Communication method, terminal, network device and storage medium

Abstract

The invention relates to a communication method, a terminal, network equipment and a storage medium. The method comprises: receiving configuration information sent by a network device, the configuration information being used for indicating whether a beam of a satellite in a non-terrestrial network NTN is in a service state; in the method disclosed by the invention, the terminal acquires the beam state configured by the network equipment by receiving the configuration information, so that the terminal can adjust own behaviors such as a measurement behavior based on the beam state to ensure the mobility performance.

Description

Communication method, terminal, network device and storage medium TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of communication, and particularly relates to a communication method, a terminal, a network device and a storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0002] In a non-terrestrial network (NTN), such as a satellite communication system, the coverage area of a single satellite is very large, and several hundred or even thousands of beams are needed to achieve seamless coverage. Unlike a terrestrial network (TN), the locations covered by different beams of a satellite network can be completely non-overlapping or only partially overlapping.

[0003] SUMMARY

[0004] In the scenario of NTN large coverage requirements, the power of the satellite is limited, which affects the related behaviors of the terminal, such as measurement behavior.

[0005] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, a terminal, a network device and a storage medium.

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, executed by a terminal, and the method comprises:

[0007] receiving configuration information sent by a network device, the configuration information being used to indicate whether a beam of a satellite in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) is in a service state.

[0008] In a second aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, executed by a network device, and the method comprises:

[0009] sending configuration information to a terminal, the configuration information being used to indicate whether a beam of a satellite in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) is in a service state.

[0010] In a third aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a terminal, comprising:

[0011] a transceiver module, configured to receive configuration information sent by a network device, the configuration information being used to indicate whether a beam of a satellite in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) is in a service state.

[0012] In a fourth aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a network device, comprising:

[0013] a transceiver module, configured to send configuration information to a terminal, the configuration information being used to indicate whether a beam of a satellite in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) is in a service state.

[0014] In a fifth aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a terminal, comprising:

[0015] one or more processors;

[0016] The terminal is configured to implement the method of the first aspect.

[0017] In a sixth aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a network device, comprising:

[0018] one or more processors;

[0019] The network device is configured to implement the method of the second aspect.

[0020] In a seventh aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication system, comprising a terminal and a network device, wherein:

[0021] The terminal is configured to implement the method of the first aspect;

[0022] The network device is configured to implement the method of the second aspect.

[0023] In an eighth aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a storage medium, which stores instructions, wherein:

[0024] When the instructions run on a communication device, the communication device executes the method of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0025] In a ninth aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a program product, wherein:

[0026] When the program product is executed by a communication device, the communication device executes the method of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0027] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the terminal learns the beam state configured by the network device by receiving configuration information, so that the terminal can adjust its own behavior such as measurement behavior based on the beam state to ensure the mobility performance. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0028] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the following describes the drawings required for the embodiments, and the following drawings are only some embodiments of the present disclosure, and do not specifically limit the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0029] FIG. 1 is one exemplary schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system according to the embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0030] FIG. 2 is one exemplary interactive schematic diagram of a method according to the embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0031] FIGS. 3a-3d are one exemplary flowchart of a method according to the embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0032] FIG. 4a to FIG. 4b are an exemplary flow chart of a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0033] FIG. 5a is a structural schematic diagram of a device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] FIG. 5b is a structural schematic diagram of a device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0035] FIG. 6a is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0036] FIG. 6b is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, a terminal, a network device and a storage medium.

[0038] In a first aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, performed by a terminal, the method comprising:

[0039] receiving configuration information sent by a network device, the configuration information being used to indicate whether a beam of a satellite in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) is in a service state.

[0040] In the above embodiments, the terminal learns the beam state configured by the network device by receiving the configuration information, so that the terminal can adjust its own behavior such as measurement behavior based on the beam state to ensure mobility performance.

[0041] In combination with the embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the configuration information comprises at least one of:

[0042] a pattern of cell Discontinuous Transmission (DTX);

[0043] a pattern of cell Discontinuous Reception (DRX);

[0044] a pattern of beam DTX;

[0045] a pattern of beam DRX;

[0046] a pattern of terminal DRX;

[0047] time-frequency information of a Reference Signal (RS);

[0048] Synchronization Signal / Physical Broadcast Channel Block Measurement Timing Configuration (SMTC) periodicity.

[0049] In the above embodiments, the terminal can directly or indirectly learn the state of the beam based on the configuration information issued by the network device, so as to perform reasonable measurement behavior.

[0050] In combination with the embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: when the beam covering the terminal is in the service state, measuring the RS according to a measurement period; and wherein the measurement period is determined according to the time-frequency information of the RS.

[0051] In the above embodiments, after obtaining the configuration information, the terminal can determine the measurement period based on the time-frequency information of the RS, and perform RS measurement under the corresponding beam according to the measurement period, so that the terminal can adopt a suitable measurement period for measurement under a large coverage in the NTN scenario, and ensure the mobility performance.

[0052] In combination with the embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the time-frequency information of the RS includes a first period, and the first period is a transmission period of the RS on the beam covering the terminal.

[0053] In the above embodiments, the terminal determines the measurement period for measuring the RS according to the RS transmission period of the beam.

[0054] In combination with the embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the measurement period is the maximum value of at least two of the following: the first period, the period of the terminal DRX, and the SMTC period.

[0055] In combination with the embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the time-frequency information of the RS includes a second period, and the second period is a transmission period of the RS on all beams in the service state.

[0056] In the above embodiments, the terminal determines the measurement period for measuring the RS on the beam according to the transmission period of the RS of multiple beams.

[0057] In combination with the embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the configuration information further includes at least one of the following: the number of beams transmitted by the satellite at the same time, and the number of times of adjusting the beam coverage of the satellite by beam hopping.

[0058] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the measurement period is a maximum of a transmission period of the RS on the first beam, a period of the DRX of the terminal, wherein the transmission period of the RS on the first beam is determined according to the second period or the SMTC period.

[0059] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the transmission period T of the RS on the first beam is determined in any of the following ways:

[0060] wherein T1 represents the second period, T2 represents the SMTC period, Y represents a number of beams transmitted at the same time, and N represents a number of beam hopping.

[0061] In the above embodiments, the terminal can determine the transmission period of the RS on the beam based on whether the SMTC period is configured, so as to determine the measurement period of the RS.

[0062] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the at least one RS measurement occasion is included in an on duration of the DRX of the terminal, and the at least one RS measurement occasion includes the RS to be measured, wherein each period of the DRX of the terminal includes the on duration and an off duration.

[0063] In the above embodiments, the terminal expects to be able to obtain or receive the RS to be measured in the configured on duration of the DRX, so as to complete the measurement in the on duration of the DRX and not affect the energy saving behavior in the off duration.

[0064] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the method further includes determining at least one of the following according to the measurement period: a measurement delay of obtaining a measurement quantity configured by the network side, a monitoring delay of searching for a cell, and an evaluation delay of whether to perform cell reselection.

[0065] In the above embodiments, the terminal determines a plurality of possible delays in the measurement scenario based on the measurement period and the obtained measurement result, so as to ensure the accuracy of the measurement.

[0066] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the method further includes performing cell reselection when a condition is met.

[0067] In the above embodiments, the terminal in the NTN scenario can perform cell reselection at a suitable opportunity, so as to ensure the communication performance.

[0068] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the condition includes at least one of the following:

[0069] The terminal is located in the beam coverage of the serving state and has not successfully accessed the cell within a first time length;

[0070] The terminal is located in the beam coverage of the non-serving state and lasts for a second time length.

[0071] In the above embodiment, based on different states of the beam where the terminal is located, the reselection can be initiated when different conditions are met, so as to complete the access in time and ensure the mobility performance.

[0072] In combination with the embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first time length or the second time length satisfies one of the following:

[0073] Is equal to the first period;

[0074] Is determined according to the first period;

[0075] Is equal to the second period;

[0076] Is determined according to the second period.

[0077] In the above embodiment, the terminal can determine the time length condition in which the reselection can be initiated based on the first period or the second period, so as to perform cell reselection at a suitable opportunity.

[0078] In a second aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, executed by a network device, and the method comprises:

[0079] Sending configuration information to the terminal, the configuration information being used to indicate whether a beam of a satellite in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) is in a serving state.

[0080] In combination with the embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the configuration information comprises at least one of the following:

[0081] A pattern of discontinuous transmission (DTX) of the cell;

[0082] A pattern of discontinuous reception (DRX) of the cell;

[0083] A pattern of DTX of the beam;

[0084] A pattern of DRX of the beam;

[0085] A pattern of DRX of the terminal;

[0086] Time-frequency information of a reference signal (RS);

[0087] Synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block measurement time configuration (SMTC) period.

[0088] In combination with the embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the time-frequency information of the RS is used to determine a measurement period corresponding to the RS.

[0089] In some embodiments of the second aspect, the time-frequency information of the RS comprises a first period, the first period being a transmission period of the RS on a beam covering the terminal.

[0090] In some embodiments of the second aspect, the measurement period is a maximum of at least two of the following: the first period, a period of a DRX of the terminal, an SMTC period.

[0091] In some embodiments of the second aspect, the time-frequency information of the RS comprises a second period, the second period being a transmission period of the RS on all beams in a service state.

[0092] In some embodiments of the second aspect, the configuration information further comprises at least one of the following: a number of beams transmitted by the satellite at the same time, a number of beam hopping corresponding to adjustment of beam coverage by the satellite.

[0093] In some embodiments of the second aspect, the measurement period is a maximum of at least two of the following: a transmission period of the RS on a first beam, a period of a DRX of the terminal; wherein the first beam is a beam covering the terminal, and the transmission period of the RS on the first beam is determined according to the second period or an SMTC period.

[0094] In some embodiments of the second aspect, the transmission period T of the RS on the first beam is determined in any one of the following ways:

[0095] wherein T1 represents the second period, T2 represents the SMTC period, Y represents the number of beams transmitted at the same time, and N represents the number of beam hopping.

[0096] In some embodiments of the second aspect, at least one RS measurement occasion is included in an active period of a DRX of the terminal, and the at least one RS measurement occasion comprises the RS to be measured, wherein each period of the DRX of the terminal comprises an active period and an inactive period.

[0097] In some embodiments of the second aspect, the measurement period is used to determine at least one of the following: a measurement delay of a measurement quantity configured by the network side, a monitoring delay of searching for a cell, and an evaluation delay of whether to perform cell reselection.

[0098] In some embodiments of the second aspect, the condition for cell reselection comprises at least one of the following:

[0099] The terminal is located in coverage of a beam in a service state, and has not successfully accessed a cell within a first time duration.

[0100] The terminal is located in coverage of a beam in a non-service state, and has been in the non-service state for a second time duration.

[0101] In some embodiments, the first time duration or the second time duration satisfies one of the following:

[0102] is equal to the first period;

[0103] is determined according to the first period;

[0104] is equal to the second period;

[0105] is determined according to the second period.

[0106] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a terminal, comprising:

[0107] a transceiver configured to receive configuration information sent by a network device, the configuration information being used to indicate whether a beam of a satellite in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) is in a service state.

[0108] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a network device, comprising:

[0109] a transceiver configured to send configuration information to a terminal, the configuration information being used to indicate whether a beam of a satellite in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) is in a service state.

[0110] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a terminal, comprising:

[0111] one or more processors;

[0112] wherein the terminal is configured to implement the method of the first aspect.

[0113] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a network device, comprising:

[0114] one or more processors;

[0115] wherein the network device is configured to implement the method of the second aspect.

[0116] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication system, comprising a terminal and a network device, wherein:

[0117] the terminal is configured to implement the method of the first aspect;

[0118] the network device is configured to implement the method of the second aspect.

[0119] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a storage medium, the storage medium storing instructions, wherein:

[0120] when the instructions run on a communication device, the communication device is caused to execute the method of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0121] In a ninth aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a program product, wherein,

[0122] When the program product is executed by the communication device, the communication device is caused to perform the method of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0123] In a tenth aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a computer program, which, when running on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method described in the optional implementation manner of the first aspect and the second aspect.

[0124] In an eleventh aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a chip or a chip system. The chip or the chip system includes processing circuitry configured to perform the method described in the above-mentioned first aspect and the second aspect and the optional implementation manner.

[0125] It can be understood that the terminal, the network device, the communication system, the storage medium, the program product, the computer program, the chip or the chip system are all used to perform the method proposed in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Therefore, the beneficial effects that can be achieved are referred to the beneficial effects in the corresponding method, which will not be described here.

[0126] The embodiments of the present disclosure are not exhaustive, but only illustrate some embodiments, and are not specific limitations on the protection scope of the present disclosure. In the case of no contradiction, each step in an embodiment can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the steps can be combined arbitrarily, for example, the scheme after removing some steps in an embodiment can also be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the order of the steps in an embodiment can be exchanged arbitrarily, in addition, the optional implementation manner in an embodiment can be combined arbitrarily; in addition, the embodiments can be combined arbitrarily, for example, the steps of different embodiments can be combined arbitrarily, an embodiment can be combined with the optional implementation manner of other embodiments.

[0127] In each embodiment of the present disclosure, the terms and / or descriptions between the embodiments are consistent if there is no special description and logical conflict, and can be referred to each other, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0128] The terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments, and not as a limitation on the present disclosure.

[0129] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, an element expressed in singular form, such as "a", "an", "the", "said", "the aforementioned", "the foregoing", "this", and the like, unless otherwise specified, can represent "one and only one", or can represent "one or more", "at least one", and the like. For example, in the case of using an article such as "a", "an", "the" in English, the noun after the article can be understood as a singular expression, or can be understood as a plural expression.

[0130] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, "plurality" refers to two or more.

[0131] In some embodiments, the terms "at least one of", "one or more", "a plurality of", "multiple", and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0132] In some embodiments, the description manner of "at least one of A, B", "A and / or B", "A in one case and B in another case", "responding to a case A, responding to another case B", and the like, according to the case, can include the following technical solutions: in some embodiments, A is executed regardless of B; in some embodiments, B is executed regardless of A; in some embodiments, A and B are selectively executed (A and B are selectively executed); in some embodiments, A and B are executed (A and B are both executed). When there are more branches such as A, B, C, and the like, it is similar to the above.

[0133] In some embodiments, the description manner of "A or B" and the like, according to the case, can include the following technical solutions: in some embodiments, A is executed regardless of B; in some embodiments, B is executed regardless of A; in some embodiments, A and B are selectively executed (A and B are selectively executed). When there are more branches such as A, B, C, and the like, it is similar to the above.

[0134] The prefix words of "first", "second" and the like in the embodiments of the present disclosure are merely used to distinguish different description objects, and do not constitute limitation on the position, order, priority, quantity or content of the description objects. The description objects are described in the claims or embodiments, and should not be construed as redundant limitation because of the use of the prefix words. For example, the description object is "field", and the ordinal words before "field" in "first field" and "second field" do not limit the position or order between "fields", and "first" and "second" do not limit whether the "fields" modified thereby are in the same message or not, nor limit the order of "first field" and "second field". For another example, the description object is "level", and the ordinal words before "level" in "first level" and "second level" do not limit the priority between "levels". For another example, the quantity of the description object is not limited by the ordinal words, and can be one or more. For example, "first device", wherein the quantity of "device" can be one or more. In addition, the objects modified by different prefix words can be the same or different, for example, the description object is "device", and "first device" and "second device" can be the same device or different devices, and the types thereof can be the same or different. For another example, the description object is "information", and "first information" and "second information" can be the same information or different information, and the contents thereof can be the same or different.

[0135] In some embodiments, "including A", "containing A", "for indicating A", "carrying A" can be interpreted as directly carrying A, or indirectly indicating A.

[0136] In some embodiments, the terms of "in response to", "in response to determining", "in the case of", "when", "when", "if", "if" and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0137] In some embodiments, the terms of "greater than", "greater than or equal to", "not less than", "more than", "more than or equal to", "not less than", "higher than", "higher than or equal to", "not lower than", "above" and the like can be replaced with each other, and the terms of "less than", "less than or equal to", "not greater than", "less than", "less than or equal to", "not more than", "lower than", "lower than or equal to", "not higher than", "below" and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0138] In some embodiments, the apparatuses and devices can be interpreted as physical, as well as virtual, whose names are not limited to the names described in the embodiments, and in some cases can also be understood as "equipment", "device", "circuit", "network element", "node", "function", "unit", "section", "system", "network", "chip", "chip system", "entity", "subject", etc.

[0139] In some embodiments, "network" can be interpreted as an apparatus contained in the network, such as an access network device, a core network device, etc.

[0140] In some embodiments, "access network device (AN device)" can also be referred to as "radio access network device (RAN device)", "base station (BS)", "radio base station", "fixed station", and in some embodiments can also be understood as "node", "access point", "transmission point (TP)", "reception point (RP)", "transmission / reception point (TRP)", "panel", "antenna panel", "antenna array", "cell", "macro cell", "small cell", "femto cell", "pico cell", "sector", "cell group", "serving cell", "carrier", "component carrier", "bandwidth part (BWP)", etc.

[0141] In some embodiments, a "terminal" or "terminal device" can be referred to as a "user equipment" (UE), a "user terminal," a "mobile station" (MS), a "mobile terminal" (MT), a subscriber station, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communication device, a remote device, a mobile subscriber station, an access terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, and / or the like.

[0142] In some embodiments, data, information and / or the like can be obtained in compliance with laws and regulations of a country where the data, information and / or the like is obtained.

[0143] In some embodiments, data, information and / or the like can be obtained after obtaining consent of a user.

[0144] In addition, each element, each row, or each column in the table of the embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and a combination of any element, any row, or any column can also be implemented as an independent embodiment.

[0145] FIG. 1 is an architecture diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0146] As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system 100 includes a terminal 101 and a network device 102. In a TN network, the network device 102 can include at least one of an access network device and a core network device. In an NTN network, the network device 102 can include one or more of a satellite, a base station (such as a gNB), and a core network device. Among them, one base station can include one or more ground stations or earth stations, and the satellite can forward the information sent by the base station to the terminal 101. The communication link between the satellite and the base station is a feedback link, and the communication link between the satellite and the terminal 101 is a service link.

[0147] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 includes at least one of a mobile phone, a wearable device, an Internet of Things device, a communication-capable automobile, a smart automobile, a tablet computer (Pad), a wireless transceiver-enabled computer, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control, a wireless terminal device in self-driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal device in a smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in a smart city, a wireless terminal device in a smart home, and the like, but is not limited thereto.

[0148] In some embodiments, the access network device is, for example, a node or device that accesses a terminal to a wireless network, and the access network device can include at least one of an evolved NodeB (eNB) in a 5G communication system, a next generation eNB (ng-eNB), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a node B (NB), a home node B (HNB), a home evolved node B (HeNB), a wireless backhaul device, a radio network controller (RNC), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a base band unit (BBU), a mobile switching center, a base station in a 6G communication system, an open base station (Open RAN), a cloud base station (Cloud RAN), a base station in other communication systems, an access node in a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system, but is not limited thereto.

[0149] In some embodiments, the technical solutions of the present disclosure can be applied to an Open RAN architecture, at this time, the interfaces between or within the access network devices involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure can become internal interfaces of the Open RAN, and the processes and information interactions between these internal interfaces can be realized through software or programs.

[0150] In some embodiments, the access network device can be composed of a central unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU), wherein the CU can also be referred to as a control unit. The CU-DU structure can split the protocol layers of the access network device, 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, but are not limited thereto.

[0151] In some embodiments, the core network device can be one device including one or more network elements, or can be multiple devices or device groups including all or part of one or more network elements respectively. The network element can be virtual or physical. The core network includes at least one of an evolved packet core (EPC), a 5G core network (5GCN), a next generation core (NGC), for example. Alternatively, the core network device refers to a network element with specific specific functions, such as an access management function (AMF), a service management function (SMF), etc.

[0152] It can be understood that the communication system described in the embodiments of the present disclosure is for more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure. It can be known by those skilled in the art that, with the evolution of system architecture and the appearance of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0153] The following embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to the communication system 100 shown in FIG. 1 or part of the subject, but are not limited thereto.

[0154] The subjects shown in FIG. 1 are examples. The communication system can include all or part of the subjects in FIG. 1, or other subjects other than FIG. 1. The number and form of each subject is arbitrary. The connection relationship between each subject is an example. Each subject can be connected or not connected. The connection can be any way, can be direct connection or indirect connection, can be wired connection or wireless connection.

[0155] Embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LTE-Beyond (LTE-B), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4th generation mobile communication system (4G), 5th generation mobile communication system (5G), 5G new radio (NR), Future Radio Access (FRA), New-Radio Access Technology (RAT), New Radio (NR), New radio access (NX), Future generation radio access (FX), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM (registered trademark)), CDMA2000, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.20, Ultra-WideBand (UWB), Bluetooth (Bluetooth (registered trademark)), Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) network, Device-to-Device (D2D) system, Machine to Machine (M2M) system, Internet of Things (IoT) system, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), system using other communication processing methods, next-generation system expanded based thereon, and the like. Further, a plurality of systems can be applied in combination (for example, combination of LTE or LTE-A and 5G, and the like).

[0156] In the case of multi-beam per cell, the total number of beams that the satellite needs to cover or the total number of beam footprints is X, and the total number of simultaneously active beams that the satellite can simultaneously emit or activate is Y, Y < X. In order to ensure coverage and consider terminal density, not all beams have signals transmitted, and among the X beams, there are non-served beams and served beams.

[0157] Under the above large coverage requirement, the satellite power is limited, the measurement reference signal transmission period may change, and new measurement requirements need to be provided to ensure mobile performance in the NTN large coverage scenario.

[0158] FIG. 2 is an interaction diagram illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2, the present embodiment relates to a communication method, and the method comprises:

[0159] In step S2101, the network device 102 sends configuration information to the terminal 101.

[0160] In some embodiments, the network device 102 can include a base station. In the NTN, the network device 102 can include a satellite and a ground base station, and the satellite can forward information transmitted by the ground base station to the terminal 101 or forward information transmitted by the terminal 101 to the ground base station.

[0161] In some embodiments, the configuration information is used to indicate whether the beam of the satellite in the non-terrestrial network NTN is in a served state.

[0162] Optionally, in combination with the foregoing description of the embodiments, the number of simultaneously active beams of the satellite can be denoted as Y, and the total number of beams that need to be covered X is achieved by beam hopping, such as emitting beams in different directions at different time points. The number of beams emitted at each time point can be Y, and the beam condition at each time point can be considered as obtained by beam hopping once. The number of beam hopping times or the number of beam hopping beams is denoted as Nhop, then X = Y*Nhop. The number of beam hopping times can also be referred to as the number of beam hopping, and the number of beam hopping beams can also be referred to as the number of beam hopping.

[0163] Optionally, the beam state of each of the X beams can be different. The beam state can include a serving state and a non-serving state. In the serving state, the network device 102 can communicate with the terminal 101 under the coverage of the beam, such as normal communication or predefined necessary communication. In the non-serving state, the network device 102 does not communicate with the terminal 101 under the coverage of the beam, or can only communicate with the terminal 101 under the coverage of the beam in the energy saving state.

[0164] Optionally, the configuration information can directly or implicitly indicate whether one or more beams are in the serving state. For example, the beam state of one or more beams is indicated as the serving state or the non-serving state, or whether the beam is in the serving state is indicated by 1-bit information corresponding to each beam, or information of one or more beams in the serving state is indicated.

[0165] In some embodiments, the configuration information includes at least one of the following: a cell DTX pattern; a cell DRX pattern; a beam DTX pattern; a beam DRX pattern; a terminal DRX pattern; time-frequency information of a reference signal RS; a synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block measurement time configuration SMTC period.

[0166] In the first example, the cell DTX pattern and / or the cell DRX pattern are included in the configuration information, and the indication of the beam state is realized by the cell DTX and / or the cell DRX mechanism. The cell DTX pattern can indicate at least one of the following: a cell DTX period, a cell DTX on duration or active duration, a cell DTX off duration or inactive duration, and the cell DTX period can include the on duration and the off duration. The cell DRX pattern can indicate at least one of the following: a cell DRX period, a cell DRX on duration or active duration, a cell DRX off duration or inactive duration, and the cell DRX period can include the on duration and the off duration.

[0167] In the non-active period of the cell DTX, the network device 102 can not send part or all of the downlink information, thereby achieving energy saving, and the terminal 101 can not receive the part or all of the downlink information; in the active period of the cell DTX, the network device 102 and the terminal 101 can communicate normally. In the non-active period of the cell DRX, the network device 102 can not receive part or all of the uplink information, thereby achieving energy saving, and the terminal 101 can not send the part or all of the uplink information; in the active period of the cell DRX, the network device 102 and the terminal 101 can communicate normally.

[0168] In this example, if the network device 102 sends configuration information to the terminal 101 covered by a certain beam, and the configuration information includes the cell DTX pattern or the cell DRX pattern, it means that the beam is in the service state in the active period of the cell DTX or the cell DRX, and is in the non-service state in the non-active period of the cell DTX or the cell DRX. Therefore, the network device 102 indicates whether the beam is in the service state by sending the configuration information, and the terminal 101 can determine whether the beam in which the terminal 101 is located is in the service state when receiving the configuration information. Wherein, the beam in which the terminal 101 is located refers to the beam covering the terminal 101, which is recorded as the first beam in the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0169] In the second example, the configuration information includes the beam DTX pattern and / or the beam DRX pattern, and the beam state is indicated by the beam DTX and / or the DRX mechanism. Compared with the cell DTX pattern or the cell DRX pattern, the beam DTX pattern or the beam DRX pattern can achieve more fine-grained DTX or DRX configuration, wherein one or more beams can be associated with one beam DTX pattern or beam DRX pattern, for example, one or more beam indexes (beam index) are associated with one beam DTX pattern or beam DRX pattern.

[0170] In this example, the beam DTX pattern can indicate at least one of: a period of the beam DTX, a length of an active period or active duration of the beam DTX, a length of an inactive period or inactive duration of the beam DTX, and the active period and the inactive period can be included in one period of the beam DTX. The beam DRX pattern can indicate at least one of: a period of the beam DRX, a length of an active period or active duration of the beam DRX, a length of an inactive period or inactive duration of the beam DRX, and the active period and the inactive period can be included in one period of the beam DRX.

[0171] For the beam DTX pattern, in the inactive period of the beam DTX, the behaviors of the network device and the terminal can refer to the inactive period of the cell DTX, and the beam associated with the beam DTX pattern is in the non-service state; in the active period of the beam DTX, the behaviors of the network device and the terminal can refer to the active period of the cell DTX, and the beam associated with the beam DTX pattern is in the service state. For the beam DRX pattern, in the inactive period of the beam DRX, the behaviors of the network device and the terminal can refer to the inactive period of the cell DRX, and the beam associated with the beam DRX pattern is in the non-service state; in the active period of the beam DRX, the behaviors of the network device and the terminal can refer to the active period of the cell DRX, and the beam associated with the beam DRX pattern is in the service state.

[0172] In this example, if the configuration information includes the beam DTX pattern or the beam DRX pattern, it indicates that the beam associated with the beam DTX pattern or the beam DRX pattern is in the service state in the active period of the beam DTX or the beam DRX, and is in the non-service state in the inactive period of the beam DTX or the beam DRX. Thus, the network device 102 indicates whether the related beam is in the service state by sending the configuration information, and the terminal 101 can determine whether the beam is in the service state based on the index of the beam in which the terminal 101 is located when receiving the configuration information. Wherein, the beam in which the terminal 101 is located refers to the beam covering the terminal 101, which is denoted as the first beam.

[0173] In the third example, the configuration information can include at least one of: the cell DTX pattern, the cell DRX pattern, the beam DTX pattern, and the beam DRX pattern.

[0174] In a fourth example, based on any of the above examples, the configuration information can comprise a terminal DRX pattern or a UE DRX pattern, which can indicate at least one of: a period of the terminal DRX (DRX cycle), a length of an active period or active duration of the terminal DRX, a length of an inactive period or inactive duration of the terminal DRX; one DRX cycle can comprise an active period and an inactive period.

[0175] In the inactive period of the terminal DRX, the terminal 101 can not receive part or all of the downlink information, and the network device 102 can not send part or all of the downlink information; in the active period of the terminal DRX, the terminal 101 can normally communicate with the network device 102.

[0176] In a fifth example, based on any of the above examples, the configuration information can comprise time-frequency information of the RS, which can be used to indicate transmission time information of the RS, such as a period or a time domain location.

[0177] In this example, the time-frequency information of the RS can comprise a first period, which is a transmission period of the RS on a beam covering the terminal. The first period indicates a period in which the terminal 101 receives the RS on the beam, and the first period can be denoted as Trs. At this time, the terminal 101 knows the period of the RS transmitted on the beam, and can receive the RS based on this, without needing to know other beam information. At this time, the terminal does not need to know the number of simultaneously activated beams Y and the number of beam hopping Nhop, or in other words, Y and Nhop are not visible to the terminal 101.

[0178] Alternatively, in this example, the time-frequency information of the RS includes a second period, the second period being a transmission period of the RS on all beams in a served state. In the second period, the RS can traverse all served beams under the coverage of the satellite in sequence, and the second period can be denoted as Trs'. For example, the number of simultaneously activated beams is Y or denoted as Nactive, and the number of beam hopping is Nhop. At time T1, the satellite can simultaneously send Y beams, and the number of served beams is less than or equal to Y, and the RS is transmitted on the less than or equal to Y served beams at time T1; after one beam hopping, at time T2, the satellite can simultaneously send Y beams, and the number of served beams is less than or equal to Y, and the RS is still transmitted on the served beams at time T2, and the RS can traverse all served beams under the coverage of the satellite in sequence in the time domain. At this time, the terminal 101 needs to calculate or determine the transmission period of the RS on the beam (e.g., the first beam) in which the terminal 101 is located based on the second period. For example, the transmission period of the RS on the first beam is Trs' / (Nactive*Nhop) or Trs' / (Y*Nhop), which can be described in detail in the following embodiments.

[0179] In the case where the time-frequency information of the RS includes the second period, the terminal 101 needs to calculate or determine the transmission period of the RS on the first beam, and therefore the terminal 101 also needs to know Y and Nhop. For example, the configuration information further includes at least one of the following: the number Y of beams simultaneously transmitted by the satellite, and the number Nhop of beam hopping corresponding to the adjustment of beam coverage.

[0180] In a sixth example, based on any one of the above examples, the configuration information can include an SMTC period. In this example, the SMTC period can be configured separately; or in the NTN, since the RS has a relatively large transmission period, the SMTC period is not configured separately.

[0181] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 receives the configuration information described above.

[0182] In step S2102, the terminal 101 determines whether it is under the coverage of a beam in a served state.

[0183] In some embodiments, if the terminal 101 is under the coverage of the first beam, or the beam in which the terminal 101 is located is the first beam, the terminal 101 can determine whether the first beam is in a served state according to whether the configuration information is received or according to the content of the configuration information.

[0184] In an example, in combination with the description of the embodiment in step S2101, if the terminal 101 receives the configuration information, and the configuration information includes the cell or beam DRX / DTX pattern, the terminal 101 can determine that the first beam is in the service state during the active period of the DRX / DTX, and is in the out-of-service state during the inactive period of the DRX / DTX.

[0185] In another example, in combination with the description of the embodiment in step S2101, if the terminal 101 receives the configuration information, and the configuration information includes the beam DRX / DTX pattern, if the first beam is associated with the beam DRX / DTX pattern, the terminal 101 can determine that the first beam is in the service state during the active period of the beam DRX / DTX, and is in the out-of-service state during the inactive period of the beam DRX / DTX.

[0186] In yet another example, if the terminal 101 does not successfully receive the configuration information, it indicates that the first beam is in the out-of-service state.

[0187] In step S2103, the terminal 101 measures the RS according to the measurement period.

[0188] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 can perform this step S2103 when the beam (e.g., the first beam) covering the terminal is in the service state, indicating that the network device 102 can send the RS on the beam. For example, the terminal 101 receives and measures the RS on the first beam according to the measurement period when the first beam is in the service state.

[0189] In some embodiments, the measurement period is determined according to the time-frequency information of the RS. In combination with the description of the foregoing embodiments, the time-frequency information of the RS can include different periods.

[0190] In an example, if the time-frequency information of the RS includes a first period, the measurement period is the maximum of at least two of the following: the first period (Trs), the period of the terminal DRX (DRX cycle), and the SMTC period (SMTC periodicity).

[0191] In this example, if the SMTC period is not configured in the configuration information, the measurement period is max(Trs, DRX cycle). If the SMTC period is configured in the configuration information, the measurement period is max(Trs, DRX cycle, SMTC periodicity). In this example, the terminal 101 receives and measures the RS on the first beam according to the determined measurement period, at the frequency of the measurement period, to obtain the measurement result.

[0192] In another example, if the time-frequency information of the RS includes a second period, the measurement period is the maximum of the following periods: a transmission period of the RS on the first beam, a DRX cycle of the terminal, and an SMTC periodicity; wherein the transmission period of the RS on the first beam is determined according to the second period (Trs') or the SMTC periodicity. In this example, the configuration information can be configured with the number of beams Y transmitted at the same time and the number of beam hopping Nhop.

[0193] In this example, if the SMTC periodicity is not configured in the configuration information, the measurement period is max (the transmission period of the RS on the first beam, the DRX cycle), wherein the transmission period of the RS on the first beam is determined according to Trs'. For example, the transmission period T of the RS on the first beam satisfies:

[0194] wherein T1 represents the second period, i.e., Trs', Y represents the number of beams transmitted at the same time, and N represents the number of beam hopping, or At this time, the measurement period is

[0195] If the SMTC periodicity is configured in the configuration information, the measurement period is max (the transmission period of the RS on the first beam, the DRX cycle), wherein the transmission period of the RS on the first beam is determined according to the SMTC periodicity. For example, the transmission period T of the RS on the first beam satisfies:

[0196] wherein T2 represents the SMTC periodicity, Y represents the number of beams transmitted at the same time, and N represents the number of beam hopping, or At this time, the measurement period is

[0197] Alternatively, in another optional example of this example, if the SMTC periodicity is configured in the configuration information, the measurement period is the maximum of the following periods: the transmission period of the RS on the first beam, the DRX cycle of the terminal, and the SMTC periodicity, such as

[0198] In this example, the terminal 101 receives and measures the RS on the first beam according to the determined measurement period at the frequency of the measurement period, and obtains the measurement result.

[0199] In some embodiments, if the terminal 101 is configured with terminal DRX, the terminal 101 expects or anticipates that the above-mentioned process of receiving and measuring the RS is performed in the active period of the terminal DRX.

[0200] In some embodiments, at least one RS measurement occasion is included in the active period of the terminal DRX, and the at least one RS measurement occasion includes the RS to be measured, wherein each cycle of the terminal DRX includes an active period and an inactive period.

[0201] In this embodiment, the terminal 101 expects that there is at least one available RS occasion for performing measurement in the active period of the terminal DRX, so as to ensure that the terminal 101 can receive and measure the RS in the active period of the terminal DRX.

[0202] In step S2104, according to the measurement period, at least one of the following is determined: a measurement delay of obtaining a measurement quantity configured by the network side, a monitoring delay of searching for a cell, and an evaluation delay of whether to perform cell reselection.

[0203] In some embodiments, the measurement quantity can be at least one of the following: Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), and Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio (SINR).

[0204] In some embodiments, in combination with the description of step S2103, after the terminal 101 determines the measurement period, the terminal 101 can perform measurement according to the frequency of the measurement period to obtain multiple measurement results. Among them, at least one measurement result can be used to determine a measurement quantity, such as a target measurement quantity configured by the network device 102, so as to improve the measurement reliability. The measurement quantity can indicate the cell signal quality, and the terminal 101 determines the corresponding measurement delay according to the measurement quantity. For example, the measurement delay = measurement period * K1, wherein K1 is the number of measurement results for determining a target measurement quantity.

[0205] In some embodiments, the "cell" in the monitoring delay of searching for a cell can refer to a new cell configured by the network device 102. The terminal 101 can receive and measure the RS of a certain new cell to search or monitor the new cell. The monitoring delay can be determined according to the measurement period, such as monitoring delay = measurement period * K2, wherein K2 is the number of measurement results for successfully searching for the new cell.

[0206] In some embodiments, the evaluation time delay is determined based on measurement results or measurement period of the terminal 101 on the cell and the neighbor cell, such as evaluation time delay = measurement period * K3, where K3 is the number of measurement results of the cell or the neighbor cell measurement and meeting the reselection condition.

[0207] At step S2105, the terminal 101 performs cell reselection when the condition is met.

[0208] In some embodiments, the condition can be different according to different beam states of the first beam where the terminal 101 is located.

[0209] In some embodiments, the condition includes:

[0210] The terminal is located in the beam coverage of the serving state, and has not successfully accessed the cell within a first time period. For example, the first beam is in the serving state, but the terminal 101 still cannot find a suitable cell to reside in for a period of time, and the terminal 101 can perform cell reselection.

[0211] Alternatively, the terminal is located in the beam coverage of the non-serving state, and has lasted for a second time period. For example, the first beam is in the non-serving state, and has lasted for a period of time, and the terminal 101 can perform cell reselection.

[0212] In some embodiments, the first time period or the second time period meets one of the following:

[0213] Equal to the first period (Trs);

[0214] Determined according to the first period; for example, the first time period and / or the second time period is: max(10s, Trs), where 10s can be a value in the relevant protocol.

[0215] Equal to the second period (Trs');

[0216] Determined according to the second period; for example, the first time period and / or the second time period is: max(10s, Trs'), where 10s can be a value in the relevant protocol.

[0217] In some embodiments, the range of the cell for which the cell selection is re-initiated is not limited to the NTN cell under coverage enhancement, such as the NTN cell with wide range coverage achieved by beam hopping as described above; it can also be a legacy NTN cell or a TN cell.

[0218] In some embodiments, the name of information and the like is not limited to the name described in the embodiments, and the terms of "information", "message", "signal", "signaling", "report", "configuration", "indication", "instruction", "command", "channel", "parameter", "field", "segment", and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0219] In some embodiments, "acquire", "obtain", "get", "receive", "transmit", "bidirectional transmission", "send and / or receive" can be replaced with each other, which can be interpreted as receiving from other subjects, acquiring from protocols, acquiring from higher layers, obtaining by processing oneself, implementing autonomously, and the like.

[0220] In some embodiments, the terms of "send", "transmit", "report", "issue", "transmit", "bidirectional transmission", "send and / or receive" can be replaced with each other.

[0221] In some embodiments, the terms of "radio", "wireless", "radio access network (RAN)", "access network (AN)", "RAN-based" and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0222] In some embodiments, the terms of "time", "time point", "time", "time position" and the like can be replaced with each other, and the terms of "time length", "time period", "time window", "window", "time" and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0223] In some embodiments, the terms of "component carrier (CC)", "cell", "frequency carrier", "carrier frequency" and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0224] In some embodiments, the terms “certain”, “preseted”, “pre-set”, “set”, “indicated”, “any”, “first”, and the like can be replaced with each other, “certain A”, “preseted A”, “pre-set A”, “set A”, “indicated A”, “any A”, “first A” can be interpreted as A predetermined in a protocol and the like, or A obtained by setting, configuration, or indication and the like, or certain A, any A, or first A, but are not limited thereto.

[0225] In some embodiments, the determination or judgment can be performed by a value represented by 1 bit (0 or 1), or by a true or false value (Boolean value) represented by true or false, or by comparison of numerical values (for example, comparison with a predetermined value), but is not limited thereto.

[0226] In some embodiments, “not expecting to receive” can be interpreted as not receiving in the time domain resource and / or the frequency domain resource, or as not performing subsequent processing on the data and the like after receiving the data and the like; “not expecting to send” can be interpreted as not sending, or as sending but not expecting the receiving party to respond to the content of the sending.

[0227] The method related to the embodiments of the present disclosure can include at least one of steps S2101-S2105.

[0228] In some embodiments, step S2102 can be omitted, for example, the method includes step S2101; or the method includes steps S2101 and S2103.

[0229] In some embodiments, step S2103 can be omitted, for example, the first beam is in a state of no service.

[0230] In some embodiments, at least one of steps S2104-S2105 can be omitted, and the measurement is performed by step S2103 and the measurement result can be reported.

[0231] In some embodiments, other optional implementation manners described before or after the corresponding description of FIG. 2 can be referred to.

[0232] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, considering that the transmission period of the RS may change due to the power limitation of the satellite under the NTN large coverage requirement, the transmission state of the to-be-measured reference signal RS on the corresponding satellite beam is determined according to the configuration of the network, so as to determine the measurement behavior of the terminal 101, and ensure that the terminal 101 performs measurement on the serving cell / beams and the neighbor cell / beams, such as radio resource management (RRM) measurement, at the RS transmission opportunity, so as to ensure the mobility performance in this scenario.

[0233] FIG. 3a is a flow diagram illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 3a, the present embodiment relates to a communication method, which is performed by the terminal 101, and the above method comprises the following steps:

[0234] In step S3101, configuration information is received.

[0235] In some embodiments, the implementation of step S3101 can refer to the implementation of step S2101 in FIG. 2, which will not be described here.

[0236] In step S3102, it is determined whether the terminal 101 is in the coverage of the serving state beam.

[0237] In some embodiments, the implementation of step S3102 can refer to the implementation of step S2102 in FIG. 2, which will not be described here.

[0238] In step S3103, the RS is measured according to the measurement period.

[0239] In some embodiments, the implementation of step S3103 can refer to the implementation of step S2103 in FIG. 2, which will not be described here.

[0240] In step S3104, at least one of the following is determined according to the measurement period: a measurement delay of a measurement quantity configured by the network side, a monitoring delay of searching for a cell, and an evaluation delay of whether to perform cell reselection.

[0241] In some embodiments, the implementation of step S3104 can refer to the implementation of step S2104 in FIG. 2, which will not be described here.

[0242] In step S3105, cell reselection is performed when the condition is met.

[0243] In some embodiments, the implementation of step S3105 can refer to the implementation of step S2105 in FIG. 2, which will not be described here.

[0244] The method related to the embodiments of the present disclosure can include at least one of steps S3101-S3105.

[0245] In some embodiments, other optional implementations can be described before or after the description corresponding to FIG. 3a.

[0246] FIG. 3b is a flow diagram illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 3b, the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method, which is performed by the terminal 101, and the above method comprises the following steps:

[0247] In step S3201, configuration information is received.

[0248] In some embodiments, the implementation of step S3201 can refer to the implementation of step S2101 in FIG. 2, which will not be described here again.

[0249] In step S3202, the RS is measured according to the measurement period.

[0250] In some embodiments, the implementation of step S3202 can refer to the implementation of step S2103 in FIG. 2, which will not be described here again.

[0251] In step S3203, at least one of the following is determined according to the measurement period: a measurement delay of obtaining a measurement quantity configured by the network side, a monitoring delay of searching for a cell, and an evaluation delay of whether to perform cell reselection.

[0252] In some embodiments, the implementation of step S3203 can refer to the implementation of step S2104 in FIG. 2, which will not be described here again.

[0253] In some embodiments, other optional implementations can be described before or after the description corresponding to FIG. 3b.

[0254] FIG. 3c is a flow diagram illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 3c, the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method, which is performed by the terminal 101, and the above method comprises the following steps:

[0255] In step S3301, configuration information is received.

[0256] In some embodiments, the implementation of step S3301 can refer to the implementation of step S2101 in FIG. 2, which will not be described here again.

[0257] In step S3302, cell reselection is performed when a condition is met.

[0258] In some embodiments, the implementation of step S3302 can refer to the implementation of step S2105 in FIG. 2, which will not be described here again.

[0259] In some embodiments, other optional implementations can be described before or after the description corresponding to FIG. 3c.

[0260] FIG. 3d is a flow diagram illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 3d, the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method, which is performed by the terminal 101, and the above method comprises the following steps:

[0261] In step S3401, configuration information sent by the network device 102 is received.

[0262] In some embodiments, the implementation of step S3401 can refer to the implementation of step S2101 in FIG. 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0263] In some embodiments, other optional implementations can be referred to before or after the description corresponding to FIG. 3d.

[0264] FIG. 4a is a flow diagram illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 4a, the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method, which is performed by the network device 102, and the above method comprises the following steps:

[0265] In step S4101, configuration information is sent.

[0266] In some embodiments, the implementation of step S4101 can refer to the implementation of step S2101 in FIG. 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0267] In some embodiments, other optional implementations can be referred to before or after the description corresponding to FIG. 4a.

[0268] FIG. 4b is a flow diagram illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 4b, the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method, which is performed by the network device 102, and the above method comprises the following steps:

[0269] In step S4201, configuration information is sent to the terminal 101.

[0270] In some embodiments, the implementation of step S4201 can refer to the implementation of step S2101 in FIG. 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0271] In some embodiments, other optional implementations can be referred to before or after the description corresponding to FIG. 4b.

[0272] According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the transmission state of the to-be-measured reference signal RS on the corresponding satellite beam is determined according to the network configuration information, which can clearly define the UE measurement behavior from the protocol requirement perspective, and ensure that the UE performs RRM measurement on the serving cell / beam and the neighbor cell / beam at the RS transmission opportunity. In order to facilitate understanding of the embodiment of the present disclosure, some examples are listed as follows:

[0273] Example one:

[0274] The network configuration information can comprise: transmission status of the RS on the corresponding beam, which can indicate whether the beam is in a served state according to the configuration, which can be determined by a cell / beam DRX / DTX pattern;

[0275] Reference signal configuration:

[0276] Embodiment 1: RS signal period (Trs), the period in which the UE receives the RS under a certain beam is equal to Trs, at this time, the number of simultaneously activated beams and the number of beam hopping are invisible to the UE.

[0277] Embodiment 2: RS transmission period (Trs), all served beams under the satellite coverage can be traversed in sequence in the RS period; the number of simultaneously activated beams (Nactive) of the satellite, the number of beam hopping (Nhop), and the period in which the UE receives the RS under a certain beam is Trs / (Nactive*Nhop).

[0278] Optionally, SMTC is configured (or, due to the large RS transmission period, SMTC can no longer be used);

[0279] Optionally, UE DRX is configured.

[0280] Example two:

[0281] Based on example one, the UE side determines whether it is located under a served beam.

[0282] Confirming that it is located under a served beam:

[0283] Corresponding to embodiment 1: the UE side expects at least one obtainable RS occasion for performing measurement during the DRX active period, at this time, the UE performs measurement according to max(Trs, DRX cycle, SMTC periodicity), and determines the measurement delay for obtaining the cell signal quality.

[0284] Corresponding to embodiment 2: if SMTC is not received, the UE performs measurement according to the frequency of max(Trs / (Nactive*Nhop), DRX cycle), and determines the measurement delay for obtaining the cell signal quality (such as RSRP / RSRQ / SINR); if SMTC is received, the UE performs measurement according to the frequency of max(SMTC periodicity / (Nactive*Nhop), DRX cycle), and determines the measurement delay for obtaining the cell signal quality (such as RSRP / RSRQ / SINR).

[0285] The UE reinitiates cell selection after confirming that it is not located under the served beam and that the condition is met.

[0286] Optionally, the condition for reinitiating cell selection can be:

[0287] The UE is under the served beam, but no suitable cell for camping is found within a period of time;

[0288] Or, the UE is not located under the served beam for a period of time.

[0289] Optionally, the period of time can be one Trs or max(10s, Trs).

[0290] Optionally, the cell range for reinitiating cell selection is not limited to NTN cells under coverage enhancement, but can also be legacy NTN cells or TN cells.

[0291] Embodiments of the present disclosure also propose a device for implementing any of the above methods, for example, a device comprising units or modules for implementing each step performed by the terminal in any of the above methods. For another example, another device is also proposed, comprising units or modules for implementing each step performed by the network equipment (such as access network equipment, core network function node, core network equipment, etc.) in any of the above methods.

[0292] It should be understood that the division of each unit or module in the above apparatus is only a logical function division, and all or part of them can be integrated into a physical entity or physically separated in actual implementation. In addition, the units or modules in the apparatus can be implemented in the form of processor calling software: for example, the apparatus includes a processor connected with a memory, the memory stores instructions, and the processor calls the instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the above methods or realize the functions of each unit or module of the above apparatus, wherein the processor is, for example, a general processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory is a memory in the apparatus or a memory outside the apparatus. Alternatively, the units or modules in the apparatus can be implemented in the form of hardware circuit, and the functions of part or all of the units or modules can be realized by the design of hardware circuit. The above hardware circuit can be understood as one or more processors; for example, in one implementation, the above hardware circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and the functions of part or all of the above units or modules are realized by the design of the logical relationship of elements in the circuit; for example, in another implementation, the above hardware circuit is a programmable logic device (PLD), and a field programmable gate array (FPGA) is taken as an example, which can include a large number of logic gate circuits, and the connection relationship between the logic gate circuits is configured by a configuration file, so as to realize the functions of part or all of the above units or modules. All units or modules of the above apparatus can be implemented in the form of processor calling software, or all units or modules can be implemented in the form of hardware circuit, or part of the units or modules are implemented in the form of processor calling software, and the remaining part is implemented in the form of hardware circuit.

[0293] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the processor is a circuit with signal processing capability. In one implementation, the processor can be a circuit with instruction reading and running capability, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a graphics processing unit (GPU) (which can be understood as a microprocessor), a digital signal processor (DSP), or the like. In another implementation, the processor can implement certain functions through a logical relationship of hardware circuits, and the logical relationship of the hardware circuits is fixed or reconfigurable. For example, the processor is a hardware circuit implemented by an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device (PLD), such as an FPGA. In the reconfigurable hardware circuit, the processor loads a configuration document to implement the configuration of the hardware circuit. It can be understood that the processor loads instructions to implement the functions of the above part or all units or modules. In addition, it can also be a hardware circuit designed for artificial intelligence, which can be understood as an ASIC, such as a neural network processing unit (NPU), a tensor processing unit (TPU), a deep learning processing unit (DPU), and the like.

[0294] FIG. 5a is a structural schematic diagram of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 5a, the terminal 5100 can include at least one of a transceiver module 5101, a processing module 5102, and the like. In some embodiments, the transceiver module 5101 is configured to receive configuration information sent by a network device, the configuration information being used to indicate whether a beam of a satellite in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) is in a service state.

[0295] Optionally, the transceiver module 5101 is configured to perform at least one of the communication steps, such as receiving and / or sending, performed by the terminal 101 in any of the above methods, which will not be described herein again. Optionally, the processing module 5102 is configured to perform at least one of the other steps performed by the terminal 101 in any of the above methods, which will not be described herein again.

[0296] FIG. 5b is a structural schematic diagram of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 5b, the network device 5200 can include at least one of a transceiver module 5201, a processing module 5202, and the like. In some embodiments, the transceiver module 5201 is configured to send configuration information to the terminal, where the configuration information is used to indicate whether a beam of a satellite in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) is in a service state.

[0297] In some embodiments, the transceiver module can include a sending module and / or a receiving module, which can be separate or integrated together. Optionally, the transceiver module can be mutually replaced with a transceiver.

[0298] In some embodiments, the processing module can be one module, or can include multiple sub-modules. Optionally, the multiple sub-modules perform all or part of the steps required to be performed by the processing module. Optionally, the processing module can be mutually replaced with a processor.

[0299] FIG. 6a is a structural schematic diagram of a communication device 6100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The communication device 6100 can be a network device (such as an access network device, a core network device, and the like), a terminal (such as a user equipment, and the like), a chip, a chip system, or a processor supporting the network device to implement any of the above methods, or a chip, a chip system, or a processor supporting the terminal to implement any of the above methods. The communication device 6100 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments, and details can be referred to the descriptions in the above method embodiments.

[0300] As shown in FIG. 6a, the communication device 6100 includes one or more processors 6101. The processor 6101 can be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor, for example, a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit can be used to control the communication device (such as a base station, a baseband chip, a terminal device, a terminal device chip, a DU or a CU, and the like), execute programs, and process data of the programs. Optionally, the communication device 6100 is configured to execute any of the above methods. Optionally, the one or more processors 6101 are configured to invoke instructions to cause the communication device 6100 to execute any of the above methods.

[0301] In some embodiments, the communication device 6100 further includes one or more transceivers 6102. When the communication device 6100 includes one or more transceivers 6102, the transceiver 6102 performs at least one of the communication steps of sending and / or receiving in the above-described methods, and the processor 6101 performs at least one of the other steps. In alternative embodiments, the transceiver can include a receiver and / or a transmitter, which can be separate or integrated together. Alternatively, the terms transceiver, transceiving unit, transceiver, transceiving circuit, interface circuit, interface, etc. can be replaced by each other, the terms transmitter, transmitting unit, transmitter, transmitting circuit, etc. can be replaced by each other, and the terms receiver, receiving unit, receiver, receiving circuit, etc. can be replaced by each other.

[0302] In some embodiments, the communication device 6100 further includes one or more memories 6103 for storing data. Alternatively, all or part of the memory 6103 can also be outside the communication device 6100. In alternative embodiments, the communication device 6100 can include one or more interface circuits 6104. Alternatively, the interface circuit 6104 is connected with the memory 6103, and the interface circuit 6104 can be used to receive data from the memory 6103 or other devices, and can be used to send data to the memory 6103 or other devices. For example, the interface circuit 6104 can read the data stored in the memory 6103 and send the data to the processor 6101.

[0303] The communication device 6100 described in the above embodiments can be a network device or a terminal, but the scope of the communication device 6100 described in the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device 6100 can not be limited by Figure 6a. The communication device can be a standalone device or can be part of a larger device. For example, the communication device can be: 1) a standalone integrated circuit (IC), or a chip, or a chip system or subsystem; (2) a set of one or more ICs, which can optionally include storage components for storing data, programs; (3) an ASIC, such as a Modem; (4) a module that can be embedded in other devices; (5) a receiver, a terminal device, a smart terminal device, a cellular phone, a wireless device, a handset, a mobile unit, a vehicle-mounted device, a network device, a cloud device, an artificial intelligence device, etc.; (6) others, etc.

[0304] Figure 6b is a structural schematic diagram of a chip 6200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For the case where the communication device 6100 is a chip or a chip system, the structural schematic diagram of the chip 6200 shown in Figure 6b can be referred to, but is not limited thereto.

[0305] The chip 6200 includes one or more processors 6201. The chip 6200 is configured to execute any of the above methods.

[0306] In some embodiments, chip 6200 further includes one or more interface circuits 6202. Optionally, the terms interface circuits, interface, transceiver pin, etc. can replace each other. In some embodiments, chip 6200 further includes one or more memories 6203 for storing data. Optionally, all or part of memory 6203 can be outside chip 6200. Optionally, interface circuit 6202 is connected with memory 6203, and interface circuit 6202 can be used to receive data from memory 6203 or other devices, and interface circuit 6202 can be used to send data to memory 6203 or other devices. For example, interface circuit 6202 can read data stored in memory 6203 and send the data to processor 6201.

[0307] In some embodiments, interface circuit 6202 performs at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above-mentioned methods. The performance of interface circuit 6202 in the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above-mentioned methods means that interface circuit 6202 performs data interaction between processor 6201, chip 6200, memory 6203 or transceiver devices. In some embodiments, processor 6201 performs at least one of the other steps.

[0308] The modules and / or devices described in each of the embodiments of virtual devices, physical devices, chips, etc. can be combined or separated as appropriate. Optionally, part or all of the steps can also be performed by multiple modules and / or devices, which are not limited here.

[0309] The disclosure also proposes a storage medium, and the above-mentioned storage medium stores instructions, when the above-mentioned instructions run on communication device 6100, the above-mentioned instructions make communication device 6100 perform any one of the above-mentioned methods. Optionally, the above-mentioned storage medium is an electronic storage medium. Optionally, the above-mentioned storage medium is a computer readable storage medium, but is not limited to this, and it can also be a storage medium readable by other devices. Optionally, the above-mentioned storage medium can be a non-transitory storage medium, but is not limited to this, and it can also be a transitory storage medium.

[0310] The disclosure also proposes a program product, and the above-mentioned program product is executed by communication device 6100, and the above-mentioned program product makes communication device 6100 perform any one of the above-mentioned methods. Optionally, the above-mentioned program product is a computer program product.

[0311] The disclosure also proposes a computer program, and when the computer program runs on a computer, the computer program makes the computer perform any one of the above-mentioned methods. Industrial applicability

[0312] The terminal learns the beam state configured by the network device through receiving the configuration information, so that the terminal can adjust its own behavior such as measurement behavior based on the beam state to ensure the mobility performance.

Claims

1. A method of communication performed by a terminal, the method comprising: receiving configuration information transmitted by a network device, the configuration information being used to indicate whether a beam of a satellite in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) is in a serving state.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The configuration information comprises at least one of: a pattern of discontinuous transmission (DTX) of a cell; a pattern of discontinuous reception (DRX) of a cell; a pattern of DTX of a beam; a pattern of DRX of a beam; a pattern of DRX of the terminal; time-frequency information of a reference signal (RS); a synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block measurement time configuration (SMTC) period.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The method further comprises: measuring the RS according to a measurement period when the beam covering the terminal is in the serving state, wherein the measurement period is determined according to the time-frequency information of the RS.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, The time-frequency information of the RS comprises a first period, the first period being a transmission period of the RS on the beam covering the terminal.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The measurement period is a maximum value of at least two of the following: the first period, a period of DRX of the terminal, and the SMTC period.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein, The time-frequency information of the RS comprises a second period, the second period being a transmission period of the RS on all beams in the serving state.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, The configuration information further comprises at least one of: a number of beams transmitted by the satellite at the same time, and a number of beam hopping corresponding to adjustment of beam coverage by the satellite.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The measurement period is a maximum value of at least two of the following: the first period, a period of DRX of the terminal, and the SMTC period, wherein the first beam is the beam covering the terminal, and the first period is determined according to the second period or the SMTC period.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, The transmission period T of the first-beam RS is determined by any one of the following: Wherein, T1 represents the second period, T2 represents the SMTC period, Y represents the number of beams transmitted at the same time, and N represents the number of beam hopping. 10.The method of any one of claims 3 to 9, wherein at least one RS measurement occasion is included in an active period of DRX of the terminal, and the at least one RS measurement occasion comprises the RS to be measured, wherein each period of DRX of the terminal comprises the active period and an inactive period.

11. The method of any one of claims 3 to 9, wherein, The method further comprises: determining at least one of the following according to the measurement period: a measurement delay of a measurement quantity configured by the network side, a monitoring delay of searching for a cell, and an evaluation delay of whether to perform cell reselection.

12. The method of any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein, The method further comprises: performing cell reselection when a condition is met.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, The condition comprises at least one of: the terminal is located in coverage of a beam in the serving state, and has not successfully accessed a cell within a first time length; the terminal is located in coverage of a beam in a non-serving state, and has been in the non-serving state for a second time length.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, The first time length or the second time length satisfies one of: is equal to the first period; is determined according to the first period; is equal to the second period; is determined according to the second period. 15.A method of communication performed by a network device, the method comprising: transmitting configuration information to a terminal, the configuration information being used to indicate whether a beam of a satellite in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) is in a serving state.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein, The configuration information comprises at least one of: a pattern of discontinuous transmission (DTX) of a cell; a pattern of discontinuous reception (DRX) of a cell; a pattern of beam DTX; a pattern of beam DRX; a pattern of terminal DRX; time-frequency information of a reference signal (RS); a synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block measurement time configuration (SMTC) period.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein, the time-frequency information of the RS is used to determine a measurement period corresponding to the RS.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein, the time-frequency information of the RS comprises a first period, the first period being a transmission period of the RS on a beam covering the terminal.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein, the measurement period is a maximum of at least two of the following: the first period, a period of terminal DRX, and an SMTC period.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein, the time-frequency information of the RS comprises a second period, the second period being a transmission period of the RS on all beams in a serving state.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein, the configuration information further comprises at least one of: a number of beams transmitted by the satellite at a same time, and a number of beam jumps corresponding to an adjustment of beam coverage by the satellite.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein, the measurement period is a maximum of at least one of: the first period, a period of terminal DRX, and an SMTC period, wherein the first period is determined based on the second period or the SMTC period.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein, The transmission period T of the first beam RS is determined by any one of the following: wherein T1 represents the second period, T2 represents the SMTC period, Y represents the number of beams transmitted by the satellite at the same time, and N represents the number of beam jumps.

24. The method of any one of claims 17 to 23, wherein, at least one RS measurement occasion is included in an active period of terminal DRX, the at least one RS measurement occasion including the RS to be measured, wherein each period of the terminal DRX includes the active period and an inactive period.

25. The method of any one of claims 17 to 23, wherein, the measurement period is used to determine at least one of: a measurement delay of a measurement quantity configured by the network, a monitoring delay for searching for a cell, and an evaluation delay for whether to perform cell reselection.

26. The method of any one of claims 15 to 25, wherein, a condition for cell reselection comprises at least one of: the terminal is located in a coverage of a beam in a serving state, and has not successfully accessed a cell for a first duration; the terminal is located in a coverage of a beam in a non-serving state, and has been in the non-serving state for a second duration.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein, the first duration or the second duration satisfies one of: is equal to the first period; is determined based on the first period; is equal to the second period; is determined based on the second period.

28. A terminal comprising: a transceiver configured to receive configuration information transmitted by a network device, the configuration information indicating whether a beam of a satellite in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) is in a serving state.

29. A network device comprising: a transceiver configured to transmit configuration information to a terminal, the configuration information indicating whether a beam of a satellite in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) is in a serving state.

30. A terminal comprising: one or more processors; wherein the terminal is configured to implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 14.

31. A network device comprising: one or more processors; wherein the network device is configured to implement the method of any one of claims 15 to 27.

32. A communication system including a terminal and a network equipment, wherein the terminal is configured to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14; the network equipment is configured to implement the method according to any one of claims 15 to 27.

33. A storage medium having stored thereon instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, or according to any one of claims 15 to 27.

34. A program product, wherein the program product, when executed by a communication device, causes the communication device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, or according to any one of claims 15 to 27.

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