Communication method, device, equipment, chip, storage medium, product and program

Abstract

Disclosed are a communication method, apparatus, device, chip, storage medium, product and program, the method comprising: a network device sending first information to a terminal device, the first information being used for indicating a first timing advance (TA) value, the first TA value being a TA value used in a first time period; the first TA value is determined based on measurement parameters of an uplink signal and / or an uplink channel of the terminal device in a second time period; the ending time of the second time period is earlier than the starting time of the first time period.

Description

Communication method, device, equipment, chip, storage medium, product and program Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communication technology, and specifically to a communication method, apparatus, device, chip, storage medium, product, and program. Background Art

[0002] To reduce the impact of signaling delays during spatial transmission between a terminal device and a network device (e.g., a base station), the terminal device can send a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) to the network device, allowing the network device to perform uplink delay measurements based on the PRACH and determine the timing advance (TA) value of the terminal device. In this way, the terminal device can send uplink channels or signals based on the TA value. However, the process of obtaining the TA value requires a certain amount of uplink resource usage and time overhead.

[0003] Summary of the Invention

[0004] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, apparatus, device, chip, storage medium, product, and program.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, the method comprising:

[0006] The network device sends first information to the terminal device, where the first information is used to indicate a first timing advance TA value, where the first TA value is the TA value used in a first time period; the first TA value is determined based on the measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel of the terminal device in a second time period; the end time of the second time period is earlier than the start time of the first time period.

[0007] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, the method comprising:

[0008] The terminal device determines a first timing advance TA value, where the first TA value is the TA value used in a first time period; the first TA value is determined based on measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel of the terminal device in a second time period; the end time of the second time period is earlier than the start time of the first time period.

[0009] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, the communication device comprising:

[0010] A first sending unit is configured to send first information to a terminal device, where the first information is used to indicate a first timing advance TA value, where the first TA value is a TA value used in a first time period; the first TA value is determined based on measurement parameters of an uplink signal and / or an uplink channel of the terminal device in a second time period; and the end time of the second time period is earlier than the start time of the first time period.

[0011] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, the communication device comprising:

[0012] The second processing unit is configured to determine a first timing advance TA value, where the first TA value is the TA value used in the first time period; the first TA value is determined based on the measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel of the terminal device in the second time period; the end time of the second time period is earlier than the start time of the first time period.

[0013] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, comprising a processor and a memory. The memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory to perform the communication method of any one of the first and second aspects above.

[0014] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip for implementing the communication method of any one of the first and second aspects above.

[0015] Specifically, the chip includes: a processor, configured to call and run a computer program from a memory, so that a device equipped with the chip executes the communication method of any one of the first and second aspects above.

[0016] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program. When the computer program is executed by at least one processor, it implements the communication method of any one of the first and second aspects mentioned above.

[0017] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, comprising computer program instructions, which enable a computer to execute the communication method of any one of the first and second aspects above.

[0018] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the communication method of any one of the first and second aspects above.

[0019] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, apparatus, device, chip, storage medium, product and program, which may include: a network device sends a first information to a terminal device. The first information is used to indicate a first TA value, which is a TA value used in a first time period; the first TA value is determined based on the measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel of the terminal device in a second time period; the end time of the second time period is earlier than the start time of the first time period. In other words, the first TA value used in the future / future time period can be determined based on the measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel sent by the terminal device in the historical / past time period. In this way, the terminal device can obtain the TA value without sending the uplink signal and / or uplink channel to the network device, thereby saving time-frequency resources and time overhead. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the present application and constitute a part of the present application. The illustrative embodiments of the present application and their descriptions are used to explain the present application and do not constitute an improper limitation on the present application. In the drawings:

[0021] FIG1 shows a schematic diagram 1 of a timing advance value adjustment format;

[0022] FIG2 shows a second schematic diagram of a timing advance value adjustment format;

[0023] FIG3 shows a schematic diagram of signaling indicating a timing advance value;

[0024] FIG4 shows a schematic diagram of reference points of timing advance values;

[0025] FIG5 shows a schematic diagram of a neuron structure;

[0026] FIG6 shows a schematic diagram of a neural network;

[0027] FIG7 shows a flow chart 1 of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] FIG8 shows a second flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] FIG9 shows a third flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] FIG10 shows a schematic diagram of a scenario in which a network device determines a first TA value;

[0031] FIG11 shows a schematic diagram of the input and output relationship of the second model;

[0032] FIG12 shows a fourth flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] FIG13 shows a second schematic diagram of a scenario in which a network device determines a first TA value;

[0034] FIG14 shows a schematic diagram of the input and output relationship of the first model;

[0035] FIG15A shows a schematic diagram of a TAC structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] FIG15B shows a second schematic diagram of a TAC structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] FIG16A shows a third schematic diagram of a TAC structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] FIG16B shows a fourth schematic diagram of a TAC structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] FIG17A shows a fifth schematic diagram of a TAC structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] FIG17B shows a sixth schematic diagram of a TAC structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] FIG18A shows a seventh schematic diagram of a TAC structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] FIG18B shows a schematic diagram eight of a TAC structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] FIG19A shows a ninth schematic diagram of a TAC structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] FIG19B shows a schematic diagram 10 of a TAC structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] FIG20 is a fifth flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] FIG21 is a schematic diagram of the first structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] FIG22 is a second schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] FIG23 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] FIG24 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] Figure 25 is a schematic block diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] The following will describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0052] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this application pertains. The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing the embodiments of this application only and are not intended to limit this application.

[0053] In the following description, reference is made to “some embodiments”, which describes a subset of all possible embodiments, but it will be understood that “some embodiments” may be the same subset or different subsets of all possible embodiments and may be combined with each other without conflict.

[0054] It should also be pointed out that the terms "first\second\third" involved in the embodiments of the present application are only used to distinguish similar objects and do not represent a specific ordering of the objects. It can be understood that "first\second\third" can be interchanged with a specific order or sequence where permitted, so that the embodiments of the present application described here can be implemented in an order other than that illustrated or described here.

[0055] In addition, the term "and / or" in the embodiments of this application is merely a description of the association relationship between associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0056] It should be understood that the "indication" mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be a direct indication, an indirect indication, or an indication of an association. For example, "A indicates B" can mean that A directly indicates B, for example, B can be obtained through A; it can also mean that A indirectly indicates B, for example, A indicates C, and B can be obtained through C; it can also mean that there is an association between A and B.

[0057] It should also be understood that the “predefined”, “protocol agreement”, “predetermined” or “predefined rules” mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by pre-saving corresponding codes, tables or other methods that can be used to indicate relevant information in a device (for example, a terminal device), and the present application does not limit its specific implementation method. For example, predefined can refer to what is defined in the protocol. It should also be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the “protocol” may refer to a standard protocol in the field of communications, such as the Long Term Evolution (LTE) protocol, the New Radio (NR) protocol, and related protocols used in future communication systems, and the present application does not limit this.

[0058] The technical solutions described in the embodiments of the present application can be combined arbitrarily without conflict. In the description of the present application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise clearly defined.

[0059] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as LTE system, LTE time division duplex (TDD), Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Internet of Things (IoT) system, Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) system, enhanced Machine Type Communications (eMTC) system, 5G communication system (also known as NR communication system), or future communication systems.

[0060] In the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can be a device that provides voice / data to the user, for example, a handheld device with wireless connection function, a vehicle-mounted device, etc. At present, some examples of terminals are: access terminal, user equipment (UE), mobile phone, tablet computer, laptop computer, PDA, mobile Internet device (MID), wearable device, virtual reality (VR) device, augmented reality (AR) device, wireless terminal in industrial control (Industrial Control), wireless terminal in self-driving (Self Driving), wireless terminal in remote medical surgery (Remote Medical Surgery), wireless terminal in smart grid (Smart Grid), wireless terminal in transportation safety (Transportation Safety), wireless terminal in smart city (Smart City), wireless terminal in smart home (Smart Home), cellular phone, cordless phone, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) Assistant, PDA), handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, wearable devices, terminal devices in a 5G network, or terminal devices in a future evolved public land mobile communication network (Public Land Mobile Network, PLMN), etc., the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0061] As an example and not a limitation, in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device may also be a wearable device. Wearable devices may also be called wearable smart devices, which are a general term for wearable devices that are intelligently designed and developed using wearable technology for daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. A wearable device is a portable device that is worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothes or accessories. Wearable devices are not only hardware devices, but also achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly speaking, wearable smart devices include those that are fully functional, large in size, and can achieve complete or partial functions without relying on smartphones, such as smart watches or smart glasses, as well as those that only focus on a certain type of application function and need to be used in conjunction with other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0062] In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device can also be a terminal device in an IoT system. IoT is an important part of the future development of information technology. Its main technical feature is to connect objects to the network through communication technology, thereby realizing an intelligent network of human-machine interconnection and object-to-object interconnection.

[0063] It should be noted that terminal devices and network devices (Network, NW) can communicate with each other using certain air interface technologies (such as NR or LTE technology). Terminal devices can also communicate with each other using certain air interface technologies (such as NR or LTE technology).

[0064] It should be noted that the device for implementing the function of the terminal device can be the terminal device, or it can be a device that can support the terminal device to implement the function, such as a chip system or chip, which can be installed in the terminal device. In the embodiment of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or it can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0065] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device may be an evolved base station (eNB or eNodeB) in an LTE system, or a next generation radio access network (NG RAN) device, or a base station (gNB) in an NR system, or a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or the network device may be a relay station, an access point, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a hub, a switch, a bridge, a router, or a network device in a future evolved PLMN, etc.

[0066] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the relevant technologies of the embodiments of the present application are described below. The following relevant technologies can be arbitrarily combined with the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application as optional solutions, and they all fall within the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application.

[0067] In the current NR standard, a terminal device can be configured with up to four Timing Advance Groups (TAGs) in a Cell Group (CG). The Radio Resource Control (RRC) configuration of the TAGs can be as follows:

[0068] Generally, a CG can have multiple serving cells (Serving Cells), and each serving cell can be assigned a TAG identifier (ID). Each TAG can have a timer (TimeAlignmentTimer), and the terminal device can count the timer. When the timer times out, the terminal device can consider that the TAG is out of uplink synchronization. The network device can adjust the TA value through the Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) or other signaling within the time when the timer is running, thereby resetting the timer. At this time, the terminal device can consider that the TAG is in uplink synchronization state.

[0069] For example, assuming that the timer value is configured to 500ms, if the network device updates (adjusts) the TA value once within 500ms, the terminal device can consider the uplink to be synchronized; otherwise, if the network device does not update (adjust) the TA value once within 500ms, the terminal device can consider the uplink to be out of sync, and may initiate a random access channel (RACH) process when uplink data arrives.

[0070] The TA value is based on the first path of the downlink channel received by the terminal device, that is, the first symbol of the time slot where the channel is located as the downlink reference, and the early transmission is performed on this basis. The calculation formula of the TA value is as follows: TA=(N TA +N TA,offset )*T C (1)

[0071] Among them, N TA,offset T is the pre-configured timing advance offset for each serving cell in a CG; C is the minimum time unit in the NR system, T C =1 / (4096*480kHz); N TA is the TA adjustment amount.

[0072] N TA There are two ways to calculate :

[0073] The first N TA Calculation method: N TA Differential adjustment can be provided through the MAC CE of the network device. TA Adjustment It can be in the last N TA Adjustment Based on the time adjustment forward or backward, N TAThe adjustment is calculated as follows:

[0074] Where μ is the subcarrier spacing, T A is the quantitative TA value.

[0075] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a timing advance value adjustment format. The differential adjustment format of the timing advance value of the MAC CE can be to adjust the T based on the original TA. A As shown in Figure 1, the MAC CE is encoded in 8 bits per byte, where the TAG ID is 2 bits, the TA command (i.e., timing advance command) is 6 bits, and Oct 1 represents one byte, i.e., 8 bits.

[0076] The second N TA Calculation method: The MAC CE of the network device directly gives an absolute value N TA , its value range is 0 to 3846, and its indication range for TA is N TA =T A *16*64*2 μ At this time, the network device can indicate the absolute value of the TA of its uplink transmission to the terminal device.

[0077] Figure 2 shows a second schematic diagram of the timing advance value adjustment format. The TA command can be applied to the primary timing advance group (TAG, PTAG) corresponding to the MAC entity. In this case, since the MAC CE only applies to PTAG, it does not need to include the TAG ID. As shown in Figure 2, the MAC CE is encoded as an 8-bit byte, where the TA command is 12 bits, Oct 1 represents one byte, and Oct 2 represents one byte, that is, Oct 1 and Oct 2 each have 8 bits, and R indicates that it is set to 0.

[0078] In addition, during the initial access process of the terminal device to the cell, after the terminal device sends the PRACH to the network device, within a certain time window, the terminal device can expect the network device to send a TA value indication through a MAC Random Access Response (RAR).

[0079] Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of the signaling indicating the timing advance value. As shown in Figure 3, in this signaling, the TA command is 12 bits, the uplink grant (UL Grant) is 27 bits, the temporary cell-radio network temporary identifier (TCRNTI) is 16 bits, and Oct 1 to Oct 7 each represent a byte, with 8 bits each. R indicates that it is set to 0. In this way, the terminal device can obtain the initial TA absolute value, which is 12 bits.

[0080] Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of the reference point of the timing advance value. As shown in Figure 4, if the terminal device works in the single transmission / reception point (STRP) mode, the reference point of the TA value of the terminal device starts from the reception time of the downlink frame i and advances forward (N TA +N TA,offset )*T C The time is used as the sending time point of the uplink frame i, thereby sending the uplink channel or signal.

[0081] The embodiments of the present application involve a neural network (NN). The following is a brief introduction from three aspects: neuron structure, deep neural network, and acquisition of neural network model.

[0082] (1) Neuronal structure

[0083] NN is a computational model consisting of multiple interconnected neuron nodes, where the connections between nodes represent the weighted values ​​from input signals to output signals, called weights. Each node performs a weighted summation of different input signals and outputs them through a specific activation function. The neuron structure is shown in Figure 5, where a1, a2, ..., a n and 1 are the inputs of neurons, w1, w2, ..., w n and b represent weights, Sum represents the summation function, f represents the activation function, and t is the output result.

[0084] (2) Deep Neural Networks

[0085] Figure 6 shows a simple neural network. The NN includes an input layer, a hidden layer, and an output layer. By connecting multiple neurons in different ways, combined with different weights and activation functions, different outputs can be generated, thereby fitting the mapping relationship from input to output. Exemplarily, each upper-level node can be connected to all of its lower-level nodes to form a fully connected model. The fully connected model can also be referred to as a deep neural network (DNN). In an embodiment of the present application, the NN model can be used to perform beam prediction in the spatial domain.

[0086] (3) Obtaining the neural network model

[0087] An NN model can be trained through the processes of data set construction, training, verification and testing. In the embodiments of the present application, it is assumed that the NN models have been trained in advance through offline training and / or online training. It should be noted that offline training and online training are not mutually exclusive. For example, the network device may first obtain a static training result through offline training of the data set, and this process may be called offline training. During the use of the NN model by the network device or terminal device, as the terminal device further measures and / or reports, the NN model may continue to collect more data and perform real-time online training to optimize the parameters of the NN model, thereby achieving better inference and prediction results.

[0088] It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present application, the output of the NN model can be understood as inference or prediction. It is understood that inference and prediction in the embodiments of the present application have the same meaning and can be interchanged.

[0089] In the embodiment of the present application, the input of the NN model includes two measurement indicators: Channel Impulse Response (CIR) and Power Delay Profile (PDP). The CIR and PDP are briefly described below.

[0090] (i) CIR: This represents the time domain response of a signal along the transmission path. It reflects phenomena such as multipath propagation, delay spread, and fading that may occur during signal transmission. When a transmitted signal travels through a wireless channel, it traverses multiple different paths, resulting in multiple copies of the signal arriving at the receiver with different arrival times and amplitudes. The CIR describes information such as the arrival time, amplitude, and phase of these copies.

[0091] CIR is typically expressed as an impulse response function (IRF) or a frequency response function (FRF). The IRF describes the channel's response to a unit pulse input, while the FRF describes the channel's response to signals of varying frequencies. These functions can be obtained through measurement, simulation, or estimation techniques.

[0092] (ii) PDP: A spectral representation used to describe the power distribution of different delay components in a channel. It indicates the amount of energy or power contributed by each delay component in the channel response. Typically, the PDP of a channel is obtained through channel measurement. This measurement method involves transmitting and sampling a specific test signal through the channel, and then applying a channel estimation algorithm to obtain the PDP.

[0093] This application also involves beams (pairs). "Beams (pairs)" refers to "beams" or "beam pairs." Specifically, in this application, a beam can refer to a transmit beam or a receive beam, and a beam pair refers to a pair of a transmit beam and a receive beam. In the protocol, "spatial filter" can be used instead of "beam."

[0094] In the current NR protocol (from R15 to R17), during the initial access phase, the terminal device can achieve uplink synchronization with the serving cell by sending a PRACH to the network device and obtaining the TA value through the MAC RAR or MAC CE feedback from the network device. However, the above process of obtaining the TA value requires a certain amount of uplink resources (such as PRACH time-frequency resources and preamble code time-frequency resources) and time overhead (such as the first step PRACH process and the second step RAR RACH process).

[0095] Furthermore, in NR's Release 18 mobility enhancements, while the target cell's TA value is derived by measuring the downlink time difference (the time difference between the target cell and the uplink-synchronized serving cell), it still relies on a specific uplink-synchronized serving cell as a benchmark and requires multiple cells to use a synchronized timeline in the uplink. Therefore, while this method of obtaining the TA eliminates PRACH transmission, the requirements are relatively stringent.

[0096] Based on this, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method that can determine the first TA value used in the future / future time period based on the measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel sent by the terminal device in the historical / past time period. In this way, the terminal device no longer needs to send the uplink signal and / or uplink channel to the network device to obtain the TA value, thereby saving time-frequency resources and time overhead.

[0097] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the technical solutions of the present application are described in detail below through specific embodiments. The above related technologies can be combined arbitrarily with the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application as optional solutions, and all of them fall within the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present application. The embodiments of the present application include at least part of the following contents.

[0098] FIG7 shows a flow chart 1 of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG7 , the method may include the following steps.

[0099] S110: The network device sends first information to the terminal device. The first information is used to indicate a first TA value, which is a TA value used in a first time period; the first TA value is determined based on measurement parameters of an uplink signal and / or an uplink channel of the terminal device in a second time period; and the end time of the second time period is earlier than the start time of the first time period.

[0100] Correspondingly, the terminal device can receive the first information sent by the network device.

[0101] It should be noted that the second time period can be understood as a historical / past time period, and the first time period can be understood as a future / future time period.

[0102] It can be understood that the network device can obtain the measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel sent by the terminal device during the second time period. Among them, if the current network device is not the network device corresponding to the cell where the terminal device resides in the second time period, the network device can obtain the measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel sent by the terminal device during the second time period from the network device where the terminal device historically resided. If the current network device is the network device corresponding to the cell where the terminal device resides in the second time period, the network device can directly obtain the measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel received from the terminal device during the second time period.

[0103] In some embodiments, the uplink signal and / or uplink channel may include a PRACH and / or a sounding reference signal (SRS). In other words, the uplink signal may include an SRS, and the uplink channel may include a PRACH.

[0104] It should be noted that a network device can configure an SRS resource set for a terminal device. Each SRS resource set can include one or more SRS resources. Each SRS resource can correspond to spatial relation information, such as the index information of a spatial filter. When an SRS resource corresponds to spatial relation information, it can be used in frequency range 2 (FR2).

[0105] It can be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, for PRACH, cell-level TA prediction can be completed, and for SRS, cell-level and / or spatial filter-level TA prediction can be completed.

[0106] In some embodiments, the measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel may include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel, Time of Arrive (ToA) of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel, etc. Exemplarily, when the uplink signal and / or uplink channel includes an SRS, the measurement parameters may be SRS-RSRP and / or ToA of the SRS.

[0107] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device may determine the TA value used by the terminal device in the first time period (referred to herein as the first TA value in this embodiment of the present application) based on the measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel in the second time period. In other words, the network device may predict the TA value for a future time period based on the measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel sent by the terminal device in a historical / past time period (or referred to as historical measurement parameters).

[0108] In the embodiment of the present application, the measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel in the second time period may be referred to as historical measurement parameters, and the two are equivalent to or interchangeable.

[0109] It is understandable that after obtaining the first TA value, the network device may indicate the first TA value to the terminal device through the first information. Accordingly, the terminal device may not send an uplink signal and / or an uplink channel to the network device during the first time period, and may directly communicate with the network device using the first TA value indicated by the first information.

[0110] Thus, in the communication method provided by the application embodiment, the network device can determine the first TA value to be used by the terminal device in the future based on the historical measurement parameters of the terminal device's uplink signal and / or uplink channel, and notify the terminal device of the first TA value. In this way, the terminal device can obtain the TA value without having to send the uplink signal and / or uplink channel to the network device, thereby saving time and frequency resources and time overhead.

[0111] It should be noted that the first information indicates the first TA value, which may be an explicit indication. For example, the first information may include the specific value of the first TA value, or the difference between the first TA value and the reference TA value, or the index value of the first TA value in the TA value candidate set, etc., and the embodiment of the present application does not limit this. In addition, the first information indicates the first TA value, which may also be an implicit indication. For example, the first information may implicitly indicate the first TA value through the value of other information. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the manner in which the first information indicates the first TA value.

[0112] It should also be noted that the first time period and / or the second time period may be determined by one or more of a start time, an end time, and a duration. The start time, the end time, and the duration of the first time period and / or the second time period may be predefined, determined according to a preset rule, or preconfigured by a network device, and this is not limited in the present embodiment.

[0113] The start time and end time can be a time domain symbol or an absolute time, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. In addition, the unit of the duration can be a relative time unit, such as a time domain symbol, a time slot, a subframe, etc.; the unit of the duration can also be an absolute time unit, such as microseconds (us), milliseconds (ms), seconds (s), etc., which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0114] Exemplarily, the first time period and / or the second time period may be predefined, wherein the second time period may be a time period starting at the first time domain symbol of time slot 1 and lasting for N (N>=1) time domain symbols, and the first time period may be a time period starting at the first time domain symbol of time slot 1+n and lasting for N (N>=1) time domain symbols. Alternatively, the second time period may be a time period starting at the first time domain symbol of time slot n and lasting for M (M>0) milliseconds. The first time period may be a time period starting at the first time domain symbol of time slot 1+n and lasting for M (M>0) milliseconds.

[0115] In some embodiments, the first time period and / or the second time period can be characterized by a moment (which can be a starting moment or an ending moment). Exemplarily, the network device can predict the TA values ​​(TA#1 to TA#F) of the next F (F>=1) moments based on the historical measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel of the terminal device. Herein, starting from the first moment, the terminal device can use TA#1 to communicate with the network device; starting from the second moment, the terminal device can use TA#2 to communicate with the network device; and so on, starting from the Fth moment, the terminal device uses TA#2 to communicate with the network device. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific implementation methods of the first time period and the second time period.

[0116] It should also be noted that the uplink signal and / or uplink channel sent by the terminal device needs to be associated with a special downlink signal (referred to as the first downlink signal in the embodiment of the present application). Among them, the first downlink signal can be used by the terminal device to perform beamforming on the above-mentioned uplink signal and / or uplink channel. In other words, the terminal device can use the spatial relation information of the first downlink signal to determine the spatial relationship information of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel. In simple terms, the terminal device can determine the uplink beam for sending the above-mentioned uplink signal and / or uplink channel by the terminal device based on the downlink beam of the first downlink signal received.

[0117] In some embodiments, the first downlink signal may include one or more of the following:

[0118] Downlink signal selected by the terminal device based on downlink measurements;

[0119] Downlink signal of network equipment configuration;

[0120] A dedicated downlink signal used to determine the first TA.

[0121] It should be noted that the downlink signal includes but is not limited to: Synchronization Signal and PBCH Block (SSB) and / or Channel State Information-Reference Signal (CSI-RS).

[0122] As can be understood, the network equipment uses beam sweeping to send downlink signals to cover the service range of the entire cell. Beam sweeping refers to sending downlink signals using beams in different directions at different times.

[0123] In a possible implementation, the terminal device may measure the received downlink signal and select the first downlink signal based on the downlink measurement result.

[0124] Exemplarily, the first downlink signal may be an SSB selected from an SSB burst set by the terminal device by measuring the SSB during a random access process.

[0125] Exemplarily, the first downlink signal may be a CSI-RS selected by the terminal device based on a measurement result of the CSI-RS.

[0126] In another possible implementation, the network device may directly configure the uplink signal and / or the first downlink signal associated with the uplink channel for the terminal device.

[0127] Exemplarily, the first downlink signal may be an SSB configured in advance by the network device, or may be an SSB indicated by a PDCCH order.

[0128] Exemplarily, the first downlink signal may be spatial relationship information for SRS resource configuration and / or activation by the network device, such as an uplink or joint transmission configuration indication state (UL / joint Transmission Configuration Indication state, UL / joint TCI state).

[0129] In another possible implementation, the first downlink signal may be a dedicated reference signal for TA prediction. Exemplarily, the first downlink signal may be a CSI-RS, a CSI-RS for mobility.

[0130] In some embodiments, the sending time of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel is determined based on the receiving time of the first downlink signal associated with the uplink signal and / or uplink channel and a third TA value, or based on the receiving time of the first downlink signal; the third TA value is the TA value used when the terminal device sends the uplink signal and / or uplink channel.

[0131] It is understandable that the time when the terminal device sends the uplink signal and / or uplink channel to the network device may be related to the reception time of the first downlink signal associated with the uplink signal and / or uplink channel. In other words, the terminal device may send the uplink signal and / or uplink channel to the network device based on the reception time of the first downlink signal.

[0132] In one possible implementation, the transmission time of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel can be directly based on the reception time of the first downlink signal associated with the uplink signal and / or uplink channel. It is understandable that the terminal device can use the time of receiving the first downlink signal as the starting time for transmitting the uplink signal and / or uplink channel. In other words, the TA value for the terminal device to transmit the uplink signal and / or uplink channel is zero, and the time for the terminal device to transmit the uplink signal and / or uplink channel can be adjusted without TA.

[0133] In another possible implementation, the transmission time of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel can be directly determined based on the reception time of the first downlink signal associated with the uplink signal and / or uplink channel and the third TA value. It is understandable that the terminal device can use the third TA value to adjust the transmission time of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel.

[0134] Exemplarily, when the uplink signal and / or uplink channel is PRACH, the terminal device may use the time of the downlink received SSB as the starting time for sending PRACH, that is, the TA value of PRACH is zero.

[0135] For example, when the uplink signal and / or uplink channel is an SRS, the terminal device may use a third TA value to adjust the time of transmitting the SRS. The third TA value may be the TA value of the TAG in which the terminal device is located. In addition, the terminal device may also use the downlink reception time of the SSB as a reference to transmit the SRS, that is, transmit the SRS without the third TA adjustment.

[0136] It should be noted that when the network device configures an SRS resource set for the terminal device, the purpose of the SRS resource set can be configured. For example, the SRS resource set can be configured for beam management.

[0137] In some embodiments, the network device may configure an SRS resource set for the purpose of "TA prediction", that is, one or more SRS resources in the SRS resource set may be used to determine a TA value to be used in a future time period.

[0138] In the embodiment of the present application, when SRS is used for "TA prediction", the time when the terminal device sends the SRS may not be adjusted by the third TA value. When the function of SRS is not "TA prediction", the terminal device uses the third TA value to adjust the time when sending SRS.

[0139] In some embodiments, the measurement parameters (or historical measurement parameters) of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel in S110 may include one or more. Furthermore, the number of first TA values ​​may also include one or more. That is, the network device may determine one or more future first TA values ​​based on one or more historical measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel of the terminal device.

[0140] It is understandable that the network device can obtain the measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel in one or more second time periods. The measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel in each second time period can be used by the network device to determine the second TA value (i.e., the historical TA value) used by the terminal device in each second time period.

[0141] It should be noted that the network device can obtain the measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel of the terminal device in each second time period from the network device corresponding to the cell where the terminal device resides. If the network device corresponding to the cell where the terminal device resides in a certain second time period is the current network device, the network device can directly obtain the measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel sent by the terminal device in the second time period.

[0142] In some embodiments, when there are multiple first TA values, the multiple first TA values ​​may correspond to multiple first time periods, with the start times of the multiple first time periods being different. Accordingly, the terminal device may use the first TA value to communicate with the network device during the first time period corresponding to each first TA value. Each of the multiple first TA values ​​may correspond to a first time period. The first TA value used by the terminal device may be different in different first time periods.

[0143] Exemplarily, multiple first TA values ​​may correspond to each time slot, and the terminal device may use the first TA value corresponding to the time slot in each time slot. In other words, the multiple first time periods may be multiple consecutive time slots.

[0144] Exemplarily, multiple first TA values ​​may correspond to multiple time intervals, and the terminal device may use the first TA value corresponding to the time interval every M milliseconds starting from receiving the first information.

[0145] Based on S110, the network device sends a first TA value to the terminal device. The first TA value is determined by the network device based on the measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel of the terminal device during the second time period. That is, in the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the network device may further perform S100 before S110. Referring to Figure 8, in S100, the network device determines the first TA value based on the measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel during the second time period.

[0146] In one possible implementation, the network device may determine the first TA value directly based on the measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel within the second time period. In another possible implementation, the network device may determine the first TA value based on a second TA value determined based on the measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel within the second time period. It should be noted that the network device may determine the first TA value using an AI / ML model deployed on the network device.

[0147] 9 to 14 , the detailed process of determining the first TA value by the network device will be described using method #A and method #B.

[0148] Method #A: The network device determines the first TA value directly based on the measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel in the second time period.

[0149] FIG9 shows a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG9 , the method may include the following steps:

[0150] S1001. The network device determines a first TA value using a second model based on measurement parameters of an uplink signal and / or an uplink channel of a terminal device within a second time period.

[0151] The second model may be a second neural network model.

[0152] Exemplarily, the second neural network model can be a recurrent neural network model (RNN), a long short-term memory network (LSTM) model, etc., which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0153] Exemplarily, the second neural network model can be obtained by training the terminal device through processes such as data set construction, training, verification and testing.

[0154] Exemplarily, the second neural network model may be obtained by training the terminal device in advance through offline training and / or online training.

[0155] Exemplarily, the second neural network model may be an artificial intelligence (AI) model or a machine learning (ML) model.

[0156] It is understandable that the network device may input the measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel within the second time period into the second model, and obtain the first TA value through processing by the second model. Specifically, the network device may input the measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel within one or more second time periods into the second model, and obtain the one or more first TA values ​​through processing by the second model.

[0157] Exemplarily, during the movement of the terminal device, it will pass through different cells and / or different beam coverages. The terminal device can send SRS to the network device under different cells and / or different beam coverages to obtain the TA value under each cell and / or beam coverage. Figure 10 shows a schematic diagram of a scenario in which the network device determines the first TA value. As shown in Figure 10, the terminal device is at position 1 and sends SRS#1 to TRP1; the terminal device is at position 2 and sends SRS#2 to TRP2, and so on. When the terminal device is at position K, it can send SRS#K to TRP#K. Among them, the network device can obtain the measurement parameters of the SRS sent by the terminal device in K (K>=1) historical time periods (for example, K historical time slots). In this example, the measurement parameters of the SRS in the K historical time periods may include the measurement parameters of SRS#1 to SRS#K. The network device can input the measurement parameters of SRS#1 to SRS#K into the second model to obtain a first TA value (i.e., TA#1 to TA#F) for use in F future time periods (e.g., F future time slots). TA#1 is used to communicate with the network device in future time slot #1, until TA#2 is switched to communicate with the network device in future time slot #2. Similarly, TA#F is used to communicate with the network device in future time slot #F.

[0158] In one possible implementation, the second model can be trained based on the measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel of the terminal device in the third time period in the actual scenario, and the TA value in the fourth time period in the actual scenario (the TA value can be calculated using a traditional algorithm based on the measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel sent by the terminal device in the fourth time period); wherein the end time of the third time period is earlier than the end time of the fourth time period. In this way, the second model can predict one or more first TA values ​​based on the historical measurement parameters of one or more input uplink signals and / or uplink channels. That is, the input information of the second model may only include the historical measurement parameters of one or more uplink signals and / or uplink channels.

[0159] In another possible implementation, in order to improve the accuracy of the second model's prediction, the second model can be trained based on the measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel of the terminal device in the third time period in the actual scenario, the TA value in the fourth time period in the actual scenario (the TA value can be calculated using a traditional algorithm based on the measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel sent by the terminal device in the fourth time period), and the index information of the cell associated with each measurement parameter, and / or the index information of the spatial filter associated with each measurement parameter. In this way, in addition to including the measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel in one or more second time periods, the input information of the second model can also include the index information of the cell associated with each measurement parameter, and / or the index information of the spatial filter associated with each measurement parameter. That is, the second model predicts one or more first TA values ​​based on the input historical measurement parameters of one or more uplink signals and / or uplink channels, as well as the index information of the cell associated with each historical measurement parameter, and / or the index information of the spatial filter associated with each measurement parameter. The prediction accuracy of the second model is improved.

[0160] Exemplarily, the second model may include multiple LSTM units, each of which may input measurement parameters from the past K time slots, as well as the cell index information associated with the measurement parameters, and / or the index information of the associated spatial filter. Figure 11 shows a schematic diagram of the input and output relationship of the second model. Referring to Figure 11, the second model may input measurement parameters of the SRS transmitted by the terminal device within the past K time slots. LSTM unit 1 may input the SRS measurement parameters from the past 0th time slot, as well as the associated cell index information, and / or the index information of the associated spatial filter; LSTM unit 2 may input the SRS measurement parameters from the past 1st time slot, as well as the associated cell index information, and / or the index information of the associated spatial filter; and so on. LSTM unit K may input the SRS measurement parameters from the past K-1th time slot, as well as the associated cell index information, and / or the index information of the associated spatial filter. The output of the second model may be the TA value to be used in the next F time slots, as well as the cell index information and / or the index information of the associated spatial filter associated with the TA value.

[0161] In some embodiments, the cell index information may be a physical cell identifier (PCI), a PCI index value (PCI index), or a configuration index of a candidate cell.

[0162] It should be noted that the PCI index can encode multiple PCIs, with each PCI corresponding to a PCI index, to avoid the potential risk of exposing network device configuration information. For example, eight 10-bit real PCIs can be encoded into a 3-bit PCI index.

[0163] It should also be noted that, in mobility enhancement, multiple candidate cells need to be configured in advance through RRC parameters, so the configuration index of the candidate cell can also be used as an identifier or index of a cell.

[0164] In some embodiments, the output information of the second model may include one or more first TA values. In addition, the output information of the second model may also include index information of the first cell associated with each first TA value and / or index information of the first spatial filter associated with each first TA value.

[0165] As can be seen, the network device processes the input historical measurement parameters of one or more uplink signals and / or uplink channels through the second model to predict one or more first TA values ​​for a future time period. This eliminates the need for the terminal device to send uplink signals and / or uplink channels to the network device in the future. Accordingly, the network device can obtain the first TA value without measuring the uplink signals and / or uplink channels in the future, thereby saving time-frequency resources and time overhead.

[0166] Method #B: The network device may determine the first TA value based on a second TA value determined based on the uplink signal and / or the measurement parameters of the uplink signal within the second time period.

[0167] FIG12 shows a fourth flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG12 , the method may include the following steps:

[0168] S1002. The network device obtains a second TA value, where the second TA value is determined based on measurement parameters of an uplink signal and / or an uplink channel within a second time period; the second TA value is a TA value used within the second time period;

[0169] S1003: The network device determines a first TA value based on the second TA value using the first model.

[0170] It is understandable that the second TA value can be determined by the network device based on the measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel of the terminal device in the second time period. In actual applications, the network device can determine the TA value for the terminal device based on the uplink signal and / or uplink channel sent by the terminal device, and indicate the corresponding TA value to the terminal device through a TA command. In other words, the network device has determined the corresponding historical TA value (i.e., the second TA value) based on the measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel sent by the terminal device during the historical time period.

[0171] Based on this, the network device can obtain the second TA value, input the second TA value into the first model, and predict the first TA value through processing by the first model.

[0172] The first model may be a first neural network model.

[0173] Exemplarily, the first neural network model can be an RNN model, an LSTM model, etc., which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0174] Exemplarily, the first neural network model can be obtained by training the terminal device through processes such as data set construction, training, verification and testing.

[0175] Exemplarily, the first neural network model may be obtained by training the terminal device in advance through offline training and / or online training.

[0176] Exemplarily, the first neural network model may be an AI model or an ML model.

[0177] It should be noted that the number of the second TA values ​​may include one or more. That is, the network device may input one or more second TA values ​​into the second model, and obtain one or more first TA values ​​through processing by the second model.

[0178] Exemplarily, FIG13 shows a second schematic diagram of a scenario in which a network device determines a first TA value. As shown in FIG13 , the terminal device is at position 1 and sends PRACH#1 to TRP1, and TRP1 performs TA estimation and indicates TA#1 to the terminal device; the terminal device is at position 2 and sends PRACH#2 to TRP2, and TRP2 performs TA estimation and indicates TA#2 to the terminal device; and so on, when the terminal device is at position K, it can send PRACH#K to TRP#K, and TRPK performs TA estimation and indicates TA#K to the terminal device. Among them, the network device can obtain the TA value of the terminal device in K (K>=1) historical time periods (for example, K historical time slots). In this example, the TA values ​​in the K historical time periods may include the above-mentioned TA#1~TA#K. The network device can input TA#1~TA#K into the first model to obtain the first TA value (i.e., TA'#1~TA'#F) used in F future time periods (for example, the future F time slots). In the future time slot #1, TA'#1 is used to communicate with the network device, until the future time slot #2 switches to TA'#2 to communicate with the network device, and so on, in the future time slot #F, TA'#F is used to communicate with the network device.

[0179] In one possible implementation, the first model can be trained using the TA value of a terminal device in a third time period in an actual scenario as input and the TA value of a fourth time period in the actual scenario (this TA value can be calculated using a traditional algorithm based on uplink signals sent by the terminal device in the fourth time period and / or measured parameters of the uplink channel) as output; wherein the end time of the third time period is earlier than the end time of the fourth time period. In this way, the first model can predict one or more first TA values ​​based on the input one or more historical second TA values. In other words, the input information of the first model can only include one or more second TA values.

[0180] In another possible implementation, in order to improve the accuracy of the prediction of the first model, the first model can take the historical TA value of the terminal device in the third time period in the actual scenario, and the index information of the cell associated with each historical TA value, and / or the index information of the associated spatial filter as input, and take the TA value in the fourth time period in the actual scenario (the TA value can be calculated using a traditional algorithm based on the uplink signal sent by the terminal device in the fourth time period and / or the measurement parameters of the uplink channel) as output for training. In this way, in addition to including one or more historical second TA values, the input information of the first model can also include the index information of the cell associated with each historical second TA value, and / or the index information of the spatial filter. That is, the first model predicts one or more first TA values ​​based on the input one or more second TA values, and the index information of the cell associated with each second TA value, and / or the index information of the spatial filter. In this way, the prediction accuracy of the first model is improved.

[0181] Exemplarily, the first model may include multiple LSTM units, each of which may input historical TA values ​​from the past K time slots, as well as the cell index information associated with the historical TA value, and / or the index information of the associated spatial filter. Figure 14 shows a schematic diagram of the input and output relationship of the first model. Referring to Figure 14, the first model may input the TA value of the terminal device from the past K time slots. LSTM unit 1 may input the TA value from the past 0th time slot, as well as the associated cell index information, and / or the index information of the associated spatial filter; LSTM unit 2 may input the TA value from the past 1st time slot, as well as the associated cell index information, and / or the index information of the associated spatial filter; and so on. LSTM unit K may input the TA value from the past K-1th time slot, as well as the associated cell index information, and / or the index information of the associated spatial filter. The output of the first model may be the TA value to be used in the next F time slots, as well as the cell index information and / or the index information of the associated spatial filter associated with the TA value.

[0182] In some embodiments, the cell index information may be PCI, PCI index, or configuration index of the candidate cell.

[0183] It should be noted that the PCI index can encode multiple PCIs, with each PCI corresponding to a PCI index, to avoid the potential risk of exposing network device configuration information. For example, eight 10-bit real PCIs can be encoded into a 3-bit PCI index.

[0184] It should also be noted that, in mobility enhancement, multiple candidate cells need to be configured in advance through RRC parameters, so the configuration index of the candidate cell can also be used as an identifier or index of a cell.

[0185] In some embodiments, the output information of the first model may include one or more first TA values. In addition, the output information of the first model may also include index information of the first cell associated with each first TA value and / or index information of the first spatial filter associated with each first TA value.

[0186] As can be seen, the network device processes one or more input historical TA values ​​using the first model to predict one or more first TA values ​​for a future time period. This eliminates the need for the terminal device to send uplink signals and / or uplink channels to the network device in the future. Accordingly, the network device can obtain the first TA value without measuring uplink signals and / or uplink channels in the future, thereby saving time and frequency resources and time overhead.

[0187] In one embodiment of the present application, based on S110, the network device sends first information to the terminal device, and indicates the first TA value to the terminal device through the first information. When the number of first TA values ​​includes multiple, in one possible implementation, the network device can use multiple TA commands (TA Command, TAC) to indicate the multiple first TA values ​​to the terminal device in sequence. In another possible implementation, the network device can use a single TAC to indicate all multiple first TA values ​​to the terminal device. The following, in conjunction with Figures 15 to 19, respectively, illustrates the detailed process of the network device indicating the first TA value to the terminal device through Method #A and Method #B.

[0188] Method #A: The network device uses multiple TA commands to sequentially indicate one or more first TA values ​​to the terminal device.

[0189] In the embodiment of the present application, S110, the network device sends the first information to the terminal device, which can be implemented in the following manner:

[0190] At each first moment of multiple first moments, a first TA value associated with each first moment is sent to the terminal device; the first moment associated with each first TA value is earlier than the start moment of the first time period corresponding to the first TA value.

[0191] Accordingly, the terminal device may receive the first information in the following manner:

[0192] The terminal device receives a first TA value associated with each first moment at each first moment of multiple first moments; the first moment associated with each first TA value is earlier than the start moment of the first time period corresponding to the first TA value.

[0193] It is understandable that, before the start moment of each first time period arrives, the network device may indicate the first TA value corresponding to the upcoming first time period to the terminal device through a TA command.

[0194] That is, each time the network device sends a TAC, it may only include the first TA value of the next upcoming first time period. Accordingly, the terminal device can switch the TA value to the first TA value indicated by the TAC in the upcoming first time period according to each received TAC to communicate with the network device.

[0195] It should be noted that the time interval between the first moment associated with each first TA value and the start moment of the first time period corresponding to the first TA value can be predefined or agreed upon by the network device and the terminal device, and this embodiment of the present application does not limit this. For example, the time interval between the first moment associated with each first TA value and the start moment of the first time period corresponding to the first TA value can be N (N>=1) time domain symbols.

[0196] For example, refer to the TAC structure diagram 1 shown in Figure 15A. The length of TAC is two bytes (Oct). Among them, Oct1 may include a 2-bit reserved bit R and a 2-bit TAG ID. The remaining bits of Oct1 and the 8 bits of Oct2 can be a timing advance command, carrying the first TA value of the next first time period. It should be noted that the TAG ID is the TAG index of the cell index (for example, PCI, or PCI index, or Configuration index of candidate cell) corresponding to the predicted TA value.

[0197] In some embodiments, if the network device performs a beam-level prediction, for example, the network device predicts the TA value of a future time period based on the historical measurement parameters of the SRS, the TAC may also indicate the index information of the spatial filter associated with the TA value for a finer granularity indication.

[0198] For example, refer to the second TAC structure diagram shown in Figure 15B. The TAC length is 3 octets. Oct1 may include a 1-bit reserved bit (R), and the remaining 7 bits are the UL / joint TCI state ID, which is used to carry the spatial filter index information associated with the first TA value of the next upcoming first time period. Oct2 and Oct3 are the same as Oct1 and Oct2 in Figure 15A and are not repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0199] In some embodiments, if the network device does not know the TAG to which the cell associated with the first TA value belongs before indicating the predicted first TA value to the terminal device, the network device can directly indicate the cell index information in the TAC, that is, carry the PCI, or the PCI index, or the Configuration Index of candidate cell. For example, refer to another TAC structure diagram shown in Figures 16A and 16B. On the basis of Figures 15A and 15B, 8 bits of cell index information can be added, which can be PCI, PCI index, or Configuration Index of candidate cell.

[0200] In some embodiments, the TAC may not indicate the TAG ID, but only the cell index information and the TAC. For example, referring to another TAC structure diagram shown in Figures 17A and 17B, the TAG ID in the TAC structure shown in Figures 16A and 16B may be replaced with a reserved bit R.

[0201] It should be noted that the examples of the TAC structure diagrams above are all described using the first time period corresponding to each first TA value as a predefined example. For example, the first time period corresponding to each first TA value may be N time domain symbols / M milliseconds starting from the first time slot / time domain symbol after the terminal device receives the TAC indicating the first TA value.

[0202] In some embodiments, the TAC may further include a first time period corresponding to each first TA value. For example, some bits may be added to the TAC to indicate one or more of the start time, end time, and duration of the first time period.

[0203] Method #B: The network device uses a TA command once to indicate all of one or more first TA values ​​to the terminal device.

[0204] In the implementation of this application, S110, the network device sends the first information to the terminal device, which can be implemented in the following ways:

[0205] Send multiple first TA values ​​to the terminal device at a second moment; the second moment is earlier than the starting moment of the first time period corresponding to any first TA value among the multiple first TA values.

[0206] Accordingly, the terminal device may receive the first information in the following manner:

[0207] The terminal device receives the multiple first TA values ​​at a second moment; the second moment is earlier than the starting moment of the first time period corresponding to any first TA value among the multiple first TA values.

[0208] It is understandable that before the start time of multiple first time periods in the future, the network device can use TAC once to indicate the first TA value used in multiple first time periods in the future to the terminal device.

[0209] It should be noted that the time interval between the second moment and the start time of the first time period corresponding to the first first TA value among the multiple first TA values ​​(i.e., the first TA value with the earliest start time of the first time period) can be predefined or agreed upon by the network device and the terminal device, and the embodiment of the present application does not impose any restrictions on this. For example, at the second moment, the time interval between the start time of the first time period corresponding to the above-mentioned first first TA value can be N (N>=1) time domain symbols.

[0210] It should also be noted that after receiving the TAC command, the terminal device can adjust the TA value to the first TA value on its own after the mobility management mechanism takes effect, that is, when the terminal device determines to access the first cell and / or first spatial filter associated with a first TA value, to ensure normal communication between the terminal device and the network device.

[0211] In some embodiments, when TAC indicates multiple first TA values, the structures indicated by the multiple first TA values ​​can be superimposed. For example, refer to the schematic diagram of the TAC structure shown in Figure 18A. The TAC may include 2*F Octs. Every two Octs can indicate a first TA value. As shown in Figure 18A, every two Octs form a group, which are used to indicate the first first TA value, the second first TA value, and the last (Fth) first TA value from top to bottom. It should be noted that the specific structure of each group of Octs can refer to the relevant description of Figure 15A. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0212] In some embodiments, if the network device performs a beam-level prediction, for example, the network device predicts multiple first TA values ​​based on the historical measurement parameters of the SRS, the TAC can also indicate the index information of the spatial filter associated with each first TA value to provide a finer granularity indication.

[0213] For example, refer to the TAC structure diagram shown in Figure 18B. The TAC may include 3*F Octs. Every three Octs may indicate a first TA value. As shown in Figure 18B, every three Octs form a group, which are used to indicate the first first TA value, the second first TA value, and the last (Fth) first TA value from top to bottom. The first Oct in each group of Octs may additionally include a 7-bit UL / joint TCI state ID indicator bit, which is used to carry the spatial filter index information associated with each first TA value. It should be noted that the specific structure of each group of Octs can refer to the relevant description of Figure 15B. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0214] In some embodiments, if the network device does not know the TAG to which the cell associated with each first TA value belongs before indicating the predicted multiple first TA values ​​to the terminal device, the network device can directly indicate the cell index information associated with each first TA value in the TAC, that is, carry PCI, or PCI index, or Configuration Index of candidate cell. For example, refer to the TAC structure diagram shown in Figures 19A and 19B. Based on Figures 18A and 18B, each group of Oct can add 8 bits of cell index information, which can be PCI, PCI index, or Configuration Index of candidate cell.

[0215] It should be noted that the examples of the TAC structure diagrams above are all illustrated using the first time period corresponding to each first TA value as a predefined example. In some embodiments, the TAC may also include the first time period corresponding to each first TA value. For example, some bits may be added to the TAC to indicate one or more of the start time, end time, and duration of the first time period.

[0216] It should also be noted that, although the examples of the above TAC structure diagrams are all described in MAC CE format, this application does not exclude the use of other signaling formats, such as RRC and / or DCI indication methods.

[0217] In some embodiments, the first information may further include index information of the first cell associated with the first TA value, and / or index information of the first spatial filter associated with the first TA value.

[0218] It should be noted that the association of the first TA value with the first cell and / or the first spatial filter can be understood as, when the terminal device accesses the beam corresponding to the first cell and / or the first spatial filter, using the first TA value to communicate with the network device.

[0219] In some embodiments, within a first time period, when the terminal device determines to access a first cell and / or a first spatial filter associated with a first TA value, the terminal device uses the first TA value to communicate with the network device.

[0220] It is understandable that since the first TA value is a TA value to be used in a predicted future time period, the terminal device can automatically adjust the TA value to the first TA value only after the mobility management mechanism takes effect, that is, when the terminal device determines to access the first cell and / or the first spatial filter associated with the first TA value, to ensure normal communication between the terminal device and the network device.

[0221] In some embodiments, within a first time period, when the terminal device determines to access a first cell and / or a first spatial filter associated with a first TA value, the terminal device determines not to send an uplink signal and / or an uplink channel associated with the first cell and / or the first spatial filter.

[0222] It can be understood that when the mobility management mechanism takes effect, that is, when the terminal device determines to access the first cell and / or the first spatial filter associated with the first TA value, the terminal device may not send the uplink signal and / or uplink channel associated with the first cell and / or the first spatial filter to the network device, so as to save time-frequency resources and time overhead.

[0223] The above mainly describes in detail the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application from the perspective of the network device. The following is a detailed description of the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application from the perspective of the terminal device in combination with Figure 20.

[0224] Figure 20 shows a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 20, the method may include the following steps.

[0225] S210. The terminal device determines a first TA value, which is a TA value used in a first time period; the first TA value is determined based on measurement parameters of an uplink signal and / or an uplink channel of the terminal device in a second time period; the end time of the second time period is earlier than the start time of the first time period.

[0226] It should be noted that the second time period can be understood as a historical / past time period, and the first time period can be understood as a future / future time period.

[0227] In one possible implementation, the first TA value may be indicated by a network device. In another possible implementation, the first TA value may be determined by the terminal device itself. The following describes the detailed process of determining the first TA value by the terminal device using Method #A and Method #B, respectively.

[0228] Method #A: The first TA value is indicated by the network device. Referring to FIG8 , S210, the terminal device determines the first timing advance TA value, which can be achieved by the following methods:

[0229] The terminal device receives first information sent by the network device, where the first information is used to indicate a first TA value.

[0230] In another embodiment, the first TA value may also be determined by the terminal device based on measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel in the second time period.

[0231] In some embodiments, the first information further includes index information of the first cell associated with the first TA value, and / or index information of the first spatial filter associated with the first TA value.

[0232] In some embodiments, the number of the first TA values ​​includes multiple; the multiple first TA values ​​correspond to multiple first time periods, and the start times of the multiple first time periods are different.

[0233] In some embodiments, the number of first TA values ​​includes multiple, and the terminal device receives the first information in the following manner:

[0234] The terminal device receives a first TA value associated with each first moment at each first moment of multiple first moments; the first moment associated with each first TA value is earlier than the start moment of the first time period corresponding to the first TA value.

[0235] In some embodiments, the number of first TA values ​​includes multiple, and the terminal device receives the first information in the following manner:

[0236] The terminal device receives multiple first TA values ​​at a second moment; the second moment is earlier than the start moment of the first time period corresponding to any first TA value among the multiple first TA values.

[0237] It should be noted that the manner in which the terminal device receives the first information can refer to the description in the above embodiment, and for the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0238] Method #B: The first TA value is determined by the terminal device itself. In S210, the terminal device determines the first timing advance TA value, which can be achieved by the following methods:

[0239] The terminal device determines the first TA value based on the second TA value, where the second TA value is the TA value used in the second time period; the second TA value is determined based on measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel in the second time period.

[0240] It is understandable that the terminal device can directly determine the TA value used in the first time period (referred to as the first TA value in the embodiment of the present application) based on the TA value in the second time period (referred to as the first TA value in the embodiment of the present application). In other words, the terminal device can determine the first TA value in the future time period based on the second TA value used in the historical / past time period. In this way, the terminal device can obtain the TA value without sending an uplink signal and / or an uplink channel to the network device, thereby saving time-frequency resources and time overhead.

[0241] In some embodiments, the terminal device determines the first TA value based on the second TA value, which can be achieved by:

[0242] The terminal device determines the first TA value based on the second TA value using the third model.

[0243] It is understandable that the terminal device can input the second TA value into the third model, and predict the first TA value through processing by the third model.

[0244] Among them, the third model can be a third neural network model.

[0245] Exemplarily, the third neural network model can be an RNN model, an LSTM model, etc., which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0246] Exemplarily, the third neural network model can be obtained by training the terminal device through processes such as data set construction, training, verification and testing.

[0247] Exemplarily, the third neural network model may be obtained by training the terminal device in advance through offline training and / or online training.

[0248] Exemplarily, the third neural network model may be an AI model or an ML model.

[0249] It should be noted that the number of the second TA values ​​may include one or more. That is, the terminal device may input one or more second TA values ​​into the second model, and obtain one or more first TA values ​​through processing by the second model.

[0250] Exemplarily, FIG13 shows a second schematic diagram of a scenario in which a network device determines a first TA value. As shown in FIG13 , the terminal device is at position 1 and sends PRACH#1 to TRP1, and TRP1 performs TA estimation and indicates TA#1 to the terminal device; the terminal device is at position 2 and sends PRACH#2 to TRP2, and TRP2 performs TA estimation and indicates TA#2 to the terminal device; and so on, when the terminal device is at position K, it can send PRACH#K to TRP#K, and TRPK performs TA estimation and indicates TA#K to the terminal device. Among them, the terminal device can obtain the TA value within K (K>=1) historical time periods (for example, K historical time slots). In this example, the TA values ​​within the K historical time periods may include the above-mentioned TA#1~TA#K. The terminal device can input TA#1~TA#K into the third model to obtain the first TA value (i.e., TA'#1~TA'#F) used in F future time periods (for example, the future F time slots). In the future time slot #1, TA'#1 is used to communicate with the network device, until the future time slot #2 switches to TA'#2 to communicate with the network device, and so on, in the future time slot #F, TA'#F is used to communicate with the network device.

[0251] In one possible implementation, the third model can be trained using the TA value of a terminal device in a third time period in an actual scenario as input and the TA value of a fourth time period in the actual scenario (this TA value can be calculated using a traditional algorithm based on uplink signals sent by the terminal device in the fourth time period and / or measured parameters of the uplink channel) as output; wherein the end time of the third time period is earlier than the end time of the fourth time period. In this way, the third model can predict one or more first TA values ​​based on the input one or more historical second TA values. In other words, the input information of the third model can only include one or more second TA values.

[0252] In another possible implementation, in order to improve the prediction accuracy of the first model, the third model can take the historical TA value of the terminal device in the actual scenario in the third time period, and the index information of the cell associated with each historical TA value, and / or the index information of the associated spatial filter as input, and take the TA value in the fourth time period in the actual scenario (the TA value can be calculated using a traditional algorithm based on the uplink signal sent by the terminal device in the fourth time period and / or the measurement parameters of the uplink channel) as output for training. In this way, in addition to including one or more historical second TA values, the input information of the third model can also include the index information of the cell associated with each historical second TA value, and / or the index information of the spatial filter. That is, the first model predicts one or more first TA values ​​based on the input one or more second TA values, and the index information of the cell associated with each second TA value, and / or the index information of the spatial filter. The prediction accuracy of the third model is improved.

[0253] It should be noted that the second TA value may be indicated by the network device. Before the terminal device determines the first TA value based on the second TA value, it may further perform the following steps:

[0254] The terminal device sends an uplink signal and / or an uplink channel within a second time period; the uplink signal and / or the uplink channel within the second time period is used to determine a second TA value;

[0255] The terminal device receives the second TA value sent by the network device.

[0256] It is understandable that the second TA value may be determined by the network device based on the measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel of the terminal device during the second time period. In other words, the network device may determine the corresponding historical TA value (i.e., the second TA value) based on the measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel sent by the terminal device during the historical second time period, and indicate the second TA value to the terminal device.

[0257] In some embodiments, the uplink signal and / or uplink channel may include PRACH and / or SRS. In other words, the uplink signal may include SRS, and the uplink channel may include PRACH.

[0258] In some embodiments, the measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel may include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel, Time of Arrive (ToA) of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel, etc. Exemplarily, when the uplink signal and / or uplink channel includes an SRS, the measurement parameters may be SRS-RSRP and / or ToA of the SRS.

[0259] It should be noted that the uplink signal and / or uplink channel sent by the terminal device needs to be associated with a special downlink signal (referred to as the first downlink signal in the embodiment of the present application). Among them, the first downlink signal can allow the terminal device to perform beamforming on the above-mentioned uplink signal and / or uplink channel. In other words, the terminal device can use the spatial relation information of the first downlink signal to determine the spatial relationship information of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel. In simple terms, the terminal device can determine the uplink beam for sending the above-mentioned uplink signal and / or uplink channel by the terminal device based on the downlink beam of the first downlink signal received.

[0260] In some embodiments, the first downlink signal may include one or more of the following:

[0261] Downlink signal selected by the terminal device based on downlink measurements;

[0262] Downlink signal of network equipment configuration;

[0263] A dedicated downlink signal used to determine the first TA.

[0264] It should be noted that the downlink signal includes but is not limited to: SSB and / or CSI-RS.

[0265] As can be understood, the network equipment uses beam sweeping to send downlink signals to cover the service range of the entire cell. Beam sweeping refers to sending downlink signals using beams in different directions at different times.

[0266] In a possible implementation, the terminal device may measure the received downlink signal and select the first downlink signal based on the downlink measurement result.

[0267] Exemplarily, the first downlink signal may be an SSB selected from an SSB burst set by the terminal device by measuring the SSB during a random access process.

[0268] Exemplarily, the first downlink signal may be a CSI-RS selected by the terminal device based on a measurement result of the CSI-RS.

[0269] In another possible implementation, the network device may directly configure the uplink signal and / or the first downlink signal associated with the uplink channel for the terminal device.

[0270] Exemplarily, the first downlink signal may be an SSB configured in advance by the network device, or may be an SSB indicated by a PDCCH order.

[0271] Exemplarily, the first downlink signal may be spatial relationship information for SRS resource configuration and / or activation by the network device, such as UL / joint TCI state.

[0272] In another possible implementation, the first downlink signal may be a dedicated reference signal for TA prediction. Exemplarily, the first downlink signal may be a CSI-RS, a CSI-RS for mobility.

[0273] In some embodiments, the sending time of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel is determined based on the receiving time of the first downlink signal associated with the uplink signal and / or uplink channel and a third TA value, or based on the receiving time of the first downlink signal; the third TA value is the TA value used when the terminal device sends the uplink signal and / or uplink channel.

[0274] It is understandable that the time when the terminal device sends the uplink signal and / or uplink channel to the network device may be related to the reception time of the first downlink signal associated with the uplink signal and / or uplink channel. In other words, the terminal device may send the uplink signal and / or uplink channel to the network device based on the reception time of the first downlink signal.

[0275] In one possible implementation, the transmission time of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel can be directly based on the reception time of the first downlink signal associated with the uplink signal and / or uplink channel. It is understandable that the terminal device can use the time of receiving the first downlink signal as the starting time for transmitting the uplink signal and / or uplink channel. In other words, the TA value for the terminal device to transmit the uplink signal and / or uplink channel is zero, and the time for the terminal device to transmit the uplink signal and / or uplink channel can be adjusted without TA.

[0276] In another possible implementation, the transmission time of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel can be directly determined based on the reception time of the first downlink signal associated with the uplink signal and / or uplink channel and the third TA value. It is understandable that the terminal device can use the third TA value to adjust the transmission time of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel.

[0277] Exemplarily, when the uplink signal and / or uplink channel is PRACH, the terminal device may use the time of the downlink received SSB as the starting time for sending PRACH, that is, the TA value of PRACH is zero.

[0278] For example, when the uplink signal and / or uplink channel is an SRS, the terminal device may use a third TA value to adjust the time of transmitting the SRS. The third TA value may be the TA value of the TAG in which the terminal device is located. In addition, the terminal device may also use the downlink reception time of the SSB as a reference to transmit the SRS, that is, transmit the SRS without the third TA adjustment.

[0279] It should be noted that when the network device configures an SRS resource set for the terminal device, the purpose of the SRS resource set can be configured. For example, the SRS resource set can be configured for beam management.

[0280] In some embodiments, the network device may configure an SRS resource set for the purpose of "TA prediction", that is, one or more SRS resources in the SRS resource set may be used to determine a TA value to be used in a future time period.

[0281] In the embodiment of the present application, when SRS is used for "TA prediction", the time when the terminal device sends the SRS may not be adjusted by the third TA value. When the function of SRS is not "TA prediction", the terminal device uses the third TA value to adjust the time when sending SRS.

[0282] It should be noted that the first time period and / or the second time period may be determined by one or more of a start time, an end time, and a duration. The start time, end time, and duration of the first time period and / or the second time period may be predefined, determined according to a preset rule, or preconfigured by a network device, and this is not limited in the present embodiment.

[0283] The start time and end time can be a time domain symbol or an absolute time, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. In addition, the unit of the duration can be a relative time unit, such as a time domain symbol, a time slot, a subframe, etc.; the unit of the duration can also be an absolute time unit, such as microseconds (us), milliseconds (ms), seconds (s), etc., which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0284] Exemplarily, the first time period and / or the second time period may be predefined, wherein the second time period may be a time period starting at the first time domain symbol of time slot 1 and lasting for N (N>=1) time domain symbols, and the first time period may be a time period starting at the first time domain symbol of time slot 1+n and lasting for N (N>=1) time domain symbols. Alternatively, the second time period may be a time period starting at the first time domain symbol of time slot n and lasting for M (M>0) milliseconds. The first time period may be a time period starting at the first time domain symbol of time slot 1+n and lasting for M (M>0) milliseconds.

[0285] In some embodiments, during the first time period, when the terminal device determines to access the first cell and / or the first spatial filter associated with the first TA value, the terminal device uses the first TA value to communicate with the network device.

[0286] It is understandable that since the first TA value is a TA value to be used in a predicted future time period, the terminal device may automatically adjust the TA value to the first TA value only after the mobility management mechanism takes effect, that is, when the terminal device determines to access the first cell and / or the first spatial filter associated with the first TA value, to ensure normal communication between the terminal device and the network device.

[0287] In some embodiments, within a first time period, when the terminal device determines to access a first cell and / or a first spatial filter associated with a first TA value, the terminal device determines not to send an uplink signal and / or an uplink channel associated with the first cell and / or the first spatial filter.

[0288] It can be understood that after the mobility management mechanism takes effect, that is, when the terminal device determines to access the first cell and / or the first spatial filter associated with the first TA value, the terminal device may not send the uplink signal and / or uplink channel associated with the first cell and / or the first spatial filter to the network device, so as to save time-frequency resources and time overhead.

[0289] The communication method provided in the above embodiment is described in detail below in conjunction with specific application scenarios.

[0290] In an embodiment of the present application, an AI / ML model may be used, with historical measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel as input to the model, and the model may predict a TA value (i.e., a first TA value) to be used in the future (i.e., in the first time period).

[0291] It should be noted that the AI / ML model in the embodiment of the present application can be deployed on the network device (NW) side or the terminal device (UE) side, so as to achieve prediction based on historical measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel.

[0292] Based on whether the AI / ML model is deployed on the UE side or the NW side, the embodiments of the present application can be divided into two main implementation methods. The following describes the corresponding signaling process to support TA prediction.

[0293] In one embodiment, the AI / ML model is deployed on the NW side. The following describes the signaling process of deploying the AI / ML model on the NW side in conjunction with Example 1 and Example 2.

[0294] Example 1

[0295] (1) The UE sends PRACH to different cells at K (K>=1) different historical moments.

[0296] It should be noted that the uplink transmit beam of the UE sending the PRACH needs to be associated with a special downlink signal (i.e., the first downlink channel). Specifically, the UE uses the beam receiving the downlink reference signal to perform beamforming for uplink transmission. The selection principles of the downlink reference signal include one or more of the following:

[0297] An SSB selected from the SSB burst set by measuring the SSB during random access;

[0298] One SSB indicated by the PDCCH order;

[0299] SSB configured in advance by NW;

[0300] A dedicated reference signal for TA prediction. Exemplarily, the first downlink signal may be a CSI-RS, a CSI-RS for mobility.

[0301] It should also be noted that the transmission time of PRACH is based on the timeline of downlink SSB reception as the starting time of transmission, that is, the timing advance (TA value) of PRACH is zero.

[0302] (2) The NW uses the TA values ​​at K historical moments obtained based on the PRACH measurement parameters at the K historical moments, and the cell index associated with the TA value at each historical moment (such as PCI or PCI index or configuration index of candidate cell) as the input of the AI / ML model. The AI / ML model outputs the TA values ​​at F future moments (i.e., the second TA value) and the cell index associated with each TA value.

[0303] It should be noted that the TA values ​​at K historical moments may correspond to one cell or multiple cells.

[0304] Exemplarily, as shown in reference Figure 13, the UE is at position 1 and sends PRACH#1 to TRP1, TRP1 performs TA estimation and indicates TA#1 to the terminal device; the terminal device is at position 2 and sends PRACH#2 to TRP2, TRP2 performs TA estimation and indicates TA#2 to the terminal device; and so on, when the terminal device is at position K, it can send PRACH#K to TRP#K, TRPK performs TA estimation and indicates TA#K to the terminal device. Among them, the network device can obtain the TA value of the terminal device in K (K>=1) historical time periods (for example, K historical time slots). In this example, the TA values ​​in the K historical time periods may include the above-mentioned TA#1~TA#K. The network device can input TA#1~TA#K into the first model to obtain the first TA value (i.e., TA'#1~TA'#F) used in F future time periods (for example, the future F time slots). In the future time slot #1, TA'#1 is used to communicate with the network device, until the future time slot #2 switches to TA'#2 to communicate with the network device, and so on, in the future time slot #F, TA'#F is used to communicate with the network device.

[0305] (3) The NW indicates the TA values ​​at F future moments to the terminal device.

[0306] In a possible implementation, before K future moments arrive, the NW sequentially indicates the TA value to the UE through F TA commands.

[0307] In another possible implementation, before the arrival of K future moments, the NW uses a TA indication signaling to indicate all TA values ​​to the UE. Accordingly, the UE will activate the TA value for uplink synchronous transmission only after accessing the cell.

[0308] It should be noted that, during the access process of a new cell, the UE may not send a PRACH to obtain a TA value, but may directly use the TA value at a future time indicated by the NW for communication.

[0309] Example 2

[0310] (1) The UE sends SRS to different cells at K (K>=1) different historical moments.

[0311] It should be noted that the NW can configure an SRS resource set for the UE. This SRS resource set can include one or multiple SRSs. Each SRS can correspond to a spatial relation information, or uplink transmit spatial filter, which is only used in the high frequency band of FR2. In addition, the purpose of the SRS resource set can be configured as "beam management" or "TA prediction."

[0312] It should also be noted that the UE may transmit an SRS associated with a specific downlink signal (i.e., the first downlink channel). Specifically, the UE uses the beam receiving the downlink reference signal to perform beamforming for uplink transmission. The selection principles for the downlink reference signal include one or more of the following:

[0313] NW is the spatial relationship information of SRS resource configuration and / or activation, either uplink or joint TCI state;

[0314] The UE determines the transmit spatial filter for the SRS resource based on downlink reference signal measurements;

[0315] A dedicated reference signal for TA prediction. Exemplarily, the first downlink signal may be a CSI-RS, a CSI-RS for mobility.

[0316] Different from PRACH, the transmission time of SRS is as follows:

[0317] The uplink transmission time of SRS in the NR protocol is adjusted by the TA of the TAG where the UE is located;

[0318] For SRS for the purpose of predicting TA, the UE may send SRS without TA adjustment, that is, send SRS with the downlink reception time of SSB as a reference (TA value is 0).

[0319] (2) NW uses the SRS measurement parameters at K historical moments and the cell index associated with each SRS measurement parameter (such as PCI or PCI index or configuration index of candidate cell) as input to the AI / ML model. The AI / ML model outputs F TA values ​​at future moments (i.e., the second TA value) and the cell index associated with each TA value.

[0320] It should be noted that the TA values ​​at K historical moments may correspond to one cell or multiple cells.

[0321] As shown in reference figure 10, the terminal device is at position 1 and sends SRS#1 to TRP1; the terminal device is at position 2 and sends SRS#2 to TRP2, and so on. When the terminal device is at position K, it can send SRS#K to TRP#K. The network device can obtain the measurement parameters of the SRS sent by the terminal device in K (K>=1) historical time periods (for example, K historical time slots). In this example, the measurement parameters of the SRS in the K historical time periods may include the measurement parameters of SRS#1 to SRS#K. The network device can input the measurement parameters of SRS#1 to SRS#K into the second model to obtain the first TA value (i.e., TA#1 to TA#F) used in F future time periods (for example, F future time slots). TA#1 is used to communicate with the network device in future time slot #1 until TA#2 is switched to communicate with the network device in future time slot #2, and so on, TA#F is used to communicate with the network device in future time slot #F.

[0322] (3) The NW indicates the TA values ​​at F future moments to the terminal device.

[0323] In a possible implementation, before K future moments arrive, the NW sequentially indicates the TA value to the UE through F TA commands.

[0324] In another possible implementation, before the arrival of K future moments, the NW uses a TA indication signaling to indicate all TA values ​​to the UE. Accordingly, the UE will activate the TA value for uplink synchronous transmission only after accessing the cell.

[0325] It should be noted that, during the access process of a new cell, the UE may not send a PRACH to obtain a TA value, but may directly use the TA value at a future time indicated by the NW for communication.

[0326] In one embodiment, the AI / ML model is deployed on the UE side. The following describes the signaling process of deploying the AI / ML model on the UE side in conjunction with Example 3 and Example 4.

[0327] Example 3

[0328] (1) The UE sends PRACH to different cells at K (K>=1) different historical moments and receives TA values ​​corresponding to the K historical moments.

[0329] It can be understood that the NW measures the PRACH at K historical moments and estimates the TA value of the corresponding cell. The NW indicates the TA value to the UE using a TA command.

[0330] (2) The UE uses the TA values ​​at K historical moments and the cell index associated with each TA value (such as PCI or PCI index or configuration index of candidate cell) as input to the AI / ML model. The AI / ML model outputs F TA values ​​at future moments (i.e., the second TA value) and the cell index associated with each TA value.

[0331] (3) When the UE's mobility management mechanism takes effect, that is, when the UE switches to the cell associated with the TA prediction value, the UE will automatically adjust its TA value to the corresponding prediction value.

[0332] Example 4

[0333] (1) The UE sends SRS to different cells at K (K>=1) different historical moments and receives K TA values.

[0334] It can be understood that the NW measures the SRS at K historical moments and estimates the TA value of the corresponding cell and / or the corresponding beam, and the NW uses the TA command to indicate the TA value to the UE.

[0335] (2) The UE uses K TA values ​​and the cell index and / or the associated spatial filter index associated with each TA value as input to the AI / ML model, and the AI / ML model outputs F TA values ​​at future moments (i.e., the second TA value) and the cell index associated with each TA value.

[0336] (3) When the UE's mobility management mechanism takes effect, that is, when the UE switches to the cell associated with the TA prediction value, the UE will automatically adjust its TA value to the corresponding prediction value.

[0337] Deploying the model on the UE side can eliminate the delay of TA indication. In addition, compared with PRACH-based TA prediction, SRS-based TA prediction can expand the granularity of TA prediction from the cell level to a more refined beam level.

[0338] The preferred embodiments of the present application are described in detail above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present application is not limited to the specific details in the above embodiments. Within the technical concept of the present application, the technical solution of the present application can be subjected to a variety of simple modifications, and these simple modifications all fall within the scope of protection of the present application. For example, the various specific technical features described in the above specific embodiments can be combined in any suitable manner without contradiction. In order to avoid unnecessary repetition, the present application will not further explain the various possible combinations. For another example, the various different embodiments of the present application can also be arbitrarily combined, as long as they do not violate the idea of ​​the present application, they should also be regarded as the contents disclosed in the present application. For another example, under the premise of no conflict, the various embodiments and / or the technical features in each embodiment described in the present application can be arbitrarily combined with the prior art, and the technical solution obtained after the combination should also fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0339] It should also be understood that in the various method embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0340] Based on the same inventive concept as the previous embodiment, FIG21 shows a schematic diagram of the composition structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application, which is applied to a network device. As shown in FIG21 , the communication device 2100 may include a first sending unit 2110, wherein:

[0341] The first sending unit 2110 is configured to send first information to the terminal device, where the first information is used to indicate a first TA value, and the first TA value is a TA value used in a first time period; the first TA value is determined based on the measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel of the terminal device in a second time period; the end time of the second time period is earlier than the start time of the first time period.

[0342] In some embodiments, the communication apparatus 2100 may further include a first processing unit configured to determine the first TA value based on measurement parameters of an uplink signal and / or an uplink channel of the terminal device in the second time period.

[0343] In some embodiments, the first processing unit is further configured to obtain a second TA value, where the second TA value is determined based on measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel within the second time period; the second TA value is the TA value used within the second time period; and based on the second TA value, the first model is used to determine the first TA value.

[0344] In some embodiments, the number of the second TA values ​​includes one or more, and the input information of the first model includes multiple second TA values, and one or more of the following:

[0345] Index information of the cell associated with each second TA value,

[0346] Index information of the spatial filter associated with each second TA value.

[0347] In some embodiments, the first processing unit is further configured to determine the first TA value using a second model based on measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel of the terminal device in the second time period.

[0348] In some embodiments, the measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel include one or more, and the input information of the second model includes multiple measurement parameters and one or more of the following:

[0349] Index information of a cell associated with each measurement parameter;

[0350] Index information of the spatial filter associated with each of the measurement parameters.

[0351] In some embodiments, the first information further includes index information of a first cell associated with the first TA value, and / or index information of a first spatial filter associated with the first TA value.

[0352] In some embodiments, the number of the first TA values ​​includes multiple; the multiple first TA values ​​correspond to multiple first time periods, and the start times of the multiple first time periods are different.

[0353] In some embodiments, the number of the first TA values ​​includes multiple; the first sending unit 2110 is further configured to send the first TA value associated with each first moment to the terminal device at each first moment of the multiple first moments; the first moment associated with each first TA value is earlier than the start moment of the first time period corresponding to the first TA value.

[0354] In some embodiments, the number of the first TA values ​​includes multiple; the first sending unit 2110 is further configured to send the multiple first TA values ​​to the terminal device at a second moment; the second moment is earlier than the start moment of the first time period corresponding to any first TA value among the multiple first TA values.

[0355] In some embodiments, the uplink signal and / or uplink channel includes PRACH and / or SRS.

[0356] In some embodiments, the uplink signal and / or uplink channel is associated with a first downlink signal sent by the network device, where the first downlink signal includes one or more of the following:

[0357] A downlink signal selected by the terminal device based on downlink measurement;

[0358] Downlink signal configured by the network device;

[0359] A dedicated downlink signal for determining the first TA value.

[0360] In some embodiments, the sending time of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel is determined based on the receiving time of the first downlink signal associated with the uplink signal and / or uplink channel and a third TA value, or is determined based on the receiving time of the first downlink signal; the third TA value is the TA value used by the terminal device when sending the uplink signal and / or uplink channel.

[0361] Those skilled in the art should understand that the relevant description of the above-mentioned communication device in the embodiment of the present application can be understood with reference to the relevant description of the communication method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0362] Based on the same inventive concept as the aforementioned embodiment, FIG22 shows a schematic diagram of the composition structure of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application, which is applied to a terminal device. As shown in FIG22 , the communication device 2200 may include a second processing unit 2210, wherein:

[0363] The second processing unit 2210 is configured to determine a first timing advance TA value, where the first TA value is a TA value used in a first time period; the first TA value is determined based on measurement parameters of an uplink signal and / or uplink channel of the terminal device in a second time period; and the end time of the second time period is earlier than the start time of the first time period.

[0364] In some embodiments, the communication device 2200 may include a second receiving unit, wherein the second receiving unit is configured to receive first information, where the first information is used to indicate the first TA value.

[0365] The first information also includes index information of a first cell associated with the first TA value, and / or index information of a first spatial filter associated with the first TA value.

[0366] In some embodiments, the second receiving unit is further configured to receive a first TA value associated with each first moment at each first moment of a plurality of first moments; the first moment associated with each first TA value is earlier than the start moment of the first time period corresponding to the first TA value.

[0367] In some embodiments, the second receiving unit is further configured to receive the multiple first TA values ​​at a second moment; the second moment is earlier than the start moment of the first time period corresponding to any first TA value among the multiple first TA values.

[0368] In some embodiments, the second processing unit 2210 is further configured to determine the first TA value based on a second TA value, where the second TA value is the TA value used in the second time period; the second TA value is determined based on measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel in the second time period.

[0369] In some embodiments, the second processing unit 2210 is further configured to determine the first TA value based on the second TA value using a third model.

[0370] In some embodiments, the number of the second TA values ​​includes one or more, and the input information of the third model includes the plurality of the second TA values, and one or more of the following:

[0371] Index information of the cell associated with each second TA value,

[0372] Index information of the spatial filter associated with each second TA value.

[0373] In some embodiments, the communication device 2200 may include a second sending unit. The second sending unit is configured to send an uplink signal and / or an uplink channel within a second time period; the uplink signal and / or uplink signal within the second time period is used to determine the second TA value;

[0374] The second receiving unit is further configured to receive a second TA value sent by the network device.

[0375] In some embodiments, the second processing unit may be configured to communicate with the network device using the first TA value when determining to access the first cell and / or first spatial filter associated with the first TA value within the first time period.

[0376] In some embodiments, the second processing unit can also be configured to, within the first time period, determine that when accessing the first cell and / or the first spatial filter associated with the first TA value, the terminal device determines not to send the uplink signal and / or uplink channel associated with the first cell and / or the first spatial filter.

[0377] In some embodiments, the number of the first TA values ​​includes multiple; the multiple first TA values ​​correspond to multiple first time periods, and the start times of the multiple first time periods are different.

[0378] In some embodiments, the uplink signal and / or uplink channel includes PRACH and / or SRS.

[0379] In some embodiments, the uplink signal and / or uplink channel is associated with a first downlink signal sent by the network device, where the first downlink signal includes one or more of the following:

[0380] A downlink signal selected by the terminal device based on downlink measurement;

[0381] Downlink signal configured by the network device;

[0382] A dedicated downlink signal for determining the first TA.

[0383] In some embodiments, the sending time of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel is determined based on the receiving time of the first downlink signal associated with the uplink signal and / or uplink channel and a third TA value, or is determined based on the receiving time of the first downlink signal; the third TA value is the TA value used by the terminal device when sending the uplink signal and / or uplink channel.

[0384] Those skilled in the art should understand that the relevant description of the above-mentioned communication device in the embodiment of the present application can be understood with reference to the relevant description of the communication method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0385] Figure 23 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 2300 provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 23, the communication device 2300 includes a processor 2310 and a memory 2430. The memory 2320 can store computer programs, and the processor 2310 can call and execute the computer programs from the memory 2320 to implement the methods in the embodiments of the present application.

[0386] The memory 2320 may be a separate device independent of the processor 2310 or may be integrated into the processor 2310 .

[0387] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG23 , the communication device 2300 may further include a transceiver 2330 , and the processor 2310 may control the transceiver 2330 to communicate with other devices. Specifically, the transceiver 2330 may send information or data to other devices, or receive information or data sent by other devices.

[0388] The transceiver 2330 may include a transmitter and a receiver. The transceiver 2330 may further include an antenna, and the number of antennas may be one or more.

[0389] In some embodiments, the embodiments of the present application further provide another composition of a communication device, wherein the communication device may include the communication device 2100 or the communication device 2200 described in any one of the aforementioned embodiments.

[0390] In some embodiments, the communication device may be a terminal device in an embodiment of the present application, and the processor 2310 may call and run a computer program from the memory 2320 to implement the method implemented by the terminal device in an embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0391] In some embodiments, the communication device may be a network device in an embodiment of the present application, and the processor 2310 may call and run a computer program from the memory 2320 to implement the method implemented by the network device in an embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0392] Figure 24 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 24, chip 2400 includes a processor 2410, which can call and run a computer program from a memory to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0393] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG24 , the chip 2400 may further include a memory 2420. The processor 2410 may call and execute a computer program from the memory 2420 to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0394] The memory 2420 may be a separate device independent of the processor 2410 , or may be integrated into the processor 2410 .

[0395] In some embodiments, the chip 2400 may further include an input interface 2430. The processor 2410 may control the input interface 2430 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, may obtain information or data sent by other devices or chips.

[0396] In some embodiments, the chip 2400 may further include an output interface 2440. The processor 2410 may control the output interface 2440 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, may output information or data to other devices or chips.

[0397] In some embodiments, the chip can be applied to the network equipment in the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, it will not be described here.

[0398] In some embodiments, the chip can be applied to the terminal device in the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, it will not be described here.

[0399] It should be understood that the chip mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can also be called a system-level chip, a system chip, a chip system or a system-on-chip chip, etc.

[0400] FIG25 is a schematic block diagram of a communication system 2500 provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG25 , the communication system 2500 may include a terminal device 2510 and a network device 2520 .

[0401] The terminal device 2510 can be used to implement the corresponding functions implemented by the terminal device in the above method, and the network device 2520 can be used to implement the corresponding functions implemented by the network device in the above method. For the sake of brevity, they are not described here in detail.

[0402] It is understood that the processor of the embodiments of the present application may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method embodiment can be completed by hardware integrated logic circuits in the processor or software instructions. The above processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. The various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented or executed. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be directly implemented as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium mature in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and completes the steps of the above method in combination with its hardware.

[0403] It is also understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct RAM bus random access memory (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0404] It is also understood that the above-mentioned memories are exemplary but not restrictive. For example, the memories in the embodiments of the present application may also be static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct RAM RAM (DR RAM). In other words, the memories in the embodiments of the present application are intended to include, but are not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memories.

[0405] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program.

[0406] In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium can be applied to the terminal device in the embodiments of the present application, and when the computer program is executed by at least one processor, it implements the corresponding processes implemented by the terminal device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0407] In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium can be applied to the network device in the embodiments of the present application, and when the computer program is executed by at least one processor, it implements the corresponding processes implemented by the network device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0408] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, including computer program instructions.

[0409] In some embodiments, the computer program product can be applied to the terminal device in the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program instructions enable the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the terminal device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0410] In some embodiments, the computer program product can be applied to the network device in the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program instructions enable the computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the network device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0411] The embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program.

[0412] In some embodiments, the computer program can be applied to the terminal device in the embodiments of the present application. When the computer program runs on the computer, the computer executes the corresponding processes implemented by the terminal device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0413] In some embodiments, the computer program can be applied to the network device in the embodiments of the present application. When the computer program runs on a computer, the computer executes the corresponding processes implemented by the network device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0414] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in this application can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0415] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the above-described devices and units can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0416] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0417] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0418] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0419] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0420] It should be noted that, in this application, the terms "comprises," "includes," or any other variations thereof are intended to encompass non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not explicitly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. In the absence of further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising a ..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus comprising the element.

[0421] The serial numbers of the above embodiments of the present application are for description only and do not represent the advantages or disadvantages of the embodiments.

[0422] The methods disclosed in the several method embodiments provided in this application can be arbitrarily combined without conflict to obtain new method embodiments.

[0423] The features disclosed in the several product embodiments provided in this application can be arbitrarily combined without conflict to obtain new product embodiments.

[0424] The features disclosed in the several method or device embodiments provided in this application can be arbitrarily combined without conflict to obtain new method embodiments or device embodiments.

[0425] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, the method comprising: The network device sends first information to the terminal device, where the first information is used to indicate a first timing advance TA value, where the first TA value is a TA value used in a first time period; The first TA value is determined based on measurement parameters of an uplink signal and / or an uplink channel of the terminal device in a second time period; an end time of the second time period is earlier than a start time of the first time period.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Also includes: The network device determines the first TA value based on measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel of the terminal device in the second time period.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The network device determines the first TA value based on a measurement parameter of an uplink signal and / or an uplink channel of the terminal device in the second time period, including: The network device acquires a second TA value, where the second TA value is determined based on a measurement parameter of an uplink signal and / or an uplink channel in the second time period; the second TA value is a TA value used in the second time period; The network device determines the first TA value based on the second TA value using a first model.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The number of the second TA values ​​includes one or more, the input information of the first model includes a plurality of the second TA values, and one or more of the following: Index information of the cell associated with each second TA value, Index information of the spatial filter associated with each second TA value.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The network device determines the first TA value based on a measurement parameter of an uplink signal and / or an uplink channel of the terminal device in the second time period, including: The network device determines the first TA value using a second model based on measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel of the terminal device in the second time period.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein: The measurement parameters of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel include one or more, and the input information of the second model includes multiple measurement parameters and one or more of the following: Index information of a cell associated with each of the measurement parameters; Index information of the spatial filter associated with each of the measurement parameters.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The first information also includes index information of a first cell associated with the first TA value, and / or index information of a first spatial filter associated with the first TA value.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: The number of the first TA values ​​includes multiple; the multiple first TA values ​​correspond to multiple first time periods, and the start times of the multiple first time periods are different.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein: The number of the first TA values ​​includes a plurality, and the network device sends the first information to the terminal device, including: At each first moment of multiple first moments, a first TA value associated with each first moment is sent to the terminal device; the first moment associated with each first TA value is earlier than the start moment of the first time period corresponding to the first TA value.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein: The number of the first TA values ​​includes a plurality, and the network device sends the first information to the terminal device, including: The multiple first TA values ​​are sent to the terminal device at a second time; the second time is earlier than the starting time of the first time period corresponding to any first TA value among the multiple first TA values.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein: The uplink signal and / or uplink channel includes: a physical random access channel PRACH, and / or a sounding reference signal SRS.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein: The uplink signal and / or the uplink channel is associated with a first downlink signal sent by the network device, where the first downlink signal includes one or more of the following: The downlink signal selected by the terminal device based on the downlink measurement; Downlink signal configured by the network device; A dedicated downlink signal for determining the first TA value.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein: The sending time of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel is determined based on the receiving time of the first downlink signal associated with the uplink signal and / or uplink channel and a third TA value, or based on the receiving time of the first downlink signal; the third TA value is the TA value used by the terminal device when sending the uplink signal and / or uplink channel.

14. A communication method, the method comprising: The terminal device determines a first timing advance TA value, where the first TA value is a TA value used in a first time period; The first TA value is determined based on measurement parameters of an uplink signal and / or an uplink channel of the terminal device in a second time period; an end time of the second time period is earlier than a start time of the first time period.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein: The terminal device determines a first timing advance TA value, including: The terminal device receives first information, where the first information is used to indicate the first TA value.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein: The first information also includes index information of a first cell associated with the first TA value, and / or index information of a first spatial filter associated with the first TA value.

17. The method according to claim 14 or 15, wherein: The number of the first TA values ​​includes a plurality, and the terminal device receives the first information, including: The terminal device receives, at each first moment of a plurality of first moments, a first TA value associated with each first moment; the first moment associated with each first TA value is earlier than a start moment of a first time period corresponding to the first TA value.

18. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 17, wherein: The terminal device receives first information, including: The terminal device receives the multiple first TA values ​​at a second time; the second time is earlier than the starting time of the first time period corresponding to any first TA value among the multiple first TA values.

19. The method according to claim 14, wherein: The terminal device determines a first timing advance TA value, including: The terminal device determines a first TA value based on a second TA value, where the second TA value is a TA value used in a second time period; the second TA value is determined based on measurement parameters of an uplink signal and / or an uplink channel in the second time period.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein: The terminal device determines the first TA value based on the second TA value, including: The terminal device determines the first TA value based on the second TA value using a third model.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein: The number of the second TA values ​​includes one or more, and the input information of the third model includes a plurality of the second TA values, and one or more of the following: Index information of the cell associated with each second TA value, Index information of the spatial filter associated with each second TA value.

22. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 21, wherein: Before the terminal device determines the first TA value based on the second TA value, the terminal device further includes: The terminal device sends an uplink signal and / or an uplink channel within a second time period; the uplink signal and / or the uplink signal within the second time period is used to determine the second TA value; The terminal device receives a second TA value sent by the network device.

23. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 22, wherein: Also includes: During the first time period, when the terminal device determines to access the first cell and / or the first spatial filter associated with the first TA value, the terminal device uses the first TA value to communicate with the network device.

24. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 23, wherein: Also includes: During the first time period, when the terminal device determines to access the first cell and / or the first spatial filter associated with the first TA value, the terminal device determines not to send the uplink signal and / or uplink channel associated with the first cell and / or the first spatial filter.

25. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 25, wherein: The number of the first TA values ​​includes multiple; the multiple first TA values ​​correspond to multiple first time periods, and the start times of the multiple first time periods are different.

26. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 25, wherein: The uplink signal and / or uplink channel includes: a physical random access channel PRACH, and / or a sounding reference signal SRS.

27. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 26, wherein: The uplink signal and / or the uplink channel is associated with a first downlink signal sent by the network device, where the first downlink signal includes one or more of the following: The downlink signal selected by the terminal device based on the downlink measurement; Downlink signal configured by the network device; A dedicated downlink signal used to determine the first TA.

28. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 27, wherein: The sending time of the uplink signal and / or uplink channel is determined based on the receiving time of the first downlink signal associated with the uplink signal and / or uplink channel and a third TA value, or based on the receiving time of the first downlink signal; the third TA value is the TA value used by the terminal device when sending the uplink signal and / or uplink channel.

29. A communication device, the device comprising: A first sending unit is configured to send first information to a terminal device, where the first information includes a first timing advance TA value, where the first TA value is a TA value used in a first time period; The first TA value is determined based on measurement parameters of an uplink signal and / or an uplink channel of the terminal device in a second time period; an end time of the second time period is earlier than a start time of the first time period.

30. A communication device, the device comprising: A second processing unit is configured to determine a first timing advance TA value, where the first TA value is a TA value used in a first time period; The first TA value is determined based on measurement parameters of an uplink signal and / or an uplink channel of the terminal device in a second time period; an end time of the second time period is earlier than a start time of the first time period.

31. A communication device, wherein: include: A processor and a memory, the memory being used to store a computer program, the processor being used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory to execute the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13; or, to execute the method as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 28.

32. A chip, wherein: include: A processor, configured to call and run a computer program from a memory so that a device equipped with the chip executes a method according to any one of claims 1 to 13; Alternatively, the method according to any one of claims 14 to 28 is performed.

33. A computer-readable storage medium, wherein: The computer storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by at least one processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13 is implemented; or the method according to any one of claims 14 to 28 is implemented.

34. A computer program product, comprising computer program instructions, the computer program instructions causing a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13; or, to execute the method according to any one of claims 14 to 28.

35. A computer program, the computer program causing a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13; or to execute the method according to any one of claims 14 to 28.

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