Method and device for switching between networks and computer readable storage medium

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments relate to a method and device for inter-network handover, and a computer readable storage medium. In one aspect, a terminal device receives a notification message common to at least one terminal device in a first network. The notification message is used for switching the at least one terminal device from the first network to a second network. In addition, the terminal device switches from the first network to the second network based on the notification message. The notification message comprises a first field, and the first field indicates the reason for switching the at least one terminal device. Thus, the at least one terminal device may switch from the first network to the second network, and a first network device in the first network may enter a power saving mode to achieve network power saving. The network power savings can run in a multi-vendor scenario, and are easy to manage and expand.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Exemplary embodiments of the present application relate generally to the field of communications, and more specifically to methods, devices and computer readable storage media for inter-network handover. BACKGROUND

[0002] Since the 1980s, mobile communications have completely changed the world and affected every aspect of our lives. As 5G technology continues to expand into new areas, people are beginning to wonder what 6G will look like. As a more advanced next-generation mobile communication system, 6G will go far beyond communication itself. It will serve as a distributed neural network, providing a link to integrated communication, perception, and computing capabilities, merging the physical, biological, and network worlds, and thus opening the era of true ubiquitous intelligence. On the basis of 5G, 6G will continue to shift from connecting people and things to connecting intelligence. Essentially, it will bring intelligence to every person, every family, and every business, thus leading to a new era of innovation. SUMMARY

[0003] Generally, exemplary embodiments of the present application provide a scheme for inter-network handover, especially for network power saving.

[0004] It should be understood that the summary section is not intended to identify key or essential features of embodiments of the application or to limit the scope of the application. Other features of the application will be readily apparent from the following description.

[0005] In a first aspect, a method performed by a terminal device is provided. The method comprises receiving a notification message common to at least one terminal device in a first network, wherein the notification message is used to handover the at least one terminal device from the first network to a second network. The method further comprises handover from the first network to the second network based on the notification message, wherein the notification message comprises a first field indicating a reason for the handover of the at least one terminal device, and wherein the terminal device belongs to the at least one terminal device. In this way, the at least one terminal device can be handed over from the first network to the second network, and a first network device in the first network can enter a power saving mode to achieve network power saving. The network power saving can be operated in a multi-vendor scenario and is easy to manage and extend.

[0006] In some implementations, the notification message further includes one or more of: a second field indicating a radio access type of the second network; or a third field indicating a time duration of the notification message to be applied by the at least one terminal device. In this way, the notification message can make it easier for the terminal device to switch from the first network to the second network, and make the network power saving more efficient.

[0007] In some implementations, the cause is related to power saving of the first network device with which the at least one terminal device is associated. In this way, the at least one terminal device can switch from the first network device to the second network to achieve efficient power saving.

[0008] In some implementations, the notification message further includes one or more of: a fourth field indicating a satellite constellation to which the at least one terminal device can transition; a fifth field indicating a satellite network to which the at least one terminal device can transition; a sixth field indicating a timing reference for at least one of downlink and uplink communications with the second network; a seventh field indicating a frequency reference for at least one of downlink and uplink communications with the second network; an eighth field indicating at least one physical cell identity (PCI) that can be used by the at least one terminal device for detecting and measuring signals from the second network; a ninth field indicating at least one physical beam identity (PBI) that can be used by the at least one terminal device for detecting and measuring beams from the second network; a tenth field indicating at least one angular direction in an azimuth domain in which the at least one terminal device is to steer a receive beam; an eleventh field indicating at least one angular direction in a zenith domain in which the at least one terminal device is to steer a receive beam; a twelfth field indicating a time duration of a beam selection timer in which the at least one terminal device is to search for beams in the second network; or a thirteenth field indicating a sleep time duration of the terminal device in the event that the terminal device fails to find the beams before the beam selection timer expires. In this way, the set of notification messages can indicate more information of the second network, make it easier for the terminal device to switch, and make the network power saving more efficient.

[0009] In some implementations, the sixth field includes one or more of: a fourteenth field indicating a time point of a system frame to be transmitted by a second network device in the second network; a fifteenth field indicating a number of the system frame to be transmitted by the second network device at the time point indicated by the fourteenth field; a sixteenth field indicating a number of a subframe within the system frame to be transmitted by the second network device at the time point indicated by the fourteenth field; a seventeenth field indicating a timing advance between the at least one terminal device and the second network device when the at least one terminal device performs uplink transmission to the second network device; an eighteenth field indicating a timing advance drift between the at least one terminal device and the second network device; or a nineteenth field indicating a timing advance drift change. In this way, with accurate timing information, the terminal device can efficiently establish uplink or downlink communication with the second network, and efficiently implement the network power saving.

[0010] In some implementations, the seventh field includes one or more of: a twentieth field indicating a subcarrier spacing; a twenty-first field indicating a frequency list at which the at least one terminal device can detect and measure a downlink synchronization signal from the second network; a twenty-second field indicating a center frequency of a lowest subcarrier of a downlink bandwidth part (BWP) used in the second network; a twenty-third field indicating at least one of a location or a bandwidth of the downlink BWP; a twenty-fourth field indicating a center frequency of a lowest subcarrier of an uplink BWP used in the second network; or a twenty-fifth field indicating at least one of a location or a bandwidth of the uplink BWP. In this way, with accurate frequency information, the terminal device can efficiently and reliably establish uplink or downlink communication with the second network, and make the network power saving efficient and reliable.

[0011] In some implementations, the terminal device is in a connected state. The switching from the first network to the second network includes: performing group switching from the first network to the second network together with other terminal devices in the first network that are in the connected state, wherein the other terminal devices belong to the at least one terminal device. In this way, all terminals can be switched from the first network to the second network, and the first network device can efficiently enter the power saving mode.

[0012] In some implementations, the terminal device is in a connected state, and the method implemented in the terminal device further includes one or more of the following: canceling downlink transmissions received from a first network device in the first network; or canceling uplink transmissions to be sent to the first network device. In this way, the terminal device can stop its communication workload with the first network device, allowing the first network device to efficiently enter a power-saving mode.

[0013] In some implementations, the downlink transmission is scheduled to be received after a certain time interval from when the notification message is received by the terminal device. Additionally or alternatively, the uplink transmission is scheduled to be sent after the time interval from when the notification message is received by the terminal device. Thus, the scheduled uplink or downlink workload in the first network device can be reliably canceled over the time interval, thereby making the network power savings more reliable.

[0014] In some implementations, the downlink transmissions are dynamically scheduled or semi-statically scheduled. Additionally or alternatively, the uplink transmissions are dynamically scheduled or scheduled within a configuration license. This allows dynamically scheduled uplink or downlink workloads in the first network device to be reliably canceled, thereby making network power savings more reliable.

[0015] In some implementations, the downlink transmission includes physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission or channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) transmission. Additionally or alternatively, the uplink transmission includes physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission or sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission. Thus, the downlink or uplink transmission can be a data transmission service or other services, such as location services, and the network power savings are applicable to different types of services.

[0016] In some implementations, the terminal device is in an idle or inactive state, and the switch from the first network to the second network includes performing a beam selection process in the second network. Thus, the terminal device in the idle or inactive state can reliably switch from the first network device to the second network device, thereby making network power saving more reliable.

[0017] In some implementations, for the beam selection process, if the notification message includes a 21st field indicating a frequency list in which the terminal device can detect and measure downlink synchronization signals from the second network, the terminal device searches for a beam at the frequencies listed in the frequency list. Additionally or alternatively, if the notification message includes a 14th field indicating a time point in the second network device in the second network that will transmit a system frame, the terminal device determines that the beam is aligned in the time domain with the time point indicated in the 14th field. Additionally or alternatively, if the notification message includes an 8th field indicating at least one PCI that the terminal device can use to detect and measure signals from the second network, the terminal device searches for a beam based on the at least one PCI indicated in the 8th field. Additionally or alternatively, if the notification message includes a 9th field indicating at least one PBI that the terminal device can use to detect and measure beams transmitted in the second network, the terminal device searches for a beam based on the at least one PBI indicated in the 9th field. Additionally or alternatively, if the notification message includes a tenth field indicating at least one angular direction in which the terminal device will turn the received beam in the azimuth domain, the terminal device searches for the beam based on the angular direction indicated in the tenth field. Additionally or alternatively, if the notification message includes an eleventh field indicating at least one angular direction in which the terminal device will turn the received beam in the zenith domain, the terminal device searches for the beam based on the angular direction indicated in the eleventh parameter. Thus, with more information about the second network device, the terminal device can reliably and efficiently switch from the first network device to the second network device to reliably and efficiently achieve the network power savings.

[0018] In some implementations, the method implemented in the terminal device further includes: activating a beam selection timer to search for a beam in the second network. Additionally, if the beam is found before the beam selection timer expires, the terminal device uses the beam monitoring system information. Additionally, if the beam is not found before the beam selection timer expires, the terminal device switches to a sleep mode. In this way, the terminal device can handle both the presence and absence of a beam in the second network device, enabling reliable switching and thus reliably achieving the network power savings.

[0019] In some implementations, the method implemented in the terminal device further includes: determining that the terminal device remains in the sleep mode for a duration indicated in the thirteenth field of the notification message, thereby waking up from the sleep mode. Additionally, the terminal device restarts the beam selection timer. Additionally, the terminal device restarts the beam selection process performed in the second network. Thus, the terminal device can scan and select beams multiple times in the second network to reliably switch from the first network device to the second network device, thereby reliably achieving the network power saving.

[0020] In some implementations, the monitoring of the system information is performed on a set of resources indicated by the 22nd and 23rd fields of the notification message, wherein the 22nd field indicates the center frequency of the lowest subcarrier of the downlink BWP used in the second network, and the 23rd field indicates at least one of the location or bandwidth of the downlink BWP. In this way, the terminal device can reliably access the downlink BWP in the second network, thereby reliably achieving the network power savings.

[0021] In some implementations, the method implemented in the terminal device further includes performing initial access to the second network using the beam selected during the beam selection process. This allows the terminal device to reliably access the second network during the initial access process, thereby reliably achieving network power savings.

[0022] In some implementations, the first network is a terrestrial network (TN), and the second network is a non-terrestrial network (NTN). In this way, the terminals in the TN can switch to the NTN, which has a larger coverage area. The TN can enter a power-saving mode to efficiently save network power.

[0023] In some implementations, the notification message is received on a common channel. This allows the notification message to be efficiently transmitted to the at least one terminal device on the common channel with less transmission resources, thereby achieving the network power saving process more efficiently.

[0024] In some implementations, the notification message is received via a PDSCH transmission scheduled by the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). This PDSCH transmission carries downlink control information (DCI) format scrambled with a multicast radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) associated with the power-saving function. In this way, the power-saving notification message can be carried in multicast mode and simultaneously sent to the at least one terminal device with less transmission resources, enabling the network power-saving function to operate efficiently.

[0025] In some implementations, receiving, detecting, and decoding the notification message are capabilities of the terminal device, which may be mandatory or optional. This allows the terminal device to have different network power-saving capabilities, making the conditions for network power saving more explicit.

[0026] In some implementations, the method implemented in the terminal device further includes: sending capability information to a first network device in the first network, the capability information indicating that the terminal device has the capability to receive, detect, and decode the notification message. In this way, the network device can decide to transmit the notification message, thereby making network power saving more reliable.

[0027] In a second aspect, a method is provided performed by a first network device in a first network. The method includes: receiving a power-saving command from a second network device in a second network at the first network device in the first network, wherein the power-saving command instructs the first network device to enter a power-saving mode; and sending a notification message shared by at least one terminal device in the first network, wherein the notification message is used to switch the at least one terminal device from the first network to the second network. Thus, the first network device can implement network power saving according to the command from the second network device and instruct the at least one terminal device to switch from the first network to the second network, thereby making the network reliable, easy to manage, and scalable.

[0028] In some implementations, the method implemented in the first network device further includes: entering the power-saving mode in response to sending the notification message. This allows the first network device to enter the power-saving mode after notifying the at least one terminal device of the switchover, thereby making the network power saving more reliable.

[0029] In some implementations, the power-saving mode includes one or more of the following: hibernation, power-down, or shutdown. This allows the first network device to flexibly implement the power-saving mode.

[0030] In some implementations, the notification message includes one or more of the following: a first field indicating the reason for switching the at least one terminal device; a second field indicating the wireless access type of the second network; or a third field indicating the duration of the notification message to be applied to the at least one terminal device. In this way, the notification message can make it easier for the terminal device to switch from the first network to the second network, and enable the network to operate more efficiently with power saving.

[0031] In some implementations, the reason is related to power savings in the first network device associated with the at least one terminal device. This allows the at least one device to switch from the first network device to the second network device, thereby ensuring reliable operation of the network power savings.

[0032] In some implementations, the notification message further includes one or more of the following: a fourth field indicating the satellite constellation to which the at least one terminal device can switch; a fifth field indicating the satellite network to which the at least one terminal device can switch; a sixth field indicating a timing reference used for at least one of downlink and uplink communications with the second network; a seventh field indicating a frequency reference used for at least one of downlink and uplink communications with the second network; an eighth field indicating at least one physical cell identity (PCI) for use by the at least one terminal device to detect and measure signals from the second network; and a ninth field indicating at least one physical beam identifier (PBE). The at least one PBI (Personal Identity) can be used by the at least one terminal device to detect and measure signals transmitted in the second network; the tenth field indicates at least one angular direction in which the at least one terminal device will turn the received beam in the azimuth domain; the eleventh field indicates at least one angular direction in which the at least one terminal device will turn the received beam in the zenith domain; the twelfth field indicates the duration of a beam selection timer used by the at least one terminal device to search for a beam in the second network; or the thirteenth field indicates the sleep duration of the at least one terminal device if it fails to find the beam before the beam selection timer expires. In this way, the group notification message can indicate more information about the second network, making it easier for the terminal device to switch and making the network power saving more efficient and reliable.

[0033] In some implementations, the sixth field includes one or more of the following: a fourteenth field indicating the time point of a system frame to be transmitted by the second network device in the second network; a fifteenth field indicating the number of the system frame to be transmitted by the second network device at the time point indicated by the fourteenth field; a sixteenth field indicating the number of a subframe within the system frame to be transmitted by the second network device at the time point indicated by the fourteenth field; a seventeenth field indicating timing advance between the at least one terminal device and the second network device when the at least one terminal device performs uplink transmission to the second network device; an eighteenth field indicating timing advance drift between the at least one terminal device and the second network device; or a nineteenth field indicating a change in timing advance drift. Thus, with accurate timing information, the terminal device can efficiently and reliably establish uplink or downlink communication with the second network, and efficiently achieve network power savings.

[0034] In some implementations, the seventh field includes one or more of the following: a twentieth field indicating the subcarrier spacing; a twentieth field indicating a list of frequencies from which the at least one terminal device can detect and measure downlink synchronization signals from the second network; a twentieth field indicating the center frequency of the lowest subcarrier in the downlink bandwidth part (BWP) used in the second network; a twentieth field indicating at least one of the location or bandwidth of the downlink BWP; a twentieth field indicating the center frequency of the lowest subcarrier in the uplink BWP used in the second network; or a twentieth field indicating at least one of the location or bandwidth of the uplink BWP. Thus, with accurate frequency information, the terminal device can efficiently establish uplink or downlink communication with the second network and efficiently achieve network power savings.

[0035] In some implementations, the at least one terminal device is in a connected state, and the method implemented in the first network device further includes: processing group handovers performed by the at least one terminal device from the first network to the second network. In this way, the first network device can switch the at least one terminal device by group, thereby efficiently achieving the network power savings.

[0036] In some implementations, the first network is a terrestrial network (TN), and the second network is a non-terrestrial network (NTN). In this way, the at least one terminal device can switch from the TN to the NTN, which has a larger coverage area, thereby reliably achieving network power savings.

[0037] In some implementations, the notification message is sent on a common channel. This allows the notification message to be sent with fewer resources, thus efficiently achieving network power savings.

[0038] In some implementations, the notification message is transmitted via a PDSCH transmission scheduled by the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). The PDSCH transmission carries downlink control information (DCI) format scrambled with a multicast radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) associated with power-saving features. This allows the notification message to be transmitted in multicast mode with fewer resources, thereby efficiently achieving the network power savings.

[0039] In some implementations, receiving, detecting, and decoding the notification message are capabilities of the at least one terminal device, and these capabilities may be mandatory or optional. In this way, the first network device can make network power-saving decisions based on the UE capabilities, thereby reliably and efficiently achieving network power savings.

[0040] In some implementations, the method implemented in the first network device further includes: receiving capability information from the at least one terminal device, the capability information indicating that the at least one terminal device has the capability to receive, detect, and decode the notification message. In this way, the first network device can make network power saving decisions based on the UE capabilities, thereby reliably and efficiently achieving network power saving.

[0041] In some implementations, the method implemented in the first network device further includes: entering the power-saving mode indicated in the power-saving command after a period of time. Thus, the first network device can reliably achieve network power saving by entering the power-saving mode after the at least one terminal device switches over.

[0042] In some implementations, the method implemented in the first network device further includes: sending a traffic event report or a power consumption event report to the second network device or another network device in the second network, wherein the power saving command is sent in response to the traffic event report or the power consumption event report. This allows for efficient network power saving.

[0043] In a third aspect, a method is provided to be performed by a second network device in a second network. The method includes: sending a power-saving command to a first network device in a first network, wherein the power-saving command instructs the first network device to enter a power-saving mode; and switching services from the first network to at least one terminal device in the second network. Thus, the first network device can achieve network power saving according to the command from the second network device, thereby making the network reliable, easy to manage, and scalable.

[0044] In some implementations, the at least one terminal device is in a connected state, and serving the at least one terminal device includes processing group handovers performed by the at least one terminal device from the first network to the second network. In this way, the at least one terminal device can switch from the first network device to the second network device in groups, thereby efficiently achieving the network power savings.

[0045] In some implementations, the at least one terminal device is in an idle or inactive state, and serving the at least one terminal device includes processing the initial access of the at least one terminal device to the second network, wherein the initial access is based on a beam selected during a beam selection process in the second network. Thus, the terminal device in the idle or inactive state can access the second network device through the initial access process, thereby reliably achieving the network power savings.

[0046] In some implementations, the method implemented in the second network device includes receiving a traffic event report or a power consumption event report from the first network device or another network device in the second network, wherein the power saving command is sent in response to the traffic event report or the power consumption event report. Thus, the power saving command is triggered based on the state of the first network device, thereby making the network power saving more efficient.

[0047] In some implementations, the first network is a terrestrial network (TN), and the second network is a non-terrestrial network (NTN). In this way, the at least one terminal device can switch from the TN to the NTN, which has a larger coverage area, thereby reliably achieving network power savings.

[0048] In a fourth aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device includes: a transceiver; and a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver. The processor is configured to: receive a notification message shared by at least one terminal device in a first network, wherein the notification message is used to switch the at least one terminal device from the first network to a second network; and switch from the first network to the second network based on the notification message, wherein the notification message includes a first field indicating the reason for switching the at least one terminal device. Thus, the at least one terminal device can switch from the first network to the second network, and a first network device in the first network can enter a power-saving mode to achieve network power saving. The network power saving can operate in a multi-vendor scenario and is easy to manage and expand.

[0049] In a fifth aspect, a first network device is provided. The first network device includes: a transceiver; and a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver. The processor is configured to: receive a power-saving command from a second network device in a second network, wherein the power-saving command instructs the first network device to enter a power-saving mode; and send a notification message shared by at least one terminal device in the first network, wherein the notification message is used to switch the at least one terminal device from the first network to the second network, the first network including the first network device. Thus, the first network device can implement network power saving according to the command from the second network device and instruct the at least one terminal device to switch from the first network to the second network, thereby making the network reliable, easy to manage, and scalable.

[0050] In a sixth aspect, a second network device is provided. The second network device includes: a transceiver; and a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver. The processor is configured to: send a power-saving command to a first network device in a first network, wherein the power-saving command instructs the first network device to enter a power-saving mode; and switch services from the first network to at least one terminal device in the second network. Thus, the first network device can achieve network power saving according to the command from the second network device, thereby making the network reliable, easy to manage, and scalable.

[0051] In a sixth aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided. The non-transitory computer-readable medium includes a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed on at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform the methods of the first aspect, the second aspect, or the third aspect.

[0052] In a seventh aspect, a chip is provided. The chip includes at least one processing circuitry for performing the methods of the first, second, or third aspect.

[0053] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product is tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium and includes computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause a device to perform the methods of the first, second, or third aspect. Attached Figure Description

[0054] Some exemplary embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 An example of a communication system is shown, in which some exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be implemented; Figure 2It shows Figure 1 Detailed examples of communication systems in which some exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be implemented; Figure 3 Examples of electronic devices and base stations are shown, in which some exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be implemented; Figure 4 Exemplary modules in a device or apparatus are shown, in which some exemplary embodiments of the present invention may be implemented; Figure 5 An example of a communication system with T-TRP and NT-TRP is shown, in which some exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be implemented; Figure 6 Another example of a communication system with T-TRP and NT-TRP is shown, in which some exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be implemented; Figure 7 Another example of a communication system with T-TRP and NT-TRP is shown, in which some exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be implemented; Figure 8 Another example of a communication system with T-TRP and NT-TRP is shown, in which some exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be implemented; Figure 9 An example of a process flow in which a first network device switches a terminal device from a first network to a second network to achieve power savings is shown, wherein some exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be implemented; Figure 10 Another example of the process flow in which a first network device switches a terminal device from a first network to a second network to achieve power savings is shown, wherein some exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be implemented; Figures 10A to 10C An example of ASN.1 pseudocode is shown, in which some exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be implemented; Figure 11A An example of scheduling a UE-specific PDSCH for a PDCCH is shown, in which some exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be implemented; Figure 11B An example of TN-TRP sending a power saving group notification message is shown, in which some exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be implemented; Figure 11C An example is shown where the UE cancels the reception of PDSCH after receiving a power saving group notification message, wherein some exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be implemented; Figure 11D An example is shown where the UE cancels the reception of PUSCH after receiving a power saving group notification message, wherein some exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be implemented; Figure 11E An example is shown whereby a UE cancels the reception of a PDCCH that schedules a semi-static PDSCH after receiving a power saving group notification message, wherein some exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be implemented. Figure 11F An example is shown whereby a UE cancels the reception of an unlicensed PUSCH configured by RRC after receiving a power saving group notification message, wherein some exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be implemented; Figure 12 An example of the process flow for a terminal device to select a cell for a second network device is shown, wherein some exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be implemented; Figure 13 An example of a method implemented at a terminal device is shown, in which some exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be implemented; Figure 14 An example of a method implemented at a first network device is shown, in which some exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be implemented; Figure 15 An example of a method implemented at a second network device is shown, in which some exemplary embodiments of the invention can be implemented; Figure 16 Block diagrams of electronic devices that can be used to implement devices and methods, according to some embodiments of the present invention, are shown; Figure 17 Schematic diagrams of the structure of the apparatus provided in some embodiments of the present invention are shown; In all the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements. Detailed Implementation

[0055] The principles of the invention will now be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described merely for illustrative purposes and to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing the invention, and do not impose any limitation on the scope of the invention. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0056] In the following detailed description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains.

[0057] In this invention, references to "an embodiment," "an embodiment," "an exemplary embodiment," etc., indicate that the described embodiment may include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes that specific feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, these phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Additionally, when a specific feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is assumed that the effect of that feature, structure, or characteristic on other embodiments, whether explicitly described or not, is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0058] It should be understood that although the terms “first” and “second”, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed items.

[0059] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms “a” and “described” as used herein are also intended to include the plural forms. It should also be understood that the terms “comprising,” “having,” and / or “including,” when used herein, specify the presence of said features, elements, and / or components, etc., but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0060] When these functions are implemented as 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 this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to instruct a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0061] The above descriptions are merely some specific implementations of this application and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Any variations or substitutions easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

[0062] User equipment (UE) location information is commonly used in cellular communication networks to improve various network performance metrics. These metrics may include, for example, capacity, agility, and efficiency. Improvements can be achieved when network components utilize the UE's location, behavior, mobility patterns, etc., within the context of prior information describing the radio environment in which the UE operates.

[0063] Sensing systems can be used to help collect UE pose information, including its position in the global coordinate system, its velocity and direction of movement in the global coordinate system, orientation information, and information about the wireless environment. "Position" is also called "orientation," and the two terms are used interchangeably in this document. Well-known examples of sensing systems include radio detection and ranging (RADAR) and light detection and ranging (LIDAR). While sensing systems can be separated from communication systems, it can be advantageous to use an integrated system to collect information, reducing the hardware (and cost) in the system and the time, frequency, or spatial resources required to implement both functions. However, using communication system hardware to perform the sensing of UE pose and environmental information is a highly challenging and unresolved problem. The difficulty of this problem is related to factors such as the limited resolution of the communication system, the dynamic nature of the environment, and the large number of objects whose electromagnetic properties and orientation need to be estimated.

[0064] Therefore, sensory integration (also known as synesthesia, joint sensing and communication, and other similar names) is an ideal feature in existing and future communication systems.

[0065] Figure 1 An example of a communication system is shown, in which some exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be implemented.

[0066] refer to Figure 1This diagram, provided as an illustrative example and not as limiting, is a simplified schematic of a communication system. Communication system 100 (which may be a wireless system) includes a radio access network (RAN) 120. RAN 120 may be a next-generation (e.g., sixth-generation, 6G, or later) radio access network, or a traditional (e.g., 5G, 4G, 3G, or 2nd-generation, 2G) radio access network. One or more electronic devices (EDs) 110a, 110b, 110c, 110d, 110e, 110f, 110g, 110h, 110i, 110j (generally referred to as 110) may interconnect with each other or be connected to one or more network nodes (170a, 170b, generally referred to as 170) in the radio access network 120. Core network 130 may be part of the communication system and may depend on or be independent of the radio access technology used in communication system 100. In addition, the communication system 100 may also include a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 140, the Internet 150, and other networks 160.

[0067] Typically, communication system 100 enables multiple wireless or wired components to transmit data and other content. Communication system 100 can provide voice, data, video, and / or text content through broadcasting, multicast, groupcasting, unicast, etc. Furthermore, communication system 100 can provide a wide range of communication services and applications, such as earth monitoring, remote sensing, passive sensing and positioning, navigation and tracking, autonomous delivery and mobility, etc.

[0068] The communication system 100 can operate by sharing resources (such as carrier spectrum bandwidth) among its components.

[0069] Figure 2 It shows Figure 1 Detailed examples of communication systems in which some exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be implemented. Figure 2 The communication system 100 in the middle can be Figure 1 Detailed implementation of the China Communication System 100.

[0070] Typically, communication system 100 enables multiple wireless or wired components to transmit data and other content. The purpose of communication system 100 may be to provide voice, data, video, and / or text content via broadcast, multicast, ensemble, unicast, etc. Communication system 100 can operate by sharing resources (e.g., carrier spectrum bandwidth) among its components. Communication system 100 may include terrestrial communication systems and / or non-terrestrial communication systems. Communication system 100 can provide a wide range of communication services and applications, such as earth monitoring, remote sensing, passive sensing and positioning, navigation and tracking, autonomous delivery and mobility, etc. Communication system 100 can provide high availability and robustness through the joint operation of terrestrial and non-terrestrial communication systems. For example, integrating non-terrestrial communication systems (or components thereof) into terrestrial communication systems can realize heterogeneous networks comprising multiple layers. Compared to traditional communication networks, heterogeneous networks can achieve better overall performance through efficient multi-link joint operation, more flexible function sharing, and faster physical layer link switching between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks.

[0071] Terrestrial communication systems and non-terrestrial communication systems can be considered subsystems of a communication system. Figure 1 The example shown is the same, in Figure 2In the example shown, communication system 100 may include ED 110a, 110b, 110c, 110d (collectively referred to as ED110) and terrestrial RAN 120a, 120b. Furthermore, communication system 100 may also include a non-terrestrial communication network 120c. Communication system 100 may also include one or more of a core network 130, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 140, the Internet 150, and other networks 160. RAN 120a and 120b include corresponding RAN nodes, such as base stations (BS) 170a and 170b, which may generally be referred to as terrestrial transmit and receive points (T-TRP) 170a and 170b. In one implementation, non-terrestrial communication network 120c includes RAN nodes, such as access nodes (or base stations) 172, which may generally be referred to as non-terrestrial transmit and receive points (NT-TRP) 172. Based on the similarity of the reference figures, it can be inferred that the non-terrestrial communication network 120c can be considered a radio access network, operating similarly to RANs 120a and 120b. In another implementation, the non-terrestrial communication network 120c may include at least one non-terrestrial network (NTN) device and at least one corresponding terrestrial network device. The at least one NTN device operates as a transport layer device, and the at least one corresponding terrestrial network device operates as a RAN node, communicating with the ED through the NTN device. Furthermore, there may be an NTN gateway (i.e., referred to as a terrestrial network device) on the ground, which is also a transport layer device used to communicate with the NTN device. The RAN node communicates with the ED through both the NTN device and the NTN gateway. In some implementations, the NTN gateway and the RAN node may reside in the same device.

[0072] Any ED 110 can be used alternatively or additionally to connect, access, or communicate with any T-TRP 170a and 170b, NT-TRP 172, Internet 150, core network 130, PSTN 140, other network 160, or any combination thereof. In some examples, ED 110a can perform uplink and / or downlink transmission with T-TRP 170a via terrestrial air interface 190a. In some examples, ED 110a, 110b, 110c, and 110d can also communicate directly with each other via one or more sidelink air interfaces 190b. In some examples, ED 110d can perform uplink and / or downlink transmission with NT-TRP 172 via non-terrestrial air interface 190c.

[0073] Air interfaces 190a and 190b can use similar communication technologies, such as any suitable wireless access technology. For example, communication system 100 can implement one or more channel access methods in air interfaces 190a and 190b, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), space division multiple access (SDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), and single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) (or discrete fourier transform spread OFDMA (DFT-OFDMA)). Air interfaces 190a and 190b can utilize other high-dimensional signal spaces, which may involve combinations of orthogonal and / or non-orthogonal dimensions.

[0074] The non-terrestrial air interface 190c enables communication between the ED 110d and one or more NT-TRP 172s via a wireless link or a simple link. For some examples, the link is a dedicated connection for unicast transmission, a connection for broadcast transmission, or a connection between a group of ED 110s and one or more NT-TRP 172s for multicast transmission.

[0075] RANs 120a and 120b communicate with core network 130 to provide various services, such as voice, data, and other services, to EDs 110a, 110b, and 110c. RANs 120a and 120b and / or core network 130 can communicate with one or more other RANs ( Figure 2(Not shown) Direct or indirect communication, the one or more other RANs may or may not be directly served by core network 130, and may or may not use the same radio access technology as RAN 120a and / or RAN 120b. Core network 130 may also serve as a gateway access between (i) RAN 120a and 120b or ED 110a, 110b and 110c or both and (ii) other networks (e.g., PSTN 140, Internet 150 and other networks 160). Furthermore, some or all of ED 110a, 110b and 110c may include the ability to communicate with different wireless networks via different radio links using different radio technologies and / or protocols. Instead of wireless communication (or other than wireless communication), ED 110a, 110b and 110c may also communicate with service providers or exchanges (not shown) via wired communication channels and with Internet 150. PSTN 140 may include a circuit-switched telephone network for providing plain old telephone service (POTS). Internet 150 may include a network of computers and / or subnets (internal networks) and incorporates protocols such as Internet Protocol (IP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), and User Datagram Protocol (UDP). ED 110a, 110b, and 110c may be multimode devices capable of operating according to various wireless access technologies and include multiple transceivers required to support these wireless access technologies.

[0076] In addition, the communication system 100 may include a sensing agent ( Figure 2 (Not shown in the diagram) This is used to manage sensing data from ED 110 and / or T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172. In one implementation, the sensing agent resides in T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172. In another implementation, the sensing agent is a separate node with an interface for communicating with core network 130 and / or RAN 120 (e.g., T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172).

[0077] Figure 3 Examples of electronic devices and base stations are shown, in which some exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be implemented.

[0078] Figure 3Another example is shown, featuring the ED 110 and base stations such as T-TRP 170a, 170b, and NT-TRP 172. The ED 110 is used to connect people, objects, machines, etc. The ED 110 can be widely used in various scenarios, including, for example, cellular communication, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), peer-to-peer (P2P), machine-to-machine (M2M), machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), digital twins, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearable devices, smart transportation, smart cities, drones, robots, remote sensing, passive sensing, positioning, navigation and tracking, autonomous delivery and mobility, etc.

[0079] Each ED 110 represents any suitable end-user equipment used for wireless operation and may include, for example (or may be referred to as), user equipment (UE), wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), mobile station, fixed or mobile subscriber unit, cellular phone, station (STA), machine type communication (MTC) device, personal digital assistant (PDA), smartphone, laptop, computer, tablet, wireless sensor, consumer electronics device, smart book, vehicle, car, truck, bus, train, or IoT device, wearable device (e.g., watch, glasses, head-mounted device, etc.), industrial equipment, or devices in or including the above-mentioned equipment (e.g., communication module, modem, or chip). Next-generation ED 110 may be referred to using other terms. Base stations 170a and 170b are T-TRPs, hereinafter referred to as T-TRP 170. Also in Figure 3As shown, the NT device is referred to below as NT-TRP 172. Each ED 110 connected to T-TRP170 and / or NT-TRP 172 can be dynamically or semi-statically turned on (i.e., established, activated, or enabled), turned off (i.e., released, deactivated, or disabled), and / or configured in response to one or more of connectivity availability and connectivity necessity.

[0080] ED 110 may include a transmitter 201 and a receiver 203 coupled to one or more antennas 204. To avoid clutter, only one antenna 204 is shown in the figures. One, some, or all of the antennas 204 may also be panels. The transmitter 201 and receiver 203 may be integrated, for example, as a transceiver. The transceiver is used to modulate data or other content for transmission by at least one antenna 204 or a network interface controller (NIC). The transceiver is also used to demodulate data or other content received by at least one antenna 204. Each transceiver includes any suitable structure for generating signals for wireless or wired transmission and / or for processing signals received wirelessly or wiredly. Each antenna 204 includes any suitable structure for transmitting and / or receiving wireless or wired signals.

[0081] ED 110 may include at least one memory 208. Memory 208 stores instructions. Memory 208 may also store data used, generated, or collected by ED 110. For example, memory 208 may store software instructions or modules for implementing some or all of the functions and / or embodiments described herein, and executed by one or more processing units (e.g., processor 210). Each memory 208 includes any suitable one or more volatile and / or non-volatile storage devices with one or more retrieval devices. Any suitable type of memory may be used, such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), hard disk, optical disk, subscriber identity module (SIM) card, memory stick, secure digital (SD) memory card, on-processor cache, etc.

[0082] ED 110 may also include one or more input / output devices (not shown) or interfaces (e.g., connected to...). Figure 1(Wired interface of Internet 150 in the network). Input / output devices or interfaces can interact with users or other devices in the network. Each input / output device or interface includes any suitable structure for providing or receiving information from the user, and / or for network interface communication. Suitable structures include, for example, speakers, microphones, keypads, keyboards, displays, touchscreens, etc.

[0083] ED 110 includes a processor 210 for performing operations including: preparing transmissions for uplink transmission to NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170, processing downlink transmissions received from NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170, and processing sidelink transmissions with another ED 110. Processing operations related to preparing transmissions for uplink transmission may include operations such as encoding, modulation, transmit beamforming, and generating symbols for transmission. Processing operations related to processing downlink transmission may include operations such as receive beamforming, demodulation, and decoding of received symbols. Processing operations related to processing sidelink transmission may include operations such as transmit / receive beamforming, modulation / demodulation, and encoding / decoding symbols. According to an embodiment, downlink transmissions may be received by receiver 203 using receive beamforming, and processor 210 may extract signaling from the downlink transmission (e.g., by detecting and / or decoding signaling). Examples of signaling may be reference signals transmitted by NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170. In some embodiments, processor 210 performs transmit beamforming and / or receive beamforming based on beam direction indications received from T-TRP 170, such as beam angle information (BAI). In some embodiments, processor 210 may perform operations related to network access (e.g., initial access) and / or downlink synchronization, such as operations related to detecting synchronization sequences, decoding, and acquiring system information. In some embodiments, processor 210 may perform channel estimation, for example, using reference signals received from NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170.

[0084] Although not shown, processor 210 may form part of transmitter 201 and / or receiver 203. Although not shown, memory 208 may form part of processor 210.

[0085] The processor 210, the processing components of the transmitter 201, and the processing components of the receiver 203 may each be implemented by one or more processors, which are used to execute instructions stored in memory (e.g., in memory 208). Alternatively, some or all of the processor 210, the processing components of the transmitter 201, and the processing components of the receiver 203 may each be implemented using dedicated circuitry, such as a programmable field-programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or a hardware accelerator such as an artificial intelligence (AI) accelerator.

[0086] When ED 110 is a device within a apparatus (e.g., a communication module, modem, chip, or chipset), it includes at least one processor and an interface or at least one pin. In this scenario, transmitter 201 and receiver 203 can be replaced by an interface or at least one pin, wherein the interface or at least one pin is used to connect the device (e.g., a chip) and other devices (e.g., chips, memory, or a bus). Accordingly, sending information to NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170 and / or another ED 110 can be referred to as sending information to an interface or at least one pin, and receiving information from NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170 and / or another ED 110 can be referred to as receiving information from an interface or at least one pin. The information may include control signaling and / or data.

[0087] In some implementations, the T-TRP 170 can use other names, such as base station, basetransceiver station (BTS), wireless base station, network node, network device, network-side device, transmit / receive node, Node B, evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), home eNodeB, next-generation Node B (gNB), transmission point (TP), site controller, access point (AP), wireless router, relay station, ground node, ground network device, ground base station, baseband unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), remote radio head (RRH), central unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), positioning node, etc. The T-TRP 170 can be a macro BS, pico BS, relay node, host node, or a combination thereof. T-TRP 170 may refer to the aforementioned equipment or a device within the aforementioned equipment (e.g., a communication module, modem, or chip).

[0088] In some embodiments, the various parts of T-TRP 170 may be distributed. For example, some modules of T-TRP 170 may be located remotely from the device housing the antenna 256 of T-TRP 170 and may be coupled to the device housing the antenna 256 via a communication link (not shown) (sometimes referred to as a fronthaul, such as a Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI)). Therefore, in some embodiments, the term T-TRP 170 may also refer to modules on the network side that perform processing operations such as ED110 location determination, resource allocation (scheduling), message generation, and encoding / decoding, which are not necessarily part of the device housing the antenna 256 of T-TRP 170. These modules may also be coupled to other T-TRPs. In some embodiments, T-TRP 170 may actually be multiple T-TRPs that operate together, for example, by using the Cooperative Multicast Service ED 110.

[0089] The T-TRP 170 may include at least one transmitter 252 and at least one receiver 254 coupled to one or more antennas 256. To avoid clutter, only one antenna 256 is shown in the figures. One, some, or all of the antennas 256 may also be a panel. The transmitter 252 and receiver 254 may be integrated into a transceiver.

[0090] T-TRP 170 includes a processor 260 for performing operations related to: preparing transmissions for downlink transmission to ED 110, processing uplink transmissions received from ED 110, preparing transmissions for backhaul transmission to T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172, and processing transmissions received from T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172 via backhaul. Processing operations related to preparing transmissions for downlink or backhaul transmission may include encoding, modulation, precoding (e.g., multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) precoding), transmit beamforming, and generating symbols for transmission. Processing operations related to processing transmissions received during uplink transmission or via backhaul transmission may include receive beamforming, demodulation, and decoding of received symbols. Processor 260 may also perform operations related to network access (e.g., initial access) and / or downlink synchronization, such as generating the contents of a synchronization signal block (SSB) and generating system information. In some embodiments, processor 260 also generates a beam direction indication (e.g., BAI), which can be scheduled by scheduler 253 for transmission. Processor 260 performs other network-side processing operations described herein, such as determining the location of ED 110, determining the deployment location of NT-TRP 172, etc. In some embodiments, processor 260 may generate signaling, such as configuring one or more parameters of ED 110 and / or one or more parameters of NT-TRP 172. Any signaling generated by processor 260 is transmitted by transmitter 252.

[0091] Scheduler 253 may be coupled to or integrated into processor 260. Scheduler 253 may be included within or operate separately from T-TRP 170. Scheduler 253 may schedule uplink, downlink, sidelink, and / or backhaul transmissions, including issuing scheduling authorizations and / or configuring unscheduled (e.g., “configured authorizations”) resources.

[0092] T-TRP 170 may also include memory 258 for storing information and (optionally) data. Memory 258 stores instructions and data used, generated, or collected by T-TRP 170. For example, memory 258 may store software instructions or modules executed by one or more processors 260 for implementing some or all of the functions and / or embodiments described herein.

[0093] Although not shown, processor 260 may form part of transmitter 252 and / or receiver 254. Furthermore, although not shown, processor 260 may implement scheduler 253. Although not shown, memory 258 may form part of processor 260.

[0094] The processing components of processor 260, scheduler 253, transmitter 252, and receiver 254 may each be implemented by one or more processors, which may be the same or different, for executing instructions stored in memory (e.g., memory 258). Alternatively, some or all of the processing components of processor 260, scheduler 253, transmitter 252, and receiver 254 may be implemented using dedicated circuitry such as a programmable FPGA, hardware accelerator (e.g., GPU or AI accelerator), or ASIC.

[0095] When T-TRP 170 is a device within a unit (e.g., a communication module, modem, chip, or chipset), it includes at least one processor and an interface or at least one pin. In this scenario, transmitter 252 and receiver 254 can be replaced by an interface or at least one pin, wherein the interface or at least one pin is used to connect the device (e.g., a chip) and other devices (e.g., chips, memory, or a bus). Accordingly, sending information to NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170 and / or ED 110 can be referred to as sending information to an interface or at least one pin, and receiving information from NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170 and / or ED 110 can be referred to as receiving information from an interface or at least one pin. The information may include control signaling and / or data.

[0096] Although the NT-TRP 172 is shown as an example of a drone only, it can be implemented in any suitable non-terrestrial form, such as satellites and high-altitude platforms, including international mobile communication base stations and unmanned aerial vehicles. Furthermore, in some implementations, the NT-TRP 172 may use other names, such as non-terrestrial node, non-terrestrial network device, or non-terrestrial base station.

[0097] The NT-TRP 172 may include a transmitter 272 and a receiver 274 coupled to one or more antennas 280. To avoid clutter, only one antenna 280 is shown in the figures. One, some, or all of the antennas may also be panels. The transmitter 272 and receiver 274 may be integrated into a transceiver.

[0098] NT-TRP 172 includes a processor 276 for performing operations related to: preparing a transmission for downlink transmission to ED 110, processing an uplink transmission received from ED 110, preparing a transmission for backhaul transmission to T-TRP 170 and / or another NT-TRP 172, and processing a transmission received from T-TRP 170 and / or another NT-TRP 172 via backhaul. Processing operations related to preparing for downlink or backhaul transmission may include operations such as encoding, modulation, precoding (e.g., MIMO precoding), transmit beamforming, and generating symbols for transmission. Processing operations related to processing transmissions received in uplink or via backhaul may include operations such as receive beamforming, demodulation, and decoding received symbols. In some embodiments, processor 276 performs transmit beamforming and / or receive beamforming based on beam direction information (e.g., BAI) received from T-TRP 170. In some embodiments, processor 276 may generate signaling, such as configuring one or more parameters of ED110. In some embodiments, NT-TRP 172 implements physical layer processing but not higher-layer functions, such as medium access control (MAC) or radio link control (RLC) layer functions. Since this is merely an example, more generally, NT-TRP 172 may implement higher-layer functions in addition to physical layer processing.

[0099] The NT-TRP 172 may also include a memory 278 for storing information and (optionally) data. Although not shown, a processor 276 may form part of the transmitter 272 and / or receiver 274. Although not shown, the memory 278 may form part of the processor 276.

[0100] The processor 276, the processing components of the transmitter 272, and the processing components of the receiver 274 may each be implemented using one or more processors, which are the same or different, to execute instructions stored in memory (e.g., in memory 278). Alternatively, some or all of the processor 276, the processing components of the transmitter 272, and the processing components of the receiver 274 may be implemented using dedicated circuitry such as a programmable FPGA, hardware accelerator (e.g., a GPU or AI accelerator), or ASIC. In some embodiments, the NT-TRP 172 may actually be multiple NT-TRPs that operate together to serve ED 110, for example, through cooperative multicast.

[0101] When NT-TRP 172 is a device within a machine (e.g., a communication module, modem, chip, or chipset), it includes at least one processor and an interface or at least one pin. In this scenario, transmitter 272 and receiver 257 can be replaced by an interface or at least one pin, wherein the interface or at least one pin is used to connect the device (e.g., a chip) and other devices (e.g., a chip, memory, or bus). Accordingly, sending information to T-TRP 170 and / or another NT-TRP 172 and / or ED 110 can be referred to as sending information to an interface or at least one pin, and receiving information from T-TRP 170 and / or another NT-TRP 172 and / or ED 110 can be referred to as receiving information from an interface or at least one pin. The information may include control signaling and / or data.

[0102] It should be noted that, as used herein, "TRP" can refer to either T-TRP or NT-TRP. T-TRP can also be referred to as Terrestrial Network TRP ("TN TRP"), and NT-TRP can also be referred to as Non-Terrestrial Network TRP ("NTN TRP"). T-TRP 170, NT-TRP 172, and / or ED 110 may include other components, but for clarity, these components are omitted.

[0103] It should be noted that, for simplicity, the term "signaling" used in this document can also be referred to as control signaling, control message, control information, or message. Signaling between a BS (e.g., network node 170) and a terminal or sensing device (e.g., ED 110), or between different terminals or sensing devices (e.g., between ED 110i and ED110j), can be carried in physical layer signaling (also known as dynamic signaling), which is transmitted in the physical layer control channel. For the downlink, physical layer signaling can be called downlink control information (DCI), which is transmitted in the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). For the uplink, physical layer signaling can be called uplink control information (UCI), which is transmitted in the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH). For sidelinks, signaling between different terminals or sensing devices (e.g., between ED 110i and ED110j) can be called sidelink control information (SCI), which is transmitted in the physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH). Signaling can be carried in higher-layer (e.g., above the physical layer) signaling, which is transmitted in physical layer data channels. For example, in downlink signaling, it is transmitted in the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH); in uplink signaling, it is transmitted in the physical uplink shared channel (PDSCH); and in sidelink signaling, it is transmitted in the physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH). Higher-layer signaling can also be called static signaling or semi-static signaling. Higher-layer signaling can be radio resource control (RRC) protocol signaling or media access control-control element (MAC-CE) signaling. Signaling can include a combination of physical layer signaling and higher layer signaling.

[0104] It should be noted that in this invention, when "information" is different from "message", it can be carried in a single message or in multiple separate messages.

[0105] Figure 4 Exemplary modules in a device or apparatus are shown, in which some exemplary embodiments of the present invention may be implemented.

[0106] according to Figure 4 One or more steps of the method provided by the present invention can be executed by the corresponding unit or module. Figure 4 Units or modules in a device or apparatus are shown, such as in ED 110, T-TRP 170, or NT-TRP 172. For example, a signal may be transmitted by a transmitting unit or transmitting module 410. A signal may be received by a receiving unit or receiving module 415. A signal may be processed by a processing unit or processing module 420. Other steps may be performed by an artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML) module 425. The corresponding units or modules may be implemented using hardware, one or more components or devices executing software, or a combination thereof. For example, one or more units or modules in a unit or module may be circuits such as integrated circuits. Examples of integrated circuits include programmable FPGAs, GPUs, or ASICs. For example, one or more units or modules in a unit or module may be logic, such as a logical function executed by a circuit, a portion of an integrated circuit, or software instructions executed by a processor. It should be understood that if the above modules are implemented using software for execution by a processor, etc., these modules can be retrieved by the processor in whole or in part as needed, retrieved individually or collectively for processing, retrieved in one or more instances as needed, and these modules themselves may include instructions for further deployment and instantiation.

[0107] Further details regarding ED 110, T-TRP 170, and NT-TRP 172 are known to those skilled in the art. Therefore, these details are omitted here. Network power saving is expected to be an important feature in future 6G systems and terrestrial and non-terrestrial system integration scenarios, but current network power saving schemes are customer-specific and therefore difficult to manage, maintain, and scale. Therefore, there is a need to optimize network power saving, for example, to make it easier to manage and scale.

[0108] In cellular systems such as 4G long term evolution (LTE) or 5th generation (5G) new radio (NR), user equipment (UE) (e.g., ED 110 mentioned above) can be configured for discontinuous reception (DRX) and discontinuous transmission (DTX) to save power. When the UE is running in DRX mode, it may not receive any physical layer signals / channels (i.e., it will not detect and measure physical signals such as reference signals (RS), nor will it detect and decode messages carried in physical layer channels (e.g., physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) / physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH)). Similarly, when the UE is running in DTX mode, the UE may not send any physical layer signals / channels (i.e., no signal processing related to generating uplink signals or uplink channels (e.g., physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) / physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH))). These techniques save power by intermittently powering on the UE.

[0109] In 5G NR Rel-18, a research project on network power saving was introduced, which studied various technologies to achieve power savings on the network side.

[0110] Network power saving is expected to be an important feature in current communication systems and / or future 6G systems, as well as in the integration of terrestrial and non-terrestrial systems. Some network power saving schemes are network-specific implementations, which are difficult to manage, maintain, and scale across the entire network, different operators, and vendors.

[0111] The first technique studied is to "simplify" the synchronization signal and physical broadcast (SS / PBCH) block, called SSB. This simplification includes sending only the primary synchronization signal (PSS) or only the secondary synchronization signal (SSS). Other variations include SS / PBCH blocks with transmission periods much longer than those currently supported by 5G NR.

[0112] The second technology studied is "cell DRX" and "cell DTX". These are essentially mirror images of UE DRX / DTX modes, where cell DRX is a mode in which one or more corresponding TRPs may not transmit any physical layer signals / channels. Similarly, cell DTX is a mode in which one or more corresponding TRPs may not transmit any physical layer signals / channels.

[0113] The third technique studied is "bandwidth part (BWP) adaptation." This is achieved by handing over cells to BWPs with shorter bandwidths, thereby reducing the amount of power required to transmit over larger bandwidths. This can be achieved by configuring a UE with multiple BWPs and simply using, for example, downlink control information (DCI) to instruct BWP handover to switch from one BWP to another.

[0114] Most network power saving schemes are network-specific implementations (e.g., custom network power saving implementations). Custom network power saving implementations may be considered when operators manually implement power saving based on heuristics, traffic load management, and balancing.

[0115] A potential drawback of custom-designed network power-saving implementations is that these methods are customer-specific, making them difficult to manage, maintain, and scale. This is because operators often need to source all equipment from a single network vendor. Standardization mechanisms, on the other hand, make network power-saving algorithms and implementations easier to manage, and especially easier to scale, as they can be used in more typical multi-vendor scenarios.

[0116] In some implementations, the terrestrial TRP can receive power-saving commands from non-terrestrial TRPs, etc. The terrestrial TRP applies the power-saving commands and enters a power-saving mode (e.g., power-down or shutdown) corresponding to the content of the power-saving commands, such as deep sleep. All devices with cellular connectivity within the coverage area of ​​the terrestrial TRP need to be informed of what actions to take when the terrestrial TRP is powered down or shut down.

[0117] Some embodiments of the present invention address at least one of the following problems. When the T-TRP is powered down or turned off, UEs, IoT devices, and other devices cellularly connected to the T-TRP may need to migrate or switch to other TRPs (which may be terrestrial or non-terrestrial). UEs, IoT devices, and other devices in idle mode or power mode where the device is not connected to the network also need to be notified that the TRP is powered down. Those skilled in the art will understand that, in addition to the T-TRP, other TRPs also need to perform network power saving.

[0118] In some embodiments of the invention, when a ground-based TRP receives a power-saving command from a non-ground-based TRP, the ground-based TRP applies the power-saving command and enters a power mode corresponding to the content of the power-saving command, such as deep sleep. All devices with cellular connections within the coverage area of ​​the ground-based TRP need to be informed of what actions to take when the ground-based TRP is powered down or turned off.

[0119] In summary, some embodiments of the present invention disclose methods and apparatus for migrating or switching cellular-connected devices (e.g., UEs, IoT devices, etc.) when performing network power saving in an integrated TN / NTN system. The terrestrial TRP notifies all cellular-connected devices within its coverage area that it will power down or shut down for power saving purposes. This notification may include information about the target NTN, such as a target NTN node or a target NTN cell. Here, a cellular-connected device refers to a device residing in the cell of the TRP, i.e., in an idle state, or a device with an RRC connection to the cell of the TRP, i.e., in a connected state. In 5G, the connected state may also include an RRC_Inactive state, in which UE power consumption can be reduced. Upon receiving the notification from the terrestrial TRP, the terminal device connected to the terrestrial TRP cancels any subsequent transmissions, such as PDSCH reception and / or PUSCH transmission. This can be accomplished by resetting the device's physical layer and / or MAC layer. The terminal device then accesses the NTN by initiating an NTN beam selection procedure, causing the terminal device to search for at least one NTN beam, wherein information about the NTN beam may be received as part of the notification information. After detecting a suitable NTN beam, the terminal device establishes initial access to the non-terrestrial network. Those skilled in the art will understand that other systems, such as TN or NTN systems, can also achieve network power savings.

[0120] In some embodiments of the present invention, the non-terrestrial TRP can be a satellite, a high altitude platform system (HAPS), a balloon, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), or a drone, etc.; the terrestrial TRP can be a base station on the ground, etc.; and the user equipment can be a UE, an IoT device, or other devices with cellular connectivity, etc. In some embodiments of the present invention, the base station may include a T-TRP and / or an NT-TRP.

[0121] Some embodiments of the present invention can be applied to terrestrial TRPs such as base stations and non-terrestrial TRPs such as drones, balloons, high-altitude platform stations (HAPS), and satellites, as well as any such devices supporting wireless access technologies such as 5G NR, future 6G, or other technologies. In some embodiments of the present invention, the terms "power consumption" and "power saving" are used interchangeably and have the same meaning, namely, managing power consumption on the network side.

[0122] Consider a scenario where a terrestrial TRP communicates with a non-terrestrial TRP that is part of a satellite constellation. Figure 5Examples of communication systems with T-TRP and NT-TRP that can implement some exemplary embodiments of the present invention are shown. In implementation 500, the satellite constellation includes multiple satellite orbits such that the Earth always receives wireless coverage from the satellites. Each satellite orbit may contain multiple satellites, such as satellites or NT-TRPs 505, 510, and 515. Terrestrial TRPs such as 540, 545, 550, 555, 560, and 565 can be connected to the core network 535 via terrestrial gateways (TN gateways) such as 525 and 530, while the satellite constellation can be connected to the core network 535 via a dedicated non-terrestrial gateway (NTN gateway) 520, such as... Figure 5 As shown. NT-TRP 505, 510 and 515 can be Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 The implementation method of NT-TRP 172. T-TRP 540, 545, 550, 555, 560, and 565 can be... Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 The implementation method of T-TRP 170.

[0123] Figure 6 Another example of a communication system with T-TRP and NT-TRP is shown, in which some exemplary embodiments of the invention can be implemented. Another scenario 600 is conceivable, in which a satellite constellation with satellites 605, 615 effectively acts as a gateway to ground-based TRPs 630, 635, 640 and 645, 650, 655. Satellites 605, 610, and 615 in the constellation communicate with the core network 625 via a wireless link through a ground-based NTN gateway 620, which in turn communicates with the core network 625 via a wired link (e.g., a fiber optic link). Ground-based TRPs 630, 635, 640 and 645, 650, 655 communicate with satellites 605 and 615 via wireless links, and the satellites communicate with each other using free-space optical links (e.g., using lasers). NT-TRPs 605, 610, and 615 can be... Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 The implementation of NT-TRP 172 in [the document / reference]. T-TRP 630, 635, 640 and 645, 650 and 655 can be [specific implementation details]. Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 The implementation method of T-TRP 170.

[0124] Figure 7Another example of a communication system with T-TRP and NT-TRP is shown, in which some exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be implemented. Another scenario 700 is conceivable, in which non-terrestrial TRPs 705, 710, and 720 communicate with terrestrial TRPs 740, 745, 750, 755, 760, and 765 via a core network 735. Non-terrestrial TRPs 705, 710, and 720 may first communicate with a dedicated non-terrestrial gateway 720, which then communicates with the core network 735. The core network 735 may then relay power-saving commands from non-terrestrial TRPs 705, 710, and 720 to terrestrial TRPs 740, 745, 750, 755, 760, and 765 via dedicated terrestrial gateways 725 and 730. NT-TRPs 705, 710, and 715 may be... Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 The implementation of NT-TRP 172. T-TRP 740, 745, 750, 755, 760, and 765 can be... Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 The implementation method of T-TRP 170.

[0125] Figure 8 Another example of a communication system with T-TRP and NT-TRP is shown, in which some exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be implemented. In some embodiments of the present invention, a bidirectional radio link exists between terrestrial TRPs 810, 815, and 820 and a non-terrestrial TRP 805, thereby supporting communication between such TRPs. The link from the non-terrestrial TRP 805 to the terrestrial TRPs 810, 815, and 820 is called a downlink. The link from the terrestrial TRPs 810, 815, and 820 to the non-terrestrial TRP 805 is called an uplink. NT-TRP 805 may be... Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 The implementation method of NT-TRP 172. T-TRP 810, 815, and 820 can be... Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 The implementation method of T-TRP 170.

[0126] Figure 9 An example of a process flow where a first network device switches a terminal device from a first network to a second network to achieve power savings is shown, wherein some exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be implemented. Terminal device 901 may be... Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 The implementation method of ED 110. The first network device 905 can be Figure 1 ,Figure 2 and Figure 3 T-TRP 170, or Figure 5 T-TRP 540 to 565, or Figure 6 T-TRP 630 to 655, or Figure 7 T-TRP 740 to 765, or Figure 8 The implementation methods of T-TRP 810 to 820 in the text. The second network device 909 can be... Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 NT-TRP 172, or Figure 5 NT-TRP 505 to 515, or Figure 6 NT-TRP 605 to 615, or Figure 7 NT-TRP 705 to 715, or Figure 8 The implementations of NT-TRP 805 to 815 are described above. Those skilled in the art will understand that the first network device 905 can also be implemented as NT-TRP 172, and the second network device 909 can also be implemented as T-TRP 170. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terminal device 901 can be replaced with other devices, such as relay devices within the coverage area of ​​the first network device 905.

[0127] In process flow 900, a second network device 909 in the second network sends a (910) power saving command 915 to a first network device 905 in the first network. The power saving command 915 instructs the first network device 905 to enter a power saving mode. The first network device 905 sends a (920) notification message 925 to a terminal device 901. The notification message 925 is shared by at least one terminal device in the first network and is used to switch at least one terminal device from the first network to the second network. The at least one terminal device includes terminal devices within the coverage area of ​​the first network device 905, including the first terminal device 901. The at least one terminal device may include all terminal devices within the coverage area of ​​the first network device 905. The notification message 925 includes a first field indicating the reason for switching at least one terminal device. At 930, the terminal device 901 switches from the first network to the second network based on the notification message 925. According to the notification message 925, at least one terminal device within the coverage area of ​​the first network device 901 can switch from the first network to the second network. At 935, the second network device 909 switches services from the first network to at least one terminal device on the second network. This allows the at least one terminal device to switch from the first network to the second network, and the first network device in the first network can enter a power-saving mode to achieve network power savings. This network power saving can operate in a multi-vendor scenario and is easily managed and scalable. Details of the network power saving process flow 900 will be described below.

[0128] In some embodiments, a second network device 909 (e.g., NT-TRP) sends signaling carrying power consumption configuration (i.e., configuration information regarding power consumption) to a first network device 905 (e.g., T-TRP) on the ground. The power consumption configuration is provided by the NT-TRP to the T-TRP on the ground using a public or private signaling mechanism. Given that non-ground TRPs within the satellite constellation are constantly moving within orbit, power consumption configuration and / or commands can be sent by different non-ground TRPs at different times. Based on traffic events occurring within the coverage area of ​​a ground TRP, the ground TRP can send traffic event reports to the non-ground TRPs. Power consumption configuration and power consumption commands can have the same meaning. Alternatively, at certain times, the signaling for power consumption configuration is typically RRC signaling, while the signaling for power consumption commands can be DCI or MAC-CE. Thus, the second network device 909 (e.g., NT-TRP) can send a power saving command 915 (910) based on the signaling carrying power consumption configuration or a traffic event report from the first network device 905 (e.g., T-TRP). Network power saving in the first network device 905 can be more accurate and efficient.

[0129] In some embodiments, the first network device 905 (e.g., a terrestrial TRP) can operate in different power modes for different power consumption levels. For example, there can be three power modes, as follows: deep sleep power mode, TRP on mode, and TRP full power mode. These three power modes allow for flexible management of the power consumption of the first network device 905.

[0130] Deep sleep power mode means that a terrestrial TRP may not perform any communication or sensing functions on terminal devices 901 (e.g., EDs) within its coverage area. The terrestrial TRP may no longer send any type of physical layer signal or channel to any terminal device 901 (e.g., UE, automotive, IoT devices, robots, etc.), and may also no longer detect and measure any physical layer signals or detect and decode any physical layer channels sent by any terminal device 901. This allows the terrestrial TRP to significantly reduce its power consumption to meet goals such as carbon neutrality or energy efficiency targets. In deep sleep power mode, the terrestrial TRP can perform the function of monitoring power consumption (PC) indications (or wake-up indications) from one or more non-terrestrial TRPs. In some examples, a terrestrial TRP in deep sleep power mode may only perform the function of monitoring wake-up indications sent from other devices. For example, the terrestrial TRP does not send or receive any signals / channels to or from UEs, automotive, robots, and other such terrestrial IoT devices, because the terrestrial TRP only performs the basic functions required to further receive power consumption indications, such as NT-TRP search and synchronization. It should be noted that the "deep sleep" mode can also be called "sleep" mode, "low power" mode, "ultra-low power" mode, "idle" mode or other such names. That is, the names used in this invention should not limit the scope of this invention.

[0131] TRP On Mode is a mode in which a terrestrial TRP performs communication and / or sensing functions to devices (such as electronic devices) within its coverage area. In this power mode, the terrestrial TRP is expected to perform communication and / or sensing functions, which may be limited to a certain power consumption range. Power consumption limitations may result in limitations on the terrestrial TRP's transmit power. These limitations are directly related to the size of the terrestrial TRP's coverage area. In some examples, the terrestrial TRP's power consumption may have a lower limit (e.g., characterized by an integer value describing power consumption) to ensure that the communication and / or sensing functions performed by the terrestrial TRP are performed to meet the basic requirements of devices within the coverage area, such as reference signal received power (RSRP). In some examples, the terrestrial TRP's power consumption may have both a lower and upper limit (both characterized by integer values ​​describing power consumption) to ensure that the communication and / or sensing functions performed by the terrestrial TRP are performed to meet the basic requirements of devices within the coverage area, such as RSRP. One motivation for setting an upper limit on power consumption at the terrestrial TRP may be the need to comply with power consumption limits that operators attempt to implement to achieve carbon neutrality or sustainable development goals. One motivation for setting a lower limit on power consumption at a ground-based TRP might be the need to provide basic services to devices within the coverage area that meet certain requirements (e.g., RSRP is above a certain threshold). In TRP-enabled mode, the ground-based TRP also monitors one or more PC indications from one or more non-ground-based TRPs.

[0132] TRP Full Power Mode is a mode in which a terrestrial TRP performs communication and / or sensing functions to devices within its coverage area. In this power mode, the terrestrial TRP aims to efficiently perform communication and / or sensing functions without an upper limit on power consumption (i.e., maximum power consumption). This means that the terrestrial TRP has no limitations or upper limits on power consumption, and operators do not impose any type of limitation or upper limit on power consumption to achieve carbon neutrality or sustainability goals. In TRP Full Power Mode, the terrestrial TRP also monitors one or more PC indications from one or more non-terrestrial TRPs.

[0133] Figure 10 Another example of a process flow is shown where a first network device switches a terminal device from a first network to a second network to achieve power savings, wherein some exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be implemented. In process flow 1000, UE1 1001 in the connected state and UE2 1003 in the idle state can be Figure 9The implementation of terminal device 901 in the network. UE21003 can also be in an inactive state. T-TRP 1005 can be one implementation of the first network device 905, and NT-TRP1009 can be... Figure 9 One implementation of the second network device 909. Power saving command 1025 can be an implementation of power saving command 915, and group notification message 1035 can be... Figure 9 One implementation of notification message 925. Group handover 1045 and initial access 1055 can be... Figure 9 One implementation method for the Chinese frame 930.

[0134] In some embodiments, such as Figure 10 As shown, UE1 1001 is connected to a terrestrial TRP (T-TRP) 1005 and performs (1010) DL and / or UL communication 1015 with this T-TRP 1005. That is, in step 1015, UE1 is in a connected state and has a connection with the cell provided by T-TRP 1001. UE2 1003 is within the coverage area of ​​T-TRP 1005 and camps in the serving cell provided by T-TRP 1005. UE2 1003 is in an idle state. UE2 1003 can receive broadcast and paging messages from this T-TRP 1005.

[0135] In some embodiments, at a certain time, a non-terrestrial TRP (NT-TRP) 1009 may send a power-saving command 1025 (1020) to a ground-based T-TRP 1005. The power-saving command 1025 may be sent in response to traffic event reports or power consumption event reports sent by the T-TRP. These traffic event reports or power consumption event reports may be sent to the same NT-TRP or different NT-TRPs. In other words, the NT-TRP may receive the reports directly through the T-TRP, or through at least one different TRP, possibly because the NT-TRP (e.g., a satellite) is typically non-stationary and may move along its trajectory or orbit. Thus, the power-saving command 1025 can be sent directly or indirectly based on traffic event reports or power consumption event reports to accurately or efficiently achieve power savings in the T-TRP 1005. The NT-TRP 1009 can also determine to send power saving commands 1025 independently, without relying on traffic event reports or power consumption event reports, thus flexibly implementing power saving in the T-TRP 1005.

[0136] In some embodiments, upon receiving the power saving command 1025, T-TRP 1005 anticipates sending a notification message (1030) to UE1 1001 and UE2 1003. In one implementation, T-TRP 1005 sends a group notification message 1035 to all devices within the coverage area of ​​T-TRP 1005 (e.g., UEs including UE1 1001 and UE2 1003) (i.e., served by the cell of T-TRP 1005). The purpose of group notification message 1035 is to enable all UEs within the coverage area of ​​T-TRP 1005 (regardless of their power mode or connectivity state) to smoothly migrate to a different TRP, such as NT-TRP 1009 or another T-TRP. In some embodiments of the invention, the target network may be a non-terrestrial network (NTN). In some implementations, notification message 1035 may include information about the target network, such as the NTN node ID, the cell ID provided by the NTN node, and the cell, or both. Furthermore, the notification may include information about at least one beam provided by the cell or NTN node. This allows terminal devices served by T-TRP 1005 to switch to other TRPs, after which T-TRP 1005 can enter a power-saving mode to conserve network power. This ensures reliable network power saving to prevent service failures for terminal devices (e.g., UE1 1001 in connected mode or UE2 1003 in idle mode).

[0137] In some embodiments, optionally, T-TRP 1005 is intended to apply power-saving command 1025. Specifically, T-TRP 1005 will apply power-saving command 1025 within a given time interval and enter a power-saving mode (e.g., deep sleep) indicated in the power-saving command. This time interval may be a given unit such as seconds, milliseconds, microseconds, nanoseconds, OFDM symbol number, number of time slots, number of mini-time slots, number of subframes, number of radio frames, or other time units. After this time interval has elapsed, T-TRP enters power-saving mode. In some implementations of the invention, power mode and power-saving mode may be used interchangeably; that is, in power mode, T-TRP 1005 will only perform any processing associated with the function or process (e.g., communication and / or sensing) associated with the power mode. For example, in deep sleep power mode, T-TRP 1005 may perform processing associated with monitoring PC commands from one or more non-terrestrial TRPs (e.g., 1009). The step of “monitoring PC commands” may include the step of receiving PC commands. In this way, by time intervals, T-TRP 1005 can enter power-saving mode after all terminals served by T-TRP 1005 switch to other TRPs, and make network power saving run reliably to avoid service failure of terminal devices.

[0138] In some embodiments, for UEs connected to T-TRP 1005 (e.g., UE1 1001), these UEs perform (1040) a group handover 1045 toward a TRP belonging to the target NTN (e.g., NT-TRP 1009). For UEs not connected to T-TRP 1005 (e.g., UE2 1003), these UEs may be in idle mode, and they perform NTN beam selection and select an appropriate beam. In one implementation, UE2 1003 selects an appropriate NTN beam based on information that may be provided in the group notification message 1035 or other information provided by T-TRP 1005. After finding an appropriate NTN beam, these UEs in idle mode (e.g., UE2 1003) may proceed to perform (1050) initial access 1055 and initiate a connection with NT-TRP 1009. In this way, all UEs in the connected state (e.g., UE1 1001) and UEs in the idle state (e.g., UE2 1003) can switch from T-TRP 1005 to NT-TRP 1009, and the network power saving in T-TRP 1005 can operate reliably to avoid service failure of terminal devices.

[0139] During group handover 1045, UE1 1001 connected to the terrestrial TRP can cancel any subsequent transmissions, such as PDSCH reception and / or PUSCH transmission. This can be done by resetting the physical layer and / or MAC layer of the terminal equipment, such as UE1 1001. In this way, UE1 1001 can also save some energy by canceling subsequent transmissions with the T-TRP.

[0140] In some embodiments, Figure 10 The method described above can migrate a UE located within the coverage area of ​​T-TRP 1005 to NT-TRP 1009. T-TRP 1005 receives (1020) a power-saving command 1025 instructing it to enter sleep mode. The UE can be in connected mode, inactive mode, idle mode, a power mode associated with network communication, a power mode associated with sensing, or a power mode associated with sleep. In this way, network power saving in T-TRP 1005 can operate reliably and prevent UE service failures.

[0141] Below is a detailed description of Group Notification Message 1035. Group Notification Message 1035 can be sent by T-TRP 1005 to terminal devices within the coverage area via a common channel. A "common" channel means that all devices within the coverage area monitor this channel, and any identifiers used in detecting and / or decoding Group Notification Message 1035 are the same for all devices within the coverage area. For example, a "common" channel could be a channel used to transmit paging and / or broadcast (e.g., system information block (SIB)) messages. That is, Group Notification Message 1035 can be a paging or broadcast message. Thus, a "common channel" can use fewer resources than a dedicated channel for each UE, thereby saving resources and achieving network power savings.

[0142] Group notification message 1035 can also be referred to as a group notification record, where a record is equivalent to a message. The following pseudocode illustrates an example of notification message 925 or group notification message 1035. The group notification record can be stored by a device (e.g., UE, IoT device, vehicle, etc.) in its internal memory or storage device as a list of group notifications, as shown below. Figure 10A The example ASN.1 pseudocode is shown below: As shown in the preceding pseudocode, a group notification message can instruct UE1 1001 or UE2 1003 to perform a handover or reselection to the target NT-TRP 1009. UE1 1001 or UE2 1003 can store a certain number of group notification records, where the maximum number of group notification records is denoted by maxNrofRec, and this number can be an integer greater than 1. After UE1 1001 or UE2 1003 applies a group notification record, the record can be deleted from the group notification record list, denoted as GroupNotificationRecordList.

[0143] Specifically, group notification message 1035 or group notification record may include at least one of the following information elements (fields) as a notification record in the notification record list: – First field, or GroupNotificationCause – The second field, or accessType – The third field, or notificationDuration In some embodiments, the accessType field can be used to inform the UE of the type of radio access technology used by the target network (e.g., NTN, such as NT-TRP 1009). The accessType field can be, for example, an enumeration of values, where the values ​​can be {4GLTE, 5GNRRel15, 5GNRRel16, 5GNRRel17, 6G}, etc. As a first example, if the group notification record includes an accessType field set to the value “5GNRRel15”, this means that the UE may expect the target NTN to use 5G NR Rel-15 as the radio access technology. As a second example, if the group notification record includes an accessType field set to the value “5GNRRel16”, this means that the UE may expect the target NTN to use 5G NR Rel-16 as the radio access technology. As a third example, if the group notification record includes an accessType field set to the value “6G”, this means that the UE may expect the target NTN network to use 6G as the radio access technology. Other example values ​​can be used to obtain different UE behaviors than those described in the previous examples. In this way, T-TRP 1005 can inform at least one terminal device, such as UE1 1001 or UE2 1003, of the exact access type of NT-TRP 1009. At least one terminal device (e.g., UE1 1001 or UE2 1003) can reliably switch from T-TRP 1005 to NT-TRP 1009, thereby enabling reliable network operation with energy savings.

[0144] In some embodiments, the GroupNotificationCause field can be used to notify the UE of the reason for the group notification record. The GroupNotificationCause field can be, for example, an enumeration of values, where the values ​​can be {PowerSaving, DeepSleep, eMBBTraffic, URLLCTraffic, RealTimeTraffic}, etc. As a first example, if the group notification record includes a GroupNotificationCause field set to the value "PowerSaving", it means that T-TRP 1005 has received a power-saving command 1025, and if, for example, the quality of the terrestrial link is below a given threshold, the UE can switch to the target NTN. As a second example, if the group notification record includes a GroupNotificationCause field set to the value "DeepSleep", it means that T-TRP 1005 has received a power-saving command 1025, which instructs T-TRP 1005 to enter deep sleep mode, and the UE can switch to the target NTN network after a given time interval. As a third example, if the group notification record includes a GroupNotificationCause field set to the value "eMBBTraffic", this means that T-TRP 1005 has received a power-saving command 1025 related to migrating eMBB traffic, and if the UE is using eMBB service, the UE can switch to the target NTN network. As a fourth example, if the group notification record includes a GroupNotificationCause field set to the value "URLLCTraffic", this means that T-TRP 1005 has received a power-saving command 1025 related to migrating URLLC traffic, and if the UE is using URLLC service, the UE can switch to the target NTN network. Other example values ​​can be used to obtain different UE behaviors than those described in the previous examples. In this way, T-TRP 1005 can inform UE1 1001 or UE2 1003 of the exact reason for the network power saving in T-TRP 1005, so that the network power saving operates efficiently.

[0145] In some embodiments, the `notificationDuration` field can be used to notify the UE of the duration for which the device receiving the group notification record can apply the group notification record. Alternatively, the `notificationDuration` field can be used to notify the UE of the duration for which the device receiving the group notification record can consider the group notification record valid and applicable. After the `notificationDuration` period has elapsed, the device receiving the group notification record can discard or clear the contents of the group notification record from its internal memory. The `notificationDuration` field can be, for example, an enumeration of values, where the values ​​can be {10min, 60min, 360min}, etc. As a first example, if the group notification record includes a `notificationDuration` field set to the value "10min", it means that the UE can apply the group notification for a duration of 10 minutes. As a second example, if the group notification record includes a `notificationDuration` field set to the value "60min", it means that the UE can apply the group notification for a duration of 60 minutes. As a third example, if the group notification record includes a `notificationDuration` field set to the value "360min", it means that the UE can apply the group notification for a duration of 360 minutes. It should be noted that, in the context of this embodiment, application group notification can mean that the UE switches to the target NTN network within the duration given by the notificationDuration, and after that duration, the UE can return to T-TRP 1005. Other example values ​​can be used to obtain different UE behaviors than those described in the previous examples. In this way, UE11001 or UE2 1003 can know the exact duration of the notification message, thus enabling flexible implementation of notification messages, which may contain different notification messages at different times.

[0146] In some embodiments, group notification message 1035 is a group notification record that can be received by all devices (e.g., UE, IoT devices, vehicles, etc.) in connected or idle mode. In some examples, the group notification record can be received in a PDSCH transmission scheduled by a PDCCH transmission carrying a DCI format scrambled with a multicast radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) associated with power-saving features. This allows notification message 1035 to be transmitted in multicast mode with fewer transmission resources.

[0147] In some examples, group notification message 1035 may include a ueIdentity field, which can be used to uniquely identify a UE within a given coverage or tracking area. The ueIdentity field can be a bit string with a given width (e.g., 48 bits). If a group notification record includes a ueIdentity field, that field can be interpreted as a notification record specifically sent to the UE whose identifier is equal to the value given by the ueIdentity field. In this way, group notification message 1035 can indicate the exact terminal device used for handover.

[0148] In some examples, group notification message 1035 may include a groupIdentity field, which can be used to uniquely identify a group of devices within a given coverage or tracking area. The groupIdentity field can be a bit string with a given width (e.g., 48 bits). If a group notification record includes a groupIdentity field, that field can be interpreted as a notification record specifically sent to the device group whose group identity is equal to the value given by the groupIdentity field. Thus, group notification message 1035 can indicate the exact group of terminal devices used for handover.

[0149] Group notification message 1035 may also include information about the target non-terrestrial network to which the ground equipment should switch. Information about the target non-terrestrial network can be found in the group notification record as follows: Figure 10B The pseudocode for abstract syntax notation 1 (ASN.1) is given.

[0150] As shown in the previous ANS.1 code, the group notification record may also include a TargetNtNetwork information element. Specifically, the TargetNtNetwork information element may include at least one of the following: – Fourth field, or constellation – Fifth field, or ntnIndex – The sixth field, or syncTiming – The seventh field, or syncFrequency – Eighth field, or pciList – Ninth field, or pbiList – The tenth field, or azimuthBAI – Eleventh field, zenithBAI Through these fields, T-TRP 1005 can inform UE1 1001 or UE2 1003 of accurate information from NT-TRP 1009 to help the UE switch more efficiently. As a result, network power saving operates more effectively.

[0151] The constellation field can be used to inform the UE of the satellite constellation it can switch to. The constellation field can be, for example, an enumeration of values, where the values ​​could be {Starlink, GuoWang}, etc. As a first example, if the TargetNtNetwork cell includes a constellation field set to the value "Starlink", it means the UE can expect to switch to the target NT network of the Starlink constellation. As a second example, if the TargetNtNetwork cell includes a constellation field set to the value "GuoWang", it means the UE can expect to switch to the target NT network of the GuoWang constellation. Other example values ​​can be used to obtain different UE behavior than described in the previous examples. In this way, T-TRP 1005 can inform UE1 1001 or UE2 1003 of the exact constellation of NT-TRP 1009 to help the UE switch more efficiently. Therefore, network power saving operates more efficiently.

[0152] The ntnIndex field can be used to inform the UE of the satellite network to which the UE can switch. ntnIndex can be, for example, an integer value, where the integer value logically maps to the corresponding satellite network. As a first example, if the TargetNtNetwork cell includes an ntnIndex field set to a value of "0", this means that the corresponding target NT network is, for example, "GuoWang", and the UE can switch to the GuoWang constellation. As a second example, if the TargetNtNetwork cell includes an ntnIndex field set to a value of "1", this means that the corresponding target NT network is, for example, "Starlink", and the UE can switch to the Starlink constellation. Other example values ​​can be used to obtain different UE behavior than described in the previous examples. In some embodiments of the invention, the index can be replaced by an identifier (ID). In this way, T-TRP 1005 can inform UE11001 or UE2 1003 of the accurate network index of NT-TRP 1009 to help the UE switch more efficiently. Therefore, network power saving operates more efficiently.

[0153] The `syncTiming` field can be used to inform the UE of the timing reference for DL ​​and UL communication with the target NT network. The `syncTiming` field can be a `TimingReferenceInfo` element, which may include several fields. A first possible field is a field called `timingReference`, which can be, for example, an integer value indicating the time when the NT-TRP in the target NT network can send the next system frame. This integer value can be given as a multiple of units such as seconds, milliseconds, microseconds, nanoseconds, etc., and can be given relative to a reference time, such as midnight on January 1, 2000 (i.e., midnight between the evening of December 31, 1999 and January 1, 2000). Other reference times can be considered or envisioned. A second possible field is a field called `systemFrameNumber` or a fifteenth field, which can be, for example, an integer value indicating the number (or more simply, the system frame number) of the system frame that the NT-TRP in the target NT network will send at the time given by `timingReference`. The third possible field could be a field called "subframe" or the sixteenth field, which could be, for example, an integer value indicating the number of the subframe that will be transmitted by the NT-TRP in the target NT network at the time given by the timingReference within the system frame. The fourth possible field could be a field called "timingAdvance" or the seventeenth field, which could be, for example, an integer value indicating the timing advance between the UE and the NT-TRP in the target NT network when the UE performs a UL transmission, and this integer value could be given as a multiple of units such as seconds, milliseconds, microseconds, and nanoseconds. The fifth possible field could be a field called "timingAdvanceDrift" or the eighteenth field, which could be, for example, an integer value indicating the timing advance drift between the UE and the NT-TRP in the target NT network, and this integer value could be given as a multiple of units such as seconds, milliseconds, microseconds, and nanoseconds. The sixth possible field could be a field called "timingAdvanceDriftVariation" or the nineteenth field, which could be, for example, an integer value indicating the change in timing advance drift, and this integer value could be given as a multiple of units such as seconds, milliseconds, microseconds, and nanoseconds. It should be noted that some or all of the above six fields can be included in `syncTiming`. In this way, T-TRP 1005 can notify UE1 1001 or UE2 1003 of the accurate timing from NT-TRP 1009, helping the UE to switch more efficiently and reliably. Therefore, network power saving operates more efficiently and reliably.

[0154] The `syncFrequency` field can be used to inform the UE of the frequency reference for DL ​​and UL communication with the target NT network. The `syncFrequency` field can be a `FrequencyReferenceInfo` element, which may include several fields. A first possible field could be a field called `subcarrierSpacing` or a twentieth field, which can be, for example, an enumeration of values, such as {15kHz, 30kHz, 60kHz, 120kHz, 240kHz, 480kHz, 960kHz}, etc. A second possible field could be a field called `absoluteFrequencyTable` or a twenty-first field, which can be, for example, a list of absolute radio frequency channel numbers (ARFCNs), where each ARFCN is a logical index corresponding to a frequency from which the UE can detect and measure DL synchronization signals from the NT network. Examples of DL synchronization signals could be a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), synchronization signals, and physical broadcast channel blocks (SS / PBCH blocks), etc. ARFCN can be an integer value between 0 and 1000000000. This field can be interpreted as the synchronization grid used by the UE to obtain DL synchronization with the NT network. The third possible field can be a field called dlBWPPointA or the twenty-second field, which can be an ARFCN value indicating the center frequency of the lowest subcarrier of the downlink bandwidth part (BWP) used by the target NT network. The fourth possible field can be a field called dlBWP or the twenty-third field, which can be an integer value, for example, indicating the location and / or bandwidth of the bandwidth part (BWP). The fifth possible field can be a field called ulBWPPointA or the twenty-fourth field, which can be an ARFCN value indicating the center frequency of the lowest subcarrier of the uplink BWP used by the target NT network. The sixth possible field can be a field called ulBWP or the twenty-fifth field, which can be an integer value, for example, indicating the location and / or bandwidth of the BWP. It should be noted that some or all of the above six fields can be included in syncTiming. In this way, T-TRP 1005 can inform UE1 1001 or UE2 1003 of the accurate frequency of NT-TRP 1009 to help the UE switch more efficiently and reliably. As a result, network power saving and more efficient and reliable operation.

[0155] The pciList field can be used to inform the UE of the physical cell identity (PCI) that the UE can use to detect and measure signals from the target NT network. The pciList field can be a list of PCI values, where each PCI value can be an integer value, for example, between 0 and 5000. Other value ranges are conceivable. These PCI values ​​can be used by the UE to search for, detect, and measure synchronization signals (e.g., SS / PBCH blocks) from the target NT network. The PCI can also be referred to as "cell identifier," "cell index," or "cell identifier," etc. Thus, T-TRP 1005 can inform UE1 1001 or UE2 1003 of the accurate PCI from NT-TRP 1009 to help the UE handover more efficiently. Therefore, network power saving results in more efficient operation.

[0156] The pbiList field can be used to inform the UE of the physical beam identity (PBI) of beams transmitted in the physical layer that the UE can use to detect and measure. In the context of some embodiments of the invention, detecting and measuring a beam can be understood as detecting and measuring a binary sequence (e.g., a pseudo-random noise Gold sequence) transmitted using some spatial filters, which allows for focusing transmitted power in a given angular direction. pbiList can be a list of PBI values, where each PBI value can be, for example, an integer value between 0 and 10000. Other value ranges are conceivable. These PBI values ​​can be used by the UE to search for, detect, and measure beams from a target NT network. The PBI can also be referred to as a "beam identifier," "beam index," "beam identifier," etc. Thus, T-TRP 1005 can inform UE1 1001 or UE2 1003 of the accurate PBI of NT-TRP 1009 to help the UE switch more efficiently. Therefore, network power saving operates more efficiently.

[0157] The azimuthBAI field can be used to inform the UE of the angular direction in which it turns its receive beam in the azimuth domain to detect and measure DL synchronization signals and / or transmit UL signals or channels. It is assumed that the default azimuth BAI table is provided via specification documents or via higher-level signaling such as the non-access stratum (NAS) or the universal subscriber identity module (USIM). Thus, T-TRP 1005 can inform UE1 1001 or UE2 1003 of the accurate azimuth of NT-TRP 1009 to help the UE handover more efficiently. Therefore, network power saving results in more efficient operation.

[0158] Examples of such BAI tables are shown in Table 1: Table 1

[0159] As shown in Table 1, each azimuth corresponds to an absolute angular direction, for example, in degrees, and can be interpreted as the angular direction in which the UE can steer its space receiving beam such that the aiming line of the space receiving beam points to that angular direction. Each angular direction is associated with a beam angular indication (BAI), provided as a 4-bit codeword. In this example, the codeword has a 4-bit width. Since the default azimuth BAI table includes 12 entries, other examples of default azimuth BAI tables with more or fewer entries can be considered or envisioned. The azimuthBAI field can include one or more entries, each including a 4-bit codeword. The UE can use one or more entries in the azimuthBAI field to steer its space receiving beam in the direction of any one or more entries. The UE can also use the default azimuth BAI for its space transmit beam to transmit UL signals and / or channels.

[0160] The zenithBAI field can be used to inform the UE of the angular direction in which it turns its receive beam in the zenith domain to detect and measure DL synchronization signals and / or transmit UL signals or channels. It is assumed that the default zenith angle BAI table is provided via specification documents or via higher-level signaling such as the non-access stratum (NAS) or the universal subscriber identity module (USIM). In this way, T-TRP 1005 can inform UE1 1001 or UE2 1003 of the accurate zenith angle of NT-TRP 1009 to help the UE handover more efficiently. An example of such a BAI table could be Table 2: Table 2

[0161] As shown in Table 2, each zenith angle corresponds to an absolute angular direction, for example, in degrees, and can be interpreted as the angular direction in which the UE can steer its spatial receiving beam such that the aiming line of the spatial receiving beam points to that angular direction. Each angular direction is associated with a beam angular indication (BAI) provided as a 4-bit codeword. In this example, the codeword has a 4-bit width. Since the default zenith angle BAI table includes 12 entries, other examples of default zenith angle BAI tables with more or fewer entries can be considered or envisioned. The zenith BAI field can include one or more entries, where each entry includes a 4-bit codeword. The UE can use one or more entries in the zenith BAI field to steer its spatial receiving beam in the direction of any one or more entries. The UE can also use the default zenith angle BAI for its spatial transmit beam to transmit UL signals and / or channels.

[0162] In some examples, there can be a one-to-one correspondence between the entries in the `pciList` parameter and the entries in the `azimuthBAI` parameter. This means that the first entry in `pciList` is associated with the first entry in `azimuthBAI`, the second entry in `pciList` is associated with the second entry in `azimuthBAI`, and so on. Similarly, in some examples, there can be a one-to-one correspondence between the entries in the `pciList` parameter and the entries in the `zenithBAI` parameter. This means that the first entry in `pciList` is associated with the first entry in `zenithBAI`, the second entry in `pciList` is associated with the second entry in `zenithBAI`, and so on. In some examples, there can be a one-to-one correspondence between the entries in the `pbiList` parameter and the entries in the `azimuthBAI` parameter. This means that the first entry in `pbiList` is associated with the first entry in `azimuthBAI`, the second entry in `pbiList` is associated with the second entry in `azimuthBAI`, and so on. In this way, UE1 1001 or UE2 1003 can flexibly select the cell or beam in NT-TRP 1009 during the handover process.

[0163] In some examples, there can be a many-to-one correspondence between the entries in the `pciList` parameter and the entries in the `azimuthBAI` parameter. This means that one or more entries in `pciList` can be associated with the first entry in `azimuthBAI`, then one or more entries in `pciList` can be associated with the second entry in `azimuthBAI`, and so on. Similarly, in some examples, there can be a many-to-one correspondence between the entries in the `pbiList` parameter and the entries in the `azimuthBAI` parameter. This means that one or more entries in `pbiList` can be associated with the first entry in `azimuthBAI`, then one or more entries in `pbiList` can be associated with the second entry in `azimuthBAI`, and so on. This means that one or more entries in pbiList can be associated with the first entry in zenithBAI, then one or more entries in pbiList can be associated with the second entry in zenithBAI, and so on. In this way, UE1 1001 or UE2 1003 can flexibly select the cell or beam in NT-TRP 1009 during handover.

[0164] It should be noted that one or more fields in a group notification record, and one or more fields in each information element (e.g., the targetNtNetwork information element) included in a group notification record, may be optional. Fields that are optional may be marked with the "optional" keyword, while fields that are required may not be marked with the "optional" keyword.

[0165] It should be noted that any one or more fields in the group notification record can also be equivalently referred to as "parameters" or "high-level parameters." For example, the targetNtNetwork high-level parameter can be simply referred to as the targetNtNetwork parameter. The same applies to other high-level parameters described in this application.

[0166] In some examples, this group notification log may also be referred to as a "paging log," "power-saving paging log," "power-saving group notification," "energy-saving paging log," "energy-saving group notification," "paging message," "power-saving paging message," "power-saving group notification," "energy-saving paging message," or simply "energy-saving group notification." This allows for flexible implementation of group notification message 1035.

[0167] In some embodiments, the following describes in detail Figure 10 Group handover 1045 for UEs such as UE1 and 1001 that are in the connected state. Figure 11A An example of scheduling a UE-specific PDSCH for a PDCCH is shown, in which some exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be implemented.

[0168] UE1 1001, which is in connected mode or power mode (where the UE is actively receiving UE-specific signals and / or channels from T-TRP 1005), may need to cancel any upcoming PDSCH transmissions carrying TB 1120, 1125, and 1130. Similarly, UE1 1001, which may be in connected mode or power mode (where the UE may be actively sending signals and / or channels to T-TRP 1005), may need to cancel any upcoming PUSCH transmissions carrying TB. It should be noted that "upcoming" is relative to the time when UE1 1001 can detect and decode the set of notification records.

[0169] In the following text, the following operation is used as a first example. The UE can receive PDCCH transmissions 1105, 1110, and 1115 carrying DCI format, which schedules one or more UE-specific PDSCH transmissions 1120, 1125, and 1130, which will be received in a later time slot.

[0170] Figure 11B An example of TN-TRP sending a power-saving group notification message is shown, in which some exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be implemented. Based on Figure 11A UE1 1001 received three PDCCH transmissions 1105, 1110, and 1115, with each PDCCH transmission scheduling PDSCH transmissions 1120, 1125, and 1130. During this time, the UE received a group notification message 1045, which included a group notification record.

[0171] Figure 11C An example is shown where a UE cancels PDSCH reception after receiving a power saving group notification message, wherein some exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be implemented. Furthermore, as... Figure 11CAs shown, upon receiving Group Notification Message 1045 from T-TRP 1005, UE1 1001's response can be to cancel any PDSCH reception scheduled after a given time interval. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the given time interval can be, for example, 3 OFDM symbols. Figure 11C The end of the time interval is indicated by a vertical dashed line 1155. (Example) Figure 11C As shown, any PDSCH reception scheduled after dashed line 1155 has been cancelled by UE1 1001. This means that UE1 1001 may not perform any corresponding and related processing for PDSCH receptions 1120, 1125, and 1130.

[0172] Figure 11D An example is shown where a UE cancels the reception of PUSCH after receiving a power-saving group notification message, where some exemplary embodiments of the invention can be implemented. Using a similar mechanism and method: upon receiving a group notification record from T-TRP 1005, UE1 1001's response could be to cancel any PUSCH transmissions scheduled to be sent after a given time interval. This means that after the dashed timeline 1168, UE1 1001 may not perform any corresponding and related processing for PUSCH transmissions 1164, 1165, and 1166 scheduled by PDCCHs 1161, 1162, and 1163.

[0173] Figure 11E An example is shown where the UE cancels the reception of a PDCCH with a semi-static PDSCH after receiving a power-saving group notification message, where some exemplary embodiments of the invention can be implemented. In some cases, PDSCH reception (e.g., 1175, 1177, and 1179) and PUSCH transmission are not dynamically scheduled. Instead, PDSCH reception (e.g., 1175, 1177, and 1179) can be scheduled in a semi-static manner at 1171. Similarly, PUSCH transmission can be scheduled in an unauthorized manner (also known as a configured authorization manner), where unauthorized means that the PUSCH is not scheduled by the corresponding DCI format message received in the PDCCH transmission. Such PDSCH reception and PUSCH transmission can also be canceled by UE1 1001 after receiving group notification message 1045 at 1173, after the dashed timeline 1181. This means that UE1 1001 may not perform any corresponding and related processing for PDSCH reception (e.g., 1175, 1177, and 1179) or PUSCH transmission.

[0174] Figure 11FAn example is shown whereby a UE cancels the reception of an unlicensed PUSCH configured by RRC after receiving a power saving group notification message, wherein some exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be implemented. In 1185, after receiving group notification message 1045 at 1187, UE1 1001 cancels the reception of unlicensed PUSCH configured by RRC after the dashed timeline 1195, 1189, 1191, and 1193.

[0175] Some embodiments may use similar mechanisms and methods. Upon receiving a group notification record from T-TRP 1005, the response of UE1 1001 or UE2 1003 may be to cancel the reception of any channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) used for CSI feedback, beam management, tracking, etc. This means that the UE may not perform any corresponding and related processing for the reception and measurement of CSI-RS.

[0176] Some embodiments may use similar mechanisms and methods. Upon receiving a group notification record from T-TRP 1001, the response of UE1 1001 or UE2 1003 may be to cancel the transmission of any sounding reference signal (SRS) used for channel estimation and sounding, etc. This means that the UE may not perform any corresponding and related processing for the transmission of SRS.

[0177] In some implementations, any one or more of the examples described in the above embodiments can be combined to produce different variations in the cancellation behavior of UE1 1001 or UE2 1003.

[0178] Figure 12 An example of the process flow for a UE to select a cell for a second network device is shown, in which some exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be implemented. Specifically, process flow 1200 shows... Figure 10 Cell selection and beam selection in mid-group handover 1045 or initial access 1055.

[0179] Upon receiving group notification message 1045, which may be sent to inform UEs and devices within the coverage area that T-TRP 1005 may soon save power at T-TRP 1005, UE21003 in idle mode or UE11001 in power mode receiving common signals and / or channels from T-TRP 1005 may switch to the NTN beam selection function.

[0180] A UE in idle mode (e.g., UE2 1003) can perform cell selection or cell reselection at 1205. The purpose of this is to search for different cells at 1210 and "camp" on the strongest suitable cell. The "suitable cell" is the cell where the system information being monitored by the UE resides. The UE is then said to be "camping" on that cell. If the UE is in idle mode and receives a group notification message 1045, the UE can interrupt the cell selection or cell reselection function and simultaneously initiate NTN beam selection at 1215. When a suitable NTN beam is found, the UE monitors system information from NT-TRP 1009 at 1220. This allows the UE to perform cell selection or reselection without receiving the group notification message 1045 for network power saving. The UE can also switch to NT-TRP 1009 after receiving the group notification message 1045 to achieve network power saving.

[0181] In some embodiments, NTN beam selection 1215 may include any one or more of the following steps: (1) If the group notification message 1045 includes the targetNtNetwork parameter, which also includes the syncFrequency parameter, which also includes the absoluteFrequencyTable parameter, then UE1 1001 or UE2 1003 may search for an NTN beam whose center frequency matches any entry in the absoluteFrequencyTable.

[0182] (2) If the group notification message 1045 includes the targetNtNetwork parameter, which also includes the syncTiming parameter, which also includes the fourteenth field or the timingReference parameter, then UE1 1001 or UE2 1003 may assume that all NTN beams can be aligned with the timingReference parameter in the time domain.

[0183] (3) If the group notification message 1045 includes the targetNtNetwork parameter, which also includes the pciList parameter, then UE1 1001 or UE2 1003 may search for the NTN beam based on the PCI values ​​included in one or more entries in the pciList parameter. For example, the PCI values ​​may be used as sequence initialization values ​​for generating pseudo-random noise sequences (e.g., Gold sequences).

[0184] (4) If the group notification message 1045 includes the targetNtNetwork parameter, which also includes the pbiList parameter, then UE1 1001 or UE2 1003 may search for NTN beams based on the PBI values ​​included in one or more entries in the pbiList parameter. For example, the PBI values ​​may be used as sequence initialization values ​​for generating pseudo-random noise sequences (e.g., Gold sequences).

[0185] (5) If the group notification message 1045 includes the targetNtNetwork parameter, which also includes the azimuthBAI parameter, then UE1 1001 or UE2 1003 may search for the NTN beam based on the angular direction provided by one or more entries in the azimuthBAI parameter. For example, the azimuth BAI may be used by the UE to generate a spatial reception filter in the angular direction provided by one of the entries in the azimuthBAI parameter.

[0186] (6) If the group notification message 1045 includes a targetNtNetwork parameter, which also includes a zenithBAI parameter, then UE1 1001 or UE2 1003 may search for the NTN beam based on the angular direction provided by one or more entries in the zenithBAI parameter. For example, the zenith angle BAI may be used by the UE to generate a spatial reception filter in the angular direction provided by one of the entries in the zenithBAI parameter.

[0187] In this way, UE1 1001 or UE2 1003 can accurately and efficiently find the beam of NT-TRP 1009, thereby enabling the network to operate efficiently with low power consumption.

[0188] All of the above information can be used by the UE to perform the NTN beam selection function 1215. In some embodiments, after receiving, detecting, and decoding the group notification record or group notification message 1045, a UE in idle mode (e.g., UE2 1003) can start the NTN beam selection timer, or the twelfth field. The purpose of the NTN beam selection timer is to enable the UE (e.g., UE2 1003) to scan different radio frequency channels (whose frequencies can be provided by the absoluteFrequencyTable parameter) and search for a suitable beam. The duration of the NTN beam selection timer can be provided by the beamSelTimer parameter. The beamSelTimer parameter can be, for example, an enumeration of values, where the enumeration can be {10sec, 20sec, 40sec, 80sec, 160sec, 320sec}, etc. A suitable beam can be defined as a beam that the UE (e.g., UE2 1003) detects and measures, and whose reference signal received power (RSRP) is higher than a given threshold. In this way, beam selection is performed efficiently under the control of the NTN beam selection timer.

[0189] In some implementations, if the UE (e.g., UE2 1003) starts the NTN beam selection timer and begins performing the NTN beam selection function, the UE can find a suitable NTN beam before the NTN beam selection timer expires. In this case, the UE (e.g., UE2 1003) can begin using the suitable NTN beam found by the UE at 1220 to monitor system information.

[0190] In some implementations, if a UE (e.g., UE2 1003) starts an NTN beam selection timer and begins performing NTN beam selection, the UE may not find a suitable NTN beam before the NTN beam selection timer expires. In this case, the UE (e.g., UE2 1003) can enter a sleep state to save power. The UE's sleep duration can be provided by the deepSleepDuration parameter or the thirteenth field. The deepSleepDuration parameter can be, for example, an enumeration of values ​​{1min, 2min, 4min, 8min, 16min, 32min, 64min}. In the first example, the UE can enter a deep sleep state for the duration provided by the deepSleepDuration parameter. In the second example, the UE can enter a deep sleep state for the duration provided by the deepSleepDuration parameter and then wake up. After waking up, the UE (e.g., UE2 1003) can start the NTN beam selection timer and resume performing NTN beam selection at 1215. In this way, the UE (e.g., UE21003) can sleep for a period of time to achieve power savings on the terminal side. In addition, this allows the network power saving to operate reliably.

[0191] In some implementations, the UE can monitor system information at 1220 on the resource set indicated by the dlBWP parameter under the targetNtNetwork parameter. The lowest subcarrier frequency of the DL BWP is provided by the dlBWPPointA parameter, and the location and bandwidth of the DL BWP are provided by the dlBWP parameter. This allows the UE to efficiently monitor system information with the help of the dlBWP parameter, thereby enabling efficient network operation with reduced network power consumption.

[0192] In some implementations, at 1220, once a suitable NTN beam is found, the UE can be said to be "camping on the beam," which means that the UE uses the appropriate NTN beam to monitor system information.

[0193] In some embodiments, the above parameters can be used Figure 10C The pseudocode implementation of ASN.1 in [the document / reference].

[0194] In one example, T-TRP 1005 can send the following group notification records to all devices (e.g., UE1 1001 or UE2 1003) within its coverage area: GroupNotificationRecord = { accessType = 6G, GroupNotificationCause = PowerSaving, notificationDuration = 60min, targetNtNetwork = { constellation = GuoWang, syncTiming = { timingReference = 15000000, systemFrameNumber = 0, subframe = 0, timingAdvance = 2000000 } syncFrequency = { subcarrierSpacing = 15kHz, absoluteFrequencyTable = {10000, 11000, 12000, 13000, 14000} } pbiList = {100, 200, 300, 400}, zenithBAI = {0000}, beamSelTimer = 80sec, deepSleepDuration = 16min } } The aforementioned notification informs the UE that the T-TRP 1005 may enter a sleep state, and that the UE should use 6G-type radio access to connect to the target NT network (e.g., NT-TRP 1009). This may cause the UE in connected, inactive, or idle mode to switch to a non-terrestrial network, with information provided by the targetNtNetwork parameter. The UE in connected, inactive, or idle mode can use the information provided in the targetNtNetwork parameter to scan, search, and select the strongest NTN beam and can make initial access to the NT network. The UE may assume that the timing reference is given by timingReference, meaning that all time slots and OFDM symbol positions are defined relative to timingReference. The UE may also assume that at the timing reference, the system frame number is 0 and the subframe index is 0. The UE may also assume that the timing advance for the uplink is equal to 2 ms (assuming timingAdvance is defined in nanoseconds, therefore a value of 2,000,000 ns corresponds to 2 ms). The UE may assume that the synchronization signals (e.g., SS / PBCH blocks) are transmitted using NTN beams. The UE may also assume that these synchronization signals use a subcarrier spacing of 15 kHz. The UE searches for the synchronization signal whose center frequency corresponds to the channel number given by the absoluteFrequencyTable, which is {10000, 11000, 12000, 13000, 14000}, which can be interpreted as, for example, frequencies of {10 GHz, 11 GHz, 12 GHz, 13 GHz, 14 GHz}.

[0195] The UE can attempt to detect and measure synchronization signals, which are pseudo-random noise binary sequences initialized using the physical beam identifiers given in pbiList (i.e., {100, 200, 300, 400}). The UE can also assume that it should turn its spatial receiving beam at a 0-degree angle in the zenith angle domain, corresponding to pointing the beam vertically towards the sky. The UE can use the center frequency given by absoluteFrequencyTable and the physical beam identifiers given by pbiList to search for, detect, and measure the NT beam using this spatial receiving beam. After initiating the NT beam selection process, the UE can start the NT beam selection timer and set it to the value given by beamSelTimer, i.e., 80 seconds. This effectively means that the UE has 80 seconds to find the NT beam based on the provided parameters. If the UE finds a suitable NT beam, it can begin monitoring that beam and can initiate an initial access procedure based on 6G radio access. Otherwise, the UE can enter deep sleep mode for the duration given by deepSleepDuration, i.e., 16 minutes. Other such embodiments can be envisioned and conceived. In this way, using information from the target network, UEs such as UE1 1001 or UE2 1003 can efficiently and reliably switch from T-TRP 1005 to NT-TRP 1009, thereby enabling the network to operate efficiently and reliably with reduced network power.

[0196] Figure 13 An example of a method implemented at terminal device 901 is shown, in which some exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be implemented. Figure 9 The terminal device 901 in the middle can be implemented as Figure 10 UE1 1001 or UE2 1003 in the example.

[0197] In method 1300, at 1310, terminal device 901 receives a notification message shared by at least one terminal device in a first network, wherein the notification message is used to switch at least one terminal device from the first network to a second network. At 1320, terminal device 901 switches from the first network to the second network based on the notification message, wherein the notification message includes a first field indicating the reason for switching at least one terminal device.

[0198] Figure 14 An example of a method implemented at a first network device 905 in a first network is shown, wherein some exemplary embodiments of the invention may be implemented. Figure 9 The first network device 905 shown can be implemented as Figure 10 The T-TRP1005 shown.

[0199] In method 1400, at 1410, the first network device 905 receives a power-saving command from a second network device in the second network, wherein the power-saving command instructs the first network device to enter a power-saving mode. At 1420, the first network device 905 sends a notification message shared by at least one terminal device in the first network, wherein the notification message is used to switch at least one terminal device from the first network to the second network.

[0200] Figure 15 An example of a method implemented at a second network device 909 in a second network is shown, wherein some exemplary embodiments of the invention may be implemented.

[0201] In method 1500, at 1510, the second network device 909 sends a power-saving command to the first network device in the first network, wherein the power-saving command instructs the first network device to enter a power-saving mode. At 1520, the second network device 909 serves at least one terminal device that has switched from the first network to the second network.

[0202] Figure 16This is a block diagram of an electronic device (ED) 1600 that can be used to implement devices such as terminal device 901, first network device 905, or second network device 909, as well as methods such as 1300, 1400, or 1500 disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the electronic device 1600 may be a component of a communication network infrastructure, such as a base station (e.g., a NodeB, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), a next-generation NodeB (sometimes called a gNodeB or gNB)), a home subscriber server (HSS), a packet gateway (PGW), or a serving gateway (SGW), or various other nodes or functions in a core network (CN) or public land mobility network (PLMN). In other embodiments, the electronic device may be a device connected to the network infrastructure via a wireless interface, such as a mobile phone, smartphone, or other such device that can be classified as user equipment (UE). In some embodiments, the ED 1600 may be a machine-type communications (MTC) device (also known as a machine-to-machine (M2M) device) or other such device that can be classified as a UE (although it does not provide direct service to the user). In some embodiments, the ED 1600 may be a roadside unit (RSU), a vehicle UE (V-UE), a pedestrian UE (P-UE), or an infrastructure UE (I-UE). In some scenarios, the ED may also be referred to as a mobile device, regardless of whether the mobile device itself is designed to be mobile or capable of being mobile; the purpose of this term is to refer to a device connected to a mobile network. A particular device may use all of the components shown or only a subset of those components, and the degree of integration between devices may vary. Furthermore, a device may contain multiple instances of components, such as multiple processors, memories, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0203] Electronic device 1600 typically includes a processor 1602 such as a central processing unit (CPU), and may also include a dedicated processor such as a graphics processing unit (GPU) or other such processor, memory 1604, a network interface 1606, and a bus 1608 for connecting components to ED 1600. ED 1600 may optionally also include components such as a mass storage device 1610, a video adapter 1612, and an I / O interface 1616 (shown in dashed lines).

[0204] Memory 1604 may include any type of non-transitory system memory that can be read by processor 1602, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), read-only memory (ROM), or combinations thereof. In one embodiment, memory 1604 may include more than one type of memory, such as ROM used at power-on and DRAM used to store programs and data during program execution. Bus X08 may be one or more of several bus architectures of any type, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, or a video bus.

[0205] The electronic device 1600 may also include one or more network interfaces 1606, which may include at least one of wired network interfaces and wireless network interfaces. Figure 16 As shown, network interface 1606 may include a wired network interface for connecting to network 1622, and may also include a wireless access network interface 1620 for connecting to other devices via a wireless link. When ED 1600 is a network infrastructure element, the wireless access network interface 1620 may be omitted for nodes or functions that are elements at the wireless edge (e.g., eNB) rather than at the wireless edge of the network. When ED 1600 is infrastructure located at the wireless edge of the network, both the wired network interface and the wireless network interface may be included. When ED 1600 is a wirelessly connected device, such as a user equipment, the wireless access network interface 1620 may be present, and it may be supplemented by other wireless interfaces such as a WiFi network interface. Network interface 1606 enables electronic device 1600 to communicate with remote entities, such as entities connected to network 1622.

[0206] Mass storage 1610 may include any type of non-transitory storage device for storing data, programs, and other information and making such data, programs, and other information accessible via bus 1608. Mass storage 1610 may include one or more of, for example, solid-state drives, hard disk drives, disk drives, or optical disk drives. In some embodiments, mass storage 1610 may be located remotely at electronic device 1600 and may be accessed via a network interface such as interface 1606. In the illustrated embodiment, mass storage 1610 differs from memory 1604, which includes the mass storage device 1610, and typically performs storage tasks compatible with higher latency, but its volatility is typically low or nonexistent. In some embodiments, mass storage 1610 may be integrated with heterogeneous memory 1604.

[0207] Optional video adapter 1612 and I / O interface 1616 (shown as dashed lines) provide interfaces to couple electronics 1600 to external input and output devices. Examples of input and output devices include a display 1614 coupled to video adapter 1612 and an I / O device 1618, such as a touchscreen, coupled to I / O interface 1616. Other devices may be coupled to said electronics 1600, and more or fewer interfaces may be used. For example, a serial interface (not shown) such as Universal Serial Bus (USB) may be used to provide interfaces for external devices. Those skilled in the art will understand that in embodiments where ED 1600 is part of a data center, I / O interface 1616 and video adapter 1612 may be virtualized and provided via network interface 1606.

[0208] Figure 17 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the device 1700 provided in some embodiments of the present invention. For example... Figure 17 As shown, the device 1700 includes a receiving unit 1702, a determining unit 1704, and a transmitting unit 1704. The device 1700 can be applied to applications such as... Figure 1The communication system shown can implement any of the methods provided in the foregoing embodiments. Optionally, the physical manifestation of device 1700 can be a communication device, such as a first network device 905, a second network device 909, or a terminal device 901. Alternatively, device 1700 can be other devices capable of implementing the functions of a communication device, such as a processor or chip inside the communication device. Specifically, device 1700 can be some programmable chip, such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a system on a chip (SOC).

[0209] In some embodiments, if the apparatus implements terminal device 901, the receiving unit 1702 may be used to receive a notification message shared by at least one terminal device in a first network, wherein the notification message is used to switch at least one terminal device from the first network to a second network. The determining unit 1704 may be used to switch from the first network to the second network based on the notification message, wherein the notification message includes a first field indicating the reason for switching at least one terminal device.

[0210] In some embodiments, if the apparatus implements a first network device 905, the receiving unit 1702 can be used to receive a power-saving command from a second network device in a second network, wherein the power-saving command instructs the first network device to enter a power-saving mode. The sending module 1706 can be used to send a notification message shared by at least one terminal device in the first network, wherein the notification message is used to switch at least one terminal device from the first network to the second network.

[0211] In some embodiments, if the apparatus implements a second network device 909, the sending module 1706 can be used to send a power-saving command to a first network device in a first network, wherein the power-saving command instructs the first network device to enter a power-saving mode. The determining unit 1704 can be used to serve at least one terminal device switching from the first network to the second network.

[0212] In some other embodiments, the apparatus 1700 may include various other units or modules that can be used to perform various operations or functions described in the above method embodiments. For details, please refer to the detailed description of the above method embodiments; further details will not be repeated here.

[0213] It should be noted that the division of units or modules in the above embodiments of the present invention is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division. In actual implementation, other division methods are possible. Furthermore, the functional units in the embodiments of the present invention can be integrated into one processing unit, or they can exist physically independently, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0214] If the integrated units are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, these integrated units can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present invention, or all or part of it, can be implemented in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for instructing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device) or processor to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the embodiments of the present invention. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0215] Based on the above embodiments, this application also provides a computer program. When the computer program is run on a computer, it enables the computer to execute any of the methods provided in the above embodiments.

[0216] Based on the above embodiments, this application also provides a computer-readable storage medium. This computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a computer, it enables the computer to perform any of the methods provided in the above embodiments. The storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access. By way of example and not limitation, a computer-readable medium may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store intended program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer.

[0217] Based on the above embodiments, this invention also provides a chip. This chip is used to read a computer program stored in a memory to implement any of the methods provided in the above embodiments.

[0218] Based on the above embodiments, this invention provides a chip system. The chip system includes a processor for supporting a computer device in implementing the functions involved in the communication devices described in the above embodiments. In one possible design, the chip system further includes a memory for storing programs and data necessary for the computer device. The chip system may include a chip, or it may include a chip and other discrete components.

[0219] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of the present invention can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present invention can take the form of a hardware-only embodiment, a software-only embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present invention can take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.).

[0220] This invention is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to the invention. It should be understood that computer program instructions can be used to implement each flow and / or block in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, as well as combinations of flows and / or blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or another programmable data processing device to generate a machine such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device, generate means for implementing a specific function in one or more flows and / or blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams.

[0221] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can instruct a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of writing including instruction means. The instruction means implements a specific function in one or more flowcharts and / or one or more blocks in a block diagram.

[0222] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or another programmable data processing device to cause a series of operations and steps to be performed on the computer or another programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process. Therefore, the instructions that execute on the computer or another programmable device provide steps for implementing a specific function in one or more processes in a flowchart and / or one or more boxes in a block diagram.

[0223] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this invention without departing from its scope. Therefore, this invention is intended to cover these modifications and variations, provided that they fall within the scope of the claims of this invention and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method, characterized in that, include: Receive at a terminal device a notification message shared by at least one terminal device in a first network, wherein the notification message is used to switch the at least one terminal device from the first network to a second network; and Based on the notification message, the system switches from the first network to the second network, wherein... The notification message includes a first field indicating the reason for switching the at least one terminal device, wherein the terminal device belongs to the at least one terminal device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The notification message also includes at least one of the following: The second field indicates the wireless access type of the second network; or The third field indicates the duration of the notification message to be applied by the at least one terminal device.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The reason is related to the power savings of the first network device associated with the at least one terminal device.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The notification message also includes at least one of the following: The fourth field indicates the satellite constellation to which the at least one terminal device can switch; The fifth field indicates the satellite network to which the at least one terminal device can switch; The sixth field indicates a timing reference used for at least one of downlink and uplink communications with the second network; The seventh field indicates a frequency reference used for at least one of downlink and uplink communications with the second network; The eighth field indicates at least one physical cell identity (PCI), which can be used by the at least one terminal device to detect and measure signals from the second network; The ninth field indicates at least one physical beam identity (PBI), which can be used by the at least one terminal device to detect and measure beams from the second network. The tenth field indicates at least one angular direction in which the at least one terminal device will turn the received beam in the azimuth domain; The eleventh field indicates at least one angular direction in which the at least one terminal device will turn the received beam in the zenith angle domain; The twelfth field indicates the duration of the beam selection timer used by the at least one terminal device to search for a beam in the second network; or The thirteenth field indicates the duration of sleep for the terminal device if it fails to find the beam before the beam selection timer expires.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The sixth field includes at least one of the following: The fourteenth field indicates the time point at which the system frame will be transmitted by the second network device in the second network; The fifteenth field indicates the number of the system frame that will be transmitted by the second network device at the time indicated in the fourteenth field; The sixteenth field indicates the number of the subframe within the system frame that will be transmitted by the second network device at the time indicated in the fourteenth field; The seventeenth field indicates the timing advance between the at least one terminal device and the second network device when the at least one terminal device performs an uplink transmission to the second network device. The eighteenth field indicates the timing advance drift between the at least one terminal device and the second network device; or The nineteenth field indicates the timing of the drift change.

6. The method according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that, The seventh field includes at least one of the following: The twentieth field indicates the subcarrier spacing; The 21st field indicates a list of frequencies from which the at least one terminal device can detect and measure downlink synchronization signals from the second network; The twenty-second field indicates the center frequency of the lowest subcarrier in the downlink bandwidth part (BWP) used in the second network; Field 23 indicates at least one of the location or bandwidth of the downlink BWP; The twenty-fourth field indicates the center frequency of the lowest subcarrier of the uplink BWP used in the second network; or Field 25 indicates at least one of the location or bandwidth of the uplink BWP.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The terminal device is in a connected state, and the switching from the first network to the second network includes: A group handover from the first network to the second network is performed together with other terminal devices in the first network that are in the connected state, wherein the other terminal devices belong to the at least one terminal device.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The terminal device is in a connected state, and the method further includes at least one of the following: Cancel downlink transmission from the first network device in the first network; or Cancel the uplink transmission to the first network device.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, It also includes at least one of the following: The downlink transmission is scheduled to be received after a certain time interval from when the notification message is received by the terminal device; or The uplink transmission is scheduled to be sent after the time interval elapsed since the notification message was received by the terminal device.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that, It also includes at least one of the following: The downlink transmission is dynamically scheduled or semi-statically scheduled; or The uplink transmission is either dynamically scheduled or scheduled within the configuration authorization.

11. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that, It also includes at least one of the following: The downlink transmission includes physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission or channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) transmission; or The uplink transmission includes physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission or sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, When the terminal device is in an idle or inactive state, the switching from the first network to the second network includes: The beam selection process is performed in the second network.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The beam selection process includes at least one of the following: In the case where the notification message includes a 21st field, and the 21st field indicates that the terminal device is capable of detecting and measuring a frequency list of downlink synchronization signals from the second network, a beam is searched at the frequency of the frequency list; If the notification message includes a fourteenth field that indicates the time point at which the second network device in the second network will transmit a system frame, determine that the beam is aligned in the time domain with the time point indicated in the fourteenth field; In cases where the notification message includes an eighth field indicating that the terminal device can be used to detect and measure at least one PCI from the second network, a beam is searched based on the at least one PCI indicated in the eighth field; In the case where the notification message includes a ninth field indicating that the terminal device can be used to detect and measure at least one PBI of a beam transmitted in the second network, the beam is searched based on the at least one PBI indicated in the ninth field; When the notification message includes a tenth field, and the tenth field indicates at least one angular direction in which the terminal device will turn the received beam in the azimuth domain, the beam is searched based on the angular direction indicated in the tenth field; or If the notification message includes an eleventh field, and the eleventh field indicates at least one angular direction in which the terminal device will turn the received beam in the zenith angle domain, the beam is searched based on the angular direction indicated in the eleventh parameter.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that, Also includes: Start the beam selection timer to search for a beam in the second network; If the beam is found before the beam selection timer expires, the beam monitoring system information is used; If the beam is not found before the beam selection timer expires, switch to sleep mode.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, Also includes: Determine that the terminal device remains in the sleep mode for the duration indicated in the thirteenth field of the notification message, thereby waking it up from the sleep mode; Restart the beam selection timer; and Restart the beam selection process in the second network.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that, The monitoring of the system information is performed on a set of resources indicated by the 22nd and 23rd fields of the notification message, wherein the 22nd field indicates the center frequency of the lowest subcarrier of the downlink BWP used in the second network, and the 23rd field indicates at least one of the location or bandwidth of the downlink BWP.

17. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 16, characterized in that, Also includes: Initial access to the second network is performed using the beam selected during the beam selection process.

18. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that, The first network is a terrestrial network (TN), and the second network is a non-terrestrial network (NTN).

19. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 18, characterized in that, The notification message is received on a public channel.

20. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 19, characterized in that, The notification message is received via a PDSCH transmission scheduled by the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), which carries downlink control information (DCI) format scrambled with a multicast radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) associated with power saving features.

21. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 20, characterized in that, Receiving, detecting, and decoding the notification messages are capabilities of the terminal device, and these capabilities may be mandatory or optional.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that, Also includes: The terminal device sends capability information to the first network device of the first network, the capability information indicating that the terminal device has the ability to receive, detect, and decode the notification message.

23. A method, characterized in that, include: A power-saving command is received at a first network device in a first network from a second network device in a second network, wherein the power-saving command instructs the first network device to enter a power-saving mode; and Send a notification message shared by at least one terminal device in the first network, wherein the notification message includes a first field indicating the reason for the at least one terminal device switching from the first network to the second network.

24. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that, Also includes: In response to sending the notification message, the power saving mode is entered.

25. The method according to claim 23 or 24, characterized in that, The power saving mode includes at least one of the following: Hibernate, power off, or turn off.

26. The method according to any one of claims 23 to 25, characterized in that, The notification message also includes at least one of the following: The second field indicates the wireless access type of the second network; or The third field indicates the duration of the notification message to be applied by the at least one terminal device.

27. The method according to claim 26, characterized in that, The reason is related to the power savings of the first network device associated with the at least one terminal device.

28. The method according to any one of claims 23 to 27, characterized in that, The notification message also includes at least one of the following: The fourth field indicates the satellite constellation to which the at least one terminal device can switch; The fifth field indicates the satellite network to which the at least one terminal device can switch; The sixth field indicates a timing reference used for at least one of downlink and uplink communications with the second network; The seventh field indicates a frequency reference used for at least one of downlink and uplink communications with the second network; The eighth field indicates at least one physical cell identity (PCI), which can be used by the at least one terminal device to detect and measure signals from the second network; The ninth field indicates at least one physical beam identity (PBI), which can be used by the at least one terminal device to detect and measure signals transmitted in the second network; The tenth field indicates at least one angular direction in which the at least one terminal device will turn the received beam in the azimuth domain; The eleventh field indicates at least one angular direction in which the at least one terminal device will turn the received beam in the zenith angle domain; The twelfth field indicates the duration of the beam selection timer used by the at least one terminal device to search for a beam in the second network; or The thirteenth field indicates the sleep duration of the at least one terminal device if it fails to find the beam before the beam selection timer expires.

29. The method according to claim 28, characterized in that, The sixth field includes at least one of the following: The fourteenth field indicates the time point at which the system frame will be transmitted by the second network device in the second network; The fifteenth field indicates the number of the system frame that will be transmitted by the second network device at the time indicated in the fourteenth field; The sixteenth field indicates the number of the subframe within the system frame that will be transmitted by the second network device at the time indicated in the fourteenth field; The seventeenth field indicates the timing advance between the at least one terminal device and the second network device when the at least one terminal device performs an uplink transmission to the second network device. The eighteenth field indicates the timing advance drift between the at least one terminal device and the second network device; or The nineteenth field indicates the timing of the drift change.

30. The method according to claim 28 or 29, characterized in that, The seventh field includes at least one of the following: The twentieth field indicates the subcarrier spacing; The 21st field indicates a list of frequencies from which the at least one terminal device can detect and measure downlink synchronization signals from the second network; The twenty-second field indicates the center frequency of the lowest subcarrier in the downlink bandwidth part (BWP) used in the second network; Field 23 indicates at least one of the location or bandwidth of the downlink BWP; The twenty-fourth field indicates the center frequency of the lowest subcarrier of the uplink BWP used in the second network; or Field 25 indicates at least one of the location or bandwidth of the uplink BWP.

31. The method according to any one of claims 23 to 30, characterized in that, The method further includes: (The at least one terminal device is in a connected state.) Processing group handover from the first network to the second network performed by the at least one terminal device.

32. The method according to any one of claims 23 to 31, characterized in that, The first network is a terrestrial network (TN), and the second network is a non-terrestrial network (NTN).

33. The method according to any one of claims 23 to 32, characterized in that, The notification message is sent over a public channel.

34. The method according to any one of claims 23 to 33, characterized in that, The notification message is transmitted via a PDSCH transmission scheduled by the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), which carries downlink control information (DCI) format scrambled with a multicast radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) associated with power saving features.

35. The method according to any one of claims 23 to 34, characterized in that, Receiving, detecting, and decoding the notification message is a capability of the at least one terminal device, and the capability may be a mandatory or optional capability.

36. The method according to claim 35, characterized in that, Also includes: The at least one terminal device receives capability information indicating that it has the capability to receive, detect, and decode the notification message.

37. The method according to any one of claims 23 to 36, characterized in that, Also includes: After a certain time interval, the power saving mode indicated in the power saving command is entered.

38. The method according to any one of claims 23 to 37, characterized in that, Also includes: Send a traffic event report or a power consumption event report to the second network device or another network device in the second network, wherein the power saving command is sent in response to the traffic event report or the power consumption event report.

39. A method, characterized in that, include: A power-saving command is sent from a second network device in the second network to a first network device in the first network, wherein the power-saving command instructs the first network device to enter a power-saving mode; and At least one terminal device that switches services from the first network to the second network.

40. The method according to claim 39, characterized in that, The at least one terminal device is in a connected state, and serving the at least one terminal device includes: Processing group handover from the first network to the second network performed by the at least one terminal device.

41. The method according to claim 40, characterized in that, When the at least one terminal device is in an idle or inactive state, serving the at least one terminal device includes: Processing initial access to the second network performed by the at least one terminal device, wherein the initial access is performed based on a beam selected during beam selection in the second network.

42. The method according to any one of claims 39 to 41, characterized in that, Also includes: Receive a traffic event report or a power consumption event report from the first network device or another network device in the second network, wherein the power saving command is sent in response to the traffic event report or the power consumption event report.

43. The method according to any one of claims 39 to 42, characterized in that, The first network is a terrestrial network (TN), and the second network is a non-terrestrial network (NTN).

44. A terminal device, characterized in that, include: transceiver; The processor is communicatively coupled to the transceiver. The processor is used for: Receive a notification message shared by at least one terminal device in a first network, wherein the notification message is used to switch the at least one terminal device from the first network to a second network; and Based on the notification message, the system switches from the first network to the second network, wherein... The notification message includes a first field indicating the reason for switching the at least one terminal device, wherein the terminal device belongs to the at least one terminal device.

45. A first network device, characterized in that, include: transceiver; The processor is communicatively coupled to the transceiver. The processor is used for: Receive a power-saving command from a second network device in a second network, wherein the power-saving command instructs the first network device to enter a power-saving mode; and Send a notification message shared by at least one terminal device in the first network, wherein the notification message includes a first field indicating the reason for the at least one terminal device switching from the first network to the second network, and the first network includes the first network device.

46. ​​A second network device, characterized in that, include: transceiver; The processor is communicatively coupled to the transceiver. The processor is used for: Sending a power-saving command to a first network device in a first network, wherein the power-saving command instructs the first network device to enter a power-saving mode; and At least one terminal device that switches services from the first network to the second network.

47. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, characterized in that, It includes a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed on at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 43.

48. A chip, characterized in that, It includes at least one processing circuit, said at least one processing circuit for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 43.

49. A computer program product, characterized in that, It includes computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 43.

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