terminal device 130. The network device 110 may provide communication coverage for a specific geographical area and may communicate with terminal devices located within the coverage area. In some embodiments, the network device may be, for example, a satellite. The terminal device 120 is located within the cell coverage of the network device 110. The terminal device 120 may communicate with the network device 110 via a Uu link (e.g., an uplink and a downlink). The terminal device 130 may be located within the cell coverage of the network device 110, or may be located outside the cell coverage of the network device 110. In some embodiments, the terminal device 130 may communicate with the network device 110 via the terminal device 120, in which case a sidelink connection exists between the terminal device 130 and the terminal device 120. In some embodiments, in addition to communicating with the network device 110 via the terminal device 120, the terminal device 130 may also communicate with the network device 110 via a Uu link.

[0044] It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device refers in particular to a terminal device capable of side communication, and the terminal device capable of side communication can be divided into two types: a relay device (e.g., terminal device 120) and a remote device (e.g., terminal device 130).

[0045] A relay device may refer to a terminal device that supports providing relay services. For example, relay device 120 may provide relay services for terminal device 130. In other words, the relay device has a relay function. Specifically, relay device 120 may receive uplink data from terminal device 130 and relay it to network device 110, or it may receive downlink data from a network device and relay it to terminal device 130. A relay device may also be referred to as a relay terminal, relay UE, etc., which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0046] A remote device may refer to a terminal device that supports access to a network device via a relay service. A remote device may refer to a device outside the network coverage area or a device in an edge area within the network coverage area. The remote device may not be able to connect to the network device or may experience poor signal quality in the communication link after connecting to the network device. A remote device may also be referred to as a remote terminal, remote UE, etc., which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0047] Figure 1 exemplarily shows a network device and two terminal devices. In some embodiments of the present application, the communication system 100 may include multiple network devices and each network device may include other numbers of terminal devices within its coverage area, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0048] It should be noted that Figure 1 only illustrates the system to which the present application is applicable in the form of an example. Of course, the method shown in the embodiment of the present application can also be applied to other systems, such as 5G communication systems, LTE communication systems, NTN communication systems, etc., and the embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0049] In some embodiments of the present application, the wireless communication system shown in Figure 1 may also include other network entities such as a mobility management entity (MME) and an access and mobility management function (AMF), but the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0050] 5G application scenarios

[0051] With the increasing demand for speed, latency, high-speed mobility, and energy efficiency, coupled with the increasing diversity and complexity of future services, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), an international standards organization, has begun developing 5G. The main application scenarios for 5G are enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC), and massive machine-type communications (mMTC).

[0052] On the one hand, eMBB still aims to provide users with multimedia content, services, and data, and demand for this is growing rapidly. On the other hand, since eMBB can be deployed in different scenarios, such as indoors, in urban areas, and in rural areas, its capabilities and requirements vary greatly. Therefore, it cannot be generalized and requires detailed analysis based on specific deployment scenarios.

[0053] A key feature of URLLC is low latency. In this scenario, connection latency can be as short as 1 millisecond or less. It also supports high-reliability connections at high speeds. For example, at speeds of 500 km / h, reliability can reach 99.999%. Typical applications of URLLC include industrial automation, power automation, remote medical operations (surgery), and traffic safety.

[0054] Typical characteristics of mMTC include high connection density, small data volumes, latency-insensitive services, low module costs, and long service life. Based on this, mMTC can include one or more of the following communications: industrial wireless sensor networks, video surveillance scenarios, and wearable devices.

[0055] Radio resource control (RRC) status

[0056] Currently, the protocol defines three RRC states of terminal devices: RRC connected (RRC_CONNECTED) state, RRC idle (RRC_IDLE) state and RRC inactive (RRC_INACTIVE) state.

[0057] The RRC connection state may refer to the state in which the terminal device is in when the RRC release is not performed after the random access process is completed. An RRC connection exists between the terminal device and the network device, and a terminal device access stratum (AS) context exists between the network device and the terminal device. In the RRC connection state, the terminal device can perform data transmission with the network device, such as downlink data transmission and / or uplink data transmission. Alternatively, the terminal device can also perform terminal device-specific data channel and / or control channel transmission with the network device to transmit specific information or unicast information of the terminal device.

[0058] In the RRC connected state, the network device can determine the cell-level location information of the terminal device, that is, the network device can determine the cell to which the terminal device belongs. In addition, the mobility management of the terminal device in the RRC connected state can be controlled by the network device, that is, the mobility of the terminal device in the RRC connected state is the mobility controlled by the network device.

[0059] The RRC idle state refers to the state of a terminal device when it is resident in a cell but not performing random access. A terminal device typically enters the RRC idle state after being powered on or after RRC release. In the RRC idle state, there is no RRC connection between the terminal device and the network device, the network device does not store the AS context of the terminal device, and no connection is established between the network device and the core network for the terminal device. If the terminal device needs to enter the RRC connected state from the RRC idle state, it needs to initiate the RRC connection establishment process.

[0060] In the RRC Idle state, the core network (CN) can send a paging message to the terminal device. In other words, the paging process can be triggered by the CN. Optionally, the paging area can also be configured by the CN. The mobility management of the terminal device in the RRC Idle state includes cell selection / cell reselection based on the terminal device.

[0061] The RRC inactive state is a new RRC state defined to reduce air interface signaling, quickly restore wireless connections, and quickly restore data services. The RRC inactive state is a state between the RRC connected state and the RRC idle state (that is, the RRC inactive state is different from the RRC connected state and the RRC idle state). The terminal device has previously entered the RRC connected state and then released the RRC connection with the network device, but the network device saves the AS context of the terminal device. In addition, the connection established between the network device and the core network for the terminal device has not been released, that is, the user plane bearer and control plane bearer between the RAN and the CN are still maintained, that is, there is a connection between CN-NR.

[0062] In the RRC inactive state, the RAN can send paging messages to the terminal device, meaning that the paging process can be triggered by the RAN. RAN-based paging areas are managed by the RAN, and network equipment can determine the terminal device's location based on the RAN's paging area level. Mobility management for terminal devices in the RRC inactive state includes terminal-based cell selection and reselection.

[0063] NTN

[0064] Currently, 3GPP is researching NTN technology. NTN generally uses satellite communications to provide communication services to users on the ground. Compared to terrestrial communication networks (for example, ground cellular networks), satellite communications offer many unique advantages.

[0065] First, satellite communications are not restricted by user geography. For example, conventional terrestrial communication networks cannot cover areas where network equipment cannot be deployed, such as oceans, mountains, and deserts. Alternatively, terrestrial communication networks cannot cover certain areas due to sparse populations. However, satellite communications, because a single satellite can cover a large ground area and orbits the Earth, theoretically, every corner of the Earth can be covered by a satellite communication network.

[0066] Secondly, satellite communications have significant social value. They can provide low-cost coverage to remote, mountainous areas and impoverished countries and regions, enabling people in these areas to enjoy advanced voice communications and mobile internet technologies. From this perspective, satellite communications help narrow the digital divide with developed regions and promote their development.

[0067] Again, satellite communication has a long distance, and the communication cost does not increase significantly with the increase of communication distance.

[0068] Finally, satellite communications are highly stable and not affected by natural disasters.

[0069] Communication satellites can be divided into LEO satellites, MEO satellites, GEO satellites, HEO satellites, etc. according to the different orbital altitudes. At the current stage, the main research is on LEO satellites and GEO satellites.

[0070] LEO satellites typically operate at altitudes between 500 and 1500 km. Accordingly, their orbital period is approximately 1.5 to 2 hours. For LEO satellites, the signal propagation delay for single-hop communication between users is typically less than 20 milliseconds. The maximum satellite visibility time for LEO satellites is approximately 20 minutes. LEO satellites offer advantages such as short signal propagation distances, low link loss, and low transmit power requirements for terminal devices.

[0071] GEO satellites orbit at an altitude of approximately 35,786 km. They orbit the Earth every 24 hours. For GEO satellites, the signal propagation delay for single-hop communication between users is typically about 250 milliseconds.

[0072] To ensure satellite coverage and increase the capacity of the entire satellite communication system, satellites typically use multiple beams to cover the ground. Therefore, a single satellite can form dozens or even hundreds of beams to cover the ground. A single satellite beam can cover a ground area with a diameter of tens to hundreds of kilometers.

[0073] Currently, NTN systems can include NR NTN systems and IoT NTN systems.

[0074] NTN Network Architecture

[0075] The NTN network architecture may include the following network elements: gateway, feeder link, service link and satellite.

[0076] The NTN network architecture may include one or more gateways, which may be used to connect satellites and terrestrial public networks. Generally speaking, the gateways may be deployed on the ground.

[0077] A feeder link may refer to a link for communication between a gateway and a satellite.

[0078] The service link may refer to a link for communication between a terminal device and a satellite.

[0079] In terms of the functions provided by satellites, they can be categorized as those with transparent payloads or those with regenerative payloads. Transparent payload satellites provide only radio frequency filtering, frequency conversion, and amplification. In other words, transparent payload satellites transparently forward signals without altering the waveform of the transmitted signal. Regenerative payload satellites, in addition to providing radio frequency filtering, frequency conversion, and amplification, can also provide one or more of the following functions: demodulation, decoding, routing, conversion, encoding, and modulation. Regenerative payload satellites can have some or all of the functions of a base station. Depending on the functions provided by satellites in an NTN network, NTN network architectures can be categorized as either transparent or regenerative. Figures 2 and 3 provide example diagrams of transparent and regenerative payload NTN architectures, respectively. In the regeneration and forwarding NTN network architecture, the terminal equipment and the satellite can communicate through the NR Uu interface, and the satellite and the gateway can communicate through the satellite radio interface (SRI). The SRI interface can be used to send interface messages between the satellite and the core network.

[0080] In some embodiments, the NTN network architecture may further include inter-satellite links (ISLs). For example, ISLs may exist in a regenerative forwarding NTN network architecture.

[0081] Sidelink Relay

[0082] Some communication systems (e.g., NR systems) support UE-to-Network (U2N) sidelink relay. The communication system may support different sidelink relay modes (or relay types), for example, Layer 3 relay mode and / or Layer 2 relay mode.

[0083] The Layer 3 relay approach has minimal impact on network devices. This is because, with Layer 3 relay, remote devices are not registered with the network; data is forwarded solely through sessions between the relay device and network devices. This eliminates direct connectivity between the remote device and the access network, and the core network eliminates the need for mobility and session management for remote devices. However, Layer 3 relay also has drawbacks, such as the potential for service interruption. Because remote devices are not registered with the network, the network cannot maintain a fixed user plane anchor point for them, making service interruption more likely during mobility.

[0084] Layer 2 relaying is a relaying method that performs relaying at the access layer. Compared to Layer 3 relaying, Layer 2 relaying requires significant changes to terminal devices and network equipment. In Layer 2 relaying, relay devices can provide relaying between remote devices and network devices through the access layer, creating a direct connection between the remote devices and network devices (for example, a direct RRC link). Furthermore, in Layer 2 relaying, remote devices can register with the core network, which provides a user plane anchor point for the remote devices. Therefore, Layer 2 relaying offers improved service continuity.

[0085] Before a remote device establishes a sidelink with a relay device, the remote device needs to search for suitable relay devices in the surrounding area. This process can be called a relay discovery process. In some embodiments, relay discovery can include two models: Model A and Model B. In Model A, the relay device can broadcast its own discovery message, and then the remote device interested in these messages can read and process them to determine whether a sidelink connection (or sidelink) can be established between the two. In Model B, the remote device can send a discovery message in the hope of receiving a response from the relay device. After receiving the discovery message sent by the remote device, the surrounding relay devices can decide whether to respond, thereby further determining whether a sidelink connection can be established between the two.

[0086] That is to say, during the sidelink relay process from the terminal device to the network, the relay device or the remote device can execute the sending of relay discovery messages and monitor the relay discovery messages on the sidelink. Taking the relay device executing the sending of relay discovery messages and monitoring the relay discovery messages on the sidelink as an example, the network device can configure a signal quality measurement threshold for the relay device, such as a Uu RSRP threshold, so that the relay device decides whether to send a relay discovery message to the remote device. In some embodiments, the measurement threshold configured by the network device can be a maximum measurement threshold, a minimum measurement threshold, or can also include a maximum measurement threshold and a minimum measurement threshold at the same time. In some embodiments, the measurement threshold can be broadcast by the network device, or can be configured by the network device through dedicated signaling (such as RRC dedicated signaling).

[0087] Before the remote device establishes a side link with the relay device, the remote device can decide when to trigger the selection of the relay device, that is, when to establish a connection or communicate with the relay device to communicate with the network device through the relay device. This process can be called the relay selection / reselection process.

[0088] In some embodiments, the remote device can determine when to trigger relay device selection based on signal quality measurements. Specifically, the network device can broadcast a signal quality threshold corresponding to the Uu link (e.g., a Uu RSRP threshold), which the remote device can use to determine whether to trigger the relay device selection process, which is used for the remote device to connect or communicate with the relay device. As an implementation method, the remote device can perform wireless measurements of the sidelink (or, wireless measurements of the PC5 link / PC5 interface) based on the above-mentioned signal quality threshold to determine whether to trigger the relay device selection process based on the measurement results.

[0089] As can be seen, in terrestrial networks, during the sidelink relay process from a terminal device to the network, many operations performed by the terminal device (such as relay discovery, relay selection / reselection, etc.) are based on signal quality measurements, such as RSRP measurements. However, in NTNs, since the signal quality of NTN cells does not accurately reflect the near-far effect, signal quality-based measurements may no longer be applicable to NTN communications.

[0090] Taking the NTN relay selection process as an example, since the signal quality of NTN cells does not accurately reflect the near-far effect, triggering the NTN relay selection process based on signal quality measurements may cause the remote device to initiate the relay selection process too early or too late. If the remote device initiates the relay selection process too early, it may cause the remote device to attach to the relay device too early, resulting in unnecessary consumption of sidelink relay resources. If the remote device initiates the relay selection process too late, it may use a poor Uu direct link when initiating a service request, resulting in connection failure. The NTN relay discovery process is similar to the relay selection process. If the relay discovery process is triggered based on signal quality measurements, it may also cause the remote device or relay device to initiate the relay discovery process too early or too late.

[0091] In summary, in NTN cells, measurement based on signal quality may no longer be applicable to NTN communications. The sideways relay process in the NTN needs to be adapted according to the characteristics of the NTN network.

[0092] To solve the above problems, the embodiments of the present application provide a wireless communication method and apparatus that can be applied to the sideline relay process in NTN and improve the rationality of NTN relay. The technical solution of the present application is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0093] Figure 4 is a schematic flow chart of a wireless communication method provided in one embodiment of the present application. The method shown in Figure 4 can be performed by a first terminal device, which can be, for example, a remote device, such as terminal device 130 shown in Figure 1 . In some embodiments, the first terminal device can be a terminal device connected to an NTN. The method shown in Figure 4 can include step S410, which is described below.

[0094] In step S410, when a first condition is met, the first terminal device performs a first operation.

[0095] The first operation is related to a process in which the first terminal device accesses the network device through the first relay device, or in other words, the first operation is related to a sidelink relay process in which the first terminal device accesses the network. In other words, the first operation may refer to various operations involved in the sidelink relay process in which the first terminal device accesses the network.

[0096] In some embodiments, the first operation may refer to a relay discovery operation involved in a sidelink relay process in which the first terminal device accesses the network.

[0097] In some embodiments, the first operation may refer to a relay selection / reselection operation involved in a sidelink relay process in which the first terminal device accesses the network.

[0098] In some embodiments, the first operation may refer to other operations involved in the sidelink relay process except for relay discovery and relay selection / reselection operations, such as measurement-related operations.

[0099] In the embodiment of the present application, the first condition is associated with the first location information and / or the first time information. The first location information and the first time information are introduced below respectively.

[0100] The first location information may be used to indicate location information of the first terminal device in the serving cell. In other words, the first location information may be used to indicate a relative position relationship between the first terminal device and the serving cell.

[0101] The serving cell may refer to a cell currently serving the first terminal device. In some embodiments, the serving cell may refer to an NTN cell. However, the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the serving cell may also be a TN cell.

[0102] The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific indication method of the first location information, as long as it can indicate the location information of the first terminal device in the service cell.

[0103] As an implementation, the first location information may use the distance between the first terminal device and the serving cell to indicate the location information of the first terminal device in the serving cell. Exemplarily, the first location information may include one or more of the following: the distance between the first terminal device and a reference point of the serving cell; the distance between the first terminal device and a satellite of the serving cell; the distance between the first terminal device and a network device, etc.

[0104] The present embodiment of the application does not specifically limit the setting of the reference point of the serving cell. For example, the reference point of the serving cell may be the center of the serving cell. However, the present embodiment of the application is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the reference point of the serving cell may also be the edge of the serving cell, or any other arbitrary location of the serving cell.

[0105] In some embodiments, the serving cell may be irregularly shaped. In this case, when the reference point of the serving cell is the center of the serving cell, it may refer to the geometric center of the serving cell. In addition, when the serving cell is irregularly shaped, the edge of the serving cell may correspond to multiple different edge locations. In this case, the edge of the cell may refer to the edge location closest to the center of the serving cell or the edge location farthest from the center of the serving cell.

[0106] In some embodiments, the reference point of the serving cell may be predefined or preconfigured by a protocol. In some embodiments, the reference point of the serving cell may be configured by a network device, for example, the network device may configure the reference point of the serving cell through higher layer signaling or system information.

[0107] As another implementation, the first location information may utilize the location of the first terminal device and the location of the serving cell to indicate the location information of the first terminal device in the serving cell. Exemplarily, the first location information may include: the location information of the first terminal device and / or the location information of the serving cell.

[0108] The location information of the first terminal device may be, for example, absolute geographic location information, such as longitude and latitude. The location information of the serving cell may, for example, refer to the location information of the reference point of the serving cell or the location information of the satellite of the serving cell, wherein the location information of the reference point of the serving cell or the location information of the satellite of the serving cell may also be absolute geographic location information. In this way, the relative position relationship between the first terminal device and the serving cell may be calculated based on the location information of the first terminal device and the location information of the serving cell, that is, the location information of the first terminal device in the serving cell may be obtained.

[0109] It should be understood that the distance mentioned above may refer to a straight-line distance or other types of distances, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0110] The first time information can be used to indicate the time information of the serving cell serving / stopping serving the first terminal device. In other words, the first time information can be used to indicate the remaining coverage time of the serving cell, that is, the remaining time that the serving cell can provide service to the first terminal device.

[0111] For example, in a communication scenario where the distance between the first terminal device and the network device is constantly changing, or in a scenario where the network device or the terminal device is moving, such as an NTN communication scenario, the network device is in a high-speed mobile state. In this case, the coverage range of the service cell will change. Assuming that the coverage range of the service cell at moment 1 is range A, as the network device moves, its coverage range at moment 2 may be range B. Then, when the terminal device is stationary within range A, there will be a remaining coverage time of the service cell.

[0112] In some embodiments, the time information when the serving cell serves / stops serving the first terminal device may refer to time information of the current coverage area of ​​the serving cell serving / stopping serving the cell. Taking the serving cell as an NTN cell as an example, assuming that the serving cell is a semi-static (quasi-earth fixed) NTN cell, the coverage area of ​​the serving cell may remain unchanged over a period of time. In this case, the time information when the serving cell serves / stops serving the first terminal device may refer to time information of the current coverage area of ​​the serving cell serving / stopping serving the cell.

[0113] In some embodiments, the time information when the serving cell serves / stops serving the first terminal device may refer to the time information of the current location of the first terminal device. Still taking the serving cell as an NTN cell as an example, assuming that the serving cell is a dynamic (earth moving) NTN cell, the coverage of the serving cell continuously moves with the movement of the satellite. In this case, the time information when the serving cell serves / stops serving the first terminal device may refer to the time information of the current location of the first terminal device.

[0114] In some embodiments, the first time information may be a relative time. For example, the first time information may be the remaining time that the serving cell can provide service to the first terminal device, that is, how long the serving cell can still provide coverage for the first terminal device. As a specific example, the first time information may be 30 minutes, indicating that the remaining time that the serving cell can still provide service to the first terminal device is 30 minutes.

[0115] In some embodiments, the first time information may refer to an absolute time. For example, the first time information may be the last time the serving cell was able to provide service to the first terminal device, or the time when the serving cell stopped providing service to the first terminal device. As a specific example, the first time information may be 12:00:00 on February 23, 2023, indicating that the serving cell was able to provide service to the first terminal device before 12:00:00 on February 23, 2023, and temporarily could not provide service to the first terminal device after that time.

[0116] It should be noted that when the first time information is an absolute time, the embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the representation format of the first time information. For example, the first time information can be represented by Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), or by a system frame number, subframe number, time slot number, symbol, etc.

[0117] In an embodiment of the present application, the first terminal device can perform multiple operations (first operations) involved in the sidelink relay process from the first terminal device to the network based on the first location information and / or the first time information. In other words, the embodiment of the present application can combine the first location information and / or the first time information to reduce the impact of the inability of signal quality-based measurements to accurately reflect the near-far effect, thereby facilitating better application to the sidelink relay process in the NTN cell.

[0118] In some embodiments, in addition to being associated with the first location information and / or the first time information, the first condition may also be associated with other information. For example, the first condition may also be associated with signal quality information (such as signal quality information measured by the first terminal device or signal quality information that the first terminal device needs to measure).

[0119] Exemplarily, the first condition may be associated with signal quality information of a first link measured by the first terminal device, where the first link is a direct link between the first terminal device and the network device.

[0120] The embodiments of the present application do not limit the type of signal quality information. In some embodiments, the signal quality information may include, for example, RSRP information. In some embodiments, the signal quality information may include reference signal receiving quality (RSRQ) information, signal to interference noise ratio (SINR) information, etc.

[0121] In this way, the embodiment of the present application can combine the measurement based on signal quality and the measurement based on location and / or time, thereby improving the rationality of the sidelink relay process in the NTN cell.

[0122] Based on the above introduction, the following exemplifies the first operation performed by the first terminal device based on the first condition, taking the first operation including the relay discovery operation and the relay selection / reselection operation as an example.

[0123] Relay Discovery:

[0124] FIG5 is a flow chart of a wireless communication method provided by another embodiment of the present application. Referring to FIG5 , step S410 described above may include step S510. In step S510, if a first condition is met, the first terminal device sends a first message to the first relay device or the first terminal device listens for the first message. The first message is used by the first terminal device to discover the first relay device. In other words, if the first condition is met, the first terminal device discovers the first relay device.

[0125] In some embodiments, the first message may also be called a relay discovery message, a relay discovery request message, etc., which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0126] In some embodiments, after the first terminal device sends a first message to the first relay device, it expects to receive a response from the relay device. After receiving the discovery message sent by the first terminal device, the relay devices around the first terminal device can decide whether to respond, thereby further determining whether a side connection can be established between the two.

[0127] In some embodiments, the first terminal device may monitor first messages sent by surrounding relay devices, and then respond to the relay device of interest, so as to subsequently determine whether a sideline connection can be established between the two.

[0128] During the relay discovery process, the first condition mentioned above may include related conditions associated with the first location information, for example, it may include one or more of the following: the distance between the first terminal device and the reference point of the service cell is greater than / equal to a first threshold; and the distance between the first terminal device and the satellite of the service cell is greater than / equal to a second threshold.

[0129] The embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the values ​​of the first threshold and / or the second threshold, and can be flexibly set according to actual needs.

[0130] In some embodiments, the first threshold and the second threshold may have the same value. In some embodiments, the first threshold and the second threshold may have different values, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0131] In some embodiments, the first threshold and / or the second threshold may be configured by the network device, for example, by the network device through system information or dedicated signaling. However, the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto, and the first threshold and / or the second threshold may also be predefined or preconfigured by a protocol, for example.

[0132] During the relay discovery process, the first condition mentioned above may include related conditions associated with the first time information, for example, it may include one or more of the following: before the time when the service cell stops serving the current coverage area; and before the time when the service cell stops serving the current location of the first terminal device.

[0133] For example, when the serving cell is a semi-static NTN cell, the first condition may include: before the time when the serving cell stops serving the current coverage area arrives. Alternatively, when the serving cell is a dynamic NTN cell, the first condition may include: before the time when the serving cell stops serving the current location of the first terminal device arrives.

[0134] Relay selection / reselection:

[0135] When the first condition is met, the first terminal device performs a first operation, including: when the first condition is met, the first terminal device selects / reselects a first relay device.

[0136] The embodiments of the present application do not limit the implementation method of the first terminal device selecting / reselecting the first relay device. As an implementation method, the first terminal device can select / reselect the first relay device by measuring the side link (PC5 link). Specifically, the first terminal device can perform measurement of the first side link, which is the side link between the first terminal device and the first relay device. The measurement of the first side link can be used by the first terminal device to select / reselect the first relay device.

[0137] During the relay selection / reselection process, the first condition mentioned above may include relevant conditions associated with the first location information, for example, may include one or more of the following: the distance between the first terminal device and the reference point of the service cell is greater than / equal to a third threshold; and the distance between the first terminal device and the satellite of the service cell is greater than / equal to a fourth threshold.

[0138] The embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the values ​​of the third threshold and / or the fourth threshold, and they can be flexibly set according to actual needs.

[0139] In some embodiments, the third threshold value and the fourth threshold value may be the same. In some embodiments, the third threshold value and the fourth threshold value may be different, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0140] In some embodiments, the third threshold and / or the fourth threshold may be configured by the network device, for example, by the network device through system information or dedicated signaling. However, the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto, and the third threshold and / or the fourth threshold may also be predefined or preconfigured by a protocol, for example.

[0141] During the relay selection / reselection process, the first condition mentioned above may include related conditions associated with the first time information, for example, it may include one or more of the following: before the time when the service cell stops serving the current coverage area; and before the time when the service cell stops serving the current location of the first terminal device.

[0142] For example, when the serving cell is a semi-static NTN cell, the first condition may include: before the time when the serving cell stops serving the current coverage area arrives. Alternatively, when the serving cell is a dynamic NTN cell, the first condition may include: before the time when the serving cell stops serving the current location of the first terminal device arrives.

[0143] Figure 6 is a schematic flow diagram of a wireless communication method provided in yet another embodiment of the present application. The method shown in Figure 6 can be performed by a first relay device, such as terminal device 120 shown in Figure 1. In some embodiments, the first relay device can be a relay device connected to an NTN. The method shown in Figure 6 may include step S610, which is described below.

[0144] In step S610 , when the second condition is met, the first relay device performs a second operation.

[0145] The second operation is related to the process of the first terminal device accessing the network device through the first relay device, or in other words, the second operation is related to the sidelink relay process of the first terminal device accessing the network. In other words, the second operation can refer to various operations involved in the sidelink relay process of the first terminal device accessing the network.

[0146] In some embodiments, the second operation may refer to a relay discovery operation involved in a sidelink relay process in which the first terminal device accesses the network.

[0147] In some embodiments, the second operation may refer to other operations involved in the sidelink relay process except relay discovery, such as measurement-related operations.

[0148] In the embodiment of the present application, the second condition is associated with the second location information. The second location information is introduced below.

[0149] The second location information may be used to indicate the location information of the first relay device in the serving cell. In other words, the second location information may be used to indicate the relative position relationship between the first relay device and the serving cell.

[0150] The serving cell may refer to a cell currently serving the first relay device. In some embodiments, the serving cell may refer to an NTN cell. However, the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the serving cell may also be a TN cell.

[0151] The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific indication method of the second location information, as long as it can indicate the location information of the first relay device in the serving cell.

[0152] As an implementation, the second location information may use the distance between the first relay device and the serving cell to indicate the location information of the first relay device in the serving cell. Exemplarily, the second location information may include one or more of the following: the distance between the first relay device and a reference point of the serving cell; the distance between the first relay device and a satellite of the serving cell; the distance between the first relay device and a network device, etc.

[0153] The present embodiment of the application does not specifically limit the setting of the reference point of the serving cell. For example, the reference point of the serving cell may be the center of the serving cell. However, the present embodiment of the application is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the reference point of the serving cell may also be the edge of the serving cell, or any other arbitrary location of the serving cell.

[0154] As another implementation, the second location information may utilize the location of the first relay device and the location of the serving cell to indicate the location information of the first relay device in the serving cell. Exemplarily, the second location information may include: the location information of the first relay device and / or the location information of the serving cell.

[0155] The location information of the first relay device may be, for example, absolute geographic location information, such as longitude and latitude. The location information of the serving cell may, for example, refer to the location information of the reference point of the serving cell or the location information of the satellite of the serving cell, wherein the location information of the reference point of the serving cell or the location information of the satellite of the serving cell may also be absolute geographic location information. In this way, the relative position relationship between the first relay device and the serving cell can be calculated based on the location information of the first relay device and the location information of the serving cell, that is, the location information of the first relay device in the serving cell can be obtained.

[0156] In an embodiment of the present application, the first relay device can perform multiple operations (second operations) involved in the sidelink relay process from the first terminal device to the network based on the second location information. In other words, the embodiment of the present application can combine the second location information to reduce the impact of the inability of signal quality-based measurements to accurately reflect the near-far effect, thereby facilitating better application to the sidelink relay process in NTN cells.

[0157] In some embodiments, in addition to being associated with the second location information, the second condition may also be associated with other information. For example, the second condition may also be associated with signal quality information (such as signal quality information measured by the first relay device or signal quality information that the first relay device needs to measure).

[0158] Exemplarily, the second condition may be associated with signal quality information of a second link measured by the first relay device, where the second link is a direct link between the first relay device and the network device.

[0159] The embodiments of the present application do not limit the type of signal quality information. In some embodiments, the signal quality information may include, for example, RSRP information. In some embodiments, the signal quality information may include RSRQ information, SINR information, etc.

[0160] In this way, the embodiment of the present application can combine the measurement based on signal quality and the measurement based on location, thereby improving the rationality of the sidelink relay process in the NTN cell.

[0161] Based on the above introduction, the following takes the second operation including the relay discovery operation as an example to exemplarily introduce the first relay device performing the second operation based on the second condition.

[0162] Relay Discovery:

[0163] Figure 7 is a schematic flow chart of a wireless communication method provided by another embodiment of the present application. Referring to Figure 7 , step S610 described above may include step S710. In step S710, if the second condition is met, the first relay device sends a first message to the first terminal device or the first relay device listens for the first message. The first message is used by the first terminal device to discover the first relay device.

[0164] In some embodiments, the first message may also be called a relay discovery message, a relay discovery request message, etc., which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0165] In some embodiments, after the first relay device sends the first message to the first terminal device, it can read and process the remote device of interest (eg, the first terminal device) to determine whether a side connection can be established between the two.

[0166] In some embodiments, the first relay device may monitor a first message sent by a surrounding remote device (eg, a first terminal device) and decide whether to respond to the first message, thereby further determining whether a sideline connection can be established between the two.

[0167] During the relay discovery process, the second condition mentioned above may include related conditions associated with the second location information, for example, it may include one or more of the following: the distance between the first relay device and the reference point of the service cell is greater than / equal to the fifth threshold; the distance between the first relay device and the reference point of the service cell is less than / equal to the sixth threshold; the distance between the first relay device and the reference point of the service cell is greater than / equal to the fifth threshold and less than / equal to the sixth threshold; the distance between the first relay device and the satellite of the service cell is greater than / equal to the seventh threshold; the distance between the first relay device and the satellite of the service cell is less than / equal to the eighth threshold; and the distance between the first relay device and the satellite of the service cell is greater than / equal to the seventh threshold and less than / equal to the eighth threshold.

[0168] The embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the values ​​of the thresholds mentioned above (for example, the fifth threshold, the seventh threshold, etc.), and can be flexibly set according to actual needs.

[0169] In some embodiments, the values ​​of some of the thresholds mentioned above may be the same, for example, the fifth threshold and the sixth threshold may be the same, the seventh threshold and the eighth threshold may be the same, etc. In some embodiments, the values ​​of the thresholds mentioned above may be different, for example, the fifth threshold and the sixth threshold may be different, the fifth threshold and the seventh threshold may be different, etc., and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0170] In some embodiments, the thresholds mentioned above may be configured by the network device, for example, the network device may configure the thresholds through system information or dedicated signaling. However, the present application is not limited thereto, and the thresholds mentioned above may also be predefined or preconfigured by the protocol.

[0171] For ease of understanding, several specific embodiments are given below. It should be noted that the embodiments listed below are only examples and are not intended to limit the technical solutions of this application.

[0172] Example 1: The first terminal device (remote device) triggers relay selection based on the first location information

[0173] In the NTN, the first terminal device may determine when to trigger relay selection based on the first location information and / or the RSRP measurement value. As an implementation, the first terminal device may perform wireless measurements of the PC5 interface based on the first location information and / or the RSRP measurement value to determine when to trigger relay selection.

[0174] In some embodiments, when any one of the conditions based on the first location information and the conditions based on the Uu RSRP is met, the first terminal device triggers relay selection.

[0175] In some embodiments, when a condition based on the first location information and a condition based on Uu RSRP are simultaneously met, the first terminal device triggers relay selection.

[0176] The above-mentioned conditions based on the first location information may include one or more of the following: the distance between the first terminal device and the reference point of the NTN cell is greater than a threshold 1 (for example, the third threshold mentioned above); and the distance between the first terminal device and the satellite of the NTN cell is greater than a threshold 2 (for example, the fourth threshold mentioned above).

[0177] The values ​​of the above threshold 1 and / or threshold 2 may be configured by the network device through system information or dedicated signaling.

[0178] Example 2: The first terminal device (remote device) triggers relay selection based on the first time information

[0179] In the NTN, the first terminal device may determine when to trigger relay selection based on the first time information. As an implementation, the first terminal device may perform wireless measurement of the PC5 interface based on the first time information to determine when to trigger relay selection.

[0180] In some embodiments, for a semi-static NTN cell, if the NTN cell broadcasts time information (eg, t-Service) when the NTN cell will stop serving the current coverage area, the first terminal device may trigger relay selection before the t-Service time arrives.

[0181] In some embodiments, for a dynamic NTN cell, if the first terminal device can calculate the time information (e.g., t-Service-UE) when the NTN cell stops serving the first terminal device's current location, the first terminal device can trigger relay selection before the t-Service-UE moment arrives.

[0182] Example 3: The first terminal device (remote device) and / or the first relay device (relay device) decides to send and / or monitor the first message based on the location information

[0183] In an NTN, a first terminal device and / or a first relay device may determine whether to send and / or monitor a first message (e.g., a relay discovery message) based on location information. For example, the first terminal device may determine whether to send and / or monitor the first message based on first location information, and the first relay device may determine whether to send and / or monitor the first message based on second location information.

[0184] In some embodiments, when any one of the conditions based on location information and the conditions based on Uu RSRP is met, the first terminal device or the first relay device sends and / or listens to the first message. For example, when any one of the conditions based on the first location and the conditions based on Uu RSRP is met, the first terminal device sends and / or listens to the first message, or, when any one of the conditions based on the second location and the conditions based on Uu RSRP is met, the first relay device sends and / or listens to the first message.

[0185] In some embodiments, when a condition based on location information and a condition based on Uu RSRP are simultaneously met, the first terminal device or the first relay device sends and / or listens to the first message. For example, when a condition based on the first location and a condition based on Uu RSRP are simultaneously met, the first terminal device sends and / or listens to the first message, or, when a condition based on the second location and a condition based on Uu RSRP are simultaneously met, the first relay device sends and / or listens to the first message.

[0186] The above-mentioned conditions based on the first location information may include one or more of the following: the distance between the first terminal device and the reference point of the NTN cell is greater than a threshold 3 (for example, the first threshold mentioned above); and the distance between the first terminal device and the satellite of the NTN cell is greater than a threshold 4 (for example, the second threshold mentioned above).

[0187] The values ​​of the above threshold 3 and / or threshold 4 may be configured by the network device through system information or dedicated signaling.

[0188] The above-mentioned conditions based on the second location information may include one or more of the following: the distance between the first relay device and the reference point of the NTN cell is greater than a threshold 5 (for example, the fifth threshold mentioned above), or less than a threshold 6 (for example, the sixth threshold mentioned above), or greater than threshold 5 and less than threshold 6; the distance between the first relay device and the satellite of the NTN cell is greater than a threshold 7 (for example, the seventh threshold mentioned above), or less than a threshold 8 (for example, the eighth threshold mentioned above), or greater than threshold 7 and less than threshold 8.

[0189] The values ​​of the above thresholds (such as threshold 5 to threshold 8) can be configured by the network device through system information or dedicated signaling.

[0190] The method embodiment of the present application is described in detail above in conjunction with Figures 1 to 7 . The device embodiment of the present application is described in detail below in conjunction with Figures 8 to 10 . It should be understood that the description of the method embodiment corresponds to the description of the device embodiment. Therefore, for parts not described in detail, reference can be made to the above method embodiment.

[0191] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The terminal device 800 shown in FIG8 can be any of the first terminal devices mentioned above. The terminal device 800 can include an execution module 810.

[0192] The execution module 810 can be used to perform a first operation when a first condition is met, and the first operation is related to the process of the first terminal device accessing the network device through the first relay device; wherein the first condition is associated with the first location information and / or the first time information, the first location information is used to indicate the location information of the first terminal device in the service cell, and the first time information is used to indicate the time information of the service cell serving / stopping serving the first terminal device.

[0193] Optionally, the first location information includes one or more of the following: the distance between the first terminal device and a reference point of the serving cell; and the distance between the first terminal device and a satellite of the serving cell.

[0194] Optionally, the first time information includes one or more of the following: time information of the current coverage area when the serving cell serves / stops serving; and time information of the current location of the first terminal device when the serving cell serves / stops serving.

[0195] Optionally, the execution module 810 is further used to: when a first condition is met, send a first message to the first relay device or monitor a first message, where the first message is used for the first terminal device to discover the first relay device.

[0196] Optionally, the first condition includes one or more of the following: the distance between the first terminal device and the reference point of the service cell is greater than / equal to a first threshold; and the distance between the first terminal device and the satellite of the service cell is greater than / equal to a second threshold.

[0197] Optionally, the execution module 810 is further configured to: select / reselect the first relay device when a first condition is met.

[0198] Optionally, the first condition includes one or more of the following: the distance between the first terminal device and the reference point of the service cell is greater than / equal to a third threshold; the distance between the first terminal device and the satellite of the service cell is greater than / equal to a fourth threshold; before the time when the service cell stops serving the current coverage area; and before the time when the service cell stops serving the current location of the first terminal device.

[0199] Optionally, the execution module 810 is further used to: perform measurement of a first side link, wherein the first side link is a side link between the first terminal device and the first relay device, and the measurement of the first side link is used by the first terminal device to select / reselect the first relay device.

[0200] Optionally, the first condition is associated with signal quality information of a first link measured by the first terminal device, where the first link is a direct link between the first terminal device and the network device.

[0201] Optionally, the serving cell is a non-terrestrial communication network NTN cell.

[0202] Optionally, the execution module 810 may be a processor 1010. The terminal device 800 may further include a transceiver 1030 and a memory 1020, as specifically shown in FIG10 .

[0203] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a relay device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The relay device 900 shown in FIG9 can be any of the first relay devices described above. The relay device 900 can include an execution module 910.

[0204] The execution module 910 can be used to perform a second operation when a second condition is met, and the second operation is related to the process of the first terminal device accessing the network device through the first relay device; wherein the second condition is associated with the second location information, and the second location information is used to indicate the location information of the first relay device in the service cell.

[0205] Optionally, the second location information includes one or more of the following: the distance between the first relay device and a reference point of the serving cell; and the distance between the first relay device and a satellite of the serving cell.

[0206] Optionally, the execution module 910 is further used to: when a second condition is met, send a first message to the first terminal device or monitor a first message, where the first message is used by the first terminal device to discover the first relay device.

[0207] Optionally, the second condition includes one or more of the following: the distance between the first relay device and the reference point of the service cell is greater than / equal to a fifth threshold; the distance between the first relay device and the reference point of the service cell is less than / equal to a sixth threshold; the distance between the first relay device and the reference point of the service cell is greater than / equal to the fifth threshold and less than / equal to the sixth threshold; the distance between the first relay device and the satellite of the service cell is greater than / equal to the seventh threshold; the distance between the first relay device and the satellite of the service cell is less than / equal to the eighth threshold; and the distance between the first relay device and the satellite of the service cell is greater than / equal to the seventh threshold and less than / equal to the eighth threshold.

[0208] Optionally, the second condition is associated with signal quality information of a second link measured by the first relay device, where the second link is a direct link between the first relay device and the network device.

[0209] Optionally, the serving cell is a non-terrestrial communication network NTN cell.

[0210] Optionally, the execution module 910 may be a processor 1010. The relay device 900 may further include a transceiver 1030 and a memory 1020, as specifically shown in FIG10 .

[0211] Figure 10 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. The dashed lines in Figure 10 indicate that the unit or module is optional. The device 1000 may be used to implement the method described in the above method embodiment. The device 1000 may be a chip, a terminal device, or a network device.

[0212] The device 1000 may include one or more processors 1010. The processor 1010 may support the device 1000 in implementing the method described in the method embodiment above. The processor 1010 may be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor. For example, the processor may be a central processing unit (CPU). Alternatively, the processor may be another 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, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may be any conventional processor, etc.

[0213] The apparatus 1000 may further include one or more memories 1020. The memories 1020 store programs that can be executed by the processor 1010, causing the processor 1010 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. The memories 1020 may be independent of the processor 1010 or integrated into the processor 1010.

[0214] The apparatus 1000 may further include a transceiver 1830. The processor 1010 may communicate with other devices or chips via the transceiver 1830. For example, the processor 1010 may transmit and receive data with other devices or chips via the transceiver 1830.

[0215] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a program. The computer-readable storage medium can be applied to a terminal or network device provided in the present application, and the program enables a computer to execute the method performed by the terminal or network device in each embodiment of the present application.

[0216] The present application also provides a computer program product. The computer program product includes a program. The computer program product can be applied to a terminal or network device provided in the present application, and the program causes a computer to execute the method performed by the terminal or network device in each embodiment of the present application.

[0217] The embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program. The computer program can be applied to the terminal or network device provided in the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program enables a computer to execute the method performed by the terminal or network device in each embodiment of the present application.

[0218] It should be understood that the terms "system" and "network" in this application can be used interchangeably. In addition, the terms used in this application are only used to explain the specific embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit this application. The terms "first", "second", "third", and "fourth" in the specification and claims of this application and the accompanying drawings are used to distinguish different objects rather than to describe a specific order. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions.

[0219] In the embodiments of this application, the term "indication" may refer to a direct indication, an indirect indication, or an indication of an association. For example, "A indicates B" may refer to a direct indication of B, e.g., B can obtain information through A; it may refer to an indirect indication of B, e.g., A indicates C, e.g., B can obtain information through C; or it may refer to an association between A and B.

[0220] In the embodiment of the present application, "B corresponding to A" means that B is associated with A and B can be determined based on A. However, it should be understood that determining B based on A does not mean determining B based solely on A, but B can also be determined based on A and / or other information.

[0221] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "corresponding" may indicate a direct or indirect correspondence between the two, or an association relationship between the two, or a relationship between indication and indication, configuration and configuration, etc.

[0222] In the embodiments of the present application, "pre-definition" or "pre-configuration" may be implemented by pre-storing corresponding codes, tables, or other methods that can be used to indicate relevant information in a device (e.g., a terminal device and a network device). The present application does not limit the specific implementation method. For example, pre-definition may refer to information defined in a protocol.

[0223] In the embodiments of the present application, the “protocol” may refer to a standard protocol in the communications field, for example, it may include an LTE protocol, an NR protocol, and related protocols used in future communication systems, and the present application does not limit this.

[0224] In the embodiments of this application, the term "and / or" is simply a description of the association relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the related objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0225] In various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0226] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0227] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0228] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0229] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center via a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) method. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be read by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrated therein. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a digital versatile disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state disk (SSD)).

[0230] 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 of wireless communication, It is characterized in that include: When the first condition is met, the first terminal device performs a first operation, where the first operation is related to a process in which the first terminal device accesses a network device through a first relay device; The first condition is associated with first location information and / or first time information, the first location information is used to indicate location information of the first terminal device in the service cell, and the first time information is used to indicate time information when the service cell serves / stops serving the first terminal device.

2. The method according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The first location information includes one or more of the following: a distance between the first terminal device and a reference point of the serving cell; and The distance between the first terminal device and the satellite of the serving cell.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, It is characterized in that The first time information includes one or more of the following: Time information of the serving cell serving / stopping serving the current coverage area; and The service cell serves / stops serving the time information of the current location of the first terminal device.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, It is characterized in that When the first condition is met, the first terminal device performs the first operation, including: When the first condition is met, the first terminal device sends a first message to the first relay device or the first terminal device listens to a first message, where the first message is used by the first terminal device to discover the first relay device.

5. The method according to claim 4, It is characterized in that The first condition includes one or more of the following: A distance between the first terminal device and a reference point of the serving cell is greater than / equal to a first threshold; and The distance between the first terminal device and the satellite of the service cell is greater than / equal to a second threshold.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, It is characterized in that When the first condition is met, the first terminal device performs the first operation, including: When the first condition is met, the first terminal device selects / reselects the first relay device.

7. The method according to claim 6, It is characterized in that The first condition includes one or more of the following: The distance between the first terminal device and the reference point of the serving cell is greater than / equal to a third threshold; The distance between the first terminal device and the satellite of the serving cell is greater than / equal to a fourth threshold; Before the time when the serving cell stops serving the current coverage area arrives; as well as The service cell stops serving the current location of the first terminal device before the time arrives.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, It is characterized in that The first terminal device selecting / reselecting the first relay device includes: The first terminal device performs measurement of a first sidelink, wherein the first sidelink is a sidelink between the first terminal device and the first relay device, and the measurement of the first sidelink is used by the first terminal device to select / reselect the first relay device.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, It is characterized in that The first condition is associated with signal quality information of a first link measured by the first terminal device, where the first link is a direct link between the first terminal device and the network device.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, It is characterized in that The service cell is a non-terrestrial communication network NTN cell.

11. A method of wireless communication, It is characterized in that include: When the second condition is met, the first relay device performs a second operation, and the second operation is performed by the first terminal device The process of the first relay device accessing the network device is related to the process of the first relay device accessing the network device through the first relay device; The second condition is associated with second location information, and the second location information is used to indicate location information of the first relay device in the serving cell.

12. The method according to claim 11, It is characterized in that The second location information includes one or more of the following: a distance between the first relay device and a reference point of the serving cell; and The distance between the first relay device and the satellite of the serving cell.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, It is characterized in that When the second condition is met, the first relay device performs the second operation, including: When the second condition is met, the first relay device sends a first message to the first terminal device or the first relay device listens to a first message, where the first message is used by the first terminal device to discover the first relay device.

14. The method according to claim 13, It is characterized in that The second condition includes one or more of the following: The distance between the first relay device and the reference point of the serving cell is greater than / equal to a fifth threshold; The distance between the first relay device and the reference point of the serving cell is less than / equal to a sixth threshold; The distance between the first relay device and the reference point of the serving cell is greater than / equal to a fifth threshold and less than / equal to a sixth threshold; The distance between the first relay device and the satellite of the serving cell is greater than / equal to a seventh threshold; The distance between the first relay device and the satellite of the serving cell is less than / equal to an eighth threshold; as well as The distance between the first relay device and the satellite of the serving cell is greater than / equal to a seventh threshold and less than / equal to an eighth threshold.

15. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, It is characterized in that The second condition is associated with signal quality information of a second link measured by the first relay device, where the second link is a direct link between the first relay device and the network device.

16. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, It is characterized in that The service cell is a non-terrestrial communication network NTN cell.

17. A terminal device, It is characterized in that The terminal device is a first terminal device, and the terminal device includes: An execution module, configured to execute a first operation when a first condition is met, wherein the first operation is related to a process in which the first terminal device accesses a network device through a first relay device; The first condition is associated with first location information and / or first time information, the first location information is used to indicate location information of the first terminal device in the service cell, and the first time information is used to indicate time information when the service cell serves / stops serving the first terminal device.

18. The terminal device according to claim 17, It is characterized in that The first location information includes one or more of the following: a distance between the first terminal device and a reference point of the serving cell; and The distance between the first terminal device and the satellite of the serving cell.

19. The terminal device according to claim 17 or 18, It is characterized in that The first time information includes one or more of the following: Time information of the serving cell serving / stopping serving the current coverage area; and The service cell serves / stops serving the time information of the current location of the first terminal device.

20. The terminal device according to any one of claims 17 to 19, It is characterized in that The execution module is further used for: When the first condition is met, a first message is sent to the first relay device or a first message is monitored, where the first message is used by the first terminal device to discover the first relay device.

21. The terminal device according to claim 20, It is characterized in that The first condition includes one or more of the following: A distance between the first terminal device and a reference point of the serving cell is greater than / equal to a first threshold; and The distance between the first terminal device and the satellite of the service cell is greater than / equal to a second threshold.

22. The terminal device according to any one of claims 17 to 19, It is characterized in that The execution module is further used for: When the first condition is met, the first relay device is selected / reselected.

23. The terminal device according to claim 22, It is characterized in that The first condition includes one or more of the following: The distance between the first terminal device and the reference point of the serving cell is greater than / equal to a third threshold; The distance between the first terminal device and the satellite of the serving cell is greater than / equal to a fourth threshold; Before the time when the serving cell stops serving the current coverage area arrives; as well as The service cell stops serving the current location of the first terminal device before the time arrives.

24. The terminal device according to claim 22 or 23, It is characterized in that The execution module is further used for: Perform measurement of a first sidelink, wherein the first sidelink is a sidelink between the first terminal device and the first relay device, and the measurement of the first sidelink is used by the first terminal device to select / reselect the first relay device.

25. The terminal device according to any one of claims 17 to 24, It is characterized in that The first condition is associated with signal quality information of a first link measured by the first terminal device, where the first link is a direct link between the first terminal device and the network device.

26. The terminal device according to any one of claims 17 to 25, It is characterized in that The service cell is a non-terrestrial communication network NTN cell.

27. A relay device, It is characterized in that The relay device is a first relay device, and the relay device includes: an execution module, configured to execute a second operation when a second condition is met, wherein the second operation is related to a process in which the first terminal device accesses a network device through the first relay device; The second condition is associated with second location information, and the second location information is used to indicate location information of the first relay device in the serving cell.

28. The relay device according to claim 27, It is characterized in that The second location information includes one or more of the following: a distance between the first relay device and a reference point of the serving cell; and The distance between the first relay device and the satellite of the serving cell.

29. The relay device according to claim 27 or 28, It is characterized in that The execution module is further used for: When the second condition is met, a first message is sent to the first terminal device or a first message is monitored, where the first message is used by the first terminal device to discover the first relay device.

30. The relay device according to claim 29, It is characterized in that The second condition includes one or more of the following: The distance between the first relay device and the reference point of the serving cell is greater than / equal to a fifth threshold; The distance between the first relay device and the reference point of the serving cell is less than / equal to a sixth threshold; The distance between the first relay device and the reference point of the serving cell is greater than / equal to a fifth threshold and less than / equal to a sixth threshold; The distance between the first relay device and the satellite of the serving cell is greater than / equal to a seventh threshold; The distance between the first relay device and the satellite of the serving cell is less than / equal to an eighth threshold; as well as The distance between the first relay device and the satellite of the serving cell is greater than / equal to a seventh threshold and less than / equal to an eighth threshold.

31. The relay device according to any one of claims 27 to 30, It is characterized in that The second condition is associated with signal quality information of a second link measured by the first relay device, where the second link is a direct link between the first relay device and the network device.

32. The relay device according to any one of claims 27 to 31, It is characterized in that The service cell is a non-terrestrial communication network NTN cell.

33. A terminal device, It is characterized in that The method comprises a memory and a processor, wherein the memory is used to store a program, and the processor is used to call the program in the memory so that the terminal device executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

34. A relay device, It is characterized in that It comprises a memory and a processor, the memory is used to store a program, and the processor is used to call the program in the memory so that the relay device executes the method as described in any one of claims 11-16.

35. A device, It is characterized in that The device comprises a processor, configured to call a program from a memory so as to enable the device to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

36. A chip, It is characterized in that It comprises a processor, which is used to call a program from a memory, so that a device equipped with the chip executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

37. A computer readable storage medium, It is characterized in that A program is stored thereon, and the program enables a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

38. A computer program product, It is characterized in that The method comprises a program which causes a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

39. A computer program, It is characterized in that The computer program enables a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

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