Communication method, terminal device, network device, communication device, communication system, storage medium, and program product

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a communication method, terminal equipment, network equipment, communication equipment, a communication system, a storage medium and a program product, and the method is executed by the terminal equipment and comprises the steps: sending a measurement report to the network equipment according to an event; wherein the event is associated with the following information: the position information of the service cell, and / or the position information of the neighbor cell; the serving cell belongs to a non-terrestrial network NTN mobile cell, and the adjacent cell belongs to an NTN terrestrial fixed cell; or, the serving cell belongs to the NTN ground fixed cell, and the adjacent cell belongs to the NTN mobile cell. According to the scheme provided by the embodiment of the invention, the continuity and stability of terminal equipment communication in a hybrid networking scene can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, terminal equipment, network equipment, communication equipment, communication system, storage medium, and program product. Background Technology

[0002] A non-terrestrial network (NTN) is a network that provides communication services to ground-based terminal devices by using satellites or drones to deliver wireless resources. NTN networks are not geographically limited and can cover areas that are difficult for conventional terrestrial communications to reach. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This disclosure provides a communication method, terminal device, network device, communication equipment, communication system, storage medium, and program product to improve the continuity and stability of communication between the terminal device and NTN mobile cells and NTN terrestrial fixed cells.

[0004] According to a first aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, a communication method is provided, executed by a terminal device, the method comprising:

[0005] Based on the event, a measurement report is sent to the network device; wherein the event is associated with the following information: the location information of the serving cell, and / or the location information of neighboring cells;

[0006] The serving cell belongs to the NTN mobile cell, and the neighboring cell belongs to the NTN terrestrial fixed cell; or, the serving cell belongs to the NTN terrestrial fixed cell, and the neighboring cell belongs to the NTN mobile cell.

[0007] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the terminal device can send a measurement report to the network device based on an event. This helps the network device make corresponding decisions based on the measurement report sent by the terminal device, such as switching from the serving cell to a neighboring cell. The serving cell is an NTN mobile cell, and the neighboring cell is an NTN terrestrial fixed cell; or, the serving cell is an NTN terrestrial fixed cell, and the neighboring cell is an NTN mobile cell. Therefore, the solution in this embodiment of the disclosure can improve the continuity and stability of terminal device communication in hybrid networking scenarios.

[0008] According to a second aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, a communication method is provided, performed by a network device, the method comprising:

[0009] The receiving terminal device sends a measurement report based on an event; wherein the event is an event associated with the following information: the location information of the serving cell, and / or the location information of neighboring cells;

[0010] The serving cell belongs to the NTN mobile cell, and the neighboring cell belongs to the NTN terrestrial fixed cell; or, the serving cell belongs to the NTN terrestrial fixed cell, and the neighboring cell belongs to the NTN mobile cell.

[0011] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the network device can receive measurement reports sent by the terminal device based on events, thereby helping the network device to make corresponding decisions based on the measurement reports sent by the terminal device, such as switching from the serving cell to a neighboring cell. The serving cell is an NTN mobile cell, and the neighboring cell is an NTN terrestrial fixed cell; or, the serving cell is an NTN terrestrial fixed cell, and the neighboring cell is an NTN mobile cell. Therefore, the solution of this embodiment can improve the continuity and stability of terminal device communication in hybrid networking scenarios.

[0012] According to a third aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, a communication method is provided, executed by a terminal device, the method comprising:

[0013] Based on the event, switch to the candidate cell; the event is associated with the following information: the location information of the serving cell, and / or the location information of the candidate cell;

[0014] The serving cell belongs to the NTN mobile cell and the candidate cell belongs to the NTN terrestrial fixed cell; or, the serving cell belongs to the NTN terrestrial fixed cell and the candidate cell belongs to the NTN mobile cell.

[0015] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the terminal device can switch to a candidate cell based on an event. The serving cell is an NTN mobile cell, and the candidate cell is an NTN terrestrial fixed cell; or, the serving cell is an NTN terrestrial fixed cell, and the candidate cell is an NTN mobile cell. Therefore, the solution in this embodiment of the disclosure can improve the continuity and stability of terminal device communication in hybrid networking scenarios.

[0016] According to a fourth aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, a terminal device is provided, comprising:

[0017] The transceiver module is used to send measurement reports to network devices based on events; wherein the event is an event associated with the following information: the location information of the serving cell, and / or the location information of neighboring cells;

[0018] The serving cell belongs to the NTN mobile cell, and the neighboring cell belongs to the NTN terrestrial fixed cell; or, the serving cell belongs to the NTN terrestrial fixed cell, and the neighboring cell belongs to the NTN mobile cell.

[0019] According to a fifth aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, a network device is provided, comprising:

[0020] The transceiver module is used to receive measurement reports sent by the terminal device based on events; wherein the event is an event associated with the following information: the location information of the serving cell, and / or the location information of neighboring cells;

[0021] The serving cell belongs to the NTN mobile cell, and the neighboring cell belongs to the NTN terrestrial fixed cell; or, the serving cell belongs to the NTN terrestrial fixed cell, and the neighboring cell belongs to the NTN mobile cell.

[0022] According to a sixth aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, a terminal device is provided, comprising:

[0023] The processing module is used to switch to a candidate cell based on an event; the event is associated with the following information: the location information of the serving cell, and / or the location information of the candidate cell;

[0024] The serving cell belongs to the NTN mobile cell and the candidate cell belongs to the NTN terrestrial fixed cell; or, the serving cell belongs to the NTN terrestrial fixed cell and the candidate cell belongs to the NTN mobile cell.

[0025] According to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, a communication device is provided for performing the method described in the first aspect and optional implementations of the first aspect, or for performing the method described in the second aspect and optional implementations of the second aspect, or for performing the method described in the third aspect and optional implementations of the third aspect.

[0026] According to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, a communication system is provided, including a terminal device and a network device, wherein the terminal device is configured to implement the method described in the first aspect and an optional implementation thereof, and the network device is configured to implement the method described in the second aspect and an optional implementation thereof.

[0027] According to a ninth aspect of the present disclosure, a communication system is provided, including a terminal device, wherein the terminal device is configured to implement the method described in the third aspect and optional implementations of the third aspect.

[0028] According to a tenth aspect of the present disclosure, a storage medium is provided that stores instructions, which, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the method described in the first aspect and its optional implementation, or cause the communication device to perform the method described in the second aspect and its optional implementation, or cause the communication device to perform the method described in the third aspect and its optional implementation.

[0029] According to the eleventh aspect of the present disclosure, a program product is provided, including at least one of a program and instructions. When the program and at least one of the instructions are executed by a communication device, the program implements the method described in the first aspect and the optional implementation of the first aspect, or implements the method described in the second aspect and the optional implementation of the second aspect, or implements the method described in the third aspect and the optional implementation of the third aspect. Attached Figure Description

[0030] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this disclosure, the accompanying drawings required for the description of the embodiments are introduced below. The following drawings are only some embodiments of this disclosure and do not impose specific limitations on the protection scope of this disclosure.

[0031] Figure 1a This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0032] Figure 1b This is a schematic diagram of an NTN communication provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0033] Figure 2a This is an exemplary interaction diagram of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] Figure 2b This is a second exemplary interaction diagram of the communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0035] Figure 3 This is an exemplary interaction diagram of the communication method provided according to embodiments of this disclosure. Figure 3 ;

[0036] Figure 4a This is an exemplary schematic diagram of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0037] Figure 4b This is an exemplary schematic diagram two of the communication method provided according to the embodiments of this disclosure;

[0038] Figure 5 This is an exemplary illustration of a communication method provided according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 3 ;

[0039] Figure 6a This is an exemplary structural diagram of the terminal device proposed in the embodiments of this disclosure;

[0040] Figure 6b This is an exemplary structural diagram of the network device proposed in the embodiments of this disclosure;

[0041] Figure 6c This is an exemplary structural diagram of the terminal device proposed in the embodiments of this disclosure;

[0042] Figure 7a This is an exemplary structural diagram of the communication device proposed in the embodiments of this disclosure;

[0043] Figure 7b This is an exemplary structural diagram of the chip proposed in the embodiments of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0044] This disclosure provides a communication method, terminal device, network device, communication equipment, communication system, storage medium, and program product to improve the continuity and stability of communication between the terminal device and NTN mobile cells and NTN terrestrial fixed cells.

[0045] According to a first aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, a communication method is provided, executed by a terminal device, the method comprising:

[0046] Based on the event, a measurement report is sent to the network device; wherein the event is associated with the following information: the location information of the serving cell, and / or the location information of neighboring cells;

[0047] The serving cell belongs to the non-terrestrial network NTN mobile cell, and the neighboring cell belongs to the NTN terrestrial fixed cell; or, the serving cell belongs to the NTN terrestrial fixed cell, and the neighboring cell belongs to the NTN mobile cell.

[0048] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the terminal device can send a measurement report to the network device based on an event. This helps the network device make corresponding decisions based on the measurement report sent by the terminal device, such as switching from the serving cell to a neighboring cell. The serving cell is an NTN mobile cell, and the neighboring cell is an NTN terrestrial fixed cell; or, the serving cell is an NTN terrestrial fixed cell, and the neighboring cell is an NTN mobile cell. Therefore, the solution in this embodiment of the disclosure can improve the continuity and stability of terminal device communication in hybrid networking scenarios.

[0049] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the location information of the serving cell includes at least one of the following:

[0050] First reference position;

[0051] Reference time at the first reference position;

[0052] Ephemeris information associated with the service community;

[0053] The distance between the terminal device and the first reference position;

[0054] The distance between the terminal device and the second reference location is determined based on the first reference location, the reference time of the first reference location, and the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell.

[0055] The first reference location is the reference location of the service cell.

[0056] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the terminal device can determine whether to trigger an event associated with the location information of the serving cell based on at least one of the following: a first reference location, a reference time of the first reference location, ephemeris information associated with the serving cell, the distance between the terminal device and the first reference location, and the distance between the terminal device and the second reference location. This helps the terminal device decide whether to send a measurement report to the network device based on whether an event associated with the location information of the serving cell is triggered.

[0057] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the location information of neighboring cells includes at least one of the following:

[0058] Third reference position;

[0059] Reference time at the third reference position;

[0060] Ephemeris information associated with neighboring cells;

[0061] The distance between the terminal device and the third reference position;

[0062] The distance between the terminal device and the fourth reference location is determined based on the third reference location, the reference time of the third reference location, and the ephemeris information associated with neighboring cells.

[0063] The third reference location is the reference location of the neighboring cell.

[0064] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal device can determine whether to trigger an event associated with the location information of a neighboring cell based on at least one of the following: a third reference location, the reference time of the third reference location, the ephemeris information associated with the neighboring cell, the distance between the terminal device and the third reference location, and the distance between the terminal device and the fourth reference location. This helps the terminal device decide whether to send a measurement report to the network device based on whether an event associated with the location information of a neighboring cell is triggered.

[0065] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the serving cell belongs to an NTN mobile cell, and the neighboring cell belongs to an NTN terrestrial fixed cell, and the event is:

[0066] The first distance between the terminal device and the serving cell is greater than or equal to a first distance threshold, and the second distance between the terminal device and the neighboring cell is less than or equal to a second distance threshold;

[0067] The first distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device, the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell, the first reference location of the serving cell, and the reference time of the first reference location; the second distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device and the third reference location of the neighboring cell.

[0068] In this embodiment, the serving cell is an NTN mobile cell, and its location is dynamically changing. The terminal device can determine the first distance between itself and the serving cell based on its location, the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell, the first reference location of the serving cell, and the reference time of the first reference location. The neighboring cell is an NTN terrestrial fixed cell, and its location is almost constant. Therefore, the terminal device can determine the second distance between itself and the neighboring cell based on its location and the third reference location of the neighboring cell. Furthermore, the terminal device can determine whether to trigger the event based on the first and second distances, which helps the terminal device send a measurement report to the network device at an appropriate time based on the event, thereby improving the continuity and stability of terminal device communication in hybrid networking scenarios.

[0069] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the serving cell belongs to an NTN terrestrial fixed cell, and the neighboring cell belongs to an NTN mobile cell, and the event is:

[0070] The first distance between the terminal device and the serving cell is greater than or equal to a first distance threshold, and the second distance between the terminal device and the neighboring cell is less than or equal to a second distance threshold;

[0071] The first distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device and the first reference location of the serving cell; the second distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device, the ephemeris information associated with neighboring cells, the third reference location of neighboring cells, and the reference time of the third reference location.

[0072] In this embodiment, the serving cell is an NTN fixed terrestrial cell, and its location is almost constant. Therefore, the terminal device can determine the first distance between itself and the serving cell based on its own location and the first reference location of the serving cell. The neighboring cell is an NTN mobile cell, and its location is dynamically changing. The terminal device can determine the second distance between itself and the neighboring cell based on its own location, the ephemeris information associated with the neighboring cell, the third reference location of the neighboring cell, and the reference time of the third reference location. Furthermore, the terminal device can determine whether to trigger the event based on the first and second distances, which helps the terminal device send a measurement report to the network device at the appropriate time based on the event, thereby improving the continuity and stability of terminal device communication in hybrid networking scenarios.

[0073] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the event is:

[0074] The difference between the first distance and the second distance is greater than or equal to the distance offset value; wherein, the first distance is the distance between the terminal device and the serving cell, and the second distance is the distance between the terminal device and the neighboring cell.

[0075] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal device can determine whether to trigger the event based on the first distance and the second distance. If the difference between the first distance and the second distance is greater than or equal to the distance offset value, the terminal device determines that the event has been triggered and then sends a measurement report to the network device based on the event, thereby improving the continuity and stability of the terminal device's communication.

[0076] According to a second aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, a communication method is provided, performed by a network device, the method comprising:

[0077] The receiving terminal device sends a measurement report based on an event; wherein the event is an event associated with the following information: the location information of the serving cell, and / or the location information of neighboring cells;

[0078] The serving cell belongs to the NTN mobile cell, and the neighboring cell belongs to the NTN terrestrial fixed cell; or, the serving cell belongs to the NTN terrestrial fixed cell, and the neighboring cell belongs to the NTN mobile cell.

[0079] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the network device can receive measurement reports sent by the terminal device based on events, thereby helping the network device to make corresponding decisions based on the measurement reports sent by the terminal device, such as switching from the serving cell to a neighboring cell. The serving cell is an NTN mobile cell, and the neighboring cell is an NTN terrestrial fixed cell; or, the serving cell is an NTN terrestrial fixed cell, and the neighboring cell is an NTN mobile cell. Therefore, the solution of this embodiment can improve the continuity and stability of terminal device communication in hybrid networking scenarios.

[0080] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the location information of the serving cell includes at least one of the following:

[0081] First reference position;

[0082] Reference time at the first reference position;

[0083] Ephemeris information associated with the service community;

[0084] The distance between the terminal device and the first reference position;

[0085] The distance between the terminal device and the second reference location is determined based on the first reference location, the reference time of the first reference location, and the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell.

[0086] The first reference location is the reference location of the service cell.

[0087] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the network device can configure the location information of the serving cell for the terminal device, which helps the terminal device determine whether to trigger an event associated with the location information of the serving cell based on at least one of the following: a first reference location, the reference time of the first reference location, the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell, the distance between the terminal device and the first reference location, and the distance between the terminal device and the second reference location.

[0088] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the location information of neighboring cells includes at least one of the following:

[0089] Third reference position;

[0090] Reference time at the third reference position;

[0091] Ephemeris information associated with neighboring cells;

[0092] The distance between the terminal device and the third reference position;

[0093] The distance between the terminal device and the fourth reference location is determined based on the third reference location, the reference time of the third reference location, and the ephemeris information associated with neighboring cells.

[0094] The third reference location is the reference location of the neighboring cell.

[0095] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the network device can configure the location information of neighboring cells for the terminal device, which helps the terminal device determine whether to trigger an event associated with the location information of neighboring cells based on at least one of the following: a third reference location, the reference time of the third reference location, the ephemeris information associated with the neighboring cell, the distance between the terminal device and the third reference location, and the distance between the terminal device and the fourth reference location.

[0096] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the serving cell belongs to an NTN mobile cell, and the neighboring cell belongs to an NTN terrestrial fixed cell, and the event is:

[0097] The first distance between the terminal device and the serving cell is greater than or equal to a first distance threshold, and the second distance between the terminal device and the neighboring cell is less than or equal to a second distance threshold;

[0098] The first distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device, the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell, the first reference location of the serving cell, and the reference time of the first reference location; the second distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device and the third reference location of the neighboring cell.

[0099] In this embodiment, the serving cell is an NTN mobile cell, and its location is dynamically changing. A first distance between the terminal device and the serving cell can be determined based on the terminal device's location, the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell, the first reference position of the serving cell, and the reference time of the first reference position. The neighboring cell is an NTN terrestrial fixed cell, and its location is almost constant. Therefore, a second distance between the terminal device and the neighboring cell can be determined based on the terminal device's location and the neighboring cell's third reference position. Furthermore, the first and second distances can be used to determine whether an event is triggered. By receiving a measurement report sent by the terminal device based on this event, the network device can make corresponding decisions based on the measurement report, thus improving the continuity and stability of terminal device communication in hybrid networking scenarios.

[0100] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the serving cell belongs to an NTN terrestrial fixed cell, and the neighboring cell belongs to an NTN mobile cell, and the event is:

[0101] The first distance between the terminal device and the serving cell is greater than or equal to a first distance threshold, and the second distance between the terminal device and the neighboring cell is less than or equal to a second distance threshold;

[0102] The first distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device and the first reference location of the serving cell; the second distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device, the ephemeris information associated with neighboring cells, the third reference location of neighboring cells, and the reference time of the third reference location.

[0103] In this embodiment, the serving cell is an NTN fixed terrestrial cell, and its location is almost constant. Therefore, a first distance between the terminal device and the serving cell can be determined based on the terminal device's location and the serving cell's first reference location. The neighboring cell is an NTN mobile cell, and its location is dynamically changing. A second distance between the terminal device and the neighboring cell can be determined based on the terminal device's location, the neighboring cell's associated ephemeris information, the neighboring cell's third reference location, and the reference time of the third reference location. Furthermore, the first and second distances can be used to determine whether an event is triggered. By receiving a measurement report sent by the terminal device based on this event, the network device can make corresponding decisions based on the measurement report, thus improving the continuity and stability of terminal device communication in hybrid networking scenarios.

[0104] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the event is:

[0105] The difference between the first distance and the second distance is greater than or equal to the distance offset value; wherein, the first distance is the distance between the terminal device and the serving cell, and the second distance is the distance between the terminal device and the neighboring cell.

[0106] In this embodiment, whether the event is triggered can be determined based on a first distance and a second distance. If the difference between the first distance and the second distance is greater than or equal to the distance offset value, the event is determined to be triggered. By receiving a measurement report sent by the terminal device based on the event, the network device improves the continuity and stability of terminal device communication.

[0107] According to a third aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, a communication method is provided, executed by a terminal device, the method comprising:

[0108] Based on the event, switch to the candidate cell; the event is associated with the following information: the location information of the serving cell, and / or the location information of the candidate cell;

[0109] The serving cell belongs to the NTN mobile cell and the candidate cell belongs to the NTN terrestrial fixed cell; or, the serving cell belongs to the NTN terrestrial fixed cell and the candidate cell belongs to the NTN mobile cell.

[0110] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the terminal device can switch to a candidate cell based on an event. The serving cell is an NTN mobile cell, and the candidate cell is an NTN terrestrial fixed cell; or, the serving cell is an NTN terrestrial fixed cell, and the candidate cell is an NTN mobile cell. Therefore, the solution in this embodiment of the disclosure can improve the continuity and stability of terminal device communication in hybrid networking scenarios.

[0111] In conjunction with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the location information of the serving cell includes at least one of the following:

[0112] First reference position;

[0113] Reference time at the first reference position;

[0114] Ephemeris information associated with the service community;

[0115] The distance between the terminal device and the first reference position;

[0116] The distance between the terminal device and the second reference location is determined based on the first reference location, the reference time of the first reference location, and the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell.

[0117] The first reference location is the reference location of the service cell.

[0118] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal device can determine whether to trigger an event associated with the location information of the serving cell based on at least one of the following: a first reference location, a reference time of the first reference location, ephemeris information associated with the serving cell, the distance between the terminal device and the first reference location, and the distance between the terminal device and the second reference location. This helps the terminal device decide whether to switch to a candidate cell based on whether to trigger an event associated with the location information of the serving cell.

[0119] In conjunction with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the location information of the candidate cell includes at least one of the following:

[0120] Third reference position;

[0121] Reference time at the third reference position;

[0122] Ephemeris information associated with candidate cells;

[0123] The distance between the terminal device and the third reference position;

[0124] The distance between the terminal device and the fourth reference location is determined based on the third reference location, the reference time of the third reference location, and the ephemeris information associated with the candidate cell.

[0125] The third reference location is the reference location of the candidate cell.

[0126] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal device can determine whether to trigger an event associated with the location information of the candidate cell based on at least one of the third reference location, the reference time of the third reference location, the ephemeris information associated with the candidate cell, the distance between the terminal device and the third reference location, and the distance between the terminal device and the fourth reference location. This helps the terminal device decide whether to switch to the candidate cell based on whether to trigger an event associated with the location information of the candidate cell.

[0127] In conjunction with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the serving cell belongs to an NTN mobile cell, and the candidate cell belongs to an NTN terrestrial fixed cell, and the event is:

[0128] The first distance between the terminal device and the serving cell is greater than or equal to a first distance threshold, and the second distance between the terminal device and the candidate cell is less than or equal to a second distance threshold;

[0129] The first distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device, the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell, the first reference location of the serving cell, and the reference time of the first reference location; the second distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device and the third reference location of the candidate cell.

[0130] In this embodiment, the serving cell belongs to an NTN mobile cell. The terminal device can determine the first distance between the terminal device and the serving cell based on the terminal device's location, the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell, the first reference location of the serving cell, and the reference time of the first reference location. The candidate cell belongs to an NTN terrestrial fixed cell. The terminal device can determine the second distance between the terminal device and the candidate cell based on the terminal device's location and the third reference location of the candidate cell. Furthermore, the terminal device can determine whether to trigger the event based on the first and second distances, which helps the terminal device to switch to the candidate cell at an appropriate time and improves the continuity and stability of terminal device communication in hybrid networking scenarios.

[0131] In conjunction with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the serving cell belongs to an NTN terrestrial fixed cell, the candidate cell belongs to an NTN mobile cell, and the event is:

[0132] The first distance between the terminal device and the serving cell is greater than or equal to a first distance threshold, and the second distance between the terminal device and the candidate cell is less than or equal to a second distance threshold;

[0133] The first distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device and the first reference location of the serving cell; the second distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device, the ephemeris information associated with the candidate cell, the third reference location of the candidate cell, and the reference time of the third reference location.

[0134] In this embodiment, the serving cell belongs to an NTN terrestrial fixed cell. The terminal device can determine the first distance between the terminal device and the serving cell based on the terminal device's location and the first reference location of the serving cell. The candidate cell belongs to an NTN mobile cell. The terminal device can determine the second distance between the terminal device and the candidate cell based on the terminal device's location, the ephemeris information associated with the candidate cell, the third reference location of the candidate cell, and the reference time of the third reference location. Furthermore, the terminal device can determine whether to trigger the event based on the first and second distances, which helps the terminal device to switch to the candidate cell at an appropriate time and improves the continuity and stability of terminal device communication in hybrid networking scenarios.

[0135] In conjunction with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the event is:

[0136] The difference between the first distance and the second distance is greater than or equal to the distance offset value; wherein, the first distance is the distance between the terminal device and the serving cell, and the second distance is the distance between the terminal device and the candidate cell.

[0137] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal device can determine whether the event is triggered based on the first distance and the second distance. If the difference between the first distance and the second distance is greater than or equal to the distance offset value, the event is triggered, and then the terminal device switches to the candidate cell based on the event, thereby improving the continuity and stability of the terminal device's communication.

[0138] According to a fourth aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, a terminal device is provided, comprising:

[0139] The transceiver module is used to send measurement reports to network devices based on events; wherein the event is an event associated with the following information: the location information of the serving cell, and / or the location information of neighboring cells;

[0140] The serving cell belongs to the NTN mobile cell, and the neighboring cell belongs to the NTN terrestrial fixed cell; or, the serving cell belongs to the NTN terrestrial fixed cell, and the neighboring cell belongs to the NTN mobile cell.

[0141] According to a fifth aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, a network device is provided, comprising:

[0142] The transceiver module is used to receive measurement reports sent by the terminal device based on events; wherein the event is an event associated with the following information: the location information of the serving cell, and / or the location information of neighboring cells;

[0143] The serving cell belongs to the NTN mobile cell, and the neighboring cell belongs to the NTN terrestrial fixed cell; or, the serving cell belongs to the NTN terrestrial fixed cell, and the neighboring cell belongs to the NTN mobile cell.

[0144] According to a sixth aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, a terminal device is provided, comprising:

[0145] The processing module is used to switch to a candidate cell based on an event; the event is associated with the following information: the location information of the serving cell, and / or the location information of the candidate cell;

[0146] The serving cell belongs to the NTN mobile cell and the candidate cell belongs to the NTN terrestrial fixed cell; or, the serving cell belongs to the NTN terrestrial fixed cell and the candidate cell belongs to the NTN mobile cell.

[0147] According to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, a communication device is provided for performing the method described in the first aspect and optional implementations of the first aspect, or for performing the method described in the second aspect and optional implementations of the second aspect, or for performing the method described in the third aspect and optional implementations of the third aspect.

[0148] According to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, a communication system is provided, including a terminal device and a network device, wherein the terminal device is configured to implement the method described in the first aspect and an optional implementation thereof, and the network device is configured to implement the method described in the second aspect and an optional implementation thereof.

[0149] According to a ninth aspect of the present disclosure, a communication system is provided, including a terminal device, wherein the terminal device is configured to implement the method described in the third aspect and optional implementations of the third aspect.

[0150] According to a tenth aspect of the present disclosure, a storage medium is provided that stores instructions, which, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the method described in the first aspect and its optional implementation, or cause the communication device to perform the method described in the second aspect and its optional implementation, or cause the communication device to perform the method described in the third aspect and its optional implementation.

[0151] According to the eleventh aspect of the present disclosure, a program product is provided, including at least one of a program and instructions. When the program and at least one of the instructions are executed by a communication device, the program implements the method described in the first aspect and the optional implementation of the first aspect, or implements the method described in the second aspect and the optional implementation of the second aspect, or implements the method described in the third aspect and the optional implementation of the third aspect.

[0152] According to a twelfth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer program is provided that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method as described in the first aspect and optional implementations thereof, or the method as described in the second aspect and optional implementations thereof, or the method as described in the third aspect and optional implementations thereof.

[0153] According to a thirteenth aspect of the present disclosure, a chip or chip system is provided. The chip or chip system includes processing circuitry configured to perform the methods described in the first aspect and its optional implementations, or the methods described in the second aspect and its optional implementations, or the methods described in the third aspect and its optional implementations.

[0154] It is understood that the aforementioned terminal devices, network devices, communication devices, communication systems, storage media, program products, etc., are all used to execute the methods proposed in the embodiments of this disclosure. Therefore, the beneficial effects they can achieve can be referred to the beneficial effects in the corresponding methods, and will not be repeated here.

[0155] This disclosure provides embodiments of communication methods, terminal devices, network devices, communication equipment, communication systems, storage media, and program products. In some embodiments, the terms "communication method" can be used interchangeably with "event processing method," "measurement reporting method," and "cell handover method," and the terms "communication equipment" can be used interchangeably with "event processing equipment," "measurement reporting equipment," and "cell handover equipment," and the terms "communication system" can be used interchangeably with "event processing system," "measurement reporting system," and "cell handover system."

[0156] This disclosure is not exhaustive, but merely illustrative of some embodiments, and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this disclosure. Unless otherwise specified, each step in a particular embodiment can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the steps can be arbitrarily combined. For example, a solution after removing some steps in a particular embodiment can also be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the order of the steps in a particular embodiment can be arbitrarily interchanged. Furthermore, the optional implementation methods in a particular embodiment can be arbitrarily combined; moreover, the embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, for example, some or all steps of different embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, and a particular embodiment can be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementation methods of other embodiments. In all embodiments of this disclosure, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terminology and / or descriptions between the embodiments are consistent and can be mutually referenced. Technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0157] The terminology used in the embodiments of this disclosure is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure.

[0158] In this embodiment of the disclosure, unless otherwise stated, elements expressed in the singular form, such as "a," "an," "the," "the," "the," "the," "the," "the," "this," etc., can mean "one and only one," or "one or more," "at least one," etc. For example, when using articles such as "a," "an," "the," etc. in translation, the noun following the article can be understood as either a singular expression or a plural expression.

[0159] In the embodiments disclosed herein, "multiple" refers to two or more.

[0160] In some embodiments, the terms “at least one of A or B, at least one of A and B”, “one or more”, “a plurality of”, “multiple”, etc., may be used interchangeably.

[0161] In some embodiments, the notation "at least one of A and B", "A and / or B", "A in one case, B in another", "in response to one case A, in response to another case B", etc., may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (execute A regardless of whether there is a branch B); in some embodiments, B (execute B regardless of whether there is a branch A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed); in some embodiments, both A and B are executed. The same applies when there are more branches such as A, B, C, etc.

[0162] In some embodiments, the notation "A or B" may include the following technical solutions, depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (execute A regardless of whether a branch B exists); in some embodiments, B (execute B regardless of whether a branch A exists); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed). The same applies when there are more branches such as A, B, and C.

[0163] The prefixes "first," "second," etc., used in the embodiments of this disclosure are merely for distinguishing different descriptive objects and do not impose restrictions on the position, order, priority, quantity, or content of the descriptive objects. The description of the descriptive objects is found in the claims or the context of the embodiments, and the use of prefixes should not constitute unnecessary restrictions. For example, if the descriptive object is a "field," the ordinal numbers preceding "field" in "first field" and "second field" do not restrict the position or order of the "fields." "First" and "second" do not restrict whether the "fields" they modify are in the same message, nor do they restrict the order of "first field" and "second field." Similarly, if the descriptive object is a "level," the ordinal numbers preceding "level" in "first level" and "second level" do not restrict the priority between "levels." Furthermore, the number of descriptive objects is not limited by ordinal numbers and can be one or more. For example, in "first device," the number of "devices" can be one or more. Furthermore, the objects modified by different prefixes can be the same or different. For example, if the object being described is "device", then "first device" and "second device" can be the same device or different devices, and their types can be the same or different. Similarly, if the object being described is "information", then "first information" and "second information" can be the same information or different information, and their content can be the same or different.

[0164] In some embodiments, “including A,” “containing A,” “for indicating A,” and “carrying A” can be interpreted as directly carrying A or indirectly indicating A.

[0165] In some embodiments, terms such as "time / frequency" and "time-frequency domain" refer to the time domain and / or frequency domain.

[0166] In some embodiments, terms such as “in response to…”, “in response to determining…”, “in the case of…”, “when…”, “when…”, “if…”, etc. can be used interchangeably. These descriptions all refer to the device making a corresponding action under certain objective circumstances. They do not necessarily limit the time, nor do they require the device to make a judgment action when implementing it, nor do they mean that there must be other limitations.

[0167] In some embodiments, the terms “greater than,” “greater than or equal to,” “not less than,” “more than,” “more than or equal to,” “not less than,” “higher than,” “higher than or equal to,” “not lower than,” and “above” can be used interchangeably, as can the terms “less than,” “less than or equal to,” “not greater than,” “less than,” “less than or equal to,” “not more than,” “lower than,” “lower than or equal to,” “not higher than,” and “below”.

[0168] In some embodiments, devices, etc., may be interpreted as physical or virtual, and their names are not limited to those described in the embodiments. Terms such as “device,” “equipment,” “circuit,” “network element,” “network function,” “network device,” “function,” “node,” “unit,” “section,” “system,” “network,” “chip,” “chip system,” “entity,” and “subject” are interchangeable.

[0169] In some embodiments, "network" can be interpreted as devices included in a network (e.g., access network devices, core network devices, etc.).

[0170] In some embodiments, the terms "access network device (AN device)," "radio access network device (RAN device)," "base station (BS)," "radio base station," "fixed station," "node," "access point," "transmission point (TP)," "reception point (RP)," "transmission / reception point (TRP)," "panel," "antenna panel," "antenna array," "cell," "macro cell," "small cell," "femto cell," "pico cell," "sector," "cell group," "serving cell," "carrier," "component carrier," and "bandwidth part (BWP)" can be used interchangeably.

[0171] In some embodiments, the terms "terminal", "terminal device", "user equipment (UE)", "user terminal", "mobile station (MS)", "mobile terminal (MT)", subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriberstation, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, and client can be used interchangeably.

[0172] In some embodiments, access network devices, core network devices, or network devices can be replaced with terminal devices. For example, embodiments of this disclosure can also be applied to structures where communication between access network devices, core network devices, or network devices and terminal devices is replaced with communication between multiple terminal devices (e.g., device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), etc.). In this case, the terminal devices can also be configured to have all or part of the functions of the access network devices. Furthermore, terms such as "uplink" and "downlink" can be replaced with terms corresponding to communication between terminal devices (e.g., "sidelink"). For example, uplink channel, downlink channel, etc., can be replaced with sidelink channel, and uplink link, downlink, etc., can be replaced with sidelink link.

[0173] In some embodiments, the terminal device may be replaced by an access network device, a core network device, or a network device. In this case, the access network device, core network device, or network device may also be configured to have all or some of the functions of the terminal device.

[0174] In some embodiments, the acquisition of data, information, etc., may comply with the laws and regulations of the country where the location is situated.

[0175] In some embodiments, data, information, etc., may be obtained with the user's consent.

[0176] Furthermore, each element, each row, or each column in the table of this disclosure can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and any combination of any element, any row, or any column can also be implemented as an independent embodiment.

[0177] Figure 1a This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system according to embodiments of this disclosure. Figure 1a As shown, the communication system 1100 includes a terminal device 1101 and a network device 1102.

[0178] In some embodiments, terminal device 1101 includes, for example, at least one of the following: mobile phone, wearable device, Internet of Things device, car with communication function, smart car, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver function, virtual reality (VR) terminal device, augmented reality (AR) terminal device, wireless terminal device in industrial control, wireless terminal device in self-driving, wireless terminal device in remote medical surgery, wireless terminal device in smart grid, wireless terminal device in transportation safety, wireless terminal device in smart city, and wireless terminal device in smart home, but is not limited thereto.

[0179] In some embodiments, network device 1102 may include at least one of access network device and core network device.

[0180] In some embodiments, the access network device is, for example, a node or device that connects a terminal device to a wireless network. The access network device may include at least one of the following in a 5G communication system: evolved Node B (eNB), next-generation eNB (ng-eNB), next-generation Node B (gNB), node B (NB), home node B (HNB), home evolved node B (HeNB), radio backhaul device, radio network controller (RNC), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), base band unit (BBU), mobile switching center, base station in a 6G communication system, open RAN, cloud RAN, base station in other communication systems, and access node in a Wi-Fi system, but is not limited thereto.

[0181] In some embodiments, the technical solutions of this disclosure can be applied to the Open RAN architecture. In this case, the interfaces between or within access network devices involved in the embodiments of this disclosure can be transformed into internal interfaces of Open RAN. The processes and information interactions between these internal interfaces can be implemented by software or programs.

[0182] In some embodiments, the access network device may be composed of a central unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU). The CU may also be called a control unit. The CU-DU structure can separate the protocol layer of the access network device. Some of the protocol layer functions are centrally controlled by the CU, while the remaining part or all of the protocol layer functions are distributed in the DU and centrally controlled by the CU. However, this is not the only possibility.

[0183] In some embodiments, the core network equipment may be a single device, including a first network element, a second network element, etc., or it may be multiple devices or a group of devices, each including all or part of the first network element, the second network element, etc. Network elements may be virtual or physical. The core network may include, for example, at least one of the Evolved Packet Core (EPC), 5G Core Network (5GCN), and Next Generation Core (NGC).

[0184] It is understood that the communication system described in this disclosure is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of this disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions proposed in this disclosure. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of system architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions proposed in this disclosure are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0185] The following embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to Figure 1a The communication system 1100 shown, or a part thereof, but not limited to it. Figure 1a The entities shown are illustrative; a communication system may include... Figure 1a All or part of the main body, or may include Figure 1a Other entities besides the main body, the number and form of each entity are arbitrary, each entity can be physical or virtual, the connection relationship between the entities is an example, the entities can be unconnected or connected, and the connection can be in any way, it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection, it can be a wired connection or a wireless connection.

[0186] The embodiments disclosed herein can be applied to Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LTE-Beyond (LTE-B), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4th generation mobile communication system (4G), 5th generation mobile communication system (5G), 5G new radio (NR), Future Radio Access (FRA), New-Radio Access Technology (RAT), New Radio (NR), New radio access (NX), Futuregeneration radio access (FX), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), CDMA2000, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), and IEEE 802.20, Ultra-Wideband (UWB), Bluetooth (a registered trademark), Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) networks, Device-to-Device (D2D) systems, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) systems, systems utilizing other communication methods, and next-generation systems built upon them, etc. Furthermore, multiple systems can be combined (e.g., a combination of LTE or LTE-A with 5G).

[0187] NTN is a technology introduced in 5G that uses satellites (or drones) instead of ground base stations to provide wireless resources and communication services to terminals on the ground. Compared to terrestrial cellular communication, satellite communication is not limited by geography and can cover areas that are difficult for general land-based communication to reach.

[0188] The communication process based on NTN technology can be found in [reference needed]. Figure 1b Examples.

[0189] Figure 1b This is a schematic diagram of an NTN communication provided in an embodiment of this disclosure, as shown below. Figure 1b As shown, it includes terminal equipment 201, satellite 202 and NTN ground station 203.

[0190] In some embodiments, the link between NTN ground station 203 and satellite 202 is a feeder link, which is mainly used to transmit signals from NTN ground station 203 to satellite 202.

[0191] In some embodiments, the link between the terminal device 201 and the satellite 202 is a service link, which is mainly used to transmit signals from the satellite 202 to the terminal device 201.

[0192] like Figure 1b As shown, satellite 202 can transmit signals by emitting beams towards Earth. To ensure coverage and improve the system capacity of the satellite communication system, satellite 202 can employ multi-beam coverage of the ground. The coverage area of ​​the multi-beam system can be referred to as the beam footprint. In some embodiments, different satellites can employ different beam shapes and coverage areas to meet the communication needs of different regions. The area of ​​the Earth's surface that satellite 202 can observe can be referred to as the field of view of satellite 202.

[0193] Depending on the satellite signal processing method, it can be divided into transparent transmission mode and regeneration mode. In transparent transmission mode, NTN ground station 203 sends the base station signal to satellite 202. Satellite 202 converts the signal to the satellite frequency band and then transmits it to terminal device 201 through the satellite frequency band. In this process, satellite 202 only performs frequency conversion and signal amplification; it does not demodulate the signal. In regeneration mode, satellite 202 functions as a base station. NTN ground station 203 sends the base station signal to satellite 202. Satellite 202 demodulates and decodes the signal, then re-encodes and modulates it (this process is regeneration), and transmits the regenerated signal to terminal device 201 through the satellite frequency band.

[0194] In some embodiments, the communication quality between the terminal device and the serving cell may be poor due to changes in the location of the terminal device or the location of the serving cell. In this case, the terminal device can send a measurement report to the network device according to the network device's configuration, or it can perform a conditional handover (CHO).

[0195] In some embodiments, for an NTN network, a terminal device may send a measurement report to a network device based on event D1 or event D2, wherein both event D1 and event D2 are events associated with location information.

[0196] In some embodiments, event D1 is: the distance between the terminal device and the reference location (referenceLocation1) of the serving cell is greater than or equal to the configured distance threshold (distanceThreshFromReference1), and the distance between the terminal device and the reference location (referenceLocation2) of the neighboring cell is less than or equal to the configured distance threshold (distanceThreshFromReference2).

[0197] In some embodiments, for event D1, both the serving cell and the neighboring cell belong to NTN terrestrial fixed cells.

[0198] In some embodiments, event D2 is: the distance between the mobile reference location of the terminal device and the serving cell is greater than or equal to a configured distance threshold (distanceThreshFromReference1), and the distance between the mobile reference locations of the terminal device and the neighboring cell is less than or equal to a configured distance threshold (distanceThreshFromReference2). The mobile reference location of the serving cell is determined based on the serving cell's reference location, its associated ephemeris information, and its reference time; the mobile reference location of the neighboring cell is determined based on its reference location, its associated ephemeris information, and its reference time.

[0199] In some embodiments, for event D1, both the serving cell and the neighboring cell belong to the NTN mobile cell.

[0200] Currently, Event D1 addresses a scenario where both the serving cell and neighboring cells are NTN fixed terrestrial cells, while Event D2 addresses a scenario where both the serving cell and neighboring cells are NTN mobile cells. In future 6G networks, NTN deployments may involve hybrid networking scenarios, meaning the NTN network may contain both NTN fixed terrestrial cells and NTN mobile cells. Based on this, this disclosure provides a communication method to enable measurement report reporting by terminal devices in hybrid networking environments.

[0201] See Figure 2a , Figure 2a This is an exemplary interaction diagram of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of this disclosure. For example... Figure 2a As shown, the communication method includes the following steps:

[0202] In step S2101, the terminal device sends a measurement report to the network device based on the event; wherein the event is an event associated with the following information: the location information of the serving cell, and / or the location information of the neighboring cells; the serving cell belongs to the NTN mobile cell, and the neighboring cells belong to the NTN terrestrial fixed cell.

[0203] In some embodiments, both the serving cell and the neighboring cell belong to the NTN cell category, which is relative to the TN cell category. The location of the TN cell is almost constant, while the location of the NTN cell can change.

[0204] In some embodiments, the serving cell belongs to an NTN mobile cell, wherein the serving cell is either the cell currently providing communication services to the terminal device or the cell currently establishing a connection with the terminal device.

[0205] In some embodiments, an NTN mobile cell may be, for example, an earth-moving cell. In some embodiments, an NTN mobile cell may be referred to as a ground mobile cell, an NTN ground mobile cell, etc.

[0206] In some embodiments, the neighboring cell belongs to the NTN ground fixed cell.

[0207] In some embodiments, NTN terrestrial fixed cells may include, for example, earth-fixed cells and / or quasi-earth fixed cells. In some embodiments, NTN terrestrial fixed cells may also be referred to as NTN fixed cells, terrestrial fixed cells, etc.

[0208] In some embodiments, the terminal device may send a measurement report to the network device based on the event, wherein the event is an event associated with the location information of the serving cell and / or the location information of neighboring cells.

[0209] In some embodiments, the names of information, etc., are not limited to the names described in the embodiments. Terms such as "information", "message", "signal", "signaling", "report", "configuration", "indication", "instruction", "command", "channel", "parameter", "domain", "field", "symbol", "symbol", "codebook", "codeword", "codepoint", "bit", "data", "program", and "chip" can be used interchangeably.

[0210] In some embodiments, the location information of the serving cell is information related to the location of the serving cell. For example, the location information of the serving cell may include the location of the serving cell, including information indicating the location of the serving cell, the distance between the serving cell and a reference point, etc.

[0211] In some embodiments, the location information of the serving cell includes at least one of the following 1.1 to 1.5:

[0212] 1.1 First reference position.

[0213] The first reference location is the reference location of the serving cell, and it is used by the terminal device to calculate the distance between the terminal device and the serving cell. In some embodiments, the first reference location may be configured by the network device.

[0214] In some embodiments, the first reference location may be a location within the coverage area of ​​the serving cell, such as the center of the coverage area of ​​the serving cell, or any location within the coverage area of ​​the serving cell.

[0215] In some embodiments, the network device may select a location within the coverage area of ​​the serving cell as the first reference location of the serving cell.

[0216] In some embodiments, after configuring a first reference location, the network device may send configuration information to the terminal device, the configuration information including the first reference location.

[0217] 1.2 Reference time of the first reference position.

[0218] The reference time of the first reference position refers to the moment when the first reference position is determined, that is, the moment when the network device determines the first reference position.

[0219] In some embodiments, the network device may determine the reference time of the first reference location and send configuration information to the terminal device, wherein the configuration information includes the reference time of the first reference location.

[0220] In some embodiments, if the serving cell is an NTN mobile cell, the actual location of the serving cell may change over time.

[0221] For example, the network device determines the first reference position of the serving cell as L1 at time t1, where time t1 is the reference time of the first reference position L1. The terminal device can use the first reference position L1 as the position of the serving cell at time t1. Since the serving cell is an NTN mobile cell, its actual position changes over time. If the current time is t2, because the position of the serving cell has changed, the terminal device needs to determine the position of the serving cell at time t2 based on the first reference position L1, the reference time t1 of the first reference position, and the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell.

[0222] 1.3. Ephemeris information associated with the service community.

[0223] In some embodiments, the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell may include, for example, satellite movement speed, satellite orbit information, ephemeris reference time, eccentricity, etc., associated with the serving cell. In some embodiments, the network device may send the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell to the terminal device, and the terminal device may determine the current second reference position of the serving cell based on the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell, the first reference position, and the reference time of the first reference position.

[0224] 1.4 The distance between the terminal device and the first reference position.

[0225] In some embodiments, the terminal device can obtain its current location. For example, the terminal device can obtain its location based on a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), or it can obtain its location through other possible means.

[0226] Since the first reference position is known, after the terminal device determines its position and the first reference position, the distance between the terminal device and the first reference position can be determined based on the terminal device's position and the first reference position.

[0227] In some embodiments, if the serving cell is an NTN terrestrial fixed cell, the terminal device can use the first reference location as the location of the serving cell, and correspondingly, the distance between the terminal device and the first reference location can be used as the first distance between the terminal device and the serving cell.

[0228] In some embodiments, if the serving cell is an NTN mobile cell, the location of the serving cell is dynamically changing. It is necessary to combine the reference time of the first reference location with the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell to determine the current actual location of the serving cell, and then combine the location of the terminal device with the current actual location of the serving cell to determine the first distance between the terminal device and the serving cell.

[0229] 1.5 The distance between the terminal device and the second reference position.

[0230] In some embodiments, the terminal device can obtain its current location. For example, the terminal device can obtain its location based on GNSS, or it can obtain its location through other possible methods.

[0231] In some embodiments, the serving cell is an NTN mobile cell, and the second reference location is the current actual location of the serving cell.

[0232] In some embodiments, the distance between the terminal device and the second reference location is determined based on the first reference location, the reference time of the first reference location, and the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell. For example, the terminal device can determine the second reference location based on the first reference location, the reference time of the first reference location, and the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell. Then, the terminal device determines the distance between the terminal device and the second reference location based on the second reference location and the location of the terminal device.

[0233] In the above embodiments, the location information of the serving cell was introduced. The location information of the neighboring cells will be introduced below.

[0234] In some embodiments, the location information of neighboring cells is information related to the location of neighboring cells. For example, the location information of neighboring cells may include the location of the neighboring cells, including information indicating the location of the neighboring cells, the distance between the neighboring cells and a reference point, etc.

[0235] In some embodiments, the location information of neighboring cells includes at least one of the following 2.1 to 2.5:

[0236] 2.1 Third reference position.

[0237] The third reference location is the reference location of neighboring cells, which is used by the terminal device to calculate the distance between the terminal device and neighboring cells. In some embodiments, the third reference location may be configured by the network device.

[0238] In some embodiments, the third reference location may be a location within the coverage area of ​​a neighboring cell, such as the center of the coverage area of ​​the neighboring cell, or any location within the coverage area of ​​the neighboring cell.

[0239] In some embodiments, the network device may select a location within the coverage area of ​​a neighboring cell as a third reference location for the neighboring cell.

[0240] In some embodiments, after configuring a third reference location, the network device may send configuration information to the terminal device, the configuration information including the third reference location.

[0241] 2.2 Reference time for the third reference position.

[0242] The reference time of the third reference position refers to the moment when the third reference position is determined, that is, when the network device determines the third reference position.

[0243] In some embodiments, the network device may determine the reference time of the third reference location and send configuration information to the terminal device, the configuration information including the reference time of the third reference location.

[0244] In some embodiments, if the neighboring cell is an NTN mobile cell, the actual location of the neighboring cell may change over time.

[0245] For example, the network device determines the third reference position of the neighboring cell as L3 at time t3, where time t3 is the reference time of the third reference position L3. The terminal device can use the third reference position L3 as the position of the neighboring cell at time t3. If the neighboring cell is an NTN mobile cell, its actual position will change over time. If the current time is t4, since the position of the neighboring cell has changed, the terminal device needs to determine the position of the neighboring cell at time t4 based on the third reference position L3, the reference time t3 of the third reference position, and the ephemeris information associated with the neighboring cell.

[0246] 2.3 Ephemeris information associated with neighboring cells.

[0247] In some embodiments, the ephemeris information associated with neighboring cells may include, for example, the satellite's moving speed, satellite orbit information, ephemeris reference time, eccentricity, etc., associated with the neighboring cells. In some embodiments, the network device may send the ephemeris information associated with neighboring cells to the terminal device, and the terminal device may determine the current fourth reference position of the neighboring cells based on the ephemeris information associated with neighboring cells, the third reference position, and the reference time of the third reference position.

[0248] 2.4 Distance between the terminal device and the third reference position.

[0249] In some embodiments, the terminal device can obtain its current location. For example, the terminal device can obtain its location based on GNSS, or it can obtain its location through other possible methods.

[0250] Since the third reference position is known, once the terminal device determines its own position and the third reference position, the distance between the terminal device and the third reference position can be determined based on these two positions.

[0251] In some embodiments, if the neighboring cell is an NTN terrestrial fixed cell, the terminal device can use the third reference position as the location of the neighboring cell, and correspondingly, the distance between the terminal device and the third reference position can be used as the second distance between the terminal device and the neighboring cell.

[0252] In some embodiments, if the neighboring cell is an NTN mobile cell, the location of the neighboring cell is dynamically changing. It is necessary to combine the reference time of the third reference location with the ephemeris information associated with the neighboring cell to determine the current actual location of the neighboring cell, and then combine the location of the terminal device with the current actual location of the neighboring cell to determine the second distance between the terminal device and the neighboring cell.

[0253] 2.5 The distance between the terminal device and the fourth reference position.

[0254] In some embodiments, the terminal device can obtain its current location. For example, the terminal device can obtain its location based on GNSS, or it can obtain its location through other possible methods.

[0255] In some embodiments, the neighboring cell is an NTN mobile cell, and the fourth reference location is the current actual location of the neighboring cell.

[0256] In some embodiments, the distance between the terminal device and the fourth reference location is determined based on the third reference location, the reference time of the third reference location, and ephemeris information associated with neighboring cells. For example, the terminal device can determine the fourth reference location based on the third reference location, the reference time of the third reference location, and ephemeris information associated with neighboring cells. Then, the terminal device determines the distance between the terminal device and the fourth reference location based on the fourth reference location and the terminal device's own location.

[0257] In the above embodiments, the location information of the serving cell and the location information of neighboring cells were introduced. The events associated with the location information of the serving cell and / or the location information of neighboring cells will be introduced below.

[0258] In some embodiments, the serving cell belongs to an NTN mobile cell and the neighboring cell belongs to an NTN terrestrial fixed cell. The event is as follows:

[0259] The first distance between the terminal device and the serving cell is greater than or equal to a first distance threshold, and the second distance between the terminal device and the neighboring cell is less than or equal to a second distance threshold;

[0260] The first distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device, the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell, the first reference location of the serving cell, and the reference time of the first reference location; the second distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device and the third reference location of the neighboring cell.

[0261] In some embodiments, the terminal device may determine a first distance between the terminal device and the serving cell based on the location of the terminal device, the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell, the first reference location of the serving cell, and the reference time of the first reference location, and compare the first distance with a first distance threshold to determine whether the first distance is greater than or equal to the first distance threshold.

[0262] In some embodiments, the first distance threshold may be predefined or configured by the network device.

[0263] In some embodiments, the terminal device may determine a second distance between the terminal device and a neighboring cell based on the location of the terminal device and a third reference location of the neighboring cell, and compare the second distance with a second distance threshold to determine whether the second distance is less than or equal to the second distance threshold.

[0264] In some embodiments, the second distance threshold may be predefined or configured by the network device.

[0265] In some embodiments, if the first distance is greater than or equal to a first distance threshold and the second distance is less than or equal to a second distance threshold, the event is determined to be triggered, and the terminal device sends a measurement report to the network device.

[0266] In some embodiments, if the first distance is less than a first distance threshold and / or the second distance is greater than a second distance threshold, it is determined that the event has not been triggered, and the terminal device does not send a measurement report to the network device.

[0267] In some embodiments, the entry conditions for the event include: the difference between a first distance and a distance hysteresis factor is greater than or equal to a first distance threshold, and the sum of a second distance and a distance hysteresis factor is less than or equal to a second distance threshold. These entry conditions can also be referred to as the triggering conditions, meaning the conditions that trigger the event. That is, if the entry conditions are met, the event is triggered. Upon triggering the event, the terminal device sends a measurement report to the network device.

[0268] In some embodiments, the conditions for the occurrence of the event can be found in the following equations (1) and (2):

[0269] Ms1-H1≥Thresh1 (1)

[0270] Ms2+H1≤Thresh2 (2)

[0271] Where Ms1 is the first distance, H1 is the distance hysteresis factor, Thresh1 is the first distance threshold; Ms2 is the second distance, and Thresh2 is the second distance threshold.

[0272] In some embodiments, the departure conditions for the event include: the sum of a first distance and a distance hysteresis factor is less than or equal to a first distance threshold, and the difference between a second distance and a distance hysteresis factor is greater than or equal to a second distance threshold. These departure conditions can also be referred to as the cancellation or revocation conditions. That is, if the departure conditions are met, the event is cancelled. In the case of cancellation, the terminal device does not send a measurement report to the network device.

[0273] In some embodiments, the exit condition of the event can be found in the following equations (3) and (4):

[0274] Ms1+H1≤Thresh1 (3)

[0275] Ms2-H1≥Thresh2 (4)

[0276] Where Ms1 is the first distance, H1 is the distance hysteresis factor, Thresh1 is the first distance threshold; Ms2 is the second distance, and Thresh2 is the second distance threshold.

[0277] In some embodiments, the serving cell belongs to an NTN cell (e.g., an NTN mobile cell or an NTN terrestrial fixed cell), and the neighboring cell belongs to an NTN cell (e.g., an NTN mobile cell or an NTN terrestrial fixed cell). The event is: the difference between the first distance and the second distance is greater than or equal to the distance offset value; wherein, the first distance is the distance between the terminal device and the serving cell, and the second distance is the distance between the terminal device and the neighboring cell.

[0278] The method by which the terminal device calculates the first distance can be found in the relevant descriptions in 1.1 to 1.5 of the above embodiments, and the method by which the terminal device calculates the second distance can be found in the relevant descriptions in 2.1 to 2.5 of the above embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0279] In some embodiments, if the difference between the first distance and the second distance is greater than or equal to the distance offset value, the event is determined to be triggered, and the terminal device sends a measurement report to the network device.

[0280] In some embodiments, if the difference between the first distance and the second distance is less than the distance offset value, it is determined that the event has not been triggered, and the terminal device does not send a measurement report to the network device.

[0281] In some embodiments, the network device can configure relevant measurement parameters for the terminal device to instruct the terminal device how to measure neighboring cells and report the measurement results.

[0282] For example, a network device can send a radio resource control (RRC) message to a terminal device. The RRC message includes relevant measurement parameters, which may specifically include:

[0283] Measurement Objects: Specifically, measurement objects may include cell frequency bands (i.e., the frequency band used by the cell that the terminal equipment needs to measure), synchronization signal block (SSB) frequencies (SSBs are key signals used for synchronization and cell identification; the SSB frequency determines how the terminal equipment receives these signals), subcarrier spacing, and other parameters. The measurement objects indicate the time-frequency domain location and subcarrier spacing of the reference signal that the terminal equipment needs to measure.

[0284] Report configuration: Defines how terminal devices report measurement results, such as event-triggered reporting, periodic reporting, cell global identity (CGI) or system frame number and frame timing difference (SFTD) reporting, etc.

[0285] Measurement label: Used to identify different measurement tasks.

[0286] Quantity configuration: Used to configure parameters such as signal strength that need to be measured.

[0287] Measurement gap configuration: Used to configure the time gap during the measurement process, for measurement within a specific time period.

[0288] In some embodiments, the steps and their optional implementations in other embodiments described before or after this embodiment, as well as other related parts in the specification, can be referred to, and will not be repeated here.

[0289] See Figure 2b , Figure 2b This is an exemplary interaction diagram two of the communication method provided according to embodiments of this disclosure. For example... Figure 2b As shown, the communication method includes the following steps:

[0290] Step S2201: The terminal device sends a measurement report to the network device based on the event; wherein the event is an event associated with the following information: the location information of the serving cell, and / or the location information of the neighboring cells; the serving cell belongs to the NTN terrestrial fixed cell, and the neighboring cells belong to the NTN mobile cell.

[0291] In some embodiments, both the serving cell and the neighboring cell belong to the NTN cell category, which is relative to the TN cell category. The location of the TN cell is almost constant, while the location of the NTN cell can change.

[0292] In some embodiments, the serving cell belongs to an NTN terrestrial fixed cell, wherein the serving cell is the cell currently providing communication services to the terminal device, or the cell currently establishing a connection with the terminal device.

[0293] In some embodiments, NTN ground fixed cells may include, for example, earth-fixed cells and / or quasi-earth fixed cells.

[0294] In some embodiments, the neighboring cell belongs to the NTN mobile cell.

[0295] In some embodiments, the NTN mobile cell may be, for example, an earth-moving cell.

[0296] In some embodiments, the terminal device may send a measurement report to the network device based on the event, wherein the event is an event associated with the location information of the serving cell and / or the location information of neighboring cells.

[0297] In some embodiments, the location information of the serving cell can be found in [reference needed]. Figure 2aThe relevant descriptions of steps 1.1 to 1.5 in S2101 will not be repeated here.

[0298] In some embodiments, the location information of neighboring cells can be found in [reference needed]. Figure 2a The relevant descriptions of steps 2.1 to 2.5 in S2101 will not be repeated here.

[0299] The following section describes events associated with the location information of the serving cell and / or the location information of neighboring cells.

[0300] In some embodiments, the serving cell belongs to an NTN fixed terrestrial cell, and the neighboring cell belongs to an NTN mobile cell. This event is:

[0301] The first distance between the terminal device and the serving cell is greater than or equal to a first distance threshold, and the second distance between the terminal device and the neighboring cell is less than or equal to a second distance threshold;

[0302] The first distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device and the first reference location of the serving cell; the second distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device, the ephemeris information associated with neighboring cells, the third reference location of neighboring cells, and the reference time of the third reference location.

[0303] In some embodiments, the terminal device may determine a first distance between the terminal device and the serving cell based on the location of the terminal device and a first reference location of the serving cell, and compare the first distance with a first distance threshold to determine whether the first distance is greater than or equal to the first distance threshold.

[0304] In some embodiments, the first distance threshold may be predefined or configured by the network device.

[0305] In some embodiments, the terminal device may determine a second distance between the terminal device and the neighboring cell based on the terminal device's location, the ephemeris information associated with the neighboring cell, the third reference location of the neighboring cell, and the reference time of the third reference location, and compare the second distance with a second distance threshold to determine whether the second distance is less than or equal to the second distance threshold.

[0306] In some embodiments, the second distance threshold may be predefined or configured by the network device.

[0307] In some embodiments, if the first distance is greater than or equal to a first distance threshold and the second distance is less than or equal to a second distance threshold, the event is determined to be triggered, and the terminal device sends a measurement report to the network device.

[0308] In some embodiments, if the first distance is less than a first distance threshold and / or the second distance is greater than a second distance threshold, it is determined that the event has not been triggered, and the terminal device does not send a measurement report to the network device.

[0309] In some embodiments, the entry conditions for the event include: the difference between a first distance and a distance hysteresis factor is greater than or equal to a first distance threshold, and the sum of a second distance and a distance hysteresis factor is less than or equal to a second distance threshold. These entry conditions can also be referred to as the triggering conditions, meaning the conditions that trigger the event. That is, if the entry conditions are met, the event is triggered. Upon triggering the event, the terminal device sends a measurement report to the network device.

[0310] In some embodiments, the conditions for the event to occur may refer to Figure 2a Equations (1) and (2) in step S2101.

[0311] In some embodiments, the departure conditions for the event include: the sum of a first distance and a distance hysteresis factor is less than or equal to a first distance threshold, and the difference between a second distance and a distance hysteresis factor is greater than or equal to a second distance threshold. These departure conditions can also be referred to as the cancellation or revocation conditions. That is, if the departure conditions are met, the event is cancelled. In the case of cancellation, the terminal device does not send a measurement report to the network device.

[0312] In some embodiments, the exit conditions for this event can be found in [reference needed]. Figure 2a Equations (3) and (4) in step S2101.

[0313] In some embodiments, the serving cell belongs to an NTN cell (e.g., an NTN mobile cell or an NTN terrestrial fixed cell), and the neighboring cell belongs to an NTN cell (e.g., an NTN mobile cell or an NTN terrestrial fixed cell). The event is: the difference between the first distance and the second distance is greater than or equal to the distance offset value; wherein, the first distance is the distance between the terminal device and the serving cell, and the second distance is the distance between the terminal device and the neighboring cell.

[0314] The method by which the terminal device calculates the first distance can be found in the relevant descriptions in 1.1 to 1.5 of the above embodiments, and the method by which the terminal device calculates the second distance can be found in the relevant descriptions in 2.1 to 2.5 of the above embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0315] In some embodiments, if the difference between the first distance and the second distance is greater than or equal to the distance offset value, the event is determined to be triggered, and the terminal device sends a measurement report to the network device.

[0316] In some embodiments, if the difference between the first distance and the second distance is less than the distance offset value, it is determined that the event has not been triggered, and the terminal device does not send a measurement report to the network device.

[0317] In some embodiments, the steps and their optional implementations in other embodiments described before or after this embodiment, as well as other related parts in the specification, can be referred to, and will not be repeated here.

[0318] See Figure 3 , Figure 3 This is an exemplary interaction diagram of the communication method provided according to embodiments of this disclosure. Figure 3 .like Figure 3 As shown, the communication method includes the following steps:

[0319] In step S3101, the terminal sends a measurement report to the network device based on the event; wherein the event is an event associated with the following information: the location information of the serving cell, and / or the location information of the neighboring cells.

[0320] In some embodiments, both the serving cell and the neighboring cell belong to the NTN cell category, which is relative to the TN cell category. The location of the TN cell is almost constant, while the location of the NTN cell can change.

[0321] In some embodiments, the serving cell belongs to an NTN mobile cell, and the neighboring cells belong to an NTN terrestrial fixed cell. The serving cell is either the cell currently providing communication services to the terminal device, or the cell currently establishing a connection with the terminal device.

[0322] In some embodiments, the serving cell belongs to the NTN fixed terrestrial cell and the neighboring cell belongs to the NTN mobile cell.

[0323] In some embodiments, the NTN mobile cell may be, for example, an earth-moving cell.

[0324] In some embodiments, NTN ground fixed cells may include, for example, earth-fixed cells and / or quasi-earth fixed cells.

[0325] In some embodiments, the terminal device may send a measurement report to the network device based on the event, wherein the event is an event associated with the location information of the serving cell and / or the location information of neighboring cells.

[0326] In some embodiments, the location information of the serving cell is information related to the location of the serving cell. For example, the location information of the serving cell may include the location of the serving cell, including information indicating the location of the serving cell, the distance between the serving cell and a reference point, etc.

[0327] In some embodiments, the location information of neighboring cells is information related to the location of neighboring cells. For example, the location information of neighboring cells may include the location of the neighboring cells, including information indicating the location of the neighboring cells, the distance between the neighboring cells and a reference point, etc.

[0328] In some embodiments, the steps and their optional implementations in other embodiments described before or after this embodiment, as well as other related parts in the specification, can be referred to, and will not be repeated here.

[0329] In some embodiments, for an NTN network, a terminal device may switch to a candidate cell based on conditional event D1 or conditional event D2, wherein both conditional event D1 and conditional event D2 are events associated with location information.

[0330] In some embodiments, conditional event D1 is: the distance between the terminal device and the reference location (referenceLocation1) of the serving cell is greater than or equal to the configured distance threshold (distanceThreshFromReference1), and the distance between the terminal device and the reference location (referenceLocation2) of the neighboring cell is less than or equal to the configured distance threshold (distanceThreshFromReference2).

[0331] In some embodiments, for conditional event D1, both the serving cell and the neighboring cell belong to NTN terrestrial fixed cells.

[0332] In some embodiments, conditional event D2 is: the distance between the mobile reference location of the terminal device and the serving cell is greater than or equal to the configured distance threshold (distanceThreshFromReference1), and the distance between the mobile reference location of the terminal device and the neighboring cell is less than or equal to the configured distance threshold (distanceThreshFromReference2). The mobile reference location of the serving cell is determined based on the serving cell's reference location, the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell, and the reference time of that reference location; the mobile reference location of the neighboring cell is determined based on the neighboring cell's reference location, the ephemeris information associated with the neighboring cell, and the reference time of that reference location.

[0333] In some embodiments, for condition event D1, both the serving cell and the neighboring cell belong to the NTN mobile cell.

[0334] Currently, condition event D1 applies to scenarios where both the serving cell and neighboring cells are NTN fixed terrestrial cells, while condition event D2 applies to scenarios where both the serving cell and neighboring cells are NTN mobile cells. In future 6G networks, NTN deployments may involve hybrid networking scenarios, meaning that the NTN network contains both NTN fixed terrestrial cells and NTN mobile cells. Based on this, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication method to achieve cell handover for terminal devices in hybrid networking environments.

[0335] See Figure 4a , Figure 4a This is an exemplary schematic diagram of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of this disclosure. For example... Figure 4a As shown, the communication method includes the following steps:

[0336] In step S4101, the terminal device switches to the candidate cell according to the event; wherein the event is an event associated with the following information: the location information of the serving cell, and / or the location information of the candidate cell; the serving cell belongs to the NTN mobile cell, and the candidate cell belongs to the NTN terrestrial fixed cell.

[0337] In some embodiments, both the serving cell and the candidate cell belong to NTN cells, which are relative to TN cells. The location of TN cells is almost constant, while the location of NTN cells can change.

[0338] In some embodiments, the serving cell belongs to an NTN mobile cell, wherein the serving cell is either the cell currently providing communication services to the terminal device or the cell currently establishing a connection with the terminal device.

[0339] In some embodiments, the NTN mobile cell may be, for example, an earth-moving cell.

[0340] In some embodiments, the candidate cell belongs to the NTN terrestrial fixed cell.

[0341] In some embodiments, NTN ground fixed cells may include, for example, earth-fixed cells and / or quasi-earth fixed cells.

[0342] In some embodiments, the terminal device may switch to a candidate cell based on the event, wherein the event is an event associated with the location information of the serving cell and / or the location information of the candidate cell.

[0343] In some embodiments, the location information of the serving cell is information related to the location of the serving cell. For example, the location information of the serving cell may include the location of the serving cell, including information indicating the location of the serving cell, the distance between the serving cell and a reference point, etc.

[0344] In some embodiments, the location information of the serving cell includes at least one of the following 3.1 to 3.5:

[0345] 3.1 First reference position.

[0346] The first reference location is the reference location of the serving cell, and it is used by the terminal device to calculate the distance between the terminal device and the serving cell. In some embodiments, the first reference location may be configured by the network device.

[0347] In some embodiments, the first reference location may be a location within the coverage area of ​​the serving cell, such as the center of the coverage area of ​​the serving cell, or any location within the coverage area of ​​the serving cell.

[0348] In some embodiments, the network device may select a location within the coverage area of ​​the serving cell as the first reference location of the serving cell.

[0349] In some embodiments, after configuring a first reference location, the network device may send configuration information to the terminal device, the configuration information including the first reference location.

[0350] 3.2 Reference time for the first reference position.

[0351] The reference time of the first reference position refers to the moment when the first reference position is determined, that is, the moment when the network device determines the first reference position.

[0352] In some embodiments, the network device may determine the reference time of the first reference location and send configuration information to the terminal device, wherein the configuration information includes the reference time of the first reference location.

[0353] In some embodiments, if the serving cell is an NTN mobile cell, the actual location of the serving cell may change over time.

[0354] For example, the network device determines the first reference position of the serving cell as L1 at time t1, where time t1 is the reference time of the first reference position L1. The terminal device can use the first reference position L1 as the position of the serving cell at time t1. Since the serving cell is an NTN mobile cell, its actual position has changed over time. If the current time is t2, because the position of the serving cell has changed, the terminal device needs to determine the position of the serving cell at time t2 based on the first reference position L1, the reference time t1 of the first reference position, and the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell.

[0355] 3.3. Ephemeris information associated with the service community.

[0356] In some embodiments, the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell may include, for example, satellite movement speed, satellite orbit information, ephemeris reference time, eccentricity, etc., associated with the serving cell. In some embodiments, the network device may send the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell to the terminal device, and the terminal device may determine the current second reference position of the serving cell based on the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell, the first reference position, and the reference time of the first reference position.

[0357] 3.4 The distance between the terminal device and the first reference position.

[0358] In some embodiments, the terminal device can obtain its current location. For example, the terminal device can obtain its location based on GNSS, or it can obtain its location through other possible methods.

[0359] Since the first reference position is known, after the terminal device determines its position and the first reference position, the distance between the terminal device and the first reference position can be determined based on the terminal device's position and the first reference position.

[0360] In some embodiments, if the serving cell is an NTN terrestrial fixed cell, the terminal device can use the first reference location as the location of the serving cell, and correspondingly, the distance between the terminal device and the first reference location can be used as the first distance between the terminal device and the serving cell.

[0361] In some embodiments, if the serving cell is an NTN mobile cell, the location of the serving cell is dynamically changing. It is necessary to combine the reference time of the first reference location with the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell to determine the current actual location of the serving cell, and then combine the location of the terminal device with the current actual location of the serving cell to determine the first distance between the terminal device and the serving cell.

[0362] 3.5 The distance between the terminal device and the second reference position.

[0363] In some embodiments, the terminal device can obtain its current location. For example, the terminal device can obtain its location based on GNSS, or it can obtain its location through other possible methods.

[0364] In some embodiments, the serving cell is an NTN mobile cell, and the second reference location is the current actual location of the serving cell.

[0365] In some embodiments, the distance between the terminal device and the second reference location is determined based on the first reference location, the reference time of the first reference location, and the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell. For example, the terminal device can determine the second reference location based on the first reference location, the reference time of the first reference location, and the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell. Then, the terminal device determines the distance between the terminal device and the second reference location based on the second reference location and the location of the terminal device.

[0366] In the above embodiments, the location information of the serving cell was introduced. The location information of the candidate cell will be introduced below.

[0367] In some embodiments, the location information of a candidate cell is information related to the location of the candidate cell. For example, the location information of a candidate cell may include the location of the candidate cell, including information indicating the location of the candidate cell, the distance between the candidate cell and a reference point, etc.

[0368] In some embodiments, the location information of the candidate cell includes at least one of the following 4.1 to 4.5:

[0369] 4.1 Third reference position.

[0370] The third reference location is the reference location of the candidate cell, which is used by the terminal device to calculate the distance between the terminal device and the candidate cell. In some embodiments, the third reference location may be configured by the network device.

[0371] In some embodiments, the third reference location may be a location within the coverage area of ​​the candidate cell, such as the center of the coverage area of ​​the candidate cell, or any location within the coverage area of ​​the candidate cell.

[0372] In some embodiments, the network device may select a location within the coverage area of ​​a candidate cell as a third reference location for the candidate cell.

[0373] In some embodiments, after configuring a third reference location, the network device may send configuration information to the terminal device, the configuration information including the third reference location.

[0374] 4.2 Reference time for the third reference position.

[0375] The reference time of the third reference position refers to the moment when the third reference position is determined, that is, when the network device determines the third reference position.

[0376] In some embodiments, the network device may determine the reference time of the third reference location and send configuration information to the terminal device, the configuration information including the reference time of the third reference location.

[0377] In some embodiments, if the candidate cell is an NTN mobile cell, the actual location of the candidate cell may change over time.

[0378] For example, the network device determines the third reference position of the candidate cell as L3 at time t3, where time t3 is the reference time of the third reference position L3. The terminal device can use the third reference position L3 as the position of the candidate cell at time t3. If the candidate cell is an NTN mobile cell, its actual position will change over time. If the current time is t4, since the position of the candidate cell has changed, the terminal device needs to determine the position of the candidate cell at time t4 based on the third reference position L3, the reference time t3 of the third reference position, and the ephemeris information associated with the candidate cell.

[0379] 4.3 Ephemeris information associated with candidate cells.

[0380] In some embodiments, the ephemeris information associated with the candidate cell may include, for example, the satellite's moving speed, satellite orbit information, ephemeris reference time, eccentricity, etc., associated with the candidate cell. In some embodiments, the network device may send the ephemeris information associated with the candidate cell to the terminal device, and the terminal device may determine the current fourth reference position of the candidate cell based on the ephemeris information associated with the candidate cell, the third reference position, and the reference time of the third reference position.

[0381] 4.4 Distance between the terminal device and the third reference position.

[0382] In some embodiments, the terminal device can obtain its current location. For example, the terminal device can obtain its location based on GNSS, or it can obtain its location through other possible methods.

[0383] Since the third reference position is known, once the terminal device determines its own position and the third reference position, the distance between the terminal device and the third reference position can be determined based on these two positions.

[0384] In some embodiments, if the candidate cell is an NTN terrestrial fixed cell, the terminal device can use the third reference position as the position of the candidate cell, and correspondingly, the distance between the terminal device and the third reference position can be used as the second distance between the terminal device and the candidate cell.

[0385] In some embodiments, if the candidate cell is an NTN mobile cell, the position of the candidate cell is dynamically changing. It is necessary to combine the reference time of the third reference position with the ephemeris information associated with the candidate cell to determine the current actual position of the candidate cell, and then combine the position of the terminal device and the current actual position of the candidate cell to determine the second distance between the terminal device and the candidate cell.

[0386] 4.5 Distance between the terminal device and the fourth reference position.

[0387] In some embodiments, the terminal device can obtain its current location. For example, the terminal device can obtain its location based on GNSS, or it can obtain its location through other possible methods.

[0388] In some embodiments, the candidate cell is an NTN mobile cell, and the fourth reference location is the current actual location of the candidate cell.

[0389] In some embodiments, the distance between the terminal device and the fourth reference location is determined based on the third reference location, the reference time of the third reference location, and the ephemeris information associated with the candidate cell. For example, the terminal device can determine the fourth reference location based on the third reference location, the reference time of the third reference location, and the ephemeris information associated with the candidate cell. Then, the terminal device determines the distance between the terminal device and the fourth reference location based on the fourth reference location and the location of the terminal device.

[0390] In the above embodiments, the location information of the serving cell and the location information of the candidate cell were introduced. The events associated with the location information of the serving cell and / or the location information of the candidate cell will be introduced below.

[0391] In some embodiments, the serving cell belongs to an NTN mobile cell and the candidate cell belongs to an NTN terrestrial fixed cell. This event is:

[0392] The first distance between the terminal device and the serving cell is greater than or equal to a first distance threshold, and the second distance between the terminal device and the candidate cell is less than or equal to a second distance threshold;

[0393] The first distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device, the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell, the first reference location of the serving cell, and the reference time of the first reference location; the second distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device and the third reference location of the candidate cell.

[0394] In some embodiments, the terminal device may determine a first distance between the terminal device and the serving cell based on the location of the terminal device, the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell, the first reference location of the serving cell, and the reference time of the first reference location, and compare the first distance with a first distance threshold to determine whether the first distance is greater than or equal to the first distance threshold.

[0395] In some embodiments, the first distance threshold may be predefined or configured by the network device.

[0396] In some embodiments, the terminal device may determine a second distance between the terminal device and the candidate cell based on the location of the terminal device and a third reference location of the candidate cell, and compare the second distance with a second distance threshold to determine whether the second distance is less than or equal to the second distance threshold.

[0397] In some embodiments, the second distance threshold may be predefined or configured by the network device.

[0398] In some embodiments, if the first distance is greater than or equal to a first distance threshold and the second distance is less than or equal to a second distance threshold, then the event is determined to be triggered and the terminal device switches to the candidate cell.

[0399] In some embodiments, if the first distance is less than a first distance threshold and / or the second distance is greater than a second distance threshold, it is determined that the event has not been triggered, and the terminal device does not switch to the candidate cell.

[0400] In some embodiments, the entry conditions for the event include: the difference between a first distance and a distance hysteresis factor is greater than or equal to a first distance threshold, and the sum of a second distance and a distance hysteresis factor is less than or equal to a second distance threshold. These entry conditions can also be referred to as the triggering conditions, meaning the conditions that trigger the event. In other words, if the entry conditions for the event are met, the event is triggered. Upon triggering the event, the terminal device switches to the candidate cell.

[0401] In some embodiments, the conditions for the occurrence of the event can be found in equations (5) and (6) below:

[0402] Ms3-H2≥Thresh3 (5)

[0403] Ms4+H2≤Thresh4 (6)

[0404] Where Ms3 is the first distance, H2 is the distance hysteresis factor, Thresh3 is the first distance threshold; Ms4 is the second distance, and Thresh4 is the second distance threshold.

[0405] In some embodiments, the departure conditions for the event include: the sum of a first distance and a distance hysteresis factor is less than or equal to a first distance threshold, and the difference between a second distance and a distance hysteresis factor is greater than or equal to a second distance threshold. These departure conditions can also be referred to as the cancellation or revocation conditions. That is, if the departure conditions are met, the event is cancelled. In the case of cancellation, the terminal device does not hand over to the candidate cell.

[0406] In some embodiments, the exit condition of the event can be found in the following equations (7) and (8):

[0407] Ms3+H2≤Thresh3 (7)

[0408] Ms4-H2≥Thresh4 (8)

[0409] Where Ms3 is the first distance, H2 is the distance hysteresis factor, Thresh3 is the first distance threshold; Ms4 is the second distance, and Thresh4 is the second distance threshold.

[0410] In some embodiments, the serving cell belongs to an NTN cell (e.g., an NTN mobile cell or an NTN terrestrial fixed cell), and the candidate cell belongs to an NTN cell (e.g., an NTN mobile cell or an NTN terrestrial fixed cell). The event is: the difference between the first distance and the second distance is greater than or equal to the distance offset value; wherein, the first distance is the distance between the terminal device and the serving cell, and the second distance is the distance between the terminal device and the candidate cell.

[0411] The method by which the terminal device calculates the first distance can be found in the relevant descriptions in 3.1 to 3.5 of the above embodiments, and the method by which the terminal device calculates the second distance can be found in the relevant descriptions in 4.1 to 4.5 of the above embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0412] In some embodiments, if the difference between the first distance and the second distance is greater than or equal to the distance offset value, the event is determined to be triggered, and the terminal device switches to the candidate cell.

[0413] In some embodiments, if the difference between the first distance and the second distance is less than the distance offset value, it is determined that the event has not been triggered, and the terminal device does not switch to the candidate cell.

[0414] In some embodiments, the steps and their optional implementations in other embodiments described before or after this embodiment, as well as other related parts in the specification, can be referred to, and will not be repeated here.

[0415] See Figure 4b , Figure 4b This is an exemplary schematic diagram two of the communication method provided according to embodiments of this disclosure. For example... Figure 4b As shown, the communication method includes the following steps:

[0416] Step S4201: The terminal device switches to the candidate cell according to the event; wherein the event is an event associated with the following information: the location information of the serving cell, and / or the location information of the candidate cell; the serving cell belongs to the NTN fixed terrestrial cell, and the candidate cell belongs to the NTN mobile cell.

[0417] In some embodiments, both the serving cell and the candidate cell belong to NTN cells, which are relative to TN cells. The location of TN cells is almost constant, while the location of NTN cells can change.

[0418] In some embodiments, the serving cell belongs to an NTN terrestrial fixed cell, wherein the serving cell is the cell currently providing communication services to the terminal device, or the cell currently establishing a connection with the terminal device.

[0419] In some embodiments, NTN ground fixed cells may include, for example, earth-fixed cells and / or quasi-earth fixed cells.

[0420] In some embodiments, the candidate cell belongs to the NTN mobile cell.

[0421] In some embodiments, the NTN mobile cell may be, for example, an earth-moving cell.

[0422] In some embodiments, the terminal device may switch to a candidate cell based on the event, wherein the event is an event associated with the location information of the serving cell and / or the location information of the candidate cell.

[0423] In some embodiments, the location information of the serving cell can be found in [reference needed]. Figure 4a The relevant descriptions of steps 3.1 to 3.5 in S2101 will not be repeated here.

[0424] In some embodiments, the location information of candidate cells can be found in [reference needed]. Figure 4a The relevant descriptions of steps 4.1 to 4.5 in S2101 will not be repeated here.

[0425] The events associated with the location information of the serving cell and / or the location information of the candidate cell will be described below.

[0426] In some embodiments, the serving cell belongs to an NTN terrestrial fixed cell, and the candidate cell belongs to an NTN mobile cell. This event is:

[0427] The first distance between the terminal device and the serving cell is greater than or equal to a first distance threshold, and the second distance between the terminal device and the candidate cell is less than or equal to a second distance threshold;

[0428] The first distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device and the first reference location of the serving cell; the second distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device, the ephemeris information associated with the candidate cell, the third reference location of the candidate cell, and the reference time of the third reference location.

[0429] In some embodiments, the terminal device may determine a first distance between the terminal device and the serving cell based on the location of the terminal device and a first reference location of the serving cell, and compare the first distance with a first distance threshold to determine whether the first distance is greater than or equal to the first distance threshold.

[0430] In some embodiments, the first distance threshold may be predefined or configured by the network device.

[0431] In some embodiments, the terminal device may determine a second distance between the terminal device and the candidate cell based on the location of the terminal device, the ephemeris information associated with the candidate cell, the third reference location of the candidate cell, and the reference time of the third reference location, and compare the second distance with a second distance threshold to determine whether the second distance is less than or equal to the second distance threshold.

[0432] In some embodiments, the second distance threshold may be predefined or configured by the network device.

[0433] In some embodiments, if the first distance is greater than or equal to a first distance threshold and the second distance is less than or equal to a second distance threshold, then the event is determined to be triggered and the terminal device switches to the candidate cell.

[0434] In some embodiments, if the first distance is less than a first distance threshold and / or the second distance is greater than a second distance threshold, it is determined that the event has not been triggered, and the terminal device does not switch to the candidate cell.

[0435] In some embodiments, the entry conditions for the event include: the difference between a first distance and a distance hysteresis factor is greater than or equal to a first distance threshold, and the sum of a second distance and a distance hysteresis factor is less than or equal to a second distance threshold. These entry conditions can also be referred to as the triggering conditions, meaning the conditions that trigger the event. In other words, if the entry conditions for the event are met, the event is triggered. Upon triggering the event, the terminal device switches to the candidate cell.

[0436] In some embodiments, the conditions for the event to occur may refer to Figure 4a Equations (5) and (6) in step S4101.

[0437] In some embodiments, the departure conditions for the event include: the sum of a first distance and a distance hysteresis factor is less than or equal to a first distance threshold, and the difference between a second distance and a distance hysteresis factor is greater than or equal to a second distance threshold. These departure conditions can also be referred to as the cancellation or revocation conditions. That is, if the departure conditions are met, the event is cancelled. In the case of cancellation, the terminal device does not hand over to the candidate cell.

[0438] In some embodiments, the exit conditions for this event can be found in [reference needed]. Figure 4a Equations (5) and (6) in step S4101.

[0439] In some embodiments, the serving cell belongs to an NTN cell (e.g., an NTN mobile cell or an NTN terrestrial fixed cell), and the candidate cell belongs to an NTN cell (e.g., an NTN mobile cell or an NTN terrestrial fixed cell). The event is: the difference between the first distance and the second distance is greater than or equal to the distance offset value; wherein, the first distance is the distance between the terminal device and the serving cell, and the second distance is the distance between the terminal device and the candidate cell.

[0440] The method by which the terminal device calculates the first distance can be found in the relevant descriptions in 3.1 to 3.5 of the above embodiments, and the method by which the terminal device calculates the second distance can be found in the relevant descriptions in 4.1 to 4.5 of the above embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0441] In some embodiments, if the difference between the first distance and the second distance is greater than or equal to the distance offset value, the event is determined to be triggered, and the terminal device switches to the candidate cell.

[0442] In some embodiments, if the difference between the first distance and the second distance is less than the distance offset value, it is determined that the event has not been triggered, and the terminal device does not switch to the candidate cell.

[0443] In some embodiments, the steps and their optional implementations in other embodiments described before or after this embodiment, as well as other related parts in the specification, can be referred to, and will not be repeated here.

[0444] See Figure 5 , Figure 5 This is an exemplary illustration of a communication method provided according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 3 .like Figure 5 As shown, the communication method includes the following steps:

[0445] Step S5101: The terminal switches to the candidate cell based on the event; wherein the event is an event associated with the following information: the location information of the serving cell, and / or the location information of the candidate cell.

[0446] In some embodiments, both the serving cell and the candidate cell belong to NTN cells, which are relative to TN cells. The location of TN cells is almost constant, while the location of NTN cells can change.

[0447] In some embodiments, the serving cell belongs to an NTN mobile cell, and the candidate cell belongs to an NTN terrestrial fixed cell. The serving cell is either the cell currently providing communication services to the terminal device, or the cell currently establishing a connection with the terminal device.

[0448] In some embodiments, the serving cell belongs to the NTN terrestrial fixed cell, and the candidate cell belongs to the NTN mobile cell.

[0449] In some embodiments, the NTN mobile cell may be, for example, an earth-moving cell.

[0450] In some embodiments, NTN ground fixed cells may include, for example, earth-fixed cells and / or quasi-earth fixed cells.

[0451] In some embodiments, the terminal device may send a measurement report to the network device based on the event, wherein the event is an event associated with the location information of the serving cell and / or the location information of the candidate cell.

[0452] In some embodiments, the location information of the serving cell is information related to the location of the serving cell. For example, the location information of the serving cell may include the location of the serving cell, including information indicating the location of the serving cell, the distance between the serving cell and a reference point, etc.

[0453] In some embodiments, the location information of a candidate cell is information related to the location of the candidate cell. For example, the location information of a candidate cell may include the location of the candidate cell, including information indicating the location of the candidate cell, the distance between the candidate cell and a reference point, etc.

[0454] In some embodiments, the steps and their optional implementations in other embodiments described before or after this embodiment, as well as other related parts in the specification, can be referred to, and will not be repeated here.

[0455] This disclosure also proposes an apparatus (also referred to as a communication device, etc.) for implementing any of the above methods. For example, an apparatus is proposed that includes units or modules for implementing the steps performed by the terminal device in any of the above methods. Furthermore, another apparatus is proposed that includes units or modules for implementing the steps performed by the network device (e.g., access network device, core network functional node, core network device, etc.) in any of the above methods.

[0456] It should be understood that the division of units or modules in the above device is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into a single physical entity, or they can be physically separated. Furthermore, the units or modules in the device can be implemented by a processor calling software: for example, the device includes a processor connected to a memory containing instructions. The processor calls the instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the above methods or to implement the functions of the units or modules in the above device. The processor can be, for example, a general-purpose processor, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory can be internal or external to the device. Alternatively, the units or modules in the device can be implemented in the form of hardware circuits. The functionality of some or all of the units or modules can be achieved through the design of these hardware circuits, which can be understood as one or more processors. For example, in one implementation, the hardware circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The functionality of some or all of the units or modules is achieved through the design of the logical relationships between the components within the circuit. In another implementation, the hardware circuit can be implemented using a programmable logic device (PLD). Taking a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) as an example, it can include a large number of logic gates. The connection relationships between the logic gates are configured through configuration files, thereby achieving the functionality of some or all of the units or modules. All units or modules of the above device can be implemented entirely through processor-called software, entirely through hardware circuits, or partially through processor-called software with the remaining parts implemented through hardware circuits.

[0457] In this embodiment, the processor is a circuit with signal processing capabilities. In one implementation, the processor can be a circuit with instruction read and execute capabilities, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a graphics processing unit (GPU) (which can be understood as a microprocessor), or a digital signal processor (DSP). In another implementation, the processor can implement certain functions through the logical relationships of hardware circuits. The logical relationships of the aforementioned hardware circuits are fixed or reconfigurable. For example, the processor is a hardware circuit implemented using an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device (PLD), such as an FPGA. In a reconfigurable hardware circuit, the process of the processor loading a configuration document and configuring the hardware circuit can be understood as the process of the processor loading instructions to implement the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. In addition, it can also be hardware circuits designed for artificial intelligence, which can be understood as ASICs, such as Neural Network Processing Units (NPUs), Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), and Deep Learning Processing Units (DPUs).

[0458] Figure 6a This is an exemplary structural diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of this disclosure. The terminal device 6100 is used to perform any of the above methods. In some embodiments, such as... Figure 6a As shown, the terminal device 6100 may include:

[0459] The transceiver module 6101 is used to send measurement reports to network devices based on events; wherein the event is an event associated with the following information: the location information of the serving cell, and / or the location information of neighboring cells;

[0460] The serving cell belongs to the NTN mobile cell, and the neighboring cell belongs to the NTN terrestrial fixed cell; or, the serving cell belongs to the NTN terrestrial fixed cell, and the neighboring cell belongs to the NTN mobile cell.

[0461] In some embodiments, the location information of the serving cell includes at least one of the following:

[0462] First reference position;

[0463] Reference time at the first reference position;

[0464] Ephemeris information associated with the service community;

[0465] The distance between the terminal device and the first reference position;

[0466] The distance between the terminal device and the second reference location is determined based on the first reference location, the reference time of the first reference location, and the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell.

[0467] The first reference location is the reference location of the service cell.

[0468] In some embodiments, the location information of neighboring cells includes at least one of the following:

[0469] Third reference position;

[0470] Reference time at the third reference position;

[0471] Ephemeris information associated with neighboring cells;

[0472] The distance between the terminal device and the third reference position;

[0473] The distance between the terminal device and the fourth reference location is determined based on the third reference location, the reference time of the third reference location, and the ephemeris information associated with neighboring cells.

[0474] The third reference location is the reference location of the neighboring cell.

[0475] In some embodiments, the serving cell belongs to an NTN mobile cell, and the neighboring cell belongs to an NTN terrestrial fixed cell. The event is:

[0476] The first distance between the terminal device and the serving cell is greater than or equal to a first distance threshold, and the second distance between the terminal device and the neighboring cell is less than or equal to a second distance threshold;

[0477] The first distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device, the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell, the first reference location of the serving cell, and the reference time of the first reference location; the second distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device and the third reference location of the neighboring cell.

[0478] In some embodiments, the serving cell belongs to an NTN fixed terrestrial cell, and the neighboring cell belongs to an NTN mobile cell. The event is:

[0479] The first distance between the terminal device and the serving cell is greater than or equal to a first distance threshold, and the second distance between the terminal device and the neighboring cell is less than or equal to a second distance threshold;

[0480] The first distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device and the first reference location of the serving cell; the second distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device, the ephemeris information associated with neighboring cells, the third reference location of neighboring cells, and the reference time of the third reference location.

[0481] In some embodiments, the event is:

[0482] The difference between the first distance and the second distance is greater than or equal to the distance offset value; wherein, the first distance is the distance between the terminal device and the serving cell, and the second distance is the distance between the terminal device and the neighboring cell.

[0483] Optionally, the transceiver module 6101 is used to perform at least one of the communication steps (such as step S2101, step S2201, step S3101, but not limited thereto) performed by the terminal device 6100 in any of the above methods, which will not be described in detail here.

[0484] Figure 6b This is an exemplary structural diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of this disclosure. Network device 6200 is used to perform any of the above methods. In some embodiments, such as... Figure 6b As shown, network device 6200 may include:

[0485] The transceiver module 6201 is used to receive measurement reports sent by the terminal device based on events; wherein the event is an event associated with the following information: the location information of the serving cell, and / or the location information of neighboring cells;

[0486] The serving cell belongs to the NTN mobile cell, and the neighboring cell belongs to the NTN terrestrial fixed cell; or, the serving cell belongs to the NTN terrestrial fixed cell, and the neighboring cell belongs to the NTN mobile cell.

[0487] In some embodiments, the location information of the serving cell includes at least one of the following:

[0488] First reference position;

[0489] Reference time at the first reference position;

[0490] Ephemeris information associated with the service community;

[0491] The distance between the terminal device and the first reference position;

[0492] The distance between the terminal device and the second reference location is determined based on the first reference location, the reference time of the first reference location, and the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell.

[0493] The first reference location is the reference location of the service cell.

[0494] In some embodiments, the location information of neighboring cells includes at least one of the following:

[0495] Third reference position;

[0496] Reference time at the third reference position;

[0497] Ephemeris information associated with neighboring cells;

[0498] The distance between the terminal device and the third reference position;

[0499] The distance between the terminal device and the fourth reference location is determined based on the third reference location, the reference time of the third reference location, and the ephemeris information associated with neighboring cells.

[0500] The third reference location is the reference location of the neighboring cell.

[0501] In some embodiments, the serving cell belongs to an NTN mobile cell, and the neighboring cell belongs to an NTN terrestrial fixed cell. The event is:

[0502] The first distance between the terminal device and the serving cell is greater than or equal to a first distance threshold, and the second distance between the terminal device and the neighboring cell is less than or equal to a second distance threshold;

[0503] The first distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device, the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell, the first reference location of the serving cell, and the reference time of the first reference location; the second distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device and the third reference location of the neighboring cell.

[0504] In some embodiments, the serving cell belongs to an NTN fixed terrestrial cell, and the neighboring cell belongs to an NTN mobile cell. The event is:

[0505] The first distance between the terminal device and the serving cell is greater than or equal to a first distance threshold, and the second distance between the terminal device and the neighboring cell is less than or equal to a second distance threshold;

[0506] The first distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device and the first reference location of the serving cell; the second distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device, the ephemeris information associated with neighboring cells, the third reference location of neighboring cells, and the reference time of the third reference location.

[0507] In some embodiments, the event is:

[0508] The difference between the first distance and the second distance is greater than or equal to the distance offset value; wherein, the first distance is the distance between the terminal device and the serving cell, and the second distance is the distance between the terminal device and the neighboring cell.

[0509] Optionally, the transceiver module 6201 is used to perform at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving performed by the network device 6200 in any of the above methods (e.g., steps S2101, S2201, and S3101, but not limited thereto), which will not be described in detail here.

[0510] Figure 6c This is an exemplary structural diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of this disclosure. The terminal device 6300 is used to perform any of the above methods. In some embodiments, such as... Figure 6c As shown, the terminal device 6300 may include:

[0511] The processing module 6301 is used to send a measurement report to the network device based on an event; wherein the event is an event associated with the following information: the location information of the serving cell, and / or the location information of neighboring cells;

[0512] The serving cell belongs to the NTN mobile cell, and the neighboring cell belongs to the NTN terrestrial fixed cell; or, the serving cell belongs to the NTN terrestrial fixed cell, and the neighboring cell belongs to the NTN mobile cell.

[0513] In some embodiments, the location information of the serving cell includes at least one of the following:

[0514] First reference position;

[0515] Reference time at the first reference position;

[0516] Ephemeris information associated with the service community;

[0517] The distance between the terminal device and the first reference position;

[0518] The distance between the terminal device and the second reference location is determined based on the first reference location, the reference time of the first reference location, and the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell.

[0519] The first reference location is the reference location of the service cell.

[0520] In some embodiments, the location information of the candidate cell includes at least one of the following:

[0521] Third reference position;

[0522] Reference time at the third reference position;

[0523] Ephemeris information associated with candidate cells;

[0524] The distance between the terminal device and the third reference position;

[0525] The distance between the terminal device and the fourth reference location is determined based on the third reference location, the reference time of the third reference location, and the ephemeris information associated with the candidate cell.

[0526] The third reference location is the reference location of the candidate cell.

[0527] In some embodiments, the serving cell belongs to an NTN mobile cell, and the candidate cell belongs to an NTN terrestrial fixed cell. The event is:

[0528] The first distance between the terminal device and the serving cell is greater than or equal to a first distance threshold, and the second distance between the terminal device and the candidate cell is less than or equal to a second distance threshold;

[0529] The first distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device, the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell, the first reference location of the serving cell, and the reference time of the first reference location; the second distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device and the third reference location of the candidate cell.

[0530] In some embodiments, the serving cell belongs to an NTN fixed terrestrial cell, and the candidate cell belongs to an NTN mobile cell. The event is:

[0531] The first distance between the terminal device and the serving cell is greater than or equal to a first distance threshold, and the second distance between the terminal device and the candidate cell is less than or equal to a second distance threshold;

[0532] The first distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device and the first reference location of the serving cell; the second distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device, the ephemeris information associated with the candidate cell, the third reference location of the candidate cell, and the reference time of the third reference location.

[0533] In some embodiments, the event is:

[0534] The difference between the first distance and the second distance is greater than or equal to the distance offset value; wherein, the first distance is the distance between the terminal device and the serving cell, and the second distance is the distance between the terminal device and the candidate cell.

[0535] Optionally, the processing module 6301 is used to execute at least one of the other steps (such as step S4101, step S4201, step S5101, but not limited thereto) executed by the terminal device 6300 in any of the above methods, which will not be described in detail here.

[0536] Figure 7aThis is an exemplary structural diagram of the communication device proposed in the embodiments of this disclosure. The communication device 7100 can be a network device (e.g., access network device, core network device, etc.), a terminal device (e.g., user equipment, etc.), a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the network device in implementing any of the above methods, or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the terminal device in implementing any of the above methods. The communication device 7100 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments; for details, please refer to the descriptions in the above method embodiments.

[0537] like Figure 7a As shown, the communication device 7100 is used to execute any of the above methods. In some embodiments, the communication device 7100 includes one or more processors 7101. The processor 7101 may be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor, such as a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor may be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit may be used to control communication devices (e.g., base stations, baseband chips, terminal devices, terminal chips, DUs or CUs, etc.), execute programs, and process program data. Optionally, the communication device 7100 is used to execute any of the above methods. Optionally, one or more processors 7101 are used to invoke instructions to cause the communication device 7100 to execute any of the above methods.

[0538] In some embodiments, the communication device 7100 further includes one or more transceivers 7102. When the communication device 7100 includes one or more transceivers 7102, the transceiver 7102 performs at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above method (e.g., steps S2101, S2201, and S3101, but not limited thereto), and the processor 7101 performs at least one of other steps (e.g., steps S4101, S4201, and S5101, but not limited thereto). In optional embodiments, the transceiver may include a receiver and / or a transmitter, which may be separate or integrated together. Optionally, the terms transceiver, transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, interface circuit, and interface can be used interchangeably; the terms transmitter, transmitting unit, transmitter, and transmitting circuit can be used interchangeably; and the terms receiver, receiving unit, receiver, and receiving circuit can be used interchangeably.

[0539] In some embodiments, the communication device 7100 further includes one or more memories 7103 for storing data and / or instructions. Optionally, one or more processors 7101 are used to invoke instructions stored in the memory 7103 to cause the communication device 7100 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, all or part of the memory 7103 may also be located outside the communication device 7100. In an optional embodiment, the communication device 7100 may include one or more interface circuits 7104. Optionally, the interface circuit 7104 is connected to the memory 7103 and can be used to receive data and / or instructions from the memory 7103 or other devices, and can be used to send data and / or instructions to the memory 7103 or other devices. For example, the interface circuit 7104 can read data and / or instructions stored in the memory 7103 and send the data and / or instructions to the processor 7101.

[0540] The communication device 7100 described in the above embodiments may be a network device or a terminal device, but the scope of the communication device 7100 described in this disclosure is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device 7100 may vary. Figure 7a The limitations. The communication device may be a standalone device or part of a larger device. For example, the communication device may be: (1) a standalone integrated circuit IC, or chip, or chip system or subsystem; (2) a collection of one or more ICs, optionally including storage components for storing data, programs and / or instructions; (3) an ASIC, such as a modem; (4) a module that can be embedded in other devices; (5) a receiver, terminal device, smart terminal, cellular phone, wireless device, handheld device, mobile unit, vehicle device, network device, cloud device, artificial intelligence device, etc.; (6) others, etc.

[0541] Figure 7b This is an exemplary structural diagram of the chip proposed in this disclosure embodiment. For cases where the communication device 7100 can be a chip or a chip system, please refer to... Figure 7b The diagram shown is a schematic representation of the structure of chip 7200, but it is not limited to this.

[0542] Chip 7200 includes one or more processors 7201. Chip 7200 is used to perform any of the above methods.

[0543] In some embodiments, chip 7200 further includes one or more interface circuits 7202. Optionally, terms such as interface circuit, interface, and transceiver pin can be used interchangeably. In some embodiments, chip 7200 further includes one or more memories 7203 for storing data and / or instructions. Optionally, all or part of the memories 7203 may be located outside of chip 7200. Optionally, the interface circuit 7202 is connected to the memories 7203, and the interface circuit 7202 can be used to receive data and / or instructions from the memories 7203 or other devices, and the interface circuit 7202 can be used to send data and / or instructions to the memories 7203 or other devices. For example, the interface circuit 7202 can read data and / or instructions stored in the memories 7203 and send the data and / or instructions to the processor 7201.

[0544] In some embodiments, the interface circuit 7202 performs at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above-described method (e.g., steps S2101, S2201, and S3101, but not limited thereto). The interface circuit 7202 performing the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above-described method refers, for example, to the interface circuit 7202 performing data and / or instruction interaction between the processor 7201, the chip 7200, the memory 7203, or the transceiver device. In some embodiments, the processor 7201 performs at least one of other steps (e.g., steps S4101, S4201, and S5101, but not limited thereto).

[0545] The modules and / or devices described in the various embodiments, such as virtual devices, physical devices, and chips, can be combined or separated arbitrarily as needed. Optionally, some or all steps can also be performed collaboratively by multiple modules and / or devices, which is not limited here.

[0546] This disclosure also proposes a storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the storage medium is an electronic storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium, but not limited thereto; it may also be a storage medium readable by other devices. Optionally, the storage medium may be a non-transitory storage medium, but not limited thereto; it may also be a temporary storage medium.

[0547] This disclosure also proposes a program product, including a program and / or instructions, which, when executed by a communication device, cause the communication device to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the program product is a computer program product. Optionally, the program product is stored on the storage medium.

[0548] This disclosure also proposes a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform any of the above methods.

[0549] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this disclosure.

[0550] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0551] The above are merely specific embodiments of this disclosure, but the scope of protection of this disclosure is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this disclosure should be included within the scope of protection of this disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of this disclosure should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method, executed by a terminal device, includes: Based on the event, a measurement report is sent to the network device; wherein the event is an event associated with the following information: the location information of the serving cell, and / or the location information of neighboring cells; The serving cell belongs to a non-terrestrial network (NTN) mobile cell, and the neighboring cell belongs to an NTN terrestrial fixed cell; or, the serving cell belongs to an NTN terrestrial fixed cell, and the neighboring cell belongs to an NTN mobile cell.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The location information of the serving cell includes at least one of the following: First reference position; Reference time at the first reference position; The ephemeris information associated with the serving cell; The distance between the terminal device and the first reference position; The distance between the terminal device and the second reference location is determined based on the first reference location, the reference time of the first reference location, and the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell. Wherein, the first reference location is the reference location of the serving cell.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, The location information of the neighboring cell includes at least one of the following: Third reference position; Reference time at the third reference position; The ephemeris information associated with the neighboring cells; The distance between the terminal device and the third reference position; The distance between the terminal device and the fourth reference location is determined based on the third reference location, the reference time of the third reference location, and the ephemeris information associated with the neighboring cell. The third reference location is the reference location of the neighboring cell.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The serving cell belongs to an NTN mobile cell, the neighboring cell belongs to an NTN terrestrial fixed cell, and the event is: The first distance between the terminal device and the serving cell is greater than or equal to a first distance threshold, and the second distance between the terminal device and the neighboring cell is less than or equal to a second distance threshold; The first distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device, the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell, the first reference location of the serving cell, and the reference time of the first reference location; the second distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device and the third reference location of the neighboring cell.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The serving cell belongs to an NTN fixed terrestrial cell, the neighboring cell belongs to an NTN mobile cell, and the event is: The first distance between the terminal device and the serving cell is greater than or equal to a first distance threshold, and the second distance between the terminal device and the neighboring cell is less than or equal to a second distance threshold; The first distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device and the first reference location of the serving cell; the second distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device, the ephemeris information associated with the neighboring cell, the third reference location of the neighboring cell, and the reference time of the third reference location.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The event in question is: The difference between the first distance and the second distance is greater than or equal to the distance offset value; wherein, the first distance is the distance between the terminal device and the serving cell, and the second distance is the distance between the terminal device and the neighboring cell.

7. A communication method, characterized in that, Performed by a network device, the method includes: The receiving terminal device sends a measurement report based on an event; wherein the event is an event associated with the following information: the location information of the serving cell, and / or the location information of neighboring cells; The serving cell belongs to an NTN mobile cell, and the neighboring cell belongs to an NTN terrestrial fixed cell; or, the serving cell belongs to an NTN terrestrial fixed cell, and the neighboring cell belongs to an NTN mobile cell.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The location information of the serving cell includes at least one of the following: First reference position; Reference time at the first reference position; The ephemeris information associated with the serving cell; The distance between the terminal device and the first reference position; The distance between the terminal device and the second reference location is determined based on the first reference location, the reference time of the first reference location, and the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell. Wherein, the first reference location is the reference location of the serving cell.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The location information of the neighboring cell includes at least one of the following: Third reference position; Reference time at the third reference position; The ephemeris information associated with the neighboring cells; The distance between the terminal device and the third reference position; The distance between the terminal device and the fourth reference location is determined based on the third reference location, the reference time of the third reference location, and the ephemeris information associated with the neighboring cell. The third reference location is the reference location of the neighboring cell.

10. The method according to any one of claims 7-9, characterized in that, The serving cell belongs to an NTN mobile cell, the neighboring cell belongs to an NTN terrestrial fixed cell, and the event is: The first distance between the terminal device and the serving cell is greater than or equal to a first distance threshold, and the second distance between the terminal device and the neighboring cell is less than or equal to a second distance threshold; The first distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device, the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell, the first reference location of the serving cell, and the reference time of the first reference location; the second distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device and the third reference location of the neighboring cell.

11. The method according to any one of claims 7-9, characterized in that, The serving cell belongs to an NTN fixed terrestrial cell, the neighboring cell belongs to an NTN mobile cell, and the event is: The first distance between the terminal device and the serving cell is greater than or equal to a first distance threshold, and the second distance between the terminal device and the neighboring cell is less than or equal to a second distance threshold; The first distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device and the first reference location of the serving cell; the second distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device, the ephemeris information associated with the neighboring cell, the third reference location of the neighboring cell, and the reference time of the third reference location.

12. The method according to any one of claims 7-9, characterized in that, The event in question is: The difference between the first distance and the second distance is greater than or equal to the distance offset value; wherein, the first distance is the distance between the terminal device and the serving cell, and the second distance is the distance between the terminal device and the neighboring cell.

13. A communication method, characterized in that, The method, executed by a terminal device, includes: Based on an event, switch to a candidate cell; the event is associated with the following information: the location information of the serving cell, and / or the location information of the candidate cell; The serving cell belongs to an NTN mobile cell, and the candidate cell belongs to an NTN terrestrial fixed cell; or, the serving cell belongs to an NTN terrestrial fixed cell, and the candidate cell belongs to an NTN mobile cell.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The location information of the serving cell includes at least one of the following: First reference position; Reference time at the first reference position; The ephemeris information associated with the serving cell; The distance between the terminal device and the first reference position; The distance between the terminal device and the second reference location is determined based on the first reference location, the reference time of the first reference location, and the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell. Wherein, the first reference location is the reference location of the serving cell.

15. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The location information of the candidate cells includes at least one of the following: Third reference position; Reference time at the third reference position; The ephemeris information associated with the candidate cells; The distance between the terminal device and the third reference position; The distance between the terminal device and the fourth reference location is determined based on the third reference location, the reference time of the third reference location, and the ephemeris information associated with the candidate cell. The third reference position is the reference position of the candidate cell.

16. The method according to any one of claims 13-15, characterized in that, The serving cell belongs to an NTN mobile cell, the candidate cell belongs to an NTN terrestrial fixed cell, and the event is: The first distance between the terminal device and the serving cell is greater than or equal to a first distance threshold, and the second distance between the terminal device and the candidate cell is less than or equal to a second distance threshold; The first distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device, the ephemeris information associated with the serving cell, the first reference location of the serving cell, and the reference time of the first reference location; the second distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device and the third reference location of the candidate cell.

17. The method according to any one of claims 13-15, characterized in that, The serving cell belongs to an NTN fixed terrestrial cell, the candidate cell belongs to an NTN mobile cell, and the event is: The first distance between the terminal device and the serving cell is greater than or equal to a first distance threshold, and the second distance between the terminal device and the candidate cell is less than or equal to a second distance threshold; The first distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device and the first reference location of the serving cell; the second distance is determined based on the location of the terminal device, the ephemeris information associated with the candidate cell, the third reference location of the candidate cell, and the reference time of the third reference location.

18. The method according to any one of claims 13-15, characterized in that, The event in question is: The difference between the first distance and the second distance is greater than or equal to the distance offset value; wherein, the first distance is the distance between the terminal device and the serving cell, and the second distance is the distance between the terminal device and the candidate cell.

19. A terminal device, characterized in that, include: The transceiver module is used to send measurement reports to network devices based on events; wherein the events are associated with the following information: the location information of the serving cell, and / or the location information of neighboring cells; The serving cell belongs to an NTN mobile cell, and the neighboring cell belongs to an NTN terrestrial fixed cell; or, the serving cell belongs to an NTN terrestrial fixed cell, and the neighboring cell belongs to an NTN mobile cell.

20. A network device, characterized in that, include: The transceiver module is used to receive measurement reports sent by the terminal device based on events; wherein the events are associated with the following information: the location information of the serving cell, and / or the location information of neighboring cells; The serving cell belongs to an NTN mobile cell, and the neighboring cell belongs to an NTN terrestrial fixed cell; or, the serving cell belongs to an NTN terrestrial fixed cell, and the neighboring cell belongs to an NTN mobile cell.

21. A terminal device, characterized in that, include: The processing module is used to switch to a candidate cell based on an event; the event is an event associated with the following information: the location information of the serving cell, and / or the location information of the candidate cell; The serving cell belongs to an NTN mobile cell, and the candidate cell belongs to an NTN terrestrial fixed cell; or, the serving cell belongs to an NTN terrestrial fixed cell, and the candidate cell belongs to an NTN mobile cell.

22. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device is used to perform the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, 7 to 12, and 13 to 18.

23. A communication system, characterized in that, The device includes a terminal device and a network device, wherein the terminal device is configured to implement the communication method of any one of claims 1 to 6, and the network device is configured to implement the communication method of any one of claims 7 to 12.

24. A communication system, characterized in that, The device includes a terminal device configured to implement the communication method according to any one of claims 13 to 18.

25. A storage medium storing instructions, characterized in that, When the instruction is executed on the communication device, it causes the communication device to perform the communication method as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, or causes the communication device to perform the communication method as described in any one of claims 7 to 12, or causes the communication device to perform the communication method as described in any one of claims 13 to 18.

26. A program product comprising at least one of a program and instructions, characterized in that, When at least one of the programs or instructions is executed by the communication device, it implements the steps of the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, or implements the steps of the communication method according to any one of claims 7 to 12, or implements the steps of the communication method according to any one of claims 13 to 18.

Images