Communication devices, methods, and readable storage media

Abstract

The application relates to the field of wireless communication, and discloses a communication device, a method and a readable storage medium. In the method, a first network device can send a BAI list to a UE, wherein the BAI list can indicate the position of the first network device relative to the UE at different times. After receiving the BAI list, the UE can send a beam to the first network device according to the BAI list, so as to communicate with the first network device. In this way, the UE does not need to consume time to calculate the position of the first network device, thereby reducing the workload and calculation complexity of the UE.

Description

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application relates to and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 598,657, filed November 14, 2023, entitled “Method, apparatus and system for Beam Angle Information in Non-Terrestrial Networks,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This application generally relates to wireless communication. Specifically, it relates to communication devices, methods, and readable storage media. Background Technology

[0004] Wireless communication systems such as fourth-generation (4G) systems (e.g., Long-Term Evolution (LTE) systems) and fifth-generation (5G) systems (e.g., New Radio (NR) systems) have been deployed to provide various types of applications, such as messaging, voice, video, and other data.

[0005] In NR, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) has been developed, which can use spacecraft such as satellites (including low earth orbit (LEO), medium earth orbit (MEO), geostationary earth orbit (GEO), and highly elliptical orbit (HEO) satellites) or airborne vehicles such as drones or airplanes (also known as high-altitude platforms) as base stations or repeaters to enable communication between different devices.

[0006] Satellites or drones in an NTN can move at high speeds relative to user equipment (UEs) operating within the NTN, unlike the scenario between a UE and a ground base station. Furthermore, the distance between a UE and a satellite or drone is much greater than the distance between a UE and a ground base station.

[0007] Therefore, there is a need for NTN solutions that can collaborate with terrestrial networks (TN) and provide communication at an acceptable cost (e.g., power consumption and / or complexity). Summary of the Invention

[0008] The following examples relate to the implementations described in this application.

[0009] In the first aspect, the description may include a first device comprising: at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive a set of beam angle information (BAI) from a first network device; receive a first subset of BAIs from the first network device, wherein the first subset of BAIs includes at least one first BAI, each of the at least one first BAI representing a first value corresponding to a first angular direction, the first value being included in the set of BAIs; and communicate with the first network device using the at least one first BAI.

[0010] In one or more possible implementations of the first aspect, the BAI set indicates a mapping relationship between a reference value and a reference angular direction, the reference value including the first value, and the reference angular direction including the first angular direction.

[0011] In one or more possible implementations of the first aspect, the reference angular direction includes the zenith angle and / or azimuth angle of the beam.

[0012] The BAI set can be referenced in Table 1 and / or Table 2 below. Table 1 shows the mapping between reference zenith angles and their corresponding reference values. For example, "-70 degrees" is a reference zenith angle, and the value "0000" is a reference value.

[0013] Table 2 shows the mapping relationship between reference azimuth angles and their corresponding reference values. For example, "0 degrees" is a reference azimuth angle, and the value "0000" is a reference value.

[0014] After a first device (e.g., a UE) receives a first subset of BAI from a first network device, and the first subset of BAI includes at least one first value, the first device can determine at least one first angular direction corresponding to the at least one first value based on the BAI set. Then, the first device can transmit a beam according to the at least one first angular direction to communicate with the first network device. In this way, the first device does not need to spend time calculating the location of the first network device, reducing the workload and computational complexity for the UE.

[0015] In one or more possible implementations of the first aspect, communicating with the first network device using the at least one first BAI includes: communicating with the first network device using the at least one first BAI when a first condition is met, wherein the first condition includes the first apex angle of the beam being less than a first apex angle threshold.

[0016] A first subset of the network interface area (BAI) from the first network device to the first device can define a communication cone region. That is, the first device can communicate with other network devices within the communication cone region. For illustration, since the first network device can continuously move relative to the first device, it does not necessarily have to remain within the communication cone region. For example, if the first network device moves outside the communication cone region, then communication with other network devices is not possible.

[0017] Therefore, when the first condition is met, the first device can communicate with the first network device, wherein the first condition includes the first apex angle of the beam being less than the first apex angle threshold. Figure 14 For example, the threshold for the first day's vertex angle is 20 degrees.

[0018] In one or more possible implementations of the first aspect, the at least one processor is further configured to: determine first public land mobile network (PLMN) information for communicating with a base station, wherein the first PLMN information is determined based on a set of PLMN information included in system information from the first network device, the set of PLMN information including second PLMN information for communication between the first device and the first network device, and including the first PLMN information; and communicate with the base station based on the first PLMN information.

[0019] Before initiating initial access to the first network device, the first device can obtain system information sent by the first network device. In addition to the second PLMN information of the first network device, the system information may also include the first PLMN information of the base station. This simplifies the process of connecting the first device to the base station when connecting to two networks and reduces connection complexity.

[0020] In one or more possible implementations of the first aspect, the system information further includes a radio frequency (RF) channel and a physical cell identity (PCI), and the at least one processor is further configured to: select a target cell based on the RF channel and the PCI, wherein the target cell is associated with the base station.

[0021] The system information sent by the first network device may also include the RF channel and PCI. Thus, after the first device obtains the first PLMN information from the first network device, it can use the given RF channel and PCI in the system information to select a target cell. Then, the first device can communicate with the base station. In summary, the RF channel and PCI in the system information can reduce the time it takes for the first device to select a target cell to connect to the base station.

[0022] In the second aspect, the description may include a first device comprising: at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive a set of beam angle information (BAI) from a first network device; receive a second subset of BAI from the first network device, wherein the second subset of BAI includes at least one second BAI, each of the at least one second BAI representing a second value corresponding to a second angular direction, the second value being included in the set of BAI; and receive a reference signal from a second network device using the at least one second BAI for at least one of mobility or beam management.

[0023] In one or more possible implementations of the second aspect, the BAI set indicates a mapping relationship between a reference value and a reference angular direction, the reference value including the second value, and the reference angular direction including the second angular direction.

[0024] In one or more possible implementations of the second aspect, the reference angular direction includes the zenith angle and / or azimuth angle of the beam.

[0025] The BAI set can also be found in Table 1 and / or Table 2. The BAI set here is the same as the BAI set mentioned in the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0026] A reference signal used for at least one of mobility or beam management is referred to below as a mobility / beam management reference signal.

[0027] After receiving a second subset of BAI from a first network device, the first device can determine at least one second angular direction corresponding to at least a second value based on the BAI set. The first device can then transmit a beam to the second network device based on the at least one second angular direction.

[0028] Then, the first device can receive a mobility / beam management reference signal sent by the second network device. The first device can determine the orientation of the second network device relative to the first device by determining the angle of the mobility / beam management reference signal.

[0029] In one or more possible implementations of the second aspect, receiving the reference signal for at least one of mobility or beam management from the second network device using the at least one second BAI includes: receiving the reference signal for at least one of mobility or beam management from the second network device using the at least one second BAI when a second condition is met, wherein the second condition includes the second vertices angle of the reference signal for at least one of mobility or beam management being greater than a second vertices angle threshold.

[0030] The first device can communicate with network devices within the communication cone area; that is, if the network device is not within the communication cone area, the first device cannot communicate with the network device. Therefore, the first device can only receive reference signals from the second network device when a second condition is met, wherein the second condition includes a second vertices angle of the reference signal for at least one of mobility or beam management being greater than a second vertices angle threshold. Figure 14 For example, the threshold for the first day's vertex angle is 30 degrees.

[0031] In the third aspect, the description may include a first network device, the first network device comprising: at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: send a set of beamangle information (BAI) to the first device; send a first subset of BAI to the first device, wherein the first subset of BAI includes at least one first BAI, each of the at least one first BAI representing a first value corresponding to a first angular direction, the first value being included in the set of BAI; and communicate with the first device using the at least one first BAI.

[0032] In one or more possible implementations of the third aspect, the BAI set indicates a mapping relationship between a reference value and a reference angular direction, the reference value including the first value, and the reference angular direction including the first angular direction.

[0033] In one or more possible implementations of the third aspect, the reference angular direction includes the zenith angle and / or azimuth angle of the beam.

[0034] In one or more possible implementations of the third aspect, the at least one processor is further configured to: send a second subset of BAIs to the first device, wherein the second subset of BAIs includes at least one second BAI, each of the at least one second BAI representing a second value corresponding to a second angular direction, the second value being included in the set of BAIs.

[0035] In the fourth aspect, the description may include a second network device comprising: at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: transmit to the first device a reference signal for at least one of mobility or beam management based on a beam transmitted by the first device using at least one second BAI in a subset of the second BAI, wherein the subset of the second BAI is transmitted to the first device by the first network device, and each of the at least one second BAI represents a second value corresponding to a second angular direction.

[0036] In the fifth aspect, the description may include a method applied to a first device, the method comprising: receiving a set of beam angle information (BAI) from the first network device; receiving a first subset of BAI from the first network device, wherein the first subset of BAI includes at least one first BAI, each of the at least one first BAI representing a first value corresponding to a first angular direction, the first value being included in the set of BAI; and communicating with the first network device using the at least one first BAI.

[0037] In one or more possible implementations of the fifth aspect, the BAI set indicates a mapping relationship between a reference value and a reference angular direction, the reference value including the first value, and the reference angular direction including the first angular direction.

[0038] In one or more possible implementations of the fifth aspect, the reference angular direction includes the zenith angle and / or azimuth angle of the beam.

[0039] In one or more possible implementations of the fifth aspect, communicating with the first network device using the at least one first BAI includes: communicating with the first network device using the at least one first BAI when a first condition is met, wherein the first condition includes the first apex angle of the beam being less than a first apex angle threshold.

[0040] In one or more possible implementations of the fifth aspect, the method further includes: determining first public land mobile network (PLMN) information for communicating with a base station, wherein the first PLMN information is determined based on a set of PLMN information included in system information from the first network device, the set of PLMN information including second PLMN information for communication between the first device and the first network device, and including the first PLMN information; and communicating with the base station based on the first PLMN information.

[0041] In one or more possible implementations of the fifth aspect, the system information further includes a radio frequency (RF) channel and a physical cell identity (PCI), and the method further includes: selecting a target cell based on the RF channel and the PCI, wherein the target cell is associated with the base station.

[0042] In a sixth aspect, the description may include a method applied to a first device, the method comprising: receiving a set of beam angle information (BAI) from the first network device; receiving a second subset of BAI from the first network device, wherein the second subset of BAI includes at least one second BAI, each of the at least one second BAI representing a second value corresponding to a second angular direction, the second value being included in the set of BAIs; and using the at least one second BAI to receive a reference signal from a second network device for at least one of mobility or beam management.

[0043] In one or more possible implementations of the sixth aspect, the BAI set indicates a mapping relationship between a reference value and a reference angular direction, the reference value including the second value, and the reference angular direction including the second angular direction.

[0044] In one or more possible implementations of the sixth aspect, the reference angular direction includes the zenith angle and / or azimuth angle of the beam.

[0045] In one or more possible implementations of the sixth aspect, receiving the reference signal for at least one of mobility or beam management from the second network device using the at least one second BAI includes: receiving the reference signal for at least one of mobility or beam management from the second network device using the at least one second BAI when a second condition is met, wherein the second condition includes a second vertices angle of the reference signal for at least one of mobility or beam management being greater than a second vertices angle threshold.

[0046] In the seventh aspect, a method for applying to a first network device may be described, the method comprising: sending a set of beam angle information (BAI) to the first device; sending a first subset of BAI to the first device, wherein the first subset of BAI includes at least one first BAI, each of the at least one first BAI representing a first value corresponding to a first angular direction, the first value being included in the set of BAI; and communicating with the first device using the at least one first BAI.

[0047] In one or more possible implementations of the seventh aspect, the BAI set indicates a mapping relationship between a reference value and a reference angular direction, the reference value including the first value, and the reference angular direction including the first angular direction.

[0048] In one or more possible implementations of the seventh aspect, the reference angular direction includes the zenith angle and / or azimuth angle of the beam.

[0049] In one or more possible implementations of the seventh aspect, the method further includes: sending a second subset of BAIs to the first device, wherein the second subset of BAIs includes at least one second BAI, each of the at least one second BAI representing a second value corresponding to a second angular direction, the second value being included in the set of BAIs.

[0050] In the eighth aspect, the description may include a method applied to a second network device, the method comprising: transmitting to the first device a reference signal for at least one of mobility or beam management based on a beam transmitted by the first device using at least one second BAI from a subset of second BAIs, wherein the subset of second BAIs is transmitted to the first device by the first network device, and each of the at least one second BAIs represents a second value corresponding to a second angular direction.

[0051] In the ninth aspect, the description may include a machine-readable storage medium storing instructions, wherein when the instructions are executed by one or more processors of the machine, the instructions cause the machine to perform the methods mentioned in the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth aspects above.

[0052] One or more implementations of the first and second aspects can also be applied to at least one of the third to ninth aspects.

[0053] The beneficial effects of aspects three through nine can be found in the beneficial effects of aspects one and two, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0054] Figure 1 A first structural schematic diagram of a communication system 100 provided in this application is shown in some examples;

[0055] Figure 2 The following is a schematic diagram of the second structure of a communication system 100 provided in this application, along with some examples.

[0056] Figure 3This application provides some examples of communication schematic diagrams between devices 310 and 320 in a communication system 100.

[0057] Figure 4 Schematic diagrams of modules in each device of the communication system 100 provided in this application are shown in some examples;

[0058] Figure 5 The illustration shows some examples of communication between a terrestrial TRP and a non-terrestrial TRP that is part of a satellite constellation, provided in this application.

[0059] Figure 6 The illustration shows some examples of satellite constellations provided in this application serving as gateways for ground-based TRPs on the ground;

[0060] Figure 7 The illustration shows some examples of communication between a non-terrestrial TRP and a terrestrial TRP via a core network provided in this application;

[0061] Figure 8 Schematic diagrams of "bent pipe" scenarios provided by some examples of this application are shown;

[0062] Figure 9 The illustration shows a schematic diagram of a UE in a coverage area provided by some examples of this application;

[0063] Figure 10 A schematic flowchart illustrating a communication method provided by some examples of this application is shown;

[0064] Figure 11 The illustration shows some examples of a UE communicating with a first network device based on the service BAI provided in this application;

[0065] Figure 12 A schematic flowchart illustrating another communication method provided by some examples of this application is shown;

[0066] Figure 13 The illustration shows a schematic diagram of a UE receiving a reference signal from a second network device via a candidate BAI, provided by some examples of this application;

[0067] Figure 14 The illustrations provided in this application include schematic diagrams of scenarios involving a UE, a first network device, and a second network device.

[0068] Figure 15 The illustration shows a scenario where NT-TRP is entering a communication cone region, as provided in some examples of this application;

[0069] Figure 16The illustration shows a scenario where the NT-TRP is leaving the communication cone region, as provided in some examples of this application;

[0070] Figure 17 The illustrations provided in this application show some examples of scenarios where a UE switches its current service BAI to another service BAI;

[0071] Figure 18 This application provides some examples of flowcharts illustrating the process of a UE camping on an NTN beam;

[0072] Figure 19 This application provides some examples of schematic diagrams illustrating the process of establishing a connection between a UE and an NTN;

[0073] Figure 20 The following are schematic diagrams illustrating the process of a UE selecting a TN cell, provided in some examples of this application;

[0074] Figure 21 The following are schematic diagrams illustrating the process when a UE exits NTN connection mode or fails to find a suitable TN cell, as provided in some examples of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0075] The illustrative implementations of this application include, but are not limited to, communication devices, methods, and readable storage media.

[0076] The purpose of providing background information is to disclose information that the applicant believes may be relevant to this application, and it is not intended to acknowledge, nor should it be construed as, any of the foregoing information constituting prior art in relation to this invention.

[0077] In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this invention, illustrating by way of description specific aspects of the invention or its applicability. It should be understood that one aspect of the invention can be used in other aspects and includes structural or logical variations not depicted in the drawings. Therefore, the following detailed description should not be construed in a limiting sense, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims.

[0078] To aid in understanding the present invention, examples of wireless communication systems and devices are described below. References Figure 1This diagram, provided as an illustrative example and not as limiting, is a simplified schematic of a communication system. Communication system 100 (which may be a wireless system) includes a radio access network (RAN) 120. The RAN 120 may be a next-generation (e.g., sixth-generation, 6G, or later) RAN, or a traditional (e.g., 5G, 4G, 3G, or second-generation, 2G) RAN. Within the RAN 120, one or more electronic devices (EDs) 110a, 110b, 110c, 110d, 110e, 110f, 110g, 110h, 110i, 110j (collectively referred to as 110) may be interconnected with each other or connected to one or more network nodes (170a and 170b, collectively referred to as 170). A core network 130 may be part of the communication system and may depend on or be independent of the radio access technology used in communication system 100. The communication system 100 may also include a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 140, the Internet 150, and other networks 160.

[0079] Generally, communication system 100 enables multiple wireless or wired units to transmit data and other content. Communication system 100 can provide voice, data, video, and / or text content through broadcasting, multicast, group broadcasting, unicast, etc. Furthermore, communication system 100 can provide a wide range of communication services and applications (such as earth monitoring, remote sensing, passive sensing and positioning, navigation and tracking, autonomous delivery, and mobile transportation). These services and / or applications can be mobile broadband (MBB) services, ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) services, or machine-type communication (MTC) services.

[0080] The communication system 100 can operate by sharing resources such as carrier spectrum bandwidth among its constituent units.

[0081] Figure 1 A more detailed example of the communication system 100 is shown.

[0082] Communication system 100 may include terrestrial communication systems and / or non-terrestrial communication systems. Communication system 100 can provide high availability and robustness through the joint operation of terrestrial and non-terrestrial communication systems. For example, integrating a non-terrestrial communication system (or components thereof) into a terrestrial communication system can create a multi-layered heterogeneous network. Heterogeneous networks can achieve better overall performance through efficient multi-link joint operation between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks, more flexible functional sharing, and faster physical layer link switching.

[0083] Terrestrial communication systems and non-terrestrial communication systems can be considered as subsystems of a communication system.

[0084] and Figure 1 The example shown is the same, in Figure 2In the example shown, communication system 100 may include ED 110a, ED110b, ED 110c, ED 110d (collectively referred to as ED 110) and RAN 120a and RAN 120b. Additionally, communication system 100 may include a non-terrestrial communication network 120c. Communication system 100 may also include one or more of a core network 130, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 140, the Internet 150, and other networks 160. RAN 120a and RAN 120b include corresponding RAN nodes such as base stations (BS) 170a and 170b, which are generally referred to as terrestrial transmit and receive points (T-TRP) 170a and 170b. In one implementation, the non-terrestrial communication network 120c includes RAN nodes such as access nodes (base stations) 172, which can generally be referred to as a non-terrestrial transmit and receive point (NT-TRP) 172. Based on the similarity of the reference numerals, it can be inferred that the non-terrestrial communication network 120c can be considered a radio access network sharing common operational characteristics with RAN 120a and RAN 120b. In another implementation, the non-terrestrial communication network 120c may include at least one non-terrestrial network (NTN) device and at least one corresponding terrestrial network device, wherein at least one NTN device acts as a transport layer device, and at least one corresponding terrestrial network device acts as a RAN node, communicating with the ED through the NTN device. Additionally, an NTN gateway (i.e., a terrestrial network device) may also exist on the ground as a transport layer device communicating with the NTN device, and the RAN node communicates with the ED through the NTN device and the NTN gateway. In some implementations, the NTN gateway and the RAN node may reside in the same device.

[0085] Alternatively or additionally, any ED 110 can be used to connect, access, or communicate with any T-TRP 170a, T-TRP 170b, and NT-TRP 172, the Internet 150, the core network 130, the PSTN 140, other networks 160, or any combination thereof. In some examples, ED 110a can communicate uplink (UL) and / or downlink (DL) with T-TRP 170a via terrestrial air interface 190a. In some examples, ED 110a, ED 110b, ED 110c, and ED 110d can also communicate directly with each other via one or more sidelink (SL) air interfaces 190b. In some examples, ED 110d can communicate uplink and / or downlink with NT-TRP 172 via non-terrestrial air interface 190c.

[0086] An air interface (e.g., 190a, 190b, 190c) typically includes numerous components and associated parameters that collectively specify how transmissions are sent and / or received over a wireless communication link between two or more communication devices. For example, an air interface may include one or more components that define one or more waveforms, one or more frame structures, one or more multiple access schemes, one or more protocols, one or more coding schemes, and / or one or more modulation schemes for transmitting information (e.g., data) over a wireless communication link. A wireless communication link may support a link between a radio access network (e.g., RAN120) and a user equipment (e.g., ED 110) (e.g., a “Uu” link), and / or a wireless communication link may support a link between a device (e.g., ED 110a) and a device (e.g., ED 110b) (e.g., a “LS” link), such as a link between two user equipments, and / or a wireless communication link may support a link between a non-terrestrial (NT) communication network (e.g., RAN 120c) and a user equipment (e.g., ED 110d). Below are some examples of the components described above:

[0087] Waveform components can specify the shape and form of the signal being transmitted. Waveform options can include orthogonal multiple access (OFDM) and non-orthogonal multiple access (NMA) waveforms. Non-limiting examples of such waveform options include orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), Discrete Fourier Transform spread OFDM (DFT-OFDM), filtered OFDM (f-OFDM), time-domain windowed OFDM, filter bank multicarrier (FBMC), universal filtered multicarrier (UFMC), generalized frequency division multiplexing (GFDM), wavelet packet modulation (WPM), faster than Nyquist (FTN) waveforms, and low peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) waveforms (WF).

[0088] The frame structure component can specify the configuration of a frame or frame group. The frame structure component can indicate one or more of the following parameters: frame time, frequency, pilot signature, code, subcarrier spacing, cyclic prefix length, or other parameters. The frame structure will be discussed in detail below.

[0089] Multiple access scheme components can specify multiple access technology options, including technologies that define how communication devices share the common physical channel, such as: code division multiple access (CDMA), space division multiple access (SDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) (also known as discrete Fourier transform spread OFDMA (DFT-s-OFDMA)), low-density signature multicarrier CDMA (LDS-MC-CDMA), non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA), pattern division multiple access (PDMA), lattice partition multiple access (LPMA), resource spread multiple access (RSMA), and sparse code multiple access. Multiple access (SCMA). Furthermore, multiple access technology options can include: scheduled access and unscheduled access, also known as unlicensed access; non-orthogonal multiple access and orthogonal multiple access, such as utilizing dedicated channel resources (e.g., not shared between multiple communication devices); contention-based shared channel resources and non-contention-based shared channel resources; and cognitive radio-based access. Air interfaces 190a and 190b can utilize other higher-dimensional signal spaces, which may involve combinations of orthogonal and / orthogonal dimensions.

[0090] Encoding and modulation components specify how the information being transmitted is encoded / decoded and modulated / demodulated for transmission / reception purposes. Encoding can refer to methods of error detection and forward error correction. Non-limiting examples of encoding options include Turbo lattice codes, Turbo product codes, fountain codes, low-density parity-check codes, and polar codes. Modulation can simply refer to a constellation (e.g., including modulation techniques and orders), or more specifically to various types of advanced modulation methods, such as layered modulation and low peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) modulation.

[0091] The 190a and 190b air interfaces can use similar communication technologies, such as any suitable wireless access technology.

[0092] The non-terrestrial air interface 190c enables communication between the ED 110d and one or more NT-TRP 172s via a wireless link or simply through a link. In some examples, the link is a dedicated connection for unicast transmission, a connection for broadcast transmission, or a connection for multicast transmission between a group of ED 110s and one or more NT-TRP 172s.

[0093] RAN 120a and RAN 120b communicate with core network 130 to provide various services, such as voice, data, and other services, to ED 110a, ED 110b, and ED 110c. RAN 120a and RAN 120b and / or core network 130 may communicate directly or indirectly with one or more other RANs (not shown), which may or may not be directly served by core network 130, and may or may not use the same radio access technology as RAN 120a and / or RAN 120b. Core network 130 may also serve as a gateway access between (i) RAN 120a and RAN 120b and / or ED 110a, ED 110b, and ED 110c and (ii) other networks (e.g., PSTN 140, Internet 150, and other networks 160). Additionally, some or all of ED 110a, ED 110b, and ED 110c may include the ability to communicate with different wireless networks via different wireless links using different wireless technologies and / or protocols. ED 110a, ED 110b, and ED 110c may communicate with a service provider or exchange (not shown) via a wired communication channel and with the Internet 150, rather than wirelessly (or also wirelessly). PSTN 140 may include a circuit-switched telephone network for providing plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 150 may include a network of computers and / or subnets (intranets) and includes protocols such as Internet Protocol (IP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), and User Datagram Protocol (UDP). ED 110a, ED 110b, and ED 110c may be multimode devices capable of operating according to multiple wireless access technologies and include multiple transceivers required to support these technologies.

[0094] Additionally, the communication system 100 may include a sensing agent (not shown) to manage sensing data from ED 110 and / or T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172. In one implementation, the sensing agent resides within T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172. In another implementation, the sensing agent is a separate node with an interface for communicating with core network 130 and / or RAN 120 (e.g., T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172).

[0095] Figure 3An example of a device 310 is shown that wirelessly communicates with at least one of two devices (e.g., device 320a and device 320b, referred to as device 320) in a communication system (e.g., communication system 100) according to one embodiment. Device 310 may be a UE (e.g., Figure 2 ED 110 (as in the example). Device 320a can be a terrestrial network device (e.g., such as...). Figure 2 The T-TRP 170 shown can be a non-terrestrial network device (e.g., such as...). Figure 2 (NT-TRP 172 shown). However, this is not a necessary condition. For example, according to the invention, device 320a can be NT-TRP, 320b can be T-TRP, and both devices 320a and 320b can be either T-TRP or NT-TRP. ED 110 is described below as an example of device 310, T-TRP 170 is described as an example of device 320a, and NT-TRP 172 is described as an example of device 320b. Although there is only one device 310, one device 320a, and one device 320b, note that the number of devices 310 (e.g., ED 110) can be one or more, and the number of devices 320a and / or 320b can be one or more. For example, an ED 110 can be served by only one T-TRP 170 (or one NT-TRP 172), by more than one T-TRP 170, by more than one NT-TRP 172, or by one or more T-TRP 170 and one or more NT-TRP 172.

[0096] The ED 110 is used to connect people, objects, and machines. It can be widely used in various scenarios, including cellular communication, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), peer-to-peer (P2P), machine-to-machine (M2M), MTC, Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), metaverse, digital twins, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, drones, robots, remote sensing, passive sensing, positioning, navigation and tracking, autonomous delivery, and mobility.

[0097] Each ED 110 represents any end-user equipment suitable for wireless operation and may include (or be referred to as, but not limited to) the following devices: user equipment / device (UE), wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), mobile station, fixed or mobile subscriber unit, cellular phone, station (STA), MTC device, personal digital assistant (PDA), smartphone, laptop, computer, tablet, wireless sensor, consumer electronics device, smart book, vehicle, truck, public transport vehicle, train, or IoT device, wearable device (e.g., watch, glasses, head-mounted device), industrial equipment, or devices within the aforementioned devices (e.g., communication module, modem, or chip), or any device including the aforementioned devices. Next-generation ED110 may be referred to using other terms. Base stations 170a and 170b are T-TRPs, hereinafter referred to as T-TRP 170. Also in Figure 3 As shown, the non-terrestrial (NT) device is referred to below as NT-TRP 172. Each ED 110 connected to T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172 can be dynamically or semi-statically turned on (i.e., established, activated, or enabled), turned off (i.e., released, deactivated, or disabled), and / or configured in response to one or more of the following: connectivity availability and connectivity necessity.

[0098] like Figure 3As shown, ED 110 includes at least one processor 210. Only one processor 210 is shown in the figure to avoid clutter. ED 110 may also include a transmitter 201 and a receiver 203 coupled to one or more antennas 204. Only one antenna 204 is shown in the figure to avoid clutter. Alternatively, one, some, or all of the antennas 204 may be panels. The transmitter 201 and receiver 203 may, for example, be integrated as a transceiver. The transceiver is used to modulate data or other content for transmission by at least one antenna 204 or via a network interface controller (NIC). The transceiver is also used to demodulate data or other content received by at least one antenna 204. Each transceiver includes any suitable structure for generating signals for wireless or wired transmission and / or for processing signals received wirelessly or wiredly. Each antenna 204 includes any suitable structure for transmitting and / or receiving wireless or wired signals. ED 110 may include at least one memory 208. For simplicity, only transmitter 201, receiver 203, processor 210, memory 208 and antenna 204 are shown, but ED 110 may include one or more other components.

[0099] Memory 208 stores instructions. Memory 208 may also store data used, generated, or collected by ED 110. For example, memory 208 may store software instructions or modules for implementing some or all of the functions and / or embodiments described herein and executed by one or more processing units (e.g., processor 210). Each memory 208 includes any suitable one or more volatile and / or non-volatile storage and retrieval devices. Any suitable type of memory may be used, such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), hard disk, optical disk, subscriber identity module (SIM) card, memory stick, secure digital (SD) memory card, or on-processor cache.

[0100] ED 110 may also include one or more input / output devices (not shown) or interfaces (e.g., connected to...). Figure 1 (Wired interface of Internet 150). Input / output devices or interfaces support interaction with users or other devices in the network. Each input / output device or interface includes any suitable structure for providing or receiving information from the user and / or for network interface communication. For example, suitable structures include speakers, microphones, keypads, keyboards, displays, touchscreens, etc.

[0101] Processor 210 performs (or controls ED 110 to perform) operations described herein as being performed by ED 110, as shown below and in other parts of the invention. For example, processor 210 performs or controls ED 110 to perform the following operations: receive a transport block (TB), use resources for decoding one TB of the received TB, release resources for decoding another TB of the received TB, and / or receive configuration information for configuration resources. Specifically, operations may include those related to preparing for uplink transmissions to NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170, those related to processing downlink transmissions received from NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170, and those related to processing sidelink transmissions to and from another ED 110. Processing operations related to preparing for uplink transmissions may include operations such as encoding, modulation, transmit beamforming, and generating symbols for transmission. Processing operations related to processing downlink transmissions may include operations such as receive beamforming, demodulation, and decoding of received symbols. Processing operations related to downlink transmissions may include transmit / receive beamforming, modulation / demodulation, and encoding / decoding symbols. According to embodiments, downlink transmissions may be received by receiver 203, possibly using receive beamforming, and processor 210 may extract signaling from the downlink transmissions (e.g., by detecting and / or decoding signaling). Examples of signaling may be reference signals transmitted by NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170. In some implementations, processor 210 performs transmit beamforming and / or receive beamforming based on beam direction indications received from T-TRP 170, such as beam angle information (BAI). In some implementations, processor 210 may perform operations related to network access (e.g., initial access) and / or downlink synchronization, such as operations related to detecting synchronization sequences, decoding, and acquiring system information. In some implementations, processor 210 may perform channel estimation, for example, using reference signals received from NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170.

[0102] Although not shown in the figures, processor 210 may be part of transmitter 201 and / or receiver 203. Although not shown in the figures, memory 208 may be part of processor 210.

[0103] The processing components of processor 210, transmitter 201, and receiver 203 may be implemented by the same or different one or more processors, which execute instructions stored in memory (e.g., memory 208). Alternatively, some or all of the processing components of processor 210, transmitter 201, and receiver 203 may be implemented using dedicated circuitry such as a programmable field-programmable gate array (FPGA), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or hardware accelerator (e.g., a graphics processing unit (GPU) or artificial intelligence (AI) accelerator).

[0104] In some implementations, ED 110 may be a device (also referred to as a component) such as a communication module, modem, chip, or chipset, including at least one processor 210 and an interface or at least one pin. In this scenario, the transmitter 201 and receiver 203 may be replaced by an interface or at least one pin, wherein the interface or at least one pin is used to connect the device (e.g., a chip) and other devices (e.g., a chip, memory, or bus). Therefore, sending information to NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170 and / or another ED 110 can be referred to as sending information to an interface or at least one pin, or as sending information to NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170 and / or another ED 110 via an interface or at least one pin, while receiving information from NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170 and / or another ED 110 can be referred to as receiving information from an interface or at least one pin, or as receiving information from NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170 and / or another ED 110 via an interface or at least one pin. This information may include control signaling and / or data. Similar rules apply to other nodes / entities in this invention.

[0105] like Figure 3As shown, the T-TRP 170 includes at least one processor 260. Only one processor 260 is shown in the figure to avoid clutter. The T-TRP 170 may also include at least one transmitter 252 and at least one receiver 254 coupled to one or more antennas 256. Only one antenna 256 is shown in the figure to avoid clutter. Alternatively, one, some, or all of the antennas 256 may be a panel. The transmitter 252 and receiver 254 may be integrated as a transceiver. The T-TRP 170 may also include at least one memory 258. The T-TRP 170 may also include a scheduler 253. For simplicity, only the transmitter 252, receiver 254, processor 260, memory 258, antenna 256, and scheduler 253 are shown, but the T-TRP may include one or more other components.

[0106] In some implementations, T-TRP 170 may be referred to by other names, such as: base station, base transceiver station (BTS), wireless base station, network node, network equipment, network-side equipment, transmit / receive node, NodeB, evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), home eNodeB, next-generation NodeB (gNB), transmission point (TP), site controller, access point (AP), wireless router, relay station, ground node, ground network equipment, ground base station, base band unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), remote radio head (RRH), central unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), positioning node, etc. T-TRP 170 can be a macro base station (BS), pico BS, relay node, host node, or a combination thereof. T-TRP 170 may refer to the aforementioned device or a component within the aforementioned device (e.g., a communication module, modem, or chip).

[0107] In some implementations, the various parts of T-TRP 170 can be distributed. For example, some modules of T-TRP 170 can be located remotely from the device housing the antenna 256 of T-TRP 170 and can be coupled to the device housing the antenna 256 via a communication link sometimes referred to as the fronthaul (not shown), such as the Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI). Therefore, in some implementations, the term T-TRP 170 can also refer to modules on the network side that perform processing operations such as ED110 location determination, resource allocation (scheduling), message generation, and encoding / decoding; these modules are not necessarily part of the device housing the antenna 256 of T-TRP 170. These modules can also be coupled to other T-TRPs. In some implementations, T-TRP 170 can actually be multiple T-TRPs, which operate collaboratively to serve ED 110 through methods such as cooperative multicast.

[0108] The operations performed by processor 260 include those related to: preparing transmissions for downlink transmission to ED 110, processing uplink transmissions received from ED 110, preparing transmissions for backhaul transmission to T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172, and processing transmissions received from T-TRP 170 and / or NT-TRP 172 via backhaul. Processing operations related to preparing transmissions for downlink or backhaul transmission may include encoding, modulation, precoding (e.g., multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) precoding), transmit beamforming, and generating symbols for transmission. Processing operations related to processing received uplink transmissions or transmissions received via backhaul may include receive beamforming, demodulating received symbols, and decoding received symbols. Processor 260 may also perform operations related to network access (e.g., initial access) and / or downlink synchronization, such as generating the contents of a synchronization signal block (SSB) and generating system information. In some implementations, processor 260 also generates beam direction indication, such as BAI, which can be scheduled for transmission by scheduler 253. Processor 260 performs other network-side processing operations described herein, such as determining the location of ED 110, determining the deployment location of NT-TRP 172, etc. In some implementations, processor 260 can generate signaling, such as for configuring one or more parameters of ED 110 and / or one or more parameters of NT-TRP 172. Any signaling generated by processor 260 is transmitted by transmitter 252.

[0109] Scheduler 253 may be coupled to or integrated into processor 260. Scheduler 253 may be included in T-TRP 170 or may operate separately from T-TRP 170. Scheduler 253 may schedule uplink, downlink, lateral link, and / or backhaul transmissions, including issuing scheduling grants and / or configuring unscheduled (e.g., "configured grants") resources.

[0110] Memory 258 is used to store information and optional data. Memory 258 stores instructions and data used, generated, or collected by T-TRP 170. For example, memory 258 may store software instructions or modules that implement some or all of the functions and / or embodiments described herein and are executed by processor 260.

[0111] Although not shown in the figures, processor 260 may be part of transmitter 252 and / or receiver 254. Similarly, although not shown in the figures, processor 260 may implement scheduler 253. Although not shown in the figures, memory 258 may be part of processor 260.

[0112] The processing components of processor 260, scheduler 253, transmitter 252, and receiver 254 can each be implemented by the same or different one or more processors, which execute instructions stored in memory (e.g., memory 258). Alternatively, some or all of the processing components of processor 260, scheduler 253, transmitter 252, and receiver 254 can be implemented using dedicated circuitry such as a programmable FPGA, hardware accelerator (e.g., GPU or AI accelerator), or ASIC.

[0113] When T-TRP 170 is a device (also referred to as a component) such as a communication module, modem, chip, or chipset in a device, it includes at least one processor and an interface or at least one pin. In this scenario, transmitter 252 and receiver 254 can be replaced by an interface or at least one pin, wherein the interface or at least one pin is used to connect the device (e.g., a chip) and other devices (e.g., a chip, memory, or bus). Therefore, sending information to NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170 and / or ED110 can be referred to as sending information to an interface or at least one pin, while receiving information from NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170 and / or ED 110 can be referred to as receiving information from an interface or at least one pin. This information may include control signaling and / or data.

[0114] Although the NT-TRP 172 is shown as an example of a drone only, the NT-TRP 172 can be implemented in any suitable non-terrestrial form, such as satellites and high-altitude platforms, including international mobile communication base stations and unmanned aerial vehicles. Furthermore, the NT-TRP 172 may be referred to by other names in some implementations, such as non-terrestrial node, non-terrestrial network device, or non-terrestrial base station.

[0115] like Figure 3 As shown, the T-TRP 170 may also include at least one transmitter 252 and at least one receiver 254 coupled to one or more antennas 256. Only one antenna 256 is shown in the figure to avoid clutter. Alternatively, one, some, or all of the antennas 256 may be a panel. The transmitter 252 and receiver 254 may be integrated as a transceiver. The T-TRP 170 may also include at least one memory 258. The T-TRP 170 may also include a scheduler 253. For simplicity, only the transmitter 252, receiver 254, processor 260, memory 258, antenna 256, and scheduler 253 are shown, but the T-TRP may include one or more other components.

[0116] like Figure 3 As shown, the NT-TRP 172 includes at least one processor 276. Only one processor 276 is shown in the figure to avoid clutter. The NT-TRP 172 may include a transmitter 272 and a receiver 274 coupled to one or more antennas 280. Only one antenna 280 is shown in the figure to avoid clutter. Alternatively, one, some, or all of the antennas may be panels. The transmitter 272 and receiver 274 may be integrated as a transceiver. The NT-TRP 172 may also include at least one memory 278. The NT-TRP 172 may also include a scheduler. For simplicity, only the transmitter 272, receiver 274, processor 276, memory 278, and antenna 280 are shown, but the NT-TRP may include one or more other components.

[0117] NT-TRP 172 includes a processor 276 for performing operations, including operations related to: preparing a transmission for downlink transmission to ED 110; processing an uplink transmission received from ED 110; preparing a transmission for backhaul transmission to T-TRP 170 and / or another NT-TRP 172; and processing a transmission received from T-TRP 170 and / or another NT-TRP 172 via backhaul. Processing operations related to preparing a transmission for downlink or backhaul transmission may include operations such as encoding, modulation, precoding (e.g., MIMO precoding), transmit beamforming, and generating symbols for transmission. Processing operations related to processing received uplink transmissions or transmissions received via backhaul may include operations such as receive beamforming, demodulating received symbols, and decoding received symbols. In some implementations, processor 276 performs transmit beamforming and / or receive beamforming based on beam direction information (e.g., BAI) received from T-TRP 170. In some implementations, processor 276 can generate signaling, for example, for configuring one or more parameters of ED 110. In some implementations, NT-TRP 172 implements physical layer processing but not higher-level functions such as medium access control (MAC) or radio link control (RLC) layer functions. Since this is only an example, in general, NT-TRP 172 can implement higher-level functions in addition to physical layer processing.

[0118] Memory 278 is used to store information and optional data. Memory 258 stores instructions and data used, generated, or collected by NT-TRP 172. For example, memory 278 may store software instructions or modules that implement some or all of the functions and / or embodiments described herein and are executed by processor 276.

[0119] Although not shown in the figures, processor 276 may be part of transmitter 272 and / or receiver 274. Although not shown in the figures, memory 278 may be part of processor 276.

[0120] The processing components of processor 276, transmitter 272, and receiver 274 can each be implemented by the same or different one or more processors, which execute instructions stored in memory (e.g., memory 278). Alternatively, some or all of the processing components of processor 276, transmitter 272, and receiver 274 can be implemented using dedicated circuitry such as a programmable FPGA, hardware accelerator (e.g., GPU or AI accelerator), or ASIC. In some implementations, NT-TRP 172 can actually be multiple NT-TRPs operating together to serve ED 110 via cooperative multicast or similar methods.

[0121] When NT-TRP 172 is a device within a machine (e.g., a communication module, modem, chip, or chipset), it includes at least one processor and an interface or at least one pin. In this scenario, transmitter 272 and receiver 257 can be replaced by an interface or at least one pin, wherein the interface or at least one pin is used to connect the device (e.g., a chip) and other devices (e.g., a chip, memory, or bus). Therefore, sending information to T-TRP 170 and / or another NT-TRP 172 and / or ED 110 can be referred to as sending information to an interface or at least one pin, while receiving information from T-TRP 170 and / or another NT-TRP 172 and / or ED 110 can be referred to as receiving information from an interface or at least one pin. This information may include control signaling and / or data.

[0122] It should be noted that the term "transmit / receive point (TRP)" used in this article can refer to either T-TRP or NT-TRP. T-TRP can also be called terrestrial network TRP (TN TRP), and NT-TRP can also be called non-terrestrial network TRP (NTN TRP). T-TRP 170, NT-TRP 172, and / or ED 110 may include other components, but these components have been omitted for clarity.

[0123] It should be noted that, for simplicity, the term "signaling" used in this document can also be referred to as control signaling, control message, control information, or message. Signaling between a BS (e.g., network node 170) and a terminal or sensing device (e.g., ED 110), or between different terminals or sensing devices (e.g., between ED 110i and ED 110j), can be carried in physical layer signaling (also known as dynamic signaling) and transmitted in the physical layer control channel. For the downlink, physical layer signaling can be referred to as downlink control information (DCI) transmitted in the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). For the uplink, physical layer signaling can be referred to as uplink control information (UCI) transmitted in the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH). For sidelinks, signaling between different terminals or sensing devices (e.g., between ED 110i and ED110j) can be referred to as sidelink control information (SCI) transmitted in the physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH). This signaling can be carried in higher-layer (e.g., above the physical layer) signaling and transmitted in physical layer data channels, such as the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) for downlink signaling, the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) for uplink signaling, and the physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) for sidelink signaling. Higher-layer signaling can also be referred to as static or semi-static signaling. Higher-layer signaling can be radio resource control (RRC) protocol signaling or media access control-control element (MAC-CE) signaling. Signaling can be included in a combination of physical layer signaling and higher layer signaling.

[0124] It should be noted that in this invention, when "information" is different from "message", the information can be carried in a single message or in more than one single message.

[0125] One or more steps of the method provided in this invention can be performed by Figure 4 The corresponding unit or module provided will be executed. Figure 4 Units or modules in devices or apparatuses such as ED 110, T-TRP 170, or NT-TRP 172 are illustrated. For example, signals may be transmitted by a transmitting unit or transmitting module. Signals may be received by a receiving unit or receiving module. Signals may be processed by a processing unit or processing module. Other steps may be performed by artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML) modules. The corresponding units or modules may be implemented using hardware, one or more components or devices executing software, or a combination thereof. For example, one or more of these units or modules may be circuits such as integrated circuits. Examples of integrated circuits include programmable FPGAs, GPUs, or ASICs. For example, one or more of these units or modules may be logic, such as logical functions executed by circuits, a portion of an integrated circuit, or software instructions executed by a processor. It should be understood that if the modules are implemented by a processor through software execution, the processor may retrieve all or part of these modules as needed, retrieve them individually or in combination for processing, and support single-instance or multi-instance retrieval, and these modules themselves may include instructions for further deployment and instantiation. Other nodes / entities in this invention are adapted to similar units or modules.

[0126] Further details regarding ED 110, T-TRP 170, and NT-TRP 172 are known to those skilled in the art. Therefore, these details are omitted herein.

[0127] The disclosure of this invention pertains to devices such as UEs, IoT devices, and vehicles. The envisioned network scenarios may include terrestrial TRPs such as base stations and / or non-terrestrial TRPs such as drones, balloons, high-altitude platform stations (HAPS), and satellites, as well as any such devices supporting wireless access technologies such as 5G NR and future 6G systems.

[0128] Figure 5This illustrates an exemplary scenario of communication between a terrestrial TRP and a non-terrestrial TRP that is part of a satellite constellation. A satellite constellation typically consists of multiple satellite orbits, ensuring consistent wireless coverage for Earth; each orbit may contain multiple satellites. A terrestrial TRP can connect to the core network (CN) via a terrestrial gateway, while the satellite constellation can connect to the core network via a dedicated non-terrestrial gateway. Devices such as UEs can connect and communicate with either terrestrial TRPs (T-TRPs) or non-terrestrial TRPs (NT-TRPs), depending on factors such as traffic load, radio link quality, and congestion.

[0129] There are multiple communication methods between the core network, T-TRP, and NT-TRP. For example, T-TRP can communicate directly with NT-TRP, or T-TRP can communicate with the core network through NT-TRP (e.g., Figure 6 (as shown), or T-TRP can communicate with NT-TRP through the core network (e.g. Figure 7 (as shown).

[0130] Figure 6 This illustrates another exemplary scenario where a satellite constellation effectively acts as a ground-based gateway for a terrestrial TRP. Satellites in the constellation communicate with the core network via a ground-based gateway and a wireless link, while the ground-based gateway communicates with the core network via a wired link (e.g., a fiber optic link). The terrestrial TRP communicates with the satellites via a wireless link, and the satellites communicate with each other via a space optical link (e.g., using lasers). Devices such as UEs can connect and communicate with either the terrestrial TRP or a non-terrestrial TRP depending on factors such as service load, wireless link quality, and congestion.

[0131] Figure 7 This illustrates another scenario where a non-terrestrial TRP communicates with a terrestrial TRP via the core network. The non-terrestrial TRP can first communicate with a dedicated non-terrestrial gateway, and then with the core network. The core network can then relay power-saving commands from the non-terrestrial TRP to the terrestrial TRP via a dedicated terrestrial gateway. Devices such as UEs can connect and communicate with either terrestrial or non-terrestrial TRPs, depending on factors such as service load, radio link quality, and congestion.

[0132] In some possible implementations, the UE can communicate with the CN through one NT-TRP and one NTN gateway; this can be called single-hop communication. In other possible implementations, the UE can communicate with the CN through more than one NT-TRP and / or more than one NTN gateway; this can be called multi-hop communication.

[0133] For illustrative purposes, specific exemplary embodiments will be explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and the above-described system, ED, and TRP.

[0134] The embodiments described herein provide sufficient information to practice the claimed subject matter and illustrate methods for practicing it. Those skilled in the art, upon reading the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, will be able to understand the concepts of the claimed subject matter and recognize the applications of these concepts not specifically described herein. It should be understood that these concepts and applications are within the scope of this invention and the appended claims.

[0135] Based on the above descriptions of several scenarios for NT-TRP and T-TRP communication, it can be seen that the UE can communicate with ground base stations or directly with satellites.

[0136] For communication between the UE and the terrestrial base station, in cellular systems such as 5G NR, the UE can receive, detect, and measure reference signals such as SS / PBCH blocks and NZP-CSI-RS. These reference signals are based on pseudo-random noise (PRN) binary sequences, such as the Gold sequence, which can be initialized using common or UE-specific scrambling identifiers. For example, the primary synchronization signal (PSS) sequence and the secondary synchronization signal (SSS) sequence are initialized using the physical cell identity (PCI) value, which is a common scrambling identifier. The NZP-CSI-RS sequence is initialized using a UE-specific scrambling identifier, which is configured to the UE by the network.

[0137] In 5G NR Rel-17, NTN (Network Transmission Network) was introduced to enable UEs to support DL / UL (Deep Transmission / Ultra-Layer) communication with satellites in "bend-and-go" scenarios. In these scenarios, the ground station sends signals to satellites in space, and the satellites reflect the signals back to the UE on the ground. To assist the UE in NTN operations, dedicated signaling related to NTN was introduced. Higher-layer signaling, such as radio resource control (RRC), incorporates signaling for satellite ephemeris, satellite position, satellite signal polarization, timing advance offset, System Information Block (SIB), and satellite epochs to support NTN operations. Other introduced features include expanding the Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) process to 32 steps to accommodate scenarios with large propagation delays, and disabling HARQ-ACK feedback.

[0138] 5G NR Rel-17 enables support for non-terrestrial networks by introducing several enhancements to the following timing relationships: timing advance (TA), reference timing for channel state information (CSI) resources, transmission timing of DCI for scheduling PUSCH, transmission timing of random access response carried by PDSCH, and transmission timing of HARQ-ACK on PUCCH.

[0139] 5G NR Rel-17 also introduces a scheme that combines closed-loop and open-loop timing advance compensation. In this scheme, the closed-loop part is controlled by the network, while the open-loop part is performed by the UE. The compensation obtained from the UE can be based on knowledge of satellite ephemeris (e.g., satellite orbit angles and other parameters).

[0140] 5G NR Rel-17 supports, for example Figure 8 The “bend” scenario shown refers to a base station located behind an NTN gateway on the ground. The NTN gateway sends transmissions to the satellite (this link is called the “feeder” link), and the satellite sends transmissions to the UE on the ground (this link is called the “service” link).

[0141] The satellite transmits multiple beams to the ground, assuming each beam is associated with a given "physical cell identifier". It is also assumed that the satellite transmits the beams in a "fixed" manner, where "fixed" means that the satellite does not point its beams in a given direction, but rather the beams "slide" across the Earth's surface, so from the perspective of a device on the ground (e.g., a UE), the beams appear to be "moving".

[0142] In 5G NR Rel-18, NTN has been further enhanced, introducing coverage enhancements for NTN, network-verified UE location, and support for TN-to-NTN and NTN-to-NTN mobility scenarios.

[0143] The NTN support introduced in 5G NR Rel-17 is based on a non-transparent design, where each satellite is effectively treated as a serving cell by devices such as UEs, IoT devices, and vehicles. Devices also know the satellite ephemeris and their location at any given time because the satellites explicitly broadcast this information in System Information Block 19 (SIB19), which is sent by the satellites to assist UEs and other devices in obtaining NTN access assistance information. This creates a non-transparent radio access design, hindering the smooth integration of transmit diversity schemes, multi-TRP transmission schemes, and distributed satellite systems.

[0144] In low Earth orbit (LEO) NTN access scenarios, satellites are constantly in motion and therefore only within line-of-sight of ground-based equipment for a limited time. For example, in the Starlink constellation, the line-of-sight time between an LEO satellite and a given ground-based device is typically only a few minutes. Therefore, any information sent or broadcast by the satellite to ground-based equipment becomes outdated within minutes and must be constantly updated for satellite communication to function properly (because uplink synchronization timing advances and downlink synchronization needs to be reacquired). This results in high signaling overhead between the satellite and ground-based equipment, just to keep the communication link functioning.

[0145] LEO satellites use a fixed-beam model to transmit signals and channels to devices on the ground. This causes the satellite beam to "slide" across the Earth's surface, triggering mobility and handover processes whenever a device is at the edge between two beams. Mobility and handover processes typically cause latency and interruptions because an RRC connection needs to be re-established upon entering the target cell, impacting the overall user experience.

[0146] Random access procedures can be another potential bottleneck in communication systems. Within a given coverage area, there may be millions of devices on the ground. If these millions of devices attempt random access within a short time interval, a non-terrestrial TRP may find it difficult, or even impossible, to detect the individual random access preambles sent by so many devices within that short time interval. This is because it introduces extremely high complexity to non-terrestrial TRPs. Non-terrestrial TRPs are essentially embedded systems, and they may not be able to complete the processing associated with receiving, detecting, and measuring so many random access preambles within such a short time interval.

[0147] The 5G NR Rel-17 method for supporting NTN is based on assigning unique physical cell identities (PCIs) to different beams. This, combined with the use of fixed beams, introduces two types of interference problems in reference signal measurements and / or physical layer channel communication. The first problem is "PCI confusion," which occurs when two or more adjacent beams use the same PCI. The second problem is "PCI conflict," which occurs when adjacent beams use the same PCI as the serving beam. Both problems can occur when beams transmitted from different satellites begin to overlap.

[0148] As LEO satellites travel along their orbits, they inevitably leave a given coverage area. All UEs within that coverage area need to perform mobility procedures to maintain their connectivity with LEO satellites, etc. This inevitably leads to latency because an RRC connection must be re-established with the target satellite. This problem is more severe in NTN LEO scenarios because such handovers occur continuously.

[0149] Taking the example of a LEO satellite communicating with a UE, because the satellite is constantly "moving" relative to the UE, it may become unable to communicate with the UE when it leaves its coverage area (e.g., moves to another hemisphere, or moves outside the UE's beam range). In this case, the UE may need to spend considerable time finding another target satellite with which it can communicate. The UE can then re-establish an RRC connection with the target satellite to ensure communication. Therefore, when such handovers occur continuously in NTNLEO scenarios, the UE may need to spend a significant amount of time to find one or more target satellites. Consequently, every time a handover is required, the connection between the UE and LEO satellites, etc., is interrupted and reset, which degrades the UE's user experience.

[0150] Furthermore, even if the satellite is within a certain coverage area, because the satellite is constantly "moving" relative to the UE, the UE may need to calculate the satellite's position in real time so that the UE can correctly transmit its beam to the satellite. The UE can typically calculate its position using satellite ephemeris broadcast by the satellite. In this case, the UE needs to calculate the satellite's position, which increases the workload and computational complexity of the UE during communication.

[0151] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this invention discloses a method. In this method, a first network device (e.g., a satellite) can send a first beam angle information (BAI) list (as an example of a subset of the first BAI) to a UE. The first BAI list indicates the position of the first network device relative to the UE at different times. The first BAI list can also indicate a communication cone area where the UE can communicate with the first network device. After receiving the first BAI list, the UE can generate a transmit / receive beam (or equivalently, a transmit / receive spatial filter) directed towards the first network device based on the first BAI list to communicate with the first network device. In this way, the UE does not need to spend time calculating the position of the first network device, but can directly communicate with the first network device based on the first BAI list, thereby reducing the UE's workload and computational complexity.

[0152] Additionally, the UE can detect whether the first network device is "leaving" the communication cone area based on the first BAI list. If so, the UE can cease communication with the first network device. At this point, the UE can determine whether another satellite is located in the communication cone area, or which satellite is "entering" the communication cone area. If so, the UE can communicate with that satellite.

[0153] In some possible implementations, a second network device may also be present, located outside the communication cone area defined by the first BAI list. The first network device may send a second BAI list to the UE (as an example of a subset of the second BAI), wherein the second BAI list may indicate the location of the second network device relative to the UE at different times. After receiving the second BAI list, the UE may generate a transmit / receive beam (or equivalently, a transmit / receive spatial filter) toward the second network device based on the second BAI list to detect whether the second network device is "entering" the communication cone area. If so, and the UE finds that the first network device is "leaving" the communication cone area or is already outside the communication cone area, then the UE may communicate with the second network device instead of the first network device.

[0154] In this way, the UE may not need to spend time finding the target network device (e.g., the second network device mentioned above) after it stops communicating with the first network device. The UE can directly communicate with the second network device using the methods described above. Therefore, communication efficiency during handover is improved, thereby enhancing the UE's user experience.

[0155] In some possible implementations, the UE may have different transmit / receive beams (or equivalently: different transmit / receive spatial filters), wherein a given transmit / receive beam may be associated with a given BAI. The BAI may be associated with a given plane (e.g., a horizontal plane, also called an azimuth plane; and / or a vertical plane, also called a zenith plane). The zenith plane may also be alternatively called an elevation plane. The relationship between the zenith angle and the elevation angle is shown in the following equation (1):

[0156] Zenith angle = 90 degrees – Elevation angle (1)

[0157] Therefore, each BAI in the first BAI list and the second BAI list can be associated with an azimuth plane and / or a zenith plane, that is, each BAI can include at least one of an azimuth angle and a zenith angle.

[0158] In some possible implementations, the UE includes, but is not limited to, mobile phones, tablets, wearable devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, and any other electronic devices; this application does not limit their type or form. Furthermore, the first network device and the second network device can be two satellites in the same orbit.

[0159] Before describing the communication method in this invention in detail, we will first explain the application scenarios of this method.

[0160] Figure 9 Schematic diagrams of a UE provided in some embodiments of the present invention are shown. For example... Figure 9 As shown, there is a coverage area on the ground, and one or more devices (e.g., UEs) are located within that coverage area.

[0161] The UE can connect to a network, which can be a non-terrestrial network, meaning the UE can have an RRC connection with the network and be in connected mode. Alternatively, the UE can not connect to the network, meaning the UE can not have an RRC connection with the network and be in idle or inactive mode. Alternatively, the UE can be in a power mode associated with an RRC connection (for connected mode), or the UE can be in a power mode unrelated to an RRC connection (for idle or inactive mode). In some implementations of this embodiment, the UE can obtain its location through GNSS-based positioning, and the network also knows the UE's location.

[0162] Assuming the UE is not connected to the network, it can request an RRC connection when it has a task. To connect to a non-terrestrial system (e.g., a satellite constellation), the UE may need to point its beam towards the sky. However, there may be numerous non-terrestrial TRPs (NT-TRPs), such as satellites, within the UE's line of sight; therefore, there may be many NT-TRPs from which the UE can establish a connection. To assist the UE in establishing a connection with an NT-TRP, the UE may need to generate a transmit / receive beam directed towards the NT-TRP (so as to, for example, receive a reference signal transmitted by that NT-TRP). Information in the transmit / receive beam may include the UE's identifier, relevant parameters, etc. After receiving the UE's request, the NT-TRP can send a request response to the UE, and then the UE can establish an RRC connection with the NT-TRP.

[0163] The specific communication method in this invention will be described below.

[0164] Figure 10 A schematic flowchart illustrating a communication method provided by some examples of the present invention is shown. For example... Figure 10As shown, the method applied to the UE includes the following steps 1001 to 1003.

[0165] 1001: Receive a set of beam angle information (BAI) from the first network device.

[0166] Based on the above, when a device on the ground completes its initial access to a non-terrestrial network and connects to the non-terrestrial network (as an example of the first network device), the device has an RRC connection with the non-terrestrial network.

[0167] At this point, the first network device can send a BAI set to the UE. In other words, the UE can receive a BAI set from the first network device. The BAI set indicates the mapping relationship between reference values ​​and reference angle directions.

[0168] In some implementations, the BAI set can also be called a BAI table. The first network device can transmit the BAI table using higher-layer signaling (e.g., RRC, or non-access stratum (NAS)) in the zenith and / or azimuth domains. An example of such a table, including the zenith angle, is shown. In Table 1, the reference value is the zenith angle, and the reference angle direction is the 4-bit BAI corresponding to the zenith angle.

[0169] Table 1

[0170]

[0171] As shown in Table 1 above, each zenith angle corresponds to an absolute angular direction (e.g., in degrees) and can be interpreted as the angular direction in which the UE can point its spatial receiving beam such that the line of sight of the spatial receiving beam points in that angular direction. In some implementations, 0 degrees in the zenith domain corresponds to the UE's transmit / receive beam pointing vertically to the sky. Each angular direction is associated with a BAI provided in 4-bit codeword form. In this example, the codeword width is 4 bits. Since the default zenith BAI table contains 15 entries, other examples of zenith BAI tables with more or fewer entries can be considered or envisioned. The table above may contain one or more entries, where each entry contains a 4-bit codeword, and the UE can use any one or more entries in the table above to point its spatial receiving beam in the direction of any one or more entries.

[0172] In some implementations, the UE beam whose line of sight is pointed in the direction corresponding to the 0-degree zenith angle can be regarded as the "reference zenith beam". It should be noted that the 0-degree zenith angle is equivalent to a 90-degree elevation angle.

[0173] In some implementations, a reference coordinate system can exist. A 0-degree zenith angle corresponds to the UE pointing its beam at the sky (i.e., the reference beam). A negative zenith angle can correspond to the left side of the direction corresponding to 0 degrees, the direction in which the UE points its beam. A positive zenith angle can correspond to the right side of the direction corresponding to 0 degrees, the direction in which the UE points its beam.

[0174] In some implementations, a reference coordinate system can exist. A 0-degree zenith angle corresponds to the UE pointing its beam at the sky (i.e., the reference beam). A negative zenith angle can correspond to the left side of the reference zenith beam, in the direction of the North Pole, while a positive zenith angle can correspond to the right side of the reference zenith beam, in the direction of the South Pole.

[0175] As shown in Table 1, the difference between two adjacent zenith angles is 10 degrees, and this invention does not limit this difference. For illustration, the difference can be 5 degrees, 7 degrees, 20 degrees, etc. Similarly, this invention does not limit the number of zenith angles in Table 1 or the number of bits in the BAI.

[0176] In some implementations, higher-layer signaling (e.g., RRC signaling) can be used in the azimuth domain to provide the UE with a BAI table as shown in Table 2. In Table 2, the reference value is the azimuth angle, and the reference angle direction is the 4-bit BAI corresponding to the azimuth angle.

[0177] Table 2

[0178]

[0179] In some implementations, the UE beam whose line of sight points to the North Pole can be considered a “reference azimuth beam” with an azimuth angle of 0 degrees. It can also be assumed that the zenith angle of the reference azimuth beam is 90 degrees (or equivalently, the elevation angle is 0 degrees).

[0180] In some implementations, a reference coordinate system can exist. A 0-degree azimuth angle corresponds to the UE pointing its beam to the North Pole (i.e., the reference azimuth beam). A negative azimuth angle can correspond to the left side of the reference azimuth beam and the direction the UE points its beam in. A positive zenith angle can correspond to the right side of the reference azimuth beam and the direction the UE points its beam in.

[0181] As shown in Table 2, the difference between two adjacent zenith angles is 30 degrees, and this application does not limit this difference. For reference, the difference can be 10 degrees, 20 degrees, etc. Similarly, this application does not limit the number of azimuth angles or the number of bits in the BAI in Table 2.

[0182] In some implementations, the BAI table may include only Table 1 mentioned above, that is, the BAI table only includes information related to the zenith angle; or, the BAI table may include only Table 2 mentioned above, that is, the BAI table only includes information related to the azimuth angle; or, the BAI table may include both Table 1 and Table 2 mentioned above, that is, the BAI table includes information related to both the zenith angle and the azimuth angle.

[0183] Step 1001 is optional. When step 1001 is not present, the BAI set can be predefined in the standard or stored in both the first network device and the UE.

[0184] 1002: Receive a first subset of BAI from a first network device, wherein the first subset of BAI includes at least one first BAI, each of the at least one first BAI representing a first value corresponding to a first angular direction, the first value being included in the set of BAIs.

[0185] To assist the UE in performing its communication functions with non-terrestrial networks (as an example of a first network device), the network can use higher-level signaling (e.g., RRC signaling) to configure a "Service BAI List" for the UE (as an example of a first subset of BAIs). An example of such higher-level signaling in the zenith domain is provided below:

[0186] servingZenithBAIlist={

[0187] bai#0=0101,

[0188] bai#1=0110,

[0189] bai#2=0111,

[0190] bai#3=1000,

[0191] bai#4=1001

[0192] }

[0193] Each service zenith BAI in the above list (as an example of a first value) is included in the above set of BAIs, and each service zenith BAI corresponds to an angular direction (as an example of a first angular direction). Therefore, the first value is included in the reference value in the set of BAIs, and the first angular direction is included in the reference angular direction in the set of BAIs.

[0194] Comparing each service zenith BAI with the BAI set, we can see that the 4-bit codeword 0101 represents -20 degrees in the zenith domain, the codeword 0110 represents -10 degrees, the codeword 0111 represents 0 degrees, the codeword 1000 represents 10 degrees, and the codeword 1001 represents 20 degrees.

[0195] The above high-level signaling example configures a UE with a Serving Zenith BAI list including five (serving) beams. Each beam can be a transmit / receive beam pointing in the direction indicated by the corresponding entry in the servingZenithBAIlist parameter; that is, the first beam can be pointed at with a -20 degree zenith angle, the second beam at a -10 degree zenith angle, the third beam at a 0 degree zenith angle, the fourth beam at a 10 degree zenith angle, and the fifth beam at a 20 degree zenith angle. In some implementations, a 0 degree zenith angle corresponds to the direction in which the UE's beam is perpendicular to the sky. The above configuration can produce results such as... Figure 11 The effect shown.

[0196] exist Figure 11 In this configuration, UE 1101 can communicate with the first network device 1102 based on the Serving BAI. In some implementations, the Serving BAI list can also define a communication cone-shaped region between UE 1101 and the first network device 1102. For example, in... Figure 11 In this context, the communication cone region is defined as an area with a maximum zenith angle of 20 degrees and a minimum zenith angle of -20 degrees. This means that UE 1101 can only communicate with the first network device 1102 within the communication cone region. If the first network device 1102 moves outside the communication cone region, UE 1101 may be unable to communicate with it.

[0197] In some implementations, a service BAI list can be provided for this configuration, where each service BAI contains two BAIs, including the first zenith BAI and the first azimuth BAI.

[0198] An example of a list of service BAIs using tuples of the first zenith BAI and the first azimuth BAI is shown below:

[0199] servingBAIlist={

[0200] bai#0={0101, 0100},

[0201] bai#1={0110, 0100},

[0202] bai#2={0111, 0100},

[0203] bai#3={1000, 0100},

[0204] bai#4={1001, 0100}

[0205] }

[0206] The above high-level signaling example configures a UE with a serving BAI list including five beams. Each beam can be a transmit / receive beam pointing in the direction indicated by the corresponding entry in the servingBAIlist parameter. That is, the first beam can be pointed using a -20 degree zenith angle and a 120 degree azimuth angle, the second beam can be pointed using a -10 degree zenith angle and a 120 degree azimuth angle, the third beam can be pointed using a 0 degree zenith angle and a 120 degree azimuth angle, the fourth beam can be pointed using a 10 degree zenith angle and a 120 degree azimuth angle, and the fifth beam can be pointed using a 20 degree zenith angle and a 120 degree azimuth angle. In some implementations, 0 degrees corresponds to the UE's beam pointing vertically towards the sky, and 0 degrees azimuth angle corresponds to the UE's beam pointing horizontally towards the north.

[0207] In addition, the service BAI list can also include the time for each service BAI. This allows the UE to send a beam in a given angular direction based on the given time after receiving the service BAI list, thereby improving communication efficiency.

[0208] It should be noted that the BAI set and the first BAI subset can be carried in the same message. In this case, steps 1001 and 1002 can be a single step.

[0209] 1003: Use at least one first BAI to communicate with the first network device.

[0210] As described above, after the UE receives the list of service BAIs, the UE can communicate with the first network device using at least one first BAI by sending beams according to the angular direction in the list of service BAIs.

[0211] In some implementations, when a first condition is met, the step of communicating with the first network device using at least one first BAI can be performed. That is, if the first condition is met, the UE can communicate with the first network device. If the first condition is not met, the UE cannot communicate with the first network device.

[0212] The first condition will be explained in detail below, and will not be repeated here.

[0213] Configuring the Service BAI in this way offers several advantages. The first advantage is that the network can define "communication cones" in a UE-specific manner, where each cone corresponds to a spatial region in which the UE directs its transmit / receive beams for communication purposes, such as receiving / detecting / decoding physical layer channels like PDCCH / PDSCH or transmitting physical layer channels like PUCCH / PUSCH. This type of Service BAI can also be used by devices such as the UE to receive / detect / measure reference signals, such as SS / PBCH blocks and / or non-zero power (NZP) CSI-RS.

[0214] Another benefit is that, since the UE is explicitly informed of the beam angle direction for the expected DL / UL communication, the configuration of the Serving BAI can help limit the implementation complexity of beam management for the UE. Another benefit is that the configuration of the Serving BAI can help set constraints on physical layer parameters such as propagation delay, which helps control the temporal variations of physical layer channel (e.g., PDCCH / PDSCH) reception and / or physical layer channel (e.g., PUCCH / PUSCH) transmission.

[0215] It should be noted that before initiating initial access to the first network device, the UE can obtain the public land mobile network (PLMN) of the first network device. For example, this process can be as follows: the UE scans the RF channel to detect the NTN beam and decodes the system information carried in the NTN beam. Then, the UE can obtain the PLMN from the system information to initiate initial access to the first network device.

[0216] Since a UE can connect to both terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks simultaneously, in some implementations, the system information can include not only the PLMN of the non-terrestrial network but also the PLMN of the terrestrial network. This reduces the time the UE spends searching for the PLMN of the terrestrial network. This will be explained in detail below and will not be repeated here.

[0217] In addition to receiving a list of service BAIs indicating the angular direction of the service beam from the first network device, the UE can also receive a list of candidate BAIs from a second network device located outside the aforementioned communication cone region. This list of candidate BAIs indicates the angular direction of candidate beams used for receiving / detecting / measuring physical layer signals (e.g., SS / PBCH blocks and / or NZP CSI-RS).

[0218] The above embodiments are for service BAI Figure 9 The scenario can be used in this embodiment, and the table for service BAI in the above embodiment can also be used in this embodiment.

[0219] like Figure 12 As shown, the method applied to the UE includes the following steps 1201 to 1203.

[0220] 1201: Receive a set of beam angle information (BAI) from the first network device.

[0221] Based on the above, when a device on the ground completes its initial access to a non-terrestrial network and connects to the non-terrestrial network (as an example of the first network device), the device has an RRC connection with the non-terrestrial network.

[0222] At this point, the first network device can send a BAI set to the UE. In other words, the UE can receive a BAI set from the first network device. The BAI set indicates the mapping relationship between reference values ​​and reference angle directions.

[0223] In other words, for a UE in connected mode, a BAI table as shown in Table 1 can be provided to the UE using higher-layer signaling (e.g., RRC) in the zenith domain, and / or a BAI table as shown in Table 2 can be provided to the UE using higher-layer signaling (e.g., RRC) in the azimuth domain.

[0224] Step 1201 is optional. When step 1201 is not present, the BAI set can be predefined in the standard or stored in both the second network device and the UE.

[0225] 1202: Receive a second subset of BAI from a first network device, wherein the second subset of BAI includes at least one second BAI, each of the at least one second BAI representing a second value corresponding to a second angular direction, the second value being included in the BAI set.

[0226] To assist the UE in performing its beam / mobility management functions with a non-terrestrial network (as an example of a second network device), the first network device can use higher-layer signaling (e.g., RRC signaling) to configure a "candidate BAI list" for the UE (as an example of a second subset of BAIs). An example of such higher-layer signaling in the zenith domain is provided below:

[0227] candidateZenithBAIlist={

[0228] bai#0=0001,

[0229] bai#1=0010,

[0230] bai#2=0011,

[0231] bai#3=0100,

[0232] bai#4=1010,

[0233] bai#5=1011,

[0234] bai#6=1100,

[0235] bai#7=1101

[0236] }

[0237] Each candidate zenith BAI in the above list (as an example of a second value) is included in the above set of BAIs, and each zenith BAI in the zenith domain corresponds to an angular direction (as an example of a second angular direction). Therefore, the second value is included in the reference value in the set of BAIs, and the second angular direction is included in the reference angular direction in the set of BAIs.

[0238] Comparing each candidate zenith BAI with the BAI set, we can see that the 4-bit codeword 0001 represents -60 degrees in the zenith domain, codeword 0010 represents -50 degrees, codeword 0011 represents -40 degrees, codeword 0100 represents -30 degrees, codeword 1010 represents 30 degrees, codeword 1011 represents 40 degrees; codeword 1100 represents 50 degrees; and codeword 1101 represents 60 degrees.

[0239] The above high-level signaling example configures the UE with a candidate zenith BAI list including eight beams. Each beam can be a transmit / receive beam pointing in the direction indicated by the corresponding entry in the candidateZenithBAIlist parameter; that is, the first beam can be pointed with a -60 degree zenith angle, the second beam with a -50 degree zenith angle, and so on. In some implementations, a 0-degree zenith angle corresponds to the direction in which the UE's beam is perpendicular to the sky. The above configuration can produce results such as... Figure 13 The effect shown.

[0240] exist Figure 13 In this scenario, the second network device 1302 is located in region 1, and the other network device 1303 is located in region 2. UE 1301 cannot establish a connection with the second network device 1302. Therefore, UE 1301 cannot communicate with the second network device 1302 because the second network device 1302 is not within the communication cone region of UE 1301. Figure 13 The same applies to another network device, 1303. However, since the first network device sends a second subset of BAI to the UE, the UE can know the location of the second network device at different times.

[0241] In some implementations, BAI entries configured in the `candidateZenithBAIlist` parameter can be restricted to those configured in the `servingZenithBAIlist` parameter. This ensures that the UE does not use a BAI as both a "serving" and a "candidate" BAI simultaneously, which could otherwise lead to UE behavior confusion. For example, at a given time, the beam corresponding to that BAI may be used as either the serving BAI or the candidate BAI.

[0242] In some implementations, higher-layer signaling (e.g., RRC signaling) can be used in the orientation domain to provide the UE with a BAI table as a candidate BAI list, as shown in Table 2.

[0243] In some implementations, a list of candidate BAIs can be provided for this configuration, where each candidate BAI contains two BAIs, including the second zenith BAI and the second azimuth BAI.

[0244] An example of a candidate BAI list using tuples of the second apex BAI and the second orientation BAI is shown below:

[0245] candidateBAIlist={

[0246] bai#0={0001, 0110},

[0247] bai#1={0010, 0110},

[0248] bai#2={0011, 0110},

[0249] bai#3={0100, 0110},

[0250] bai#4={1010, 0110},

[0251] bai#5={1011, 0110},

[0252] bai#6={1100, 0110},

[0253] bai#7={1101, 0110}

[0254] }

[0255] The above high-level signaling example configures the UE with a candidate BAI list including eight beams. Each beam can be a transmit / receive beam pointing in the direction indicated by the corresponding entry in the candidateBAIlist parameter; that is, the first beam can be pointed using a -60 degree zenith angle and a 180 degree azimuth angle, the second beam can be pointed using a -50 degree zenith angle and a 180 degree azimuth angle, and so on. In some implementations, a 0 degree zenith angle corresponds to the UE's beam pointing vertically towards the sky, and a 0 degree azimuth angle corresponds to the UE's beam pointing horizontally towards the north.

[0256] In addition, the candidate BAI list can also include the time for each candidate BAI. This way, after receiving the candidate BAI list, the UE can send a beam in a given angular direction according to the given time, thereby improving signal transmission efficiency.

[0257] It should be noted that the BAI set and the second BAI subset can be carried in the same message. In this case, steps 1201 and 1202 can be a single step.

[0258] 1203: Receive mobility / beam management reference signals from a second network device using at least one second BAI.

[0259] The mobility / beam management reference signal here is also referred to as a reference signal for at least one of mobility or beam management.

[0260] After the UE generates a transmit / receive beam (pointing in a given angular direction), the UE can receive a mobility / beam management reference signal transmitted by the second network device. The UE can then determine the orientation of the second network device relative to the UE by determining the angle of the mobility / beam management reference signal.

[0261] In some implementations, when the second condition is met, the step of receiving a mobility / beam management reference signal from the second network device using at least one second BAI can be performed. That is, if the second condition is met, the UE can receive the mobility / beam management reference signal from the second network device. If the second condition is not met, the UE cannot receive the mobility / beam management reference signal from the second network device.

[0262] This configuration of the candidate BAI helps limit the implementation complexity of the UE, because the UE does not spend time performing beam scanning in irrelevant directions.

[0263] In some implementations, by using and configuring the Service BAI and Candidate BAI, the UE can detect "entering" non-terrestrial TRPs into the range of interest (i.e., the communication cone area), as well as "leaving" non-terrestrial TRPs. The reasons are as follows.

[0264] As can be seen from the above, if the first condition is met, the UE can communicate with the first network device; if the first condition is not met, the UE cannot communicate with the first network device. The first condition includes the first apex angle of the beam being less than the first apex angle threshold.

[0265] If the second condition is met, the UE can receive the mobility / beam management reference signal from the second network device; if the second condition is not met, the UE cannot receive the mobility / beam management reference signal from the second network device. The second condition includes the second vertices angle of the mobility / beam management reference signal being greater than the second vertices angle threshold.

[0266] For clarification, "first network device" and "second network device" are not fixed names. For example, if the first network device moves from a communication cone area to a cone area defined by the candidate BAI, then the first network device can become the second network device. Figure 13 For example, when a network device is in area 1 or area 2, it can be called a second network device. When a network device moves to a communication cone area, it can become a first network device. If another network device exists in area 1 at this time, that other network device can become a second network device.

[0267] Therefore, if the first network device is moving from a location that meets the first condition to a location that meets the second condition, the UE can confirm that the first network device is "leaving" the communication cone area. Similarly, if the second network device is moving from a location that meets the second condition to a location that meets the first condition, the UE can confirm that the second network device is "entering" the communication cone area.

[0268] The above two aspects will be explained in detail below.

[0269] This application introduces a "Service BAI handover" feature, particularly features related to physical layer-based triggers (L1-based triggers). This feature allows the UE to use candidate BAIs to detect incoming non-terrestrial TRPs.

[0270] In some implementations, candidate BAIs can be configured for the UE using higher-layer signaling (e.g., RRC signaling). These candidate BAIs can be used by the device (e.g., the UE) to receive / detect / measure reference signals (e.g., SS / PBCH blocks and / or NZPCSI-RS), as mentioned in the above embodiments. Additionally, the UE can also use these candidate BAIs to detect L1-based events, such as detecting beam / mobility management reference signals within consecutive candidate BAIs. Specifically, these consecutive candidate BAIs are increasingly close to a threshold of the "communication cone area."

[0271] The above embodiments are for service BAI Figure 9 The scenario can be used in this embodiment, and the table for service BAI in the above embodiment can also be used in this embodiment.

[0272] Based on the above implementation, a UE connected to a non-terrestrial network can be configured with 6 candidate beams (i.e., using higher-layer signaling (e.g., RRC) to provide the UE with a candidateBAIlist parameter containing 6 BAI entries) and 5 serving beams (i.e., using higher-layer signaling (e.g., RRC) to provide the UE with a serving BAI list parameter containing 5 BAI entries), such as... Figure 14 As shown.

[0273] The UE can also be configured with a beam management / mobility reference signal list to detect any incoming NT-TRP. In some implementations, the beam management (BM) / mobility reference signal is configured to initialize a pseudo-random noise binary sequence with different time / frequency resources and / or different scrambling identifiers compared to a BM reference signal configured for use within a communication cone area.

[0274] This beam management / mobility reference signal list can be provided as a reference signal list, as shown in the following example:

[0275] BeamMobilityMgmtConfig={

[0276] bmSsbResourceListSEQUENCE (SIZE(1..n)) OF ssb-Resource, optional

[0277] bmCsirsResourceListSEQUENCE (SIZE(1..m)) OF nzp-csi-rs-Resource, optional

[0278] }

[0279] In the example above, the UE is configured with an integer n SS / PBCH blocks for beam / mobility management, and the UE is configured with an integer m NZP CSI-RS for beam / mobility management. The UE can also be configured to report incoming NT-TRPs. One such physical layer event could be a BM-RS that detects "the zenith angle has fallen below a threshold (as an example of the first zenith angle threshold)". An exemplary configuration for such a physical layer event is provided below:

[0280] BeamMobilityMgmtConfig={

[0281] bmTriggerConfig={

[0282] eventBM-T1={

[0283] triggerQuantity=ZenithAngle,

[0284] threshold = 25 degrees

[0285] hysteresis = 3 degrees

[0286] timeToTrigger=1000 ms

[0287] }

[0288] }

[0289] }

[0290] The aforementioned higher-layer signaling configures the UE to detect an incoming NT-TRP (as an example of a second network device) by monitoring the zenith angle of the BM-RS (or equivalent mobility-RS) and comparing it to a 25-degree threshold. An L1-based event is called "T1," which in this context indicates that the UE can compare whether the zenith angle of the BM-RS is below the threshold. The zenith angle can be calculated, for example, in absolute terms; that is, a zenith angle below zero (i.e., a negative value) is considered positive, while a zenith angle above zero (i.e., a positive value) remains unchanged. The trigger condition is: the zenith angle measured by the UE is below the 25-degree threshold, where the hysteresis parameter is 3 degrees and the duration is 1000 milliseconds. In effect, this indicates that the UE is detecting a reference signal from an incoming NT-TRP, and that the NT-TRP is considered to have entered the UE's communication cone area (i.e., the spatial area where the UE can perform DL / UL communication with the NT-TRP), such as... Figure 15 As shown.

[0291] like Figure 14 As shown, the absolute values ​​of zenith angle threshold 1 and zenith angle threshold 2 are 25 degrees. Figure 14 If the second network device moves to the right of the zenith angle threshold 1, the second network device is considered to have entered the communication cone area.

[0292] In some implementations, the UE can implicitly derive the threshold for the zenith angle based on the zenith BAI set configured in the serving zenith BAI list and the candidate zenith BAI list. For example, the threshold can be derived as the median value between the lowest zenith angle value in the candidate zenith BAI list and the highest zenith angle value in the serving zenith BAI list.

[0293] For example, in Figure 14In the candidate zenith BAI list, the lowest zenith angle is 30 degrees, and the highest zenith angle is 20 degrees. Therefore, the median value is 25, which is the threshold.

[0294] Configuring this for L1-based events or triggers offers several advantages. Non-terrestrial TRPs (e.g., LEO satellites) operate along orbits, so from the UE's perspective, they can naturally "come and go." Such "entering" non-terrestrial TRPs can become TRPs for which the UE communicates using the Service BAI configured by higher layers. Therefore, the first advantage is that the UE can detect "entering" non-terrestrial TRPs; in particular, the UE can determine the appropriate time to switch its beam to the entering NT-TRP.

[0295] Another advantage is that this L1-based event or trigger configuration is entirely UE-centric, as each UE can determine the appropriate time to switch its beam to the incoming NT-TRP. Another advantage is that this L1-based trigger configuration is implemented in a network-transparent manner, meaning that there is no need to provide the UE with ephemeris information or orbital information corresponding to non-terrestrial TRPs.

[0296] In some implementations, the UE can also be configured with an L1-based trigger or event for the UE to detect "leaving" a non-terrestrial TRP. One such physical layer event could be a BM-RS event detecting that "the zenith angle has become higher than a threshold (as an example of the second zenith angle threshold)". An exemplary configuration for such a physical layer event is provided below:

[0297] BeamMobilityMgmtConfig={

[0298] bmTriggerConfig={

[0299] eventBM-T2={

[0300] triggerQuantity=ZenithAngle,

[0301] threshold = 25 degrees

[0302] hysteresis = 3 degrees

[0303] timeToTrigger=1000 ms

[0304] }

[0305] }

[0306] }

[0307] The aforementioned higher-layer signaling configures the UE to detect departing NT-TRPs by monitoring the zenith angle of the BM-RS and comparing it to a 25-degree threshold. An L1-based event is called "T2," which in this context indicates that the UE can compare whether the zenith angle of the BM-RS is above the threshold. The zenith angle can be calculated, for example, in absolute terms; that is, a zenith angle below zero (i.e., a negative value) is considered positive, while a zenith angle above zero (i.e., a positive value) remains unchanged. The trigger condition is: the zenith angle measured by the UE is above the 25-degree threshold, where the hysteresis parameter is 3 degrees and the duration is 1000 milliseconds. In effect, this indicates that the UE is detecting a reference signal from a departing NT-TRP, and that the NT-TRP is considered to have left the UE's communication cone area (i.e., the spatial area where the UE can perform DL / UL communication with the NT-TRP), such as... Figure 16 As shown.

[0308] like Figure 14 As shown, if the first network device moves to the right of the zenith angle threshold 2, the first network device is considered to have left the communication cone area.

[0309] In some implementations, the vertex threshold for the first day and the vertex threshold for the second day can be the same (e.g., 25 degrees) or different; this application does not limit this.

[0310] One difference between detecting incoming NT-TRPs and detecting outgoing NT-TRPs may be that any physical layer detection (and any corresponding signal processing) of incoming NT-TRPs is based on candidate BAI, while any physical layer detection (and any corresponding signal processing) of outgoing NT-TRPs is based on service BAI.

[0311] Configuring this type of L1-based event or trigger offers several advantages. First, the UE can detect "leaving" non-terrestrial TRPs; specifically, the UE can determine the appropriate time to scan for incoming NT-TRPs based on candidate BAIs. Second, this L1-based event or trigger configuration is entirely UE-centric, as each UE can determine the appropriate time to switch its beam to the incoming NT-TRP. Third, the serving BAI handover mechanism is UE-initiated, as the UE detects the appropriate time to switch from a serving BAI (potentially for a leaving NT-TRP) to another serving BAI (potentially for an incoming NT-TRP).

[0312] In some implementations, the UE can also send additional signaling to the departing NT-TRP, instructing the UE to switch its current service BAI to another service BAI (possibly targeting the incoming NT-TRP). The incoming NT-TRP can be an NT-TRP adjacent to the departing NT-TRP, for example, one located on the same track as the departing NT-TRP, such as... Figure 17 As shown.

[0313] In some implementations, the incoming NT-TRP and the outgoing NT-TRP can use laser inter-satellite links or similar methods to exchange other signaling information about the transmission of the UE's RRC connection context.

[0314] In some implementations, different NT-TRPs, such as satellites, can exchange backhaul signaling information among themselves using laser-satellite links (LISL), etc. In other embodiments, different NT-TRPs, such as satellites, can exchange backhaul signaling information among themselves by sending physical layer channels (e.g., PDCCH / PDSCH) to an NTN gateway acting as a relay between two or more NT-TRPs, etc. Backhaul signaling information may include information indicating, for example, UE identifier, UE scheduling context, RLC service packets, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) service packets, TCP / IP service packets, the zenith / azimuth BAI to which the UE can be switched, the time when the source NT-TRP can stop serving the UE, the time when the target NT-TRP can start serving the UE, the time interval that may be required for the handover, etc. An example of this higher-layer signaling (which may be, for example, RRC) is shown below:

[0315] backhaulSignalingConfig={

[0316] ueIdentity,

[0317] ueSchedulingContext={

[0318] instantaneousRate, averageRate, trafficQoS, …

[0319] }

[0320] rlcTrafficPacketQueue,

[0321] pdcpTrafficPacketQueue is optional.

[0322] tcpIpTrafficPacketQueue is optional.

[0323] ueZenithBAI,

[0324] ueAzimuthBAI (optional)

[0325] sourceSwitchingTime is optional.

[0326] targetSwitchingTime is optional.

[0327] switchingTimeInterval is optional.

[0328] …

[0329] }

[0330] In some implementations, higher-layer signaling carrying zenith and / or azimuth BAI lists can indicate angular direction and implicitly indicate the half-power beamwidth (HPBW) of each beam. For example, if two zenith BAI entries are configured, where the first entry has the codeword "000" and corresponds to an angular direction of 0 degrees, and the second entry has the codeword "001" and corresponds to an angular direction of 10 degrees, then the implicit indication from this higher-layer configuration is to generate a beam with an HPBW of 10 degrees, because the difference between the first and second zenith BAI entries is 10 degrees. This behavior enables the UE to generate beams without beam interference due to leakage or other issues.

[0331] In some implementations, a UE can simultaneously connect to both terrestrial networks (as an example of a base station) and non-terrestrial networks (as an example of a first network device). However, the UE treats both terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks as "separate" networks because they are considered separate "public land mobile networks" (PLMNs) with their own unique codes. PLMN information includes a mobile country code (MCC) and a mobile network code (MNC), which are unique numbers assigned by the International Telecommunication Union-Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T). In 5G NR, the UE needs to scan all RF channels, detect the strongest cell, and find an available PLMN in order to report the available PLMN to the non-access stratum (NAS) and register with the appropriate PLMN.

[0332] In other words, before a UE can initially access a non-terrestrial network, it needs to scan all RF channels, detect the strongest cell, and find an available PLMN. The same operations are required before initial access to a terrestrial network. This forces the UE to run initial access-related procedures for each terrestrial and non-terrestrial network, increasing connection complexity.

[0333] Therefore, this application introduces the feature of a "joint TN / NTN PLMN," particularly the process for selecting a joint TN / NTN PLMN. A joint TN / NTN PLMN can be defined using two mobile country codes (MCCs) and two mobile network codes (MNCs), as shown in the following example:

[0334] Combined TN / NTN PLMN={{MCC TN MNC TN}, {MCC NTN MNC NTN}}

[0335] In some implementations, the combined TN / NTN PLMN can have MCC. TN and MCC NTN Further constraints of equality, wherein the definition of joint TN / NTN PLMN can be further simplified to:

[0336] Combined TN / NTN PLMN={MCC, {MNC TN MNC NTN}}

[0337] Both MCC and MNC can be uniquely assigned integer values, assigned by regulatory bodies (e.g., ITU-T).

[0338] In some implementations, before initiating initial access to a non-terrestrial network (e.g., a first network device), the UE may obtain system information sent by the non-terrestrial network. In addition to the second PLMN information of the non-terrestrial network, the system information may also include the first PLMN information of the terrestrial network (e.g., a base station).

[0339] For illustration, the first PLMN information and the second PLMN information can be referred to as the joint TN / NTN PLMN (as an example of a PLMN information set). The UE can then use the first PLMN information for subsequent processes such as cell selection to communicate with the terrestrial network. This simplifies the process of connecting the UE to the terrestrial network when connecting to two networks and reduces connection complexity.

[0340] The following will provide a detailed explanation.

[0341] In the above embodiments Figure 9 The scenario can be used in this embodiment.

[0342] For UEs (User Equipments) that are not connected to non-terrestrial networks (i.e., they do not have an RRC connection to the non-terrestrial network), these devices need to perform basic functions such as PLMN selection before initiating initial access. As part of performing PLMN selection, the UE needs to scan the RF channel to find an appropriate joint PLMN.

[0343] PLMN selection may involve multiple steps, such as:

[0344] (1) Scan the RF channels associated with the given frequency band and attempt to detect the NTN beam, wherein the given NTN beam can be associated with the given SS / PBCH block.

[0345] (2) When the NTN beam is found, try to detect and decode the Master Information Block (MIB) from the SS / PBCH block.

[0346] (3) When decoding the MIB from the detected SS / PBCH block, detect and decode the PDSCH transmission carrying System Information Block 1 (SIB1).

[0347] (4) Compare the value of PLMN carried in SIB1 with the value of PLMN provided by the UE's Non-Access Stratum (NAS).

[0348] Figure 18 A schematic diagram of the process of a UE camping on an NTN beam is shown. In the example above, the UE may or may not have stored NTN information, such as the NTN synchronization grid, NTN band, or NTN RF channel. The first step the UE follows may be to select an NTN beam. If the UE has stored NTN information (e.g., NTN band and NTN RF channel), then in step (1) above, the UE can scan the given RF channel associated with the given band. If the UE has not stored NTN information, then the UE can scan all RF channels associated with all bands.

[0349] Upon finding the NTN beam, the UE can begin "camping on the NTN beam," which indicates that the UE is monitoring system information within the NTN beam. System information can be carried in System Information Blocks (SIBs), etc.

[0350] Based on upper-layer triggers, such as service or application services, the UE can initiate an initial access procedure to establish an RRC connection, such as... Figure 19 As shown.

[0351] In other scenarios or use cases, the UE can report available PLMNs to its NAS layer. If the UE can find a joint TN / NTN PLMN, indicating that the UE can also connect to the terrestrial network, the NAS layer can instruct the UE to also initiate TN cell selection, such as... Figure 20 As shown.

[0352] By combining TN / NTN PLMN selection functionality, the UE no longer needs to randomly scan RF channels to find a suitable cell. System information within the NTN system can carry information about the TN synchronization grid, the physical cell identity (PCI) of interest, and the frequency band of interest, thus accelerating cell search and selection. An example of this SIB is provided below:

[0353] SIB={

[0354] tnSyncRaster={

[0355] absoluteRadioFrequencyChannelNumber#0=60,

[0356] absoluteRadioFrequencyChannelNumber#1=70,

[0357] …

[0358] absoluteRadioFrequencyChannelNumber#n=2390

[0359] }

[0360] tnPCIList={

[0361] pci#0=10,

[0362] pci#1=14,

[0363] …

[0364] pci#m=905

[0365] }

[0366] }

[0367] In other words, the system information in the NTN system can also include RF channels and PCI. Thus, after the UE obtains the first PLMN information from the terrestrial network, it can use the given RF channels and PCI in the system information to select a target cell, where the target cell is associated with the terrestrial network. Then, the UE can communicate with the terrestrial network. In summary, the RF channels and PCI in the system information can reduce the time it takes for the UE to select a target cell to connect to the terrestrial network.

[0368] The above configuration is just an illustrative example. The content of SIB can be set according to the actual application scenario.

[0369] If the UE exits NTN connection mode or if the UE fails to find a suitable TN cell, the UE can directly exit NTN connection mode or TN cell selection and return to camping on the NTN beam, such as... Figure 21 As shown.

[0370] This design of combining TN / NTN PLMN values ​​offers several advantages. It allows the UE to more easily and quickly locate the TN and / or NTN networks, rather than the UE attempting to connect to either network independently. Combining the TN / NTN PLMN also reduces UE power consumption when the UE is in idle mode (or equivalently, in power mode when the UE is in sleep or deep sleep). This also helps to speed up the initial access process, as one network (e.g., NTN) can provide information about another network (e.g., TN).

[0371] In some implementations, the UE can store information about the home coverage area of ​​the NTN, which can be used to speed up the process of finding the NTN beam. The home coverage area may include information such as the coverage area identifier, the SS / PBCH block center frequency, and the physical beam identifier.

[0372] In some implementations, the UE can store information about candidate coverage areas of the NTN, which can be used to speed up the process of finding the NTN beam. Candidate coverage areas may include information such as coverage area identifier, SS / PBCH block center frequency, and physical beam identifier.

[0373] In some implementations, higher-layer signaling can be used to configure a set of values ​​for the UE corresponding to beam angle information (BAI). Here, BAI is not a quantized value corresponding to an angular direction in, for example, the azimuth / zenith domain. BAI can be, for example, an integer positive / negative value corresponding to an angular direction.

[0374] In some implementations, the number of primary BAI entries that can be configured for the UE using higher-layer signaling can be configured according to the UE's capabilities. For example, the UE can report the maximum number of primary BAI entries it supports as part of its capability report.

[0375] In some implementations, the number of candidate BAI entries that can be configured for the UE using higher-layer signaling can be configured according to the UE's capabilities. For example, the UE can report the maximum number of candidate BAI entries it supports as part of its capability report.

[0376] In some implementations, the UE may report its capabilities in the visible cone region to the network using, for example, an integer value representing the angle of the visible cone region, where the integer value can be an angle expressed in the UE's local coordinate system. This integer value can be positive or negative.

[0377] In some implementations, the UE can report its capabilities in the visible cone region to the network using, for example, an integer value representing the angle of the visible cone region, where the integer value can be an angle expressed in Earth-Centric Earth-Fixed (ECEF) coordinate system. This integer value can be positive or negative.

[0378] In some implementations, the UE can indicate to the network the maximum number of BAI entries it can support as part of the UE capability report. However, the network can flexibly configure any number of BAI entries as primary BAIs or candidate BAIs, as long as the sum of primary BAIs and candidate BAIs does not exceed the maximum number of BAI entries supported by the UE.

[0379] In some aspects of this application, a device / chipset system is provided, comprising components (e.g., at least one processor) for implementing methods implemented by a UE (or at the UE of this application). The device / chipset system may be a UE (i.e., a terminal device) or a module / component within a UE. Specifically, at least one processor may execute instructions stored in a computer-readable medium to implement the described methods.

[0380] In some aspects of this application, a device / chipset system is provided, comprising components (e.g., at least one processor) for implementing methods implemented by a network device (e.g., a base station) of this application (or at the network device of this application). The device / chipset system may be a network device or a module / component within a network device. Specifically, at least one processor can execute instructions stored in a computer-readable medium to implement the described methods.

[0381] In some aspects of this application, a system is provided that includes at least one of a device in (or at the location of) a UE of this application or a device in (or at the location of) a network device of this application.

[0382] In some aspects of this application, a method is provided performed by a system comprising at least one of a device in (or at the UE of) this application or a device in (or at the network device of) this application.

[0383] In some aspects of this application, a computer program including instructions is provided. When executed by a processor, these instructions cause the processor to implement the methods of this application.

[0384] In some aspects of this application, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided that stores instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to implement the methods of this application.

[0385] The solutions described in this application are applicable to next-generation (e.g., sixth-generation, 6G or higher) networks, or traditional (e.g., 5G, 4G, 3G or 2G) networks.

[0386] It should be understood that any module, component, or device disclosing executable instructions herein may include or otherwise access one or more non-transitory computer / processor-readable storage media for storing information, such as computer / processor-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, and / or other data. A non-exhaustive list of examples of non-transitory computer / processor-readable storage media includes: magnetic tape cassettes, magnetic tape, disk storage, or other magnetic storage devices; compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital video disc or digital versatile disc (i.e., DVD), Blu-ray disc™, or other optical storage devices; volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media, random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, or other storage technologies implemented in any method or technology. Any such non-transitory computer / processor storage medium may be part of a device or apparatus, or may be accessed or connected to a device or apparatus. Computer / processor-readable / executable instructions used to implement the methods, applications, or modules described herein may be stored by such non-transitory computer / processor-readable storage media or otherwise preserved.

[0387] It should be noted that the message in this application can be replaced with information, which can be carried in a single message or in more than one single message.

[0388] Unless otherwise specified, the terms “apparatus” and “equipment” are used interchangeably, as are the terms “identifier” and “identifier”.

[0389] In this application, when used in conjunction with the term "comprising" in the claims and / or specification, the word "a" may mean "one," but it also has the same meaning as "one or more," "at least one," and "one or more," unless otherwise expressly stated. Similarly, the word "another" may mean at least a second or more, unless otherwise expressly stated.

[0390] In this application, when used before the same term (e.g., ED or operational step), the words "first," "second," etc., do not imply an order or sequence of the terms. For example, unless otherwise specified, "first ED" and "second ED" refer to two different EDs. Similarly, although this application describes methods and processes in a certain order of steps, one or more steps of these methods and processes may be omitted or modified as appropriate. Where appropriate, one or more steps may be performed in an order other than that described. For example, unless otherwise specified, "first step" and "second step" refer to two different operational steps, but this does not mean that the first step must occur before the second step. The actual order depends on the logic of the two steps.

[0391] The terms “coupling,” “coupled,” or “connected” as used herein may have different meanings depending on the context in which they are used. For example, in this document, depending on the specific context, these terms may refer to two elements or devices that are directly connected or connected to each other via one or more intermediate elements or devices through mechanical elements.

[0392] Please note that the expression "at least one of A or B" used in this document is interchangeable with the expression "A and / or B". This expression refers to a list in which you can choose either A or B, or A and B. Similarly, the expression "at least one of A, B, or C" used in this document is interchangeable with "A and / or B and / or C" or "A, B, and / or C". This refers to a list in which you can choose: A or B or C, or A and B, or A and C, or B and C, or all of A, B, and C. The same principle applies to longer lists with the same format.

[0393] This application includes various embodiments, not only method embodiments but also other embodiments, such as device embodiments and embodiments related to non-transitory computer-readable storage media. Embodiments may individually or in combination include the features disclosed herein.

[0394] The terms “receive,” “detect,” and “decode” used in this document can have several different meanings depending on the context in which they are used. For example, without specific indication, the term “receive” can mean that information (e.g., DCI or MAC-CE, RRC signaling, or TB) has been successfully received by the receiving node, meaning that the receiving side correctly detected and decoded the information. In this scenario, “receive” can include both “detect” and “decode,” or it can mean both, for example, “receive paging” means correctly decoding a paging and successfully acquiring it. Correspondingly, “received paging” means that the receiving side did not detect and / or decode a paging. For example, “not received paging” means that the receiving side attempted to detect and / or decode a paging but failed to acquire it. The term “receive” can sometimes mean that a signal has arrived at the receiving side, but this does not necessarily mean that the information in the signal has been correctly detected and decoded. In this case, the receiving side needs to detect and decode the signal to obtain the information carried in it. In this scenario, “receive,” “detect,” and “decode” can represent different processes by which the receiving side acquires information. Although this application references illustrative embodiments, it is not intended to be interpreted in a limiting sense. Various modifications and combinations of the illustrative embodiments, as well as other embodiments of this application, will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to this specification. When two or more embodiments are combined, not all features of the combined embodiments are necessary for that combination.

[0395] Alternatively or additionally, features disclosed herein in the context of any particular embodiment may be implemented in other embodiments. For example, alternatively or additionally, method embodiments may be implemented in device, system, and / or computer program product embodiments. Furthermore, although the embodiments are described primarily in the context of methods and devices, other implementations are contemplated, for example, as instructions stored on one or more non-transitory computer-readable media. Such media may store programs or instructions to perform any of the various methods consistent with this application.

[0396] While various aspects of this application have been described with reference to specific features and embodiments thereof, various modifications and combinations may be made without departing from the scope of this application. Therefore, the specification and drawings are to be regarded only as illustrative of some embodiments of this application as defined by the appended claims, and are intended to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents within the scope of this application. Thus, while embodiments and potential advantages have been described in detail, various changes, substitutions, and alterations may be made without departing from the scope of this application as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, the scope of this application is not limited to the specific embodiments of the processes, machines, articles of manufacture, components, methods, and steps described in the specification. Those skilled in the art will readily understand from the content of this application that existing or soon-to-be-developed processes, machines, articles of manufacture, components, methods, or steps that have substantially the same functionality as the corresponding embodiments described herein, or that can achieve substantially the same results as the embodiments described herein, can be used in accordance with this application. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to include such processes, machines, articles of manufacture, components, methods, or steps within their scope.

Claims

1. A first device, characterized in that, include: At least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is used for: Receive a set of beam angle information (BAI) from the first network device; Receive a first subset of BAI from the first network device, wherein the first subset of BAI includes at least one first BAI, each of the at least one first BAI representing a first value corresponding to a first angular direction, and the first value is included in the set of BAIs; The first BAI is used to communicate with the first network device.

2. The first device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The BAI set indicates the mapping relationship between reference values ​​and reference angle directions, wherein the reference values ​​include the first value and the reference angle directions include the first angle directions.

3. The first device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The reference angle direction includes the zenith angle and / or azimuth angle of the beam.

4. The first device according to claim 3, characterized in that, Communicating with the first network device using the at least one first BAI includes: When a first condition is met, the first BAI is used to communicate with the first network device, wherein the first condition includes the first apex angle of the beam being less than the first apex angle threshold.

5. The first device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The at least one processor is also used for: First public land mobile network (PLMN) information for communicating with a base station is determined, wherein the first PLMN information is determined based on a set of PLMN information included in system information from the first network device, the set of PLMN information including second PLMN information for communication between the first device and the first network device, and including the first PLMN information. Communicate with the base station based on the first PLMN information.

6. The first device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The system information also includes radio frequency (RF) channels and physical cell identity (PCI), and the at least one processor is further used for: A target cell is selected based on the RF channel and the PCI, wherein the target cell is associated with the base station.

7. A first device, characterized in that, include: At least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is used for: Receive a set of beam angle information (BAI) from the first network device; Receive a second subset of BAI from the first network device, wherein the second subset of BAI includes at least one second BAI, each of the at least one second BAI representing a second value corresponding to a second angular direction, the second value being included in the set of BAIs; The at least one second BAI is used to receive a reference signal from the second network device for at least one of mobility or beam management.

8. The first device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The BAI set indicates the mapping relationship between reference values ​​and reference angle directions, wherein the reference values ​​include the second value and the reference angle directions include the second angle directions.

9. The first device according to claim 8, characterized in that, The reference angle direction includes the zenith angle and / or azimuth angle of the beam.

10. The first device according to claim 9, characterized in that, Receiving the reference signal from the second network device using the at least one second BAI for at least one of mobility or beam management includes: When the second condition is met, the reference signal for at least one of mobility or beam management is received from the second network device using the at least one second BAI, wherein the second condition includes the second day apex angle of the reference signal for at least one of mobility or beam management being greater than the second day apex angle threshold.

11. A first network device, characterized in that, include: At least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is used for: Send a set of beam angle information (BAI) to the first device; Send a first subset of BAI to the first device, wherein the first subset of BAI includes at least one first BAI, each of the at least one first BAI representing a first value corresponding to a first angular direction, and the first value is included in the set of BAIs; The first BAI is used to communicate with the first device.

12. The first network device according to claim 11, characterized in that, The BAI set indicates the mapping relationship between reference values ​​and reference angle directions, wherein the reference values ​​include the first value and the reference angle directions include the first angle directions.

13. The first network device according to claim 12, characterized in that, The reference angle direction includes the zenith angle and / or azimuth angle of the beam.

14. The first network device according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that, The at least one processor is also used for: A second subset of BAIs is sent to the first device, wherein the second subset of BAIs includes at least one second BAI, each of the at least one second BAI representing a second value corresponding to a second angular direction, the second value being included in the set of BAIs.

15. A second network device, characterized in that, include: At least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is used for: Based on the beam transmitted by the first device using at least one second BAI from the second BAI subset, a reference signal for at least one of mobility or beam management is transmitted to the first device, wherein the second BAI subset is transmitted to the first device by the first network device, and each of the at least one second BAI represents a second value corresponding to a second angular direction.

16. A method applied to a first device, characterized in that, include: Receive a set of beam angle information (BAI) from the first network device; Receive a first subset of BAI from the first network device, wherein the first subset of BAI includes at least one first BAI, each of the at least one first BAI representing a first value corresponding to a first angular direction, and the first value is included in the set of BAIs; The first BAI is used to communicate with the first network device.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The BAI set indicates the mapping relationship between reference values ​​and reference angle directions, wherein the reference values ​​include the first value and the reference angle directions include the first angle directions.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that, The reference angle direction includes the zenith angle and / or azimuth angle of the beam.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, Communicating with the first network device using the at least one first BAI includes: When a first condition is met, the first BAI is used to communicate with the first network device, wherein the first condition includes the first apex angle of the beam being less than the first apex angle threshold.

20. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 19, characterized in that, The method further includes: First public land mobile network (PLMN) information for communicating with a base station is determined, wherein the first PLMN information is determined based on a set of PLMN information included in system information from the first network device, the set of PLMN information including second PLMN information for communication between the first device and the first network device, and including the first PLMN information. Communicate with the base station based on the first PLMN information.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The system information also includes radio frequency (RF) channels and physical cell identity (PCI), and the method further includes: A target cell is selected based on the RF channel and the PCI, wherein the target cell is associated with the base station.

22. A method applied to a first device, characterized in that, include: Receive a set of beam angle information (BAI) from the first network device; Receive a second subset of BAI from the first network device, wherein the second subset of BAI includes at least one second BAI, each of the at least one second BAI representing a second value corresponding to a second angular direction, the second value being included in the set of BAIs; The at least one second BAI is used to receive a reference signal from the second network device for at least one of mobility or beam management.

23. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that, The BAI set indicates the mapping relationship between reference values ​​and reference angle directions, wherein the reference values ​​include the second value and the reference angle directions include the second angle directions.

24. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that, The reference angle direction includes the zenith angle and / or azimuth angle of the beam.

25. The method according to claim 24, characterized in that, Receiving the reference signal from the second network device using the at least one second BAI for at least one of mobility or beam management includes: When the second condition is met, the reference signal for at least one of mobility or beam management is received from the second network device using the at least one second BAI, wherein the second condition includes the second day apex angle of the reference signal for at least one of mobility or beam management being greater than the second day apex angle threshold.

26. A method applied to a first network device, characterized in that, include: Send a set of beam angle information (BAI) to the first device; Send a first subset of BAI to the first device, wherein the first subset of BAI includes at least one first BAI, each of the at least one first BAI representing a first value corresponding to a first angular direction, and the first value is included in the set of BAIs; The first BAI is used to communicate with the first device.

27. The method according to claim 26, characterized in that, The BAI set indicates the mapping relationship between reference values ​​and reference angle directions, wherein the reference values ​​include the first value and the reference angle directions include the first angle directions.

28. The method according to claim 27, characterized in that, The reference angle direction includes the zenith angle and / or azimuth angle of the beam.

29. The method according to any one of claims 26 to 28, characterized in that, The method further includes: A second subset of BAIs is sent to the first device, wherein the second subset of BAIs includes at least one second BAI, each of the at least one second BAI representing a second value corresponding to a second angular direction, the second value being included in the set of BAIs.

30. A method applied to a second network device, characterized in that, include: Based on the beam transmitted by the first device using at least one second BAI from the second BAI subset, a reference signal for at least one of mobility or beam management is transmitted to the first device, wherein the second BAI subset is transmitted to the first device by the first network device, and each of the at least one second BAI represents a second value corresponding to a second angular direction.

31. A computer-readable storage medium for storing instructions, characterized in that, When the instruction is executed, the device performs the method of claims 16 to 30.

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