Communication method and device and storage medium

Abstract

The invention discloses a communication method and device and a storage medium. In the application, after the terminal receives the first bias at the first moment, the first bias at the first moment is adjusted according to the first bias at the first moment and the first transmission delay inequality in the feed link corresponding to the first moment between the serving cell and the adjacent cell, and the second bias at the second moment is obtained, so that accurate bias can be obtained; and the accuracy of adjacent cell measurement is improved.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application, the original application's application number is 202310101444.3, the original application's filing date is January 20, 2023, and the entire contents of the original application are incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, in particular to a communication method and device and storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0003] Non-terrestrial network (NTN) is a communication realized by means of non-terrestrial network devices. Non-terrestrial network devices include satellite, unmanned aerial vehicle and high altitude platform station (HAPS) communication system and other aerial network devices. NTN has the advantages of wide coverage, long communication distance, high reliability, great flexibility and high throughput, and is not affected by geographical environment, climate conditions and natural disasters, and has been widely used in fields such as aviation communication, maritime communication and military communication. The introduction of NTN into the future 5th-generation (5G) mobile network can greatly improve user experience. On the one hand, NTN network can provide communication services for areas that are difficult to cover by ground network, such as oceans, forests, deserts or remote areas; on the other hand, NTN network can enhance the reliability of 5G communication, such as providing more stable communication services for users in high-speed mobile scenarios such as trains and airplanes; in addition, NTN network can also provide more data transmission resources to support a larger number of connections. Thanks to the concept of "communication at any time and any place", the status of satellite communication network will further improve in the future.

[0004] In a cell selection / reselection or handover scenario, the network side issues measurement configuration information to the terminal device for measurement. The measurement configuration information includes SSB-based measurement timing configuration (SSB-based measurement timing configuration, SMTC configuration). The SMTC configuration includes a period, a duration and an SMTC offset, which are used to determine a measurement window. However, after the network side issues the offset, the terminal device may not perform the corresponding measurement for a period of time, and during this period of time, the satellite has moved to a large extent. The movement of the satellite causes the offset configured by the network side to be mismatched with the offset actually required by the terminal when actually measuring, resulting in inaccurate offset configured by the network side, and further affecting the accuracy of the measurement. SUMMARY

[0005] The application provides a communication method, device and storage medium to improve the accuracy of neighbor cell measurement.

[0006] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which includes: a terminal device receiving first information, the first information including a first offset at a first time, the first offset being used to determine a measurement window; and adjusting the first offset at the first time to obtain a second offset at a second time according to the first offset at the first time and a first transmission delay difference in a feeder link corresponding to the first time between a serving cell and a neighbor cell.

[0007] Equivalently, the above-mentioned adjusting the first offset at the first time to obtain the second offset at the second time can also be described as compensating for the transmission delay change of the feeder link caused by satellite movement to obtain the second offset at the second time; or can also be described as adjusting the second offset at the second time.

[0008] In this aspect, after the terminal device receives the first offset at the first time, the first offset at the first time is adjusted to obtain the second offset at the second time according to the first offset at the first time and the first transmission delay difference in the feeder link corresponding to the first time between the serving cell and the neighbor cell, so that an accurate offset can be obtained, and the accuracy of neighbor cell measurement is improved.

[0009] In a possible implementation, the first transmission delay difference is a feeder link transmission delay difference between the serving cell and the neighbor cell, or the first transmission delay difference is a Common TA difference between the serving cell and the neighbor cell.

[0010] In this implementation, if the base station has compensated for the transmission delay between the uplink synchronization reference point and the base station when configuring the above-mentioned first offset, the above-mentioned first transmission delay difference is the Common TA difference between the serving cell and the neighbor cell; if the base station has not compensated for the transmission delay between the uplink synchronization reference point and the base station when configuring the above-mentioned first offset, the above-mentioned first transmission delay difference is the transmission delay difference between the serving cell and the neighbor cell satellite and the base station, that is, including the Common TA and K mac .

[0011] In yet another possible implementation, the method further includes: obtaining the first transmission delay difference.

[0012] In yet another possible implementation, the obtaining the first transmission delay difference includes: obtaining the first time; receiving second information, the second information including feeder link related parameters; and determining the first transmission delay difference according to the first time and the feeder link related parameters.

[0013] In a further possible implementation, the determining the first transmission delay difference comprises determining the first transmission delay difference according to the first time instant and feeder link related parameters of the serving cell and the neighbor cell.

[0014] In this implementation, the first transmission delay difference can be determined by the terminal itself.

[0015] In a further possible implementation, the first information further comprises the first time instant.

[0016] In a further possible implementation, the first information is system information, and the first time instant is an end time instant of a system information window of the first information.

[0017] In this implementation, the first time instant is an end time instant of a system information window of the first information, thereby reducing signaling overhead of the first information.

[0018] In a further possible implementation, the first time instant is a reference time, and the reference time is a reference time of ephemeris information and the common timing advance.

[0019] In this implementation, the first time instant is a reference time, thereby reducing signaling overhead of the first information.

[0020] In a further possible implementation, the first information further comprises the first transmission delay difference.

[0021] In this implementation, the first transmission delay difference can be sent to the terminal by the access network device, thereby requiring lower computation capability of the terminal.

[0022] In a further possible implementation, the adjusting the first offset of the first time instant according to the offset of the first time instant, and a first transmission delay difference in a feeder link corresponding to the first time instant between the serving cell and the neighbor cell, to obtain a second offset of the second time instant, comprises determining the second offset of the second time instant according to the following formula: offset_T2 = (SL2_T2 - SL1_T2) + (FL2_T2 - FL1_T2) + (FL2_T1 - FL1_T1 + T_sfn) - (FL2_T1 - FL1_T1); wherein the offset_T2 is the second offset of the second time instant, the SL2_T2 is a transmission delay of a serving link of the neighbor cell at the second time instant, the SL1_T2 is a transmission delay of a serving link of the serving cell at the second time instant, the FL2_T2 is a transmission delay of a feeder link of the neighbor cell at the second time instant, the FL1_T2 is a transmission delay of a feeder link of the serving cell at the second time instant, and the T_sfn is a timing difference of signal transmission of the serving cell and the neighbor cell.

[0023] In yet another possible implementation, a time difference between the second time instant and the first time instant exceeds a set time difference.

[0024] In this implementation, if the terminal configures the measurement within Delta T1 time after receiving the above-mentioned first offset (i.e., the time difference between the second time instant and the first time instant does not exceed the set time difference), it can be considered that the first offset caused by the satellite movement changes little, and thus the SMTC offset can be directly calculated using the first offset issued by the base station, without further adjusting the first offset. Otherwise, the time difference between the second time instant and the first time instant exceeds the set time difference, and thus the above-mentioned adjustment needs to be performed.

[0025] In yet another possible implementation, the set time difference is carried in the first information; or the set time difference is pre-agreed; or the set time difference is a timing length of a timer.

[0026] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, and the method includes: obtaining, by a network device, first information, the first information indicating a first time instant and a first offset of the first time instant, the first information being used to determine a measurement window; and transmitting the first information.

[0027] In this aspect, the network device transmits the first information to the terminal, the first information including the first offset of the first time instant, and the terminal adjusts the first offset of the first time instant according to the first offset of the first time instant and a first transmission delay difference in a feeder link between a serving cell and a neighbor cell at the first time instant after receiving the first offset of the first time instant, to obtain a second offset of a second time instant, so that an accurate offset can be obtained, and the accuracy of neighbor cell measurement is improved.

[0028] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving second information from a neighbor base station, the second information including a third offset; and determining the first offset according to the second information.

[0029] In this implementation, the manner in which the serving base station determines the first offset is specified, and the accuracy of the first offset is improved.

[0030] In yet another possible implementation, the third offset is based on a first transmission delay in a feeder link of the neighbor cell; and the second information further includes a third time instant, the third time instant being a time instant corresponding to the third offset. The third offset being based on the first transmission delay in the feeder link of the neighbor cell means that the first transmission delay in the feeder link is considered when the third offset is determined.

[0031] In this implementation, the first transmission delay is the first transmission delay corresponding to the third time instant.

[0032] In a possible implementation, the first transmission delay is a feeder link transmission delay corresponding to the third time point, or the first transmission delay is a common timing advance (Common TA) corresponding to the third time point.

[0033] In yet another possible implementation, the method further includes: determining, according to the third time point and feeder link information of the neighbor cell, a feeder link transmission delay of the neighbor cell at the third time point; determining, according to feeder link information (for example, Common TA related parameters) of the neighbor cell, a feeder link transmission delay of the neighbor cell at the first time point; optionally, the feeder link transmission delay of the neighbor cell at the first time point can also be determined according to ephemeris information of the neighbor cell; and adjusting the third offset according to the feeder link transmission delay of the neighbor cell at the third time point and the feeder link transmission delay of the neighbor cell at the first time point, to obtain the first offset.

[0034] In this implementation, when the third offset is not based on the first transmission delay in the feeder link of the neighbor cell, the serving base station can determine, according to the feeder link information of the neighbor cell, the feeder link transmission delay of the neighbor cell at the first time point, and adjust the third offset according to the feeder link transmission delay of the neighbor cell at the first time point, to obtain the first offset.

[0035] In yet another possible implementation, the third offset is not based on the first transmission delay in the feeder link of the neighbor cell. The third offset not being based on the first transmission delay in the feeder link of the neighbor cell means that the first transmission delay in the feeder link is not considered when the third offset is determined.

[0036] In yet another possible implementation, the method further includes: determining, according to feeder link information of the neighbor cell, a feeder link transmission delay of the neighbor cell at the first time point; and adjusting the third offset according to the feeder link transmission delay of the neighbor cell at the first time point, to obtain the first offset.

[0037] In this implementation, when the third offset is not based on the first transmission delay in the feeder link of the neighbor cell, the serving base station can determine, according to the feeder link information of the neighbor cell, the feeder link transmission delay of the neighbor cell at the first time point, and adjust the third offset according to the feeder link transmission delay of the neighbor cell at the first time point, to obtain the first offset.

[0038] In a third aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The communication apparatus can implement the method in the first aspect. For example, the communication apparatus can be a terminal or a chip system of a terminal. The method can be implemented through software, hardware, or through hardware executing corresponding software.

[0039] In a possible implementation, the apparatus includes: a transceiver and a processing unit; wherein: the transceiver is configured to receive first information, the first information including a first offset at a first time, the first offset being used to determine a measurement window; and the processing unit is configured to adjust the first offset at the first time according to the first offset at the first time and a first transmission delay difference in a feeder link corresponding to the first time between a serving cell and a neighbor cell, to obtain a second offset at a second time.

[0040] Optionally, the first transmission delay difference is a feeder link transmission delay difference between the serving cell and the neighbor cell, or the first transmission delay difference is a Common TA difference between the serving cell and the neighbor cell.

[0041] Optionally, the processing unit is further configured to obtain the first transmission delay difference.

[0042] Optionally, the processing unit is further configured to obtain the first time; the transceiver is further configured to receive second information, the second information including feeder link related parameters; and the processing unit is further configured to determine the first transmission delay difference according to the first time and the feeder link related parameters.

[0043] Optionally, the first information further includes the first time.

[0044] Optionally, the first information is system information, and the first time is an end time of a system information window of the first information.

[0045] Optionally, the first time is a reference time, and the reference time is a reference time of ephemeris information and the Common TA.

[0046] Optionally, the first information further includes the first transmission delay difference.

[0047] Optionally, the processing unit is further configured to determine the second offset at the second time according to the following formula: offset_T2 = (SL2_T2 – SL1_T2) + (FL2_T2 – FL1_T2) + (FL2_T1 – FL1_T1 + T_sfn) – (FL2_T1 – FL1_T1); wherein the offset_T2 is the second offset at the second time, the SL2_T2 is a transmission delay of a serving link of the neighbor cell at the second time, the SL1_T2 is a transmission delay of a serving link of the serving cell at the second time, the FL2_T2 is a transmission delay of a feeder link of the neighbor cell at the second time, the FL1_T2 is a transmission delay of a feeder link of the serving cell at the second time, and the T_sfn is a timing difference of serving cell and neighbor cell signal transmission.

[0048] Optionally, a time difference between the second time instant and the first time instant exceeds a set time difference.

[0049] Optionally, the set time difference is carried in the first information; or the set time difference is pre-negotiated; or the set time difference is a timing duration of a timer.

[0050] In a fourth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The communication apparatus can implement the method in the second aspect. For example, the communication apparatus can be a network device or a chip system in a network device. The method can be implemented by software, hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software.

[0051] In a possible implementation, the apparatus includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit; wherein: the processing unit is configured to acquire first information, the first information indicating a first time instant and a first offset of the first time instant, the first information being used to determine a measurement window; and the transceiver unit is configured to send the first information.

[0052] Optionally, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive second information from a neighbor base station, the second information including a third offset; and the processing unit is further configured to determine the first offset according to the second information.

[0053] Optionally, the third offset is based on a first transmission delay in a feeder link of the neighbor; and the second information further includes a third time instant, the third time instant being a time instant corresponding to the third offset.

[0054] Optionally, the processing unit is further configured to determine a feeder link transmission delay of the third time instant of the neighbor according to the third time instant and feeder link information of the neighbor; the processing unit is further configured to determine a feeder link transmission delay of the first time instant of the neighbor according to the feeder link information of the neighbor; and the processing unit is further configured to adjust the third offset to obtain the first offset according to the feeder link transmission delay of the third time instant of the neighbor and the feeder link transmission delay of the first time instant of the neighbor.

[0055] Optionally, the third offset is not based on a first transmission delay in a feeder link of the neighbor.

[0056] Optionally, the processing unit is further configured to determine a feeder link transmission delay of the first time instant of the neighbor according to the feeder link information of the neighbor; and the processing unit is further configured to adjust the third offset to obtain the first offset according to the feeder link transmission delay of the first time instant of the neighbor.

[0057] In a possible implementation of the third aspect or the fourth aspect, the communication apparatus includes a processor coupled with a memory; the processor is configured to support the apparatus to perform the corresponding functions in the communication method described above. The memory is used to be coupled with the processor, and stores the computer programs (or computer executable instructions) and / or data necessary for the apparatus. Optionally, the communication apparatus can further include a communication interface for supporting the communication between the apparatus and other network elements, such as the transmission or reception of data and / or signals. Exemplarily, the communication interface can be a transceiver, a circuit, a bus, a module or other types of communication interfaces. Optionally, the memory can be located inside the communication apparatus and integrated with the processor; or located outside the communication apparatus.

[0058] In a possible implementation of the third aspect or the fourth aspect, the communication apparatus includes a processor and a transceiver, the processor is coupled with the transceiver, the processor is configured to execute computer programs or instructions to control the transceiver to receive and send information; when the processor executes the computer programs or instructions, the processor is further configured to realize the method described above through a logic circuit or an execution code instruction. The transceiver can be a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, an interface circuit or an input / output interface, which is configured to receive signals from other communication apparatuses outside the communication apparatus and transmit the signals to the processor, or transmit signals from the processor to other communication apparatuses outside the communication apparatus. When the communication apparatus is a chip, the transceiver is a transceiver circuit or an input / output interface.

[0059] When the communication apparatus is a chip, the sending unit can be an output unit, such as an output circuit or a communication interface; the receiving unit can be an input unit, such as an input circuit or a communication interface. When the communication apparatus is a terminal, the sending unit can be a transmitter or a transmitter; the receiving unit can be a receiver or a receiver.

[0060] In a fifth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes the communication apparatus of the third aspect and the communication apparatus of the fourth aspect.

[0061] In a sixth aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program or instructions, and the program or instructions are executed by a processor to perform the method described in any one of the first aspect or the second aspect or any implementation.

[0062] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product is provided, which, when executed on a computing device, causes the method described in any one of the first aspect or the second aspect or any implementation to be performed.

[0063] Eighthly, a circuit is provided coupled to a memory, the circuit being used to perform any one of the first and second aspects described above, or to implement the method described in any one of them. The circuit may include a chip circuit. Attached Figure Description

[0064] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system used in the embodiments of this application;

[0065] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a CU-DU architecture provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0066] Figure 3a A schematic diagram of a transparent satellite architecture provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0067] Figure 3b A schematic diagram of a regenerative satellite architecture provided in this application embodiment;

[0068] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of an NTN SMTC configuration provided for an embodiment of this application;

[0069] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the SMTC configuration expiration caused by satellite movement, as exemplified in an embodiment of this application.

[0070] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0071] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the transmission delay of the power supply link in an NTN, as exemplified by an embodiment of this application.

[0072] Figure 8 A flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0073] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0074] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0075] The embodiments of this application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0076] The embodiments of this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE time division duplex (TDD) systems, and fifth-generation (5G) systems. th5G (generation, 5G) communication systems and the future sixth-generation (6G) communication systems. th Generation 6G communication systems, etc.

[0077] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system used in the embodiments of this application. Figure 1 As shown, the communication system 1000 includes a wireless access network 100 and a core network 200. Optionally, the communication system 1000 may also include an Internet 300. The wireless access network 100 may include at least one wireless access network device (such as...). Figure 1 110a and 110b in the above), may also include at least one terminal (such as Figure 1 (Referring to 120a-120j in the original text). Terminals connect wirelessly to the wireless access network (WLAN) equipment, which in turn connects to the core network via wireless or wired connections. The core network equipment and the WLAN equipment can be independent physical devices, or they can integrate the functions of the core network equipment and the logical functions of the WLAN equipment onto the same physical device. Alternatively, a single physical device can integrate some of the functions of both the core network equipment and the WLAN equipment. Terminals and WLAN equipment can be interconnected via wired or wireless connections. Figure 1 This is just an illustration; the communication system may also include other network devices, such as wireless repeaters and wireless backhaul devices. Figure 1 It is not shown in the middle.

[0078] The radio access network device refers to a radio access network (RAN) node (or device) for accessing a terminal to a wireless network, which can also be referred to as a base station. Currently, some examples of RAN nodes are: a continued evolution of a node B (gNB), a transmission reception point (TRP), an evolved node B (eNB), a radio network controller (RNC), a node B (NB), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a home base station (for example, a home evolved node B, or a home node B (HNB)), a base band unit (BBU), or a wireless fidelity (Wifi) access point (AP), and the like. In addition, in a network structure, the access network device can include a centralized unit (CU) node, or a distributed unit (DU) node, or a RAN device including the CU node and the DU node. The RAN device including the CU node and the DU node splits the protocol layers of the gNB in the NR system, and the functions of part of the protocol layers are controlled by the CU, and the functions of the remaining part or all of the protocol layers are distributed in the DU and controlled by the CU. Further, the centralized unit CU can also be divided into a control plane (CU-CP) and a user plane (CU-UP), as shown in the CU-DU architecture diagram provided by the embodiments of the present application. Figure 2 The CU-CP is responsible for the control plane function, mainly including RRC and the PDCP corresponding to the control plane, that is, PDCP-C. The PDCP-C is mainly responsible for the encryption and decryption of the control plane data, integrity protection, data transmission, and the like. The CU-UP is responsible for the user plane function, mainly including SDAP and the PDCP corresponding to the user plane, that is, PDCP-U. The SDAP is mainly responsible for processing the data of the core network and mapping the flow to the bearer. The PDCP-U is mainly responsible for the encryption and decryption of the data plane, integrity protection, header compression, sequence number maintenance, data transmission, and the like. The CU-CP and the CU-UP are connected through an E1 interface. The CU-CP is connected to the core network through an NG interface. The control plane of the CU, that is, F1-C, is connected to the DU through an F1 interface. The CU-UP is connected to the DU through an F1-U interface. Of course, there is also a possible implementation that the PDCP-C is also in the CU-UP. For ease of description, the base station is taken as an example of the radio access network device in the following description.

[0079] A terminal can also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc., and refers to a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user. For example, a handheld device having wireless connection capability, a vehicle-mounted device, etc. The terminal can be widely applied to various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle to everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), internet of things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, remote medical treatment, smart power grid, smart home, smart office, smart wear, smart transportation, smart city, etc. The terminal can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a wearable device, a vehicle, a drone, a helicopter, an airplane, a ship, a robot, a mechanical arm, a smart home device, etc. Embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the terminal.

[0080] A core network device refers to a device in a core network (CN) that provides service support for a terminal. Currently, some examples of core network devices are: an access and mobility management function (AMF) entity, a session management function (SMF) entity, a user plane function (UPF) entity, etc., which are not listed one by one here. Among them, the AMF entity can be responsible for access management and mobility management of the terminal; the SMF entity can be responsible for session management, such as session establishment of a user, etc.; the UPF entity can be a functional entity of the user plane, mainly responsible for connecting external networks. It should be noted that the entity in the present application can also be referred to as a network element or a functional entity, for example, the AMF entity can also be referred to as an AMF network element or an AMF functional entity, and for example, the SMF entity can also be referred to as an SMF network element or an SMF functional entity, etc.

[0081] The base station and the terminal can be fixed in position or movable. The base station and the terminal can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; can also be deployed on the water surface; can also be deployed on aircraft, balloons and artificial satellites in the air. Embodiments of the present application do not limit the application scenarios of the base station and the terminal.

[0082] The roles of the base station and the terminal can be relative, for example, Figure 1 The helicopter or the drone 120i in FIG. 1 can be configured to move the base station, and for those terminals 120j accessing the wireless access network 100 through the 120i, the terminal 120i is the base station; but for the base station 110a, the 120i is the terminal, that is, the 110a and the 120i communicate through the wireless air interface protocol. Of course, the 110a and the 120i can also communicate through the interface protocol between the base station and the base station, and at this time, the 120i is also the base station relative to the 110a. Therefore, the base station and the terminal can be collectively referred to as a communication device, Figure 1 The 110a and the 110b in FIG. 1 can be referred to as a communication device with a base station function, Figure 1 The 120a-120j in FIG. 1 can be referred to as a communication device with a terminal function.

[0083] The base station and the terminal, the base station and the base station, and the terminal and the terminal can communicate through the licensed spectrum, or through the unlicensed spectrum, or through the licensed spectrum and the unlicensed spectrum at the same time; can communicate through the spectrum below 6 gigahertz (GHz), or through the spectrum above 6 GHz, or through the spectrum below 6 GHz and the spectrum above 6 GHz at the same time. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the spectrum resources used by wireless communication.

[0084] In the embodiments of the present application, the functions of the base station can also be performed by a module (such as a chip) in the base station, or by a control subsystem containing the base station function. The control subsystem containing the base station function here can be a control center in the above-mentioned application scenarios such as smart grid, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart city. The functions of the terminal can also be performed by a module (such as a chip or a modem) in the terminal, or by a device containing the terminal function.

[0085] In the present application, the base station sends downlink signals or downlink information to the terminal, and the downlink information is carried on the downlink channel; the terminal sends uplink signals or uplink information to the base station, and the uplink information is carried on the uplink channel. In order to communicate with the base station, the terminal establishes a wireless connection with the cell controlled by the base station. The cell that establishes a wireless connection with the terminal is called the service cell of the terminal. When the terminal communicates with the service cell, it will also be interfered by the signals from the neighboring cells.

[0086] As described in the background, the introduction of satellites into the above communication system can greatly improve the user experience.

[0087] Generally speaking, the higher the orbit of the satellite, the larger the coverage area, but the longer the communication delay. According to the orbit height, the satellite can be divided into:

[0088] (1) Low Earth orbit (LEO): The orbital altitude is 160 to 2,000 km;

[0089] (2) Middle Earth orbit (MEO): The orbital altitude is 2,000 to 35,786 km;

[0090] (3) Geostationary Earth orbit (GEO): The orbital altitude is 35,786 km;

[0091] GEO is a geostationary Earth orbit in which satellites are stationary relative to the ground. LEO and MEO are collectively referred to as non-geostationary earth orbits (NGSO), in which satellites move at high speeds relative to the ground.

[0092] For NGSO, based on whether the satellite beam moves with the satellite, it can be further divided into earthmoving cells and earth fixed cells. For earthmoving cells, the cell moves relative to the ground, and the satellite beam points to follow the satellite's movement; for earth fixed cells, the cell is fixed relative to the ground for a certain period of time, and the satellite antenna can use its beamforming capability to point the beam to a fixed area on the ground for a certain period of time.

[0093] Based on their operating mode, satellites can generally be divided into two main categories. The first type is transparent relay, where the satellite relays cell information from terrestrial network equipment (such as base stations), such as... Figure 3a The diagram shown is a schematic of a transparent satellite architecture provided by an embodiment of this application. The satellite's role is to perform wireless frequency filtering, frequency conversion, and amplification. That is, the satellite mainly acts as an L1 relay, regenerating physical layer signals, and does not have any other higher protocol layers.

[0094] The second type is regenerative, where the satellite has the processing capabilities of a base station. Regenerative satellites can be further divided into those without inter-satellite links, such as... Figure 3b The illustration shown is a schematic diagram of a regenerative satellite architecture provided by the embodiments of this application, in which there is no inter-satellite link (ISL) between satellites; a regenerative satellite with an inter-satellite link means that there is an interface between satellites that can directly exchange data, wherein the inter-satellite link is an Xn port; there is also an architecture in which the satellite only has the DU processing function of the base station, in which the satellite acts as a DU.

[0095] In the cell selection / reselection procedure, the UE generally selects a target cell based on the measurement results of the UE. The UE measurement procedure mainly includes measurement configuration and measurement result generation. In the cell selection / reselection scenario, the UE performs relevant measurements according to the measurement configuration information issued by the base station. The measurement configuration information includes measurement objects (including synchronization signal block (SSB) frequency, SSB subcarrier spacing, SMTC configuration, white list and black list cells, etc.). In the measurement result generation link, the UE measures multiple SSB beams (at least one) of a cell, and combines the beam-level measurement results (power values) to derive the cell quality. Finally, the UE selects a suitable cell to camp on according to the measurement results and the cell selection / reselection criteria. It should be noted that in this application, SMTC and SSB can also be replaced by other names, which are not limited in this application. For example, SSB can be referred to as a reference signal, and SMTC can be referred to as a reference signal measurement timing configuration.

[0096] Each cell periodically transmits multiple SSB beams in the time domain (i.e., SSB beam sweeping). In order to ensure that all SSB beams under each cell are accurately and completely measured, when the base station issues the measurement configuration, in addition to indicating the SSB frequency to be measured, it will also indicate the timing position and duration of starting SSB measurement. That is, the UE is instructed to search for the time window of the SSB, which is configured by SMTC. By configuring SMTC, the time window for the UE to search for the SSB can be effectively indicated, and unnecessary measurement power consumption of the UE can be reduced.

[0097] SMTC refers to the timing configuration issued by the base station to the UE when the UE performs SSB-based measurement on the neighboring cell, including SMTC periodicity, SMTC duration and SMTC offset. For example, the SMTC configuration is given by SMTC1, and the configuration information element corresponding to SMTC1 is SSB-MTC, which contains two sub-information elements, periodicityAndOffset and duration.

[0098] periodicityAndOffset represents the SMTC periodicity (characterizing the repetition period of the measurement action, or the period of the SMTC measurement window), and the SMTC offset (used to determine the measurement window, for example, it can be the starting subframe of the UE search time window in the period).

[0099] duration represents the SMTC duration (characterizing the duration of the measurement action after the measurement action starts).

[0100] The UE generally determines a window for the UE to search for SSBs of a neighbor cell with reference to the timing of a current serving cell.

[0101] For example, the UE determines the first subframe of the measurement window corresponding to the system frame number (SFN) and subframe of the current serving cell according to the following formula.

[0102] SFN mod T = (FLOOR(SMTC offset / 10))

[0103] If the SMTC period exceeds 5 subframes, subframe = SMTC offset mod 10, otherwise subframe = SMTC offset or (SMTC offset + 5).

[0104] where T = CEIL(SMTC period / 10). CEIL() is the ceiling function.

[0105] For NTN networks, the cell coverage is large, generally tens to hundreds of kilometers. Therefore, there is a large difference in the transmission distance of the UE to the serving cell and the neighbor cell. In order to configure a suitable SMTC for the UE so that the UE can measure more neighbor cell signals, R17 introduces SMTC4list to enhance the SMTC configuration of NTN. The corresponding signal element of SMTC4list is one or more SSB-MTC4. SSB-MTC4 contains two sub-elements, pci-List and Offset. That is, the base station can configure multiple SMTCs for the UE. The offset in the SMTC corresponding to different cells can be different. The UE can use multiple SMTCs to perform measurements simultaneously. If the base station configures the UE with SMTC4list, the UE will establish additional SMTCs in addition to the SMTC corresponding to SMTC1, where the period and duration of these additional SMTCs are the same as the configuration of SMTC1, and the offset is the offset value carried by SMTC4list. A maximum of 4 SMTCs can be configured under the same measurement frequency, and the offsets of different SMTCs under the same frequency are different. Among them, as shown in Figure 4 The SMTC configuration method of the NTN is as follows:

[0106] The UE receives SMTC configuration information from the SIB message and obtains the offset from it. This offset includes the total or partial transmission delay difference of the feeder link (FL) between the serving cell and neighboring cells. Optionally, it may also include the timing difference T_sfn between the signal transmission of the serving cell and neighboring cells. The offset received from the base station does not include the transmission delay difference of the serving link between the serving cell and neighboring cells (i.e., it is assumed that the transmission delay difference of the serving link between the serving cell and neighboring cells is 0). In other words, the offset value in the SMTC configuration information sent by the base station to the UE is based on the base station considering the total or partial transmission delay difference of the feeder link between the serving cell and neighboring cells. Optionally, it may also consider the timing difference between the signal transmission of the serving cell and neighboring cells. The transmission delay difference of the serving link between the serving cell and neighboring cells is not considered. In other words, the offset value in the SMTC configuration information sent by the base station to the UE is related to the total or partial transmission delay difference of the feeder link between the serving cell and neighboring cells, and the timing difference between the signal transmission of the serving cell and neighboring cells, but is independent of the transmission delay difference of the serving link between the serving cell and neighboring cells.

[0107] Then the UE calculates the service link (SL) transmission delay difference, and obtains the final offset based on the service link transmission delay difference and the offset received from the SIB, that is, the final offset is obtained based on the actual transmission delay.

[0108] In other words, from the UE's perspective, the radio timing difference between the serving cell and neighboring cells seen by the UE consists of three parts: the serving link transmission delay difference, the power supply link transmission delay difference, and the timing difference in signal transmission between the serving cell and neighboring cells. The power supply link transmission delay difference and the timing difference in signal transmission between the serving cell and neighboring cells have already been considered by the base station when sending the offset to the UE, while the serving link transmission delay difference is calculated by the UE itself.

[0109] exist Figure 4 In this context, SL1 represents the transmission delay of the serving link of the serving cell, SL2 represents the transmission delay of the serving link of the neighboring cell, FL1 represents the transmission delay of the feeder link of the serving cell, and FL2 represents the transmission delay of the feeder link of the neighboring cell.

[0110] like Figure 5 The diagram illustrates an example of SMTC configuration expiration caused by satellite movement in an embodiment of this application. Since the UE may only perform corresponding measurements some time after the base station issues the SMTC configuration, the offset used by the UE may expire. For example, as shown... Figure 5As shown, at time T1, the base station sends the SMTC configuration to the UE. The offset sent at this time includes the feeder link transmission delay difference corresponding to time T1. The UE determines the time window for receiving the SSB based on the offset sent by the base station at time T1 when performing measurements. However, due to satellite movement, the feeder link transmission delay difference may have changed at time T2. Using the offset sent at time T1 may lead to inaccurate SMTC configuration, resulting in the inability to receive the desired neighboring cell signal. Alternatively, it can be understood that the SMTC configuration information sent by the base station only indicates the offset value, but does not indicate which time's feeder link transmission delay difference between the serving cell and neighboring cells was considered when configuring the offset. Therefore, due to satellite movement, when the UE performs measurements at time T2, the UE cannot know the difference between the feeder link transmission delay difference considered in the base station's configured offset and the feeder link transmission delay difference at time T2, thus failing to correctly obtain the offset that should be used at time T2, resulting in the inability to receive the desired neighboring cell signal. Alternatively, it can be understood that when the base station sets the offset value, it does not consider the difference in feeder link transmission delay between the serving cell and neighboring cells at the time the base station sends the offset. When the UE performs measurements at time T2, the UE cannot know the difference between the feeder link transmission delay difference considered in the offset configured by the base station and the feeder link transmission delay difference at time T2. Therefore, it cannot correctly obtain the offset that should be used at time T2, resulting in the inability to receive the neighboring cell signal it wants to measure. In addition, if the base station considers the difference in feeder link transmission delay between the serving cell and neighboring cells every time it sends the offset, this will cause the base station to update the offset value in the SMTC configuration every time it sends the offset. If the SMTC configuration is carried in the SIB message, it will cause the base station to frequently page the UE to notify the UE to re-acquire the offset value in the SMTC configuration in the SIB message.

[0111] To address this, this application provides a communication scheme whereby, after receiving a first offset at a first time, the terminal adjusts the first offset at the first time based on the first offset at the first time and the first transmission delay difference in the feeder link between the serving cell and neighboring cells at the first time, thereby obtaining a second offset at the second time. This allows for accurate offset determination and improves the accuracy of neighboring cell measurements. For example, the first time is the time when the base station configures the SMTC or when the base station issues the SMTC; the second time is the time when the terminal device performs the measurement.

[0112] like Figure 6 The diagram shown is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. Exemplarily, the method may include the following steps:

[0113] S601. The base station sends the first information.

[0114] Accordingly, the UE receives this first information.

[0115] The first information includes the first offset (offset_T1) at the first time T1. This offset_T1 is used to determine the measurement window.

[0116] The first offset can be the offset carried in SMTC1 or SMTC4list as described above. That is, the first offset is the corresponding offset in the SMTC configuration notified to the UE by the base station.

[0117] The offset_T1 includes the transmission delay difference of all or part of the feeder link (FL) between the serving cell and neighboring cells. Optionally, it may also include the timing difference T_sfn of signal transmission between the serving cell and neighboring cells. The offset_T1 received from the base station does not include the transmission delay difference of the serving link between the serving cell and neighboring cells (i.e., it is assumed that the transmission delay difference of the serving link between the serving cell and neighboring cells is 0); it can also be said that the value of offset in the SMTC configuration information sent by the base station to the UE is based on the base station considering the transmission delay difference of all or part of the feeder link between the serving cell and neighboring cells. Optionally, it may also consider the timing difference of signal transmission between the serving cell and neighboring cells. The transmission delay difference of the serving link between the serving cell and neighboring cells is not considered. It can also be said that the value of offset in the SMTC configuration information sent by the base station to the UE is related to the transmission delay difference of all or part of the feeder link between the serving cell and neighboring cells, and the timing difference of signal transmission between the serving cell and neighboring cells, but is not related to the transmission delay difference of the serving link between the serving cell and neighboring cells.

[0118] The transmission delay difference between the feeder links of the serving cell and the neighboring cell refers to the common timing advance difference of the feeder links between the serving cell and the neighboring cell, or the K-time difference of the feeder links between the serving cell and the neighboring cell. mac Poor. Public timing advance difference and K mac See the steps below for the meaning.

[0119] For example, the first moment is the moment corresponding to the first offset. For instance, the first offset includes the transmission delay difference of all or part of the feeder link between the serving cell and the neighboring cell at the first moment, or the first offset takes into account the transmission delay difference of all or part of the feeder link between the serving cell and the neighboring cell at the first moment, or the value of the first offset is related to the transmission delay difference of all or part of the feeder link between the serving cell and the neighboring cell.

[0120] For example, the first information could be SIB2 / SIB4.

[0121] S602. The UE adjusts the first offset at the first time according to the first offset at the first time and the first transmission delay difference in the feeder link between the serving cell and the neighboring cell at the first time to obtain the second offset at the second time.

[0122] It should be noted that S602 emphasizes that the UE determines the second offset at the second time based on the first transmission delay difference corresponding to the first time. Equivalently, this can also be expressed as the UE adjusting the second offset at the second time based on the first offset at the first time and the first transmission delay difference in the feeder link between the serving cell and neighboring cells at the first time. Alternatively, it can be expressed as the UE obtaining the actual offset (i.e., the propagation delay at the second time, which includes the total delay of the feeder link and the service link propagation delay), the first offset at the first time, and the first transmission delay difference in the feeder link between the serving cell and neighboring cells at the first time. Finally, it can be expressed as the UE obtaining the second offset at the second time based on the first offset at the first time, the first transmission delay difference in the feeder link between the serving cell and neighboring cells at the first time, and the service link delay difference between the serving cell and neighboring cells at the second time.

[0123] After the UE receives offset_T1 at the first moment, it may take some time before performing the measurement. During this period, the satellite may have moved, and the first transmission delay difference in the feed link may have changed. If the UE still performs the measurement based on offset_T1 at the first moment, it may not receive the neighboring cell signal it wants to measure. Alternatively, if the UE does not know the T1 time considered by the received offset, the UE cannot accurately obtain the offset required for the actual measurement time T2, and may also not receive the neighboring cell signal it wants to measure. Therefore, the UE needs to adjust offset_T1 when determining the SSB reception time window.

[0124] Among them, such as Figure 7 The diagram illustrates the transmission delay of the feeder link in an NTN as exemplified in this application. The feeder link transmission delay comprises two parts: one part is common time advanced (Common TA), representing the transmission delay between the satellite and the uplink synchronization reference point (RP); the other part is the transmission delay between the RP and the base station or NTN gateway, denoted by K. macThis indicates that if the base station has already compensated for the transmission delay between the RP and the base station or NTN gateway when configuring the above offset_T1, then the above first transmission delay difference is the CommonTA difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cell; if the base station has not compensated for, included, or considered the transmission delay between the RP and the base station or NTN gateway when configuring the above offset_T1, then the above first transmission delay difference is the transmission delay difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cell satellites to their respective base stations or NTN gateways, that is, the delay difference between the feeder link corresponding to the serving cell and the feeder link corresponding to the neighboring cell, including CommonTA and K. mac The difference lies in the fact that the base station will notify the UE of the serving cell and neighboring cells corresponding to K. mac For example, as indicated in SIB19. In this application, compensation may also be referred to as inclusion or consideration.

[0125] For example, the aforementioned offset_T1 includes the first transmission delay difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cell at the first moment, and the timing difference T_sfn between the serving cell and the neighboring cell signal transmission. It refers to the sum of the first transmission delay difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cell at the first moment, and the timing difference T_sfn between the serving cell and the neighboring cell signal transmission. Therefore, when the UE needs to adjust or determine the second offset at the second moment, it needs to additionally obtain the first transmission delay difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cell at the first moment.

[0126] In one implementation, the UE obtains the first transmission delay difference corresponding to the first moment. This could be achieved by the UE obtaining the first moment and receiving second information, which includes power supply link related parameters. These power supply link related parameters include CommonTA related parameters and / or K. mac Based on the first time point and the relevant parameters of the power supply link, the first transmission delay difference corresponding to the first time point is determined. The relevant parameters of the power supply link include the relevant parameters of the power supply link of the serving cell and neighboring cells.

[0127] For example, the base station can send the first moment to the UE. For instance, the base station can send the first moment to the UE together with the aforementioned offset_T1, that is, T1 can be sent to the UE along with the first information (e.g., SIB2 / SIB4).

[0128] For example, the UE may also use the end time of the system information window (SI window) of the first information (such as SIB2 / SIB4) as the first time, or if the UE does not receive an indication about the first time, the UE may use the end time of the system information window (SI window) of the first information as the first time.

[0129] The first moment can be indicated by the system frame number (SFN) and / or subframe number, such as the start time corresponding to the system frame number and / or subframe number; or, the first moment can also be represented by Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

[0130] For example, the first moment can also be a reference time (t). epoch This reference time is the ephemeris information and the CommonTA reference time. This reference time can be carried within SIB19. The reference time can be indicated by the system frame number (SFN) and / or subframe number, for example, the start time corresponding to that system frame number and / or subframe number; or the reference time can be the end time of the SIB19 system information window (SI window).

[0131] Among them, the CommonTA related parameters mentioned above include at least one of the following parameters: TA Common TA CommonDrift TA CommonDriftVariant These parameters can be sent from the base station to the UE via SIB19 messages.

[0132] Wherein, if the base station is configured with offset_T1, compensation or inclusion of K is taken into account. mac When the UE determines the first transmission delay difference corresponding to the first moment based on the first moment and the CommonTA related parameters, it does not need to consider K. mac The first transmission delay difference is the CommonTA difference between the serving cell and neighboring cells; if the base station does not compensate K when configuring offset_T1. mac When the UE determines the first transmission delay difference corresponding to the first moment based on the first moment and the CommonTA related parameters, it needs to consider K. mac The first transmission delay difference is the transmission delay difference of the power supply link.

[0133] The CommonTA of the serving cell or neighboring cell can be calculated using the following formula:

[0134]

[0135] Where t is the CommonTA corresponding to a certain time when we need to calculate, such as the first time T1 mentioned above.

[0136] After calculating the CommonTA of the serving cell and the CommonTA of the neighboring cell, the difference between the CommonTA of the neighboring cell and the CommonTA of the serving cell can be obtained, i.e., the CommonTA difference. For example, the CommonTA difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cell is the CommonTA of the neighboring cell minus the CommonTA of the serving cell, or the CommonTA of the serving cell minus the CommonTA of the neighboring cell.

[0137] The transmission delay between the RP and the base station or NTN gateway is based on K. mac Calculate K mac It is transmitted from the base station, for example, it can be carried in SIB19. Exemplarily, K mac The transmission delay is represented by K. mac The time slot duration corresponding to a subcarrier spacing of 15kHz is specifically K. mac The corresponding transmission delay is Delay_kmac = 2^u * Kmac slots, where the slot length is the slot length corresponding to a subcarrier spacing of u = 0 (i.e., a subcarrier spacing of 15kHz). u is a parameter corresponding to the subcarrier spacing; for example, u = 0 corresponds to a subcarrier spacing of 15kHz, and u = 1 corresponds to a subcarrier spacing of 30kHz.

[0138] In another implementation, the UE obtains the first transmission delay difference by obtaining the first moment and determining the first transmission delay difference based on the ephemeris information of the serving cell and neighboring cells.

[0139] In another implementation, the first transmission delay difference corresponding to the first moment is carried in the first information. That is, the base station can send the first transmission delay difference in the feeder link between the serving cell and neighboring cells corresponding to the first moment to the UE. For example, this first transmission delay difference can be carried in SIB2 / SIB4.

[0140] Alternatively, the base station may also send the first transmission delay in the feeder link corresponding to the first moment of the serving cell and the first transmission delay in the feeder link corresponding to the first moment of the neighboring cell to the UE, and the UE calculates the difference in the first transmission delay in the feeder link corresponding to the first moment between the serving cell and the neighboring cell.

[0141] After receiving the offset_T1 at the first moment and obtaining the first transmission delay difference in the feeder link between the serving cell and neighboring cells at the first moment, the UE can determine the second offset_T2 at the second moment based on the offset_T1 at the first moment and the first transmission delay difference in the feeder link between the serving cell and neighboring cells at the first moment. The determined offset_T2 takes into account the impact of satellite movement. For example, the offset_T2 can be obtained by adjusting the offset_T1 at the first moment. Equivalently, it can also be expressed as obtaining the offset_T2 by compensating for the change in the feeder link transmission delay difference caused by satellite movement. For example, the offset_T2 at the second moment can be determined according to the following formula:

[0142] offset_T2=(SL2_T2–SL1_T2)+(FL2_T2–FL1_T2)+(FL2_T1–FL1_T1+T_sfn)–(FL2_T1–FL1_T1) or o ffset_T2=-((SL2_T2–SL1_T2)+(FL2_T2–FL1_T2)+(FL2_T1–FL1_T1+T_sfn)–(FL2_T1–FL1_T1))

[0143] Where offset_T2 is the offset at time T2, SL2_T2 is the transmission delay of the serving link of the neighboring cell at time T2, SL1_T2 is the transmission delay of the serving link of the serving cell at time T2, FL2_T2 is the transmission delay in the feeder link of the neighboring cell at time T2, FL1_T2 is the transmission delay in the feeder link of the serving cell at time T2, and T_sfn is the timing difference (or frame delay deviation) between the serving cell and the neighboring cell signal transmission. Time T2 is the moment when the UE begins measuring the neighboring cell signal.

[0144] In the above formula, SL2_T2–SL1_T2 represents the service link transmission delay difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cell at the second time point, which can be calculated by the UE. For example, the UE can determine the positions of the satellites in the serving cell and the neighboring cell based on the ephemeris information of the serving cell and the neighboring cell at the second time point, and then calculate the service link transmission delay difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cell by combining the UE's position.

[0145] FL2_T2–FL1_T2 represents the transmission delay difference of the feeder link between the serving cell and the neighboring cell at the second time point. Its calculation method is as described above.

[0146] FL2_T1–FL1_T1+T_sfn represents the offset_T1 received by the UE from the base station. This part includes the first transmission delay difference and frame delay deviation in the feeder link between the serving cell and neighboring cells at the first moment.

[0147] FL2_T1–FL1_T1 represents the total or partial transmission delay difference of the feeder link between the serving cell and neighboring cells at the first moment. Its calculation method is as described above. When configuring this offset_T1, the base station may compensate for K. mac There may be no compensation for K. mac If the base station does not compensate K mac Then K should be added to FL2_T1–FL1_T1. mac The corresponding transmission delay difference.

[0148] Therefore, by adjusting the offset_T1 at the first moment to obtain the offset_T2 at the second moment, the UE can obtain an accurate offset and improve the accuracy of the measurement.

[0149] Furthermore, a set time difference (or effective time) can be set, such as Delta T1. If the UE configures the measurement within Delta T1 time after receiving the offset_T1 (i.e., the time difference between the second time and the first time does not exceed the set time difference), then the change in offset_T1 caused by satellite movement can be considered very small. Therefore, the SMTC offset can be directly calculated using the offset_T1 sent by the base station, without needing to adjust offset_T1 as described above. Otherwise, if the time difference between the second time and the first time exceeds the set time difference, then the above adjustment is required.

[0150] In one implementation, the aforementioned time difference can be sent to the UE by the base station along with offset_T1, that is, the time difference is carried in the aforementioned first information.

[0151] In another implementation, the aforementioned time difference can also be pre-negotiated between the base station and the UE.

[0152] In another implementation, the UE can also maintain a timer, such as Time0, with a duration equal to the time difference set above. Time0 is started in the subframe indicated by T1. If Time0 has not expired when the UE begins measurement, the change in offset_T1 caused by satellite movement can be considered small. Therefore, the SMTC offset can be calculated directly using the offset_T1 sent by the base station at the first moment, without needing to adjust the offset_T1 at the first moment as described above. Otherwise, the offset_T1 needs to be adjusted as described above.

[0153] Furthermore, a valid time Delta T2 can be set for the offset_T1 at the first moment. If the UE configures the measurement within Delta T2 after receiving offset_T1 at the first moment, the above method can be used to adjust offset_T1; otherwise, the offset_T1 at the first moment is considered to have expired, that is, the offset_T1 at the first moment is unavailable and cannot be used to adjust and obtain the offset_T2 at the second moment. In this case, the UE can re-request offset_T1; or the base station can reconfigure offset_T1 and send it to the UE after offset_T1 expires.

[0154] Furthermore, if the UE undergoes a handover after receiving the aforementioned offset_T1 (including a change in the satellite or a change in the satellite's power supply link), then offset_T1 becomes unavailable. In this case, the UE can request the base station to retransmit offset_T1; or the base station can proactively retransmit offset_T1 after the UE undergoes a handover.

[0155] Furthermore, if the ephemeris changes after the base station sends the offset_T1 at the first moment, the base station recalculates the transmission delay difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cells and resends it to the UE.

[0156] Optionally, if the ephemeris changes after the base station sends the offset_T1 at the first moment, the base station recalculates the offset_T1 and resends it to the UE.

[0157] According to a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application, after receiving the first offset at a first moment, the terminal adjusts the first offset at the first moment based on the first offset at the first moment and the first transmission delay difference in the feeder link between the serving cell and the neighboring cell at the first moment to obtain the second offset at the second moment, thereby obtaining an accurate offset and improving the accuracy of neighboring cell measurement.

[0158] In existing technology, a neighboring base station sends SMTC configuration information to the serving base station and specifies that the SMTC configuration timing is referenced to the timing of the sender (i.e., the neighboring base station). The offset in the SMTC configuration information is used to determine the timing of the neighboring cell transmitting SSB. For example, the timing of transmitting the SSB can be a start subframe, which references the timing of the neighboring base station.

[0159] However, the neighboring base station configures the offset at a different time than the serving base station. In other words, the serving base station will configure the offset to be sent to the UE some time after receiving the SMTC configuration from the neighboring base station. During the time between the neighboring base station configuring the offset and the serving base station configuring the offset, the transmission delay of the feeder link in the neighboring cell may have changed due to satellite movement. Therefore, it is necessary to correct the offset from the neighboring base station.

[0160] like Figure 8 The diagram shown illustrates another communication method provided in this application. Exemplarily, the method may include the following steps:

[0161] S801. The neighboring base station sends a second message to the serving base station.

[0162] Accordingly, the serving base station receives second information from neighboring base stations.

[0163] The second information includes a third offset (offset_T3). Optionally, different cells within the same neighboring base station can correspond to the same third offset or different third offsets. Furthermore, the second information may also include a cell identifier.

[0164] In one implementation, the aforementioned third offset is based on the first transmission delay in the feeder link of the neighboring cell. The first transmission delay is all or part of the transmission delay of the feeder link corresponding to the neighboring cell. It can also be said that the third offset includes, considers, or compensates for this first transmission delay. The aforementioned second information may also include a third time. This third time is the time corresponding to the third offset. This third offset is the offset corresponding to the third time T3. This third time is the time when the neighboring cell base station configures the third offset, or when the neighboring cell base station configures the third offset, it considers the feeder link related information at the third time. The third offset, also known as the third offset, is related to the first transmission delay in the feeder link of the neighboring cell. Part of the transmission delay may be the common TA or Kmac in the feeder link.

[0165] For example, the third time point can be UTC time or the system frame number and / or subframe number corresponding to the neighboring base station cell.

[0166] In another implementation, the third bias mentioned above is based on the first transmission delay in the feed link of the neighboring cell, and the meaning of the first transmission delay is the same as above. The second information includes the first transmission delay.

[0167] In another implementation, the aforementioned third bias is not based on the first transmission delay in the feeder link of the neighboring cell, i.e., it does not include, does not consider, or does not compensate for the transmission delay of the feeder link.

[0168] In one implementation, the aforementioned third offset is the difference between the first transmission delay in the feeder link of the neighboring cell and the first transmission delay in the feeder link of the serving cell of the serving base station. The specific meaning of the first transmission delay is the same as above. It can also be said that the third offset includes, considers, or compensates for the difference in the first transmission delay between the neighboring cell and the serving cell. The aforementioned second information may also include a third time. This third time is the time corresponding to the third offset. This third offset is the offset corresponding to the third time T3. This third time is the time when the neighboring base station configures the third offset, or when the neighboring base station configures the third offset, it considers the feeder link related information of the third time. The third offset, which is the difference between the first transmission delay in the feeder link of the neighboring cell and the first transmission delay in the feeder link of the serving cell of the serving base station, can also be called the third offset. Its value is related to the difference in the first transmission delay in the feeder link of the neighboring cell and the first transmission delay in the feeder link of the serving cell of the serving base station.

[0169] S802. The serving base station determines the first offset based on the second information.

[0170] Specifically, the serving base station determines the first offset based on the second information. This can be determined by whether the offset_T3 configured by the neighboring base station is based on the first transmission delay in the feeder link of the neighboring cell, and can be divided into the following two cases:

[0171] In one implementation, the neighboring base station includes the aforementioned first transmission delay when configuring offset_T3. In this case, the serving base station needs to correct offset T3 when configuring SMTC (i.e., configuring the first offset in SMTC). This is because the neighboring base station configures offset T3 at a different time than the serving base station configures offset (i.e., configures the first offset in SMTC). During the time between the neighboring base station configuring offset_T3 and the serving base station configuring offset, the transmission delay of the neighboring cell's feeder link may have changed due to satellite movement. Furthermore, the neighboring base station configures offset_T3 with reference to the neighboring cell's timing, while the serving base station configures offset with reference to the neighboring cell's timing. Therefore, offset_T3 needs to be corrected.

[0172] Equivalently, the need for the serving base station to correct offset_T3 when configuring SMTC can also be described as the serving base station compensating for the changes in feeder link transmission delay introduced by satellite mobility when configuring SMTC.

[0173] For example, the second information mentioned above carries the time T3 corresponding to offset_T3. When configuring the offset, the serving base station adjusts offset_T3 according to T3. For example, the serving base station determines the feeder link transmission delay FL2_T3 of the neighboring cell at time T3 based on T3 and the feeder link information of the neighboring cell, and determines the feeder link transmission delay FL2_T1 of the neighboring cell at time T1 based on the feeder link information of the neighboring cell. Further, by subtracting the feeder link transmission delay FL2_T3 of the neighboring cell at time T3 and adding the feeder link transmission delay FL2_T1 of the neighboring cell at the current time (T1) from the received neighboring cell offset_T3, offset_T3 can be corrected. The corrected offset_T3 compensates for the feeder link transmission delay changes introduced by satellite movement. Then, the serving base station determines the offset to be sent to the UE based on the above-mentioned corrected neighboring cell offset. The feeder link information may include commonTA related parameters and Kmac.

[0174] For example, the second information mentioned above carries the first transmission delay corresponding to offset_T3. The serving base station adjusts offset_T3 based on the first transmission delay corresponding to offset_T3, offset_T3, and the first transmission delay corresponding to the neighboring cell at the time the serving base station configures the offset to obtain the offset that the serving base station needs to configure. For example, a valid time Delta T3 can be specified for offset_T3. If the serving base station configures the offset within Delta T3 after receiving offset_T3, it can be considered that the offset change caused by satellite movement is very small, and there is no need to correct the offset_T3 exchanged with the neighboring cell base station.

[0175] For example, a valid time Delta T4 can be specified for offset_T3. If the serving base station does not configure the offset within Delta T4 after receiving offset_T3, it considers offset_T3 unusable and does not need to correct the offset_T3 exchanged with neighboring base stations. The base station can request the offset again, or the neighboring base station can re-determine the SMTC configuration and exchange it with the serving base station.

[0176] For example, if the ephemeris of a neighboring cell base station changes after sending offset_T3, the neighboring cell base station recalculates the offset and exchanges it with the serving base station.

[0177] In another implementation, the base station does not consider the feeder link transmission delay when configuring the offset. In this case, the serving base station needs to compensate for the feeder link transmission delay when configuring SMTC. Specifically, when configuring offset_T1, the serving base station calculates the feeder link transmission delay between the serving cell and neighboring cells based on the feeder link information of neighboring cells, and then determines offset_T1 based on the feeder link transmission delay of the serving cell and neighboring cells.

[0178] In this embodiment, the base station needs neighboring cell feeder link information when calculating the delay difference of the neighboring cell feeder link. The serving base station can obtain the neighboring cell feeder link information, for example, through operation administration and maintenance (OAM).

[0179] In addition, when calculating the offset, the base station also needs to consider the timing difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cells. In this embodiment, the serving base station can obtain the timing difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cells (which can also be described as frame offset), for example, through operation administration and maintenance (OAM).

[0180] It should be noted that, depending on whether the base station includes the transmission delay between the RP and the base station when configuring the offset (e.g., represented by Kmac), the offset needs to be adjusted as follows:

[0181] If the base station includes Kmac when determining the offset, the serving base station does not need to consider the transmission delay from RP to the base station when determining the offset_T1 to be sent to the UE.

[0182] If the base station does not include Kmac when determining the offset, the serving base station needs to include the transmission delay corresponding to the Kmac of the serving cell and neighboring cells when determining the offset_T1 to be sent to the UE.

[0183] S803. The serving base station sends the first information.

[0184] Accordingly, the UE receives this first information.

[0185] After obtaining the first offset (offset_T1) at the first time point T1, the serving base station sends first information to the UE. This first information includes offset_T1.

[0186] For a specific implementation of this step, please refer to step S601 of the aforementioned embodiment.

[0187] S804. The UE adjusts the first offset at the first time according to the first offset at the first time and the first transmission delay difference in the feeder link between the serving cell and the neighboring cell at the first time to obtain the second offset at the second time.

[0188] For a specific implementation of this step, please refer to step S602 of the aforementioned embodiment.

[0189] Step S804 is optional; the UE can also obtain the second offset at the second time step using other methods.

[0190] According to the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application, the method of determining the first offset by the serving base station in different scenarios is clarified, thereby improving the accuracy of the first offset;

[0191] After receiving the first offset at the first moment, the terminal adjusts the first offset at the first moment based on the first offset at the first moment and the first transmission delay difference in the feeder link between the serving cell and the neighboring cell at the first moment to obtain the second offset at the second moment, thereby obtaining an accurate offset and improving the accuracy of neighboring cell measurement.

[0192] It is understood that, in order to achieve the functions in the above embodiments, the network devices and terminals include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to perform each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and method steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in this application, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed by hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0193] Figure 9 and Figure 10 The diagram illustrates the possible structures of communication devices provided in embodiments of this application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of terminals or network devices in the above method embodiments, and thus also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of this application, the communication device may be as follows: Figure 1 One of the terminals 120a-120j shown can also be as follows: Figure 1 The network devices 110a or 110b shown can also be modules (such as chips) applied to terminals or network devices.

[0194] like Figure 9 As shown, the communication device 900 includes a processing unit 910 and a transceiver unit 920. The communication device 900 is used to implement the above-mentioned... Figure 6 or Figure 8 The method embodiments shown illustrate the functions of the terminal or network device.

[0195] When the communication device 900 is used to achieve Figure 6 In the method embodiment shown, the terminal functions as follows: the processing unit 910 is used to perform, for example... Figure 6 In the illustrated embodiment, step S602; and the transceiver unit 920 are used to perform the following: Figure 6 The operation performed by the terminal in step S601 of the illustrated embodiment.

[0196] When the communication device 900 is used to achieve Figure 6 In the method embodiment shown, the network device functions as follows: the transceiver unit 920 is used to perform, for example... Figure 6 The operation performed by the base station in step S601 of the illustrated embodiment.

[0197] When the communication device 900 is used to achieve Figure 8 In the method embodiment shown, the terminal functions as follows: the processing unit 910 is used to perform, for example... Figure 8 In the illustrated embodiment, step S804; and the transceiver unit 920 are used to perform the following: Figure 8 The operation performed by the terminal in step S803 of the illustrated embodiment.

[0198] When the communication device 900 is used to achieve Figure 8 In the method embodiment shown, the network device functions as follows: the processing unit 910 is used to perform, for example... Figure 8 In the illustrated embodiment, step S802; and the transceiver unit 920 are used to perform the following: Figure 8 The operations performed by the serving base station in steps S801 and S803 of the illustrated embodiment.

[0199] For a more detailed description of the processing unit 910 and the transceiver unit 920, please refer to [link / reference needed]. Figure 6 or Figure 8 The relevant descriptions in the method embodiments shown are directly obtained and will not be repeated here.

[0200] like Figure 10 As shown, the communication device 1000 includes a processor 1010 and an interface circuit 1020. The processor 1010 and the interface circuit 1020 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 1020 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication device 1000 may also include a memory 1030 for storing instructions executed by the processor 1010, or storing input data required by the processor 1010 to execute instructions, or storing data generated after the processor 1010 executes instructions.

[0201] When the communication device 1000 is used to implement Figure 6 or Figure 8 In the method shown, the processor 1010 is used to implement the functions of the processing unit 910, and the interface circuit 1020 is used to implement the functions of the transceiver unit 920.

[0202] When the aforementioned communication device is a chip applied to a terminal, the terminal chip implements the functions of the terminal in the above method embodiments. The terminal chip receives information from other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the terminal, which is sent to the terminal by the network device; or, the terminal chip sends information to other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the terminal, which is sent to the network device by the terminal.

[0203] When the aforementioned communication device is a chip applied to a network device, the network device chip implements the functions of the network device in the above method embodiments. The network device chip receives information from other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the network device, the information being sent by the terminal to the network device; or, the network device chip sends information to other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the network device, the information being sent by the network device to the terminal.

[0204] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0205] The method steps in the embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware or by a processor executing software instructions. The software instructions can consist of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disks, portable hard disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and storage medium can reside in an ASIC. Furthermore, the ASIC can reside in an access network device or a terminal device. Alternatively, the processor and storage medium can exist as discrete components in the access network device or terminal device.

[0206] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are performed entirely or partially. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, an access network device, a user equipment, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; it can also be an optical medium, such as a digital video optical disc; or it can be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive.

[0207] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0208] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the textual description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates an "or" relationship between the preceding and following related objects; in the formulas of this application, the character " / " indicates a "division" relationship between the preceding and following related objects.

[0209] It is understood that the various numerical designations used in the embodiments of this application are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the process numbers described above does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Receive first information from a second network device, the first information including a first bias, the first bias being determined based on the assumption that the transmission delay of the power supply link is equal to 0; A first measurement window is determined based on the first information, and the first measurement window is used by the terminal device to search for SSB; Send the first measurement window.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first offset corresponds to the first cell, and the first cell belongs to the second network device.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first bias is included in the second measurement window, which is included in the first information.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, Determining the first measurement window based on the first information includes: Compensate for power supply link transmission delay when determining the first measurement window.

5. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Send first information to a first network device, the first information including a first bias, the first bias being determined based on the assumption that the transmission delay of the power supply link is equal to 0.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The first bias corresponds to the second network device.

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, The first bias is included in the second measurement window, which is included in the first information.

8. A communication device, characterized in that, The device includes: a transceiver unit and a processing unit; wherein: The transceiver unit is used to receive first information from the second network device, the first information including a first bias, the first bias being determined based on the assumption that the transmission delay of the power supply link is equal to 0; The processing unit is configured to determine a first measurement window based on the first information, wherein the first measurement window is used by the terminal device to search for SSB; The transceiver unit is also used to send the first measurement window.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that, The first offset corresponds to the first cell, and the first cell belongs to the second network device.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that, The first bias is included in the second measurement window, which is included in the first information.

11. The apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that, Determining the first measurement window based on the first information includes: Compensate for power supply link transmission delay when determining the first measurement window.

12. A communication device, characterized in that, The device includes: a transceiver unit; wherein: The transceiver unit is used to send first information to the first network device. The first information includes a first bias, which is determined based on the assumption that the transmission delay of the power supply link is equal to 0.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that, The first bias corresponds to the second network device.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that, The first bias is included in the second measurement window, which is included in the first information.

15. A communication system, characterized in that, It includes the communication device as described in any one of claims 8 to 11 and the communication device as described in any one of claims 12 to 14.

16. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes a processor and a storage medium, the storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4 to be implemented, or cause the method according to any one of claims 5 to 7 to be implemented.

17. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium includes instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4 to be implemented, or cause the method according to any one of claims 5 to 7 to be implemented.

18. A computer program product, characterized in that, It includes computer program code that, when run, implements the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, or implements the method as described in any one of claims 5 to 7.

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