Communication method, apparatus, and readable storage medium

Abstract

The described content provides a communication method, wherein the method comprises the following steps: sending a first synchronization signal comprising pattern information to a terminal device in a first area, wherein the pattern information indicates a transmission pattern of the first synchronization signal and a second synchronization signal; and sending the second synchronization signal to the terminal device. When the terminal device has information about the transmission pattern, the transmission information of the subsequent signal can be predicted, so that the second synchronization signal is easier to detect.

Description

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application relates to and claims priority to the following applications:

[0003] The entire contents of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 598,668, filed on November 14, 2023, entitled “Method, Apparatus, and System for Coverage Reliability in Non-Terrestrial Networks,” are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0004] This invention relates to the field of communications, and more particularly to a communication method, apparatus, and readable storage medium. Background Technology

[0005] With the development of satellite communication, satellites, as non-terrestrial base stations, can play the same role as terrestrial base stations in communication systems.

[0006] In order to properly access the cell and correctly receive signals transmitted by the satellite, the UE needs to obtain certain parameters from the satellite, namely time and frequency parameters. For example, these parameters may include frequency band carrier, bandwidth, radio frame number, subframe number, time slot number, orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, etc.

[0007] Depending on the implementation, as a satellite travels along its orbit, it inevitably moves away from its original coverage area, necessitating the re-establishment of the connection between the UE and the satellite. This phenomenon is particularly common in low-Earth orbit satellite (LEO) operating scenarios based on non-terrestrial network technologies. In such scenarios, if establishing a connection between the UE and the satellite takes a long time—for example, if it takes a long time to recognize the aforementioned parameters—the UE may be unable to perform communication operations in a timely manner. In some examples, the UE may be unable to send or receive messages from other terminals in a timely manner, thus affecting the efficiency of the UE's communication functions. Summary of the Invention

[0008] To address the aforementioned problems, a communication method, apparatus, and readable storage medium are described.

[0009] According to a first aspect, a communication method for a non-terrestrial network device applied in a non-terrestrial network is described, comprising: sending a first synchronization signal including pattern information to a terminal device in a first area, wherein the pattern information indicates a transmission pattern of the first synchronization signal and a second synchronization signal; and sending the second synchronization signal to the terminal device.

[0010] In some implementations, when a non-terrestrial network device sends a first synchronization signal to a terminal device (e.g., a UE), it also transmits pattern information. This pattern information helps the UE search for and detect signals more efficiently. For example, by understanding the transmission timing of a second synchronization signal, the UE can more easily detect the second synchronization signal. Therefore, not only is synchronization efficiency improved, but search resources are also saved.

[0011] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first synchronization signal includes a synchronization signal (SS) and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), the physical broadcast channel (PBCH) carrying the pattern information; the second synchronization signal includes at least one of a primary SS (PSS), a secondary SS (SSS), or a PBCH.

[0012] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first synchronization signal and the second synchronization signal are the same.

[0013] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first synchronization signal and the second synchronization signal are different, and both the first synchronization signal and the second synchronization signal include a first repetition signal, which is at least one of PSS, SSS, and PBCH.

[0014] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the pattern information includes at least the first radio frame position of the first synchronization signal and the second radio frame position of the second synchronization signal.

[0015] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first radio frame position indicates the position of the subframe within the radio frame.

[0016] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the pattern information includes a sequence of first position parameters, each of the first position parameters in the sequence corresponding to a subframe of the wireless frame, wherein the first position parameter corresponding to the subframe of the first synchronization signal or the second synchronization signal has a first value, such as 1; or the first position parameter not corresponding to the subframe of the first synchronization signal or the second synchronization signal has a second value, such as 0.

[0017] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the radio frame belongs to a radio frame group, and the pattern information includes the first radio frame group position of the first synchronization signal and the second radio frame group position of the second synchronization signal.

[0018] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the pattern information includes a sequence of second position parameters, each of the second position parameters in the sequence corresponding to a radio frame of the radio frame group, wherein the second position parameter corresponding to the radio frame of the first synchronization signal or the second synchronization signal is a third value, such as 1; or the second position parameter not corresponding to the radio frame of the first synchronization signal or the second synchronization signal is a fourth value, such as 0.

[0019] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the pattern information further includes frequency information indicating at least one frequency for transmitting the first synchronization signal and the second synchronization signal; the frequency information includes the first radio frame position of the first synchronization signal at each of the at least one frequency and the second radio frame position of the second synchronization signal at each of the at least one frequency.

[0020] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, sending the first synchronization signal to a terminal device in the first area includes: sending the first synchronization signal to the terminal device in the first area via a first frequency and a first subframe; and sending the first synchronization signal to the terminal device in the first area via a second frequency and the first subframe.

[0021] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first region includes a first sub-region and a second sub-region, the at least one frequency includes the first frequency and the second frequency, and sending the first synchronization signal to a terminal device in the first region includes: sending the first synchronization signal to the terminal device in the first sub-region via the first frequency and the first subframe; and sending the first synchronization signal to the terminal device in the second sub-region via the second frequency and the first subframe.

[0022] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the pattern information includes a sequence of third position parameters for each of the at least one frequency, each third position parameter in the sequence corresponding to a subframe of the radio frame, wherein the third position parameter corresponding to the subframe of the first synchronization signal or the second synchronization signal is a fifth value, such as 1; or the third position parameter not corresponding to the subframe of the first synchronization signal or the second synchronization signal is a sixth value, such as 0.

[0023] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the pattern information further includes polarization information indicating at least one polarization pattern of the first synchronization signal and the second synchronization signal; the polarization information includes the first radio frame position of the first synchronization signal for each of the at least one polarization pattern and the second radio frame position of the second synchronization signal for each of the at least one polarization pattern.

[0024] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the at least one polarization pattern includes a first polarization pattern and a second polarization pattern, and sending the first synchronization signal to the terminal device in the first region includes: sending the first synchronization signal to the terminal device in the first region through the first polarization pattern; and sending the first synchronization signal to the terminal device in the first region through the second polarization pattern.

[0025] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the polarization pattern includes at least two of linear polarization, horizontal polarization, vertical polarization, circular polarization, right-handed circular polarization, and left-handed circular polarization.

[0026] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the pattern information includes a sequence of fourth position parameters for each of the at least one polarization pattern, each fourth position parameter in the sequence corresponding to each subframe of the radio frame, wherein the fourth position parameter corresponding to the subframe of the first synchronization signal or the second synchronization signal is a seventh value, such as 1; or the fourth position parameter not corresponding to the subframe of the first synchronization signal or the second synchronization signal is an eighth value, such as 0.

[0027] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the second synchronization signal includes a plurality of signals, and the second radio frame position includes the radio frame position of each second synchronization signal.

[0028] According to a second aspect, a communication method for a terminal device applied in a non-terrestrial network is described, comprising: receiving a first synchronization signal including pattern information from the non-terrestrial network device, wherein the pattern information includes pattern information, the pattern information including at least a first radio frame position of the first synchronization signal and a second radio frame position of the second synchronization signal; and receiving the second synchronization signal from the non-terrestrial network device.

[0029] Upon receiving the first synchronization signal, the terminal device can extract pattern information from it. This pattern information helps the terminal device (e.g., the UE) search for and detect signals more efficiently. For example, if the UE knows the transmission timing of the second synchronization signal, it can detect the second synchronization signal at a specific time, making the detection process easier. Therefore, not only is synchronization efficiency improved, but search resources are also saved.

[0030] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, receiving the second synchronization signal from the non-terrestrial network device includes: receiving the second synchronization signal from the non-terrestrial network device according to the second radio frame position of the second synchronization signal.

[0031] According to a third aspect, a first apparatus for use in a non-terrestrial network device is described, comprising components for: transmitting a first synchronization signal including pattern information to a terminal device in a first area, wherein the pattern information includes pattern information, the pattern information including at least a first radio frame position of the first synchronization signal and a second radio frame position of the second synchronization signal; and transmitting the second synchronization signal to the terminal device.

[0032] According to a fourth aspect, a second apparatus for use in a terminal device is described, comprising components for: receiving a first synchronization signal including pattern information from a non-terrestrial network device, wherein the pattern information includes pattern information, the pattern information including at least a first radio frame position of the first synchronization signal and a second radio frame position of the second synchronization signal; and receiving the second synchronization signal from the non-terrestrial network device.

[0033] According to a fifth aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is described, comprising program instructions for causing a device to perform the method.

[0034] According to a sixth aspect, a communication device is described, the communication device being used to perform the method.

[0035] According to a seventh aspect, an apparatus is described comprising one or more processors coupled to a memory storing instructions, the instructions causing the apparatus to perform the method when executed by the one or more processors.

[0036] According to an eighth aspect, a communication system is described, wherein the communication system includes a first communication device for performing the method according to the first aspect and a second communication device for performing the method according to the second aspect. Attached Figure Description

[0037] A better understanding of the above-described invention and the following detailed description of its implementation can be obtained by referring to the accompanying drawings. However, the invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and tools shown.

[0038] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a communication system based on some examples is shown;

[0039] Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing a more detailed example of a communication system based on some examples is provided;

[0040] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of an apparatus for wireless communication with at least one of two devices in a communication system, according to some examples, is shown.

[0041] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a unit or module in a device or apparatus according to some examples is shown;

[0042] Figure 5 A schematic diagram illustrates an exemplary scenario in which a terrestrial TRP communicates with a non-terrestrial TRP that is part of a satellite constellation, according to some examples.

[0043] Figure 6 A schematic diagram is shown of another exemplary scenario in which a satellite constellation, according to some examples, actually acts as a gateway for a ground-based TRP on the ground;

[0044] Figure 7 A schematic diagram is shown of another scenario in which a non-terrestrial TRP communicates with a terrestrial TRP via the core network, according to some examples.

[0045] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of transmissions within a communication system, based on some examples, is shown;

[0046] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of the coverage area is shown based on some examples;

[0047] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of an SSB in a radio frame is shown, based on some examples;

[0048] Figure 11 A schematic diagram of ssb-Repetition-inFrame based on some examples is shown;

[0049] Figure 12A schematic diagram of an SSB in a transmit beam is shown according to some examples;

[0050] Figure 13 A schematic diagram of ssb-Repetition-inFrame in SIB1 is shown according to some examples;

[0051] Figure 14 A schematic diagram of an SSB in a transmit beam is shown according to some examples;

[0052] Figure 15 A schematic diagram of ssb-Repetition-perFrame based on some examples is shown;

[0053] Figure 16 A schematic diagram of the transmit beam in a wireless frame, based on some examples, is shown;

[0054] Figure 17 A schematic diagram of ssb-Repetition-perFrame in SIB1 is shown according to some examples;

[0055] Figure 18 A schematic diagram of the transmission beams at three different frequencies is shown, based on some examples;

[0056] Figure 19 A schematic diagram of ssb-Repetition-Freq in MIB is shown according to some examples;

[0057] Figure 20 A schematic diagram is shown, based on some examples, of the same wide beam used for transmission at three different frequencies;

[0058] Figure 21 Schematic diagrams of different wide beams used in multiplexing patterns are shown, based on some examples;

[0059] Figure 22 A schematic diagram of frequency multiplexing patterns using different beams in a cyclical manner is shown, based on some examples.

[0060] Figure 23 A schematic diagram of ssb-Repetition-Freq in SIB1 is shown according to some examples;

[0061] Figure 24 A schematic diagram of the transmit beam in left-hand / right-hand circular polarization is shown according to some examples;

[0062] Figure 25Schematic diagrams of ssb-Repetition-LRpol, ssb-Repetition-Lhcp, and ssb-Repetition-Rhcp based on some examples are shown;

[0063] Figure 26 Schematic diagrams of ssb-Repetition-LRpol, ssb-Repetition-Lhcp, and ssb-Repetition-Rhcp in SIB1 are shown according to some examples;

[0064] Figure 27 A schematic diagram of the transmit beam in cross-polarization according to some examples is shown;

[0065] Figure 28 Schematic diagrams of ssb-Repetition-LXp and ssb-Repetition-RXp based on some examples are shown;

[0066] Figure 29 A schematic diagram of possible SSB locations in a radio frame is shown, based on some examples;

[0067] Figure 30 Schematic diagrams of ssb-FullPartial-Repetition and ssb-FullPartial-RepPattern based on some examples are shown;

[0068] Figure 31 A schematic diagram showing the location of the SSB section according to some examples is shown;

[0069] Figure 32 A schematic flowchart illustrating a communication method based on some examples is shown;

[0070] Figure 33 A schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device 1000 according to some examples is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0071] Illustrative implementations include, but are not limited to, communication methods, systems, devices, and readable storage media for time series analysis.

[0072] 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.

[0073] 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.

[0074] 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.

[0075] 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).

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

[0079] The purpose of describing this background information is to disclose information that the applicant believes may be relevant to the present invention, and it is not intended to acknowledge, nor should it be construed as, any of the foregoing information constituting prior art in relation to the present invention.

[0080] 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.

[0081] To aid in understanding the present invention, examples of wireless communication systems and devices are described below.

[0082] refer to Figure 1 This 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 interconnect with each other or be connected to one or more network nodes (170a and 170b, collectively referred to as 170). 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.

[0083] 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, ensemble 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.

[0084] The communication system 100 can operate by sharing resources such as carrier spectrum bandwidth among its constituent units.

[0085] Figure 2 A more detailed example of the communication system 100 is shown.

[0086] 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.

[0087] Terrestrial communication systems and non-terrestrial communication systems can be considered as subsystems of a communication system.

[0088] and Figure 2 The example shown is the same, in Figure 2In the example shown, communication system 100 may include ED 110a, ED 110b, ED 110c, ED 110d (generally referred to as ED 110), and RAN 120a and RAN 120b. Additionally, communication system 100 may also include a non-terrestrial communication network 120c. Communication system 100 may also include one or more of a core network 130, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 140, the Internet 150, and other networks 160. RAN 120a and 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 NTN device and at least one corresponding terrestrial network device, wherein at least one non-terrestrial network 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 non-terrestrial network 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.

[0089] 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.

[0090] 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. The 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 link between devices (e.g., ED 110a) and devices (e.g., ED 110b) (e.g., a “LS” link), such as a link between two UEs, and / or a link between a non-terrestrial (NT) communication network (e.g., RAN120c) and a user equipment (e.g., ED 110d). Below are some examples of the components described above:

[0091] Waveform components can specify the shape and form of the signal being transmitted. Waveform options can include orthogonal multiple access (OMA) waveforms and non-orthogonal OMA waveforms. Non-limiting examples of such waveform options include 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).

[0092] 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.

[0093] 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.

[0094] 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.

[0095] The 190a and 190b air interfaces can use similar communication technologies, such as any suitable wireless access technology.

[0096] 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 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.

[0097] 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.

[0098] 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).

[0099] Figure 3An example is shown in which, according to one implementation, device 310 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). Device 310 may be a UE (e.g., Figure 3 ED 110 in the middle). Device 320a can be a terrestrial network device (e.g., ED 110). Figure 3 The T-TRP 170 shown), device 320b can be a non-terrestrial network device (e.g., Figure 3 (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. In the following description, ED 110 is used as an example of device 310, T-TRP 170 as an example of device 320a, and NT-TRP 172 as an example of device 320a. Although there is only one device 310, one device 320a, and one device 320b, it should be noted 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-TRP170 (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.

[0100] 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.

[0101] Each ED 110 represents any suitable end-user equipment for wireless operation and may include (or may be referred to as, but is not limited to): user equipment / device (UE), wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), mobile station, fixed or mobile subscriber unit, cellular phone, station (STA), MTC equipment, personal digital assistant (PDA), smartphone, laptop, computer, tablet, wireless sensor, consumer electronics, smart book, vehicle, car, truck, bus, train, or IoT device, wearable device (e.g., watch, glasses, head-mounted device), industrial equipment, or devices within the aforementioned devices (e.g., communication modules, modems, or chips), or any device including the aforementioned devices. Next-generation ED 110 may be referred to using other terms. Base stations 170a and 170b are T-TRPs, hereinafter referred to as T-TRP 170. Also in Figure 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.

[0102] 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.

[0103] 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 implementations 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.

[0104] ED 110 may also include one or more input / output devices (not shown) or interfaces (e.g., Figure 1 (A wired interface connected to the Internet 150). Input / output devices or interfaces support interaction with users or other devices on the network. Each input / output device or interface includes any suitable structure for providing or receiving information from the user and / or for network interface communication. Suitable structures include, for example, speakers, microphones, keypads, keyboards, displays, touchscreens, etc.

[0105] 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 transmission-related operations for preparing uplink transmissions to NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170, operations related to processing downlink transmissions received from NT-TRP 172 and / or T-TRP 170, and operations related to processing sidelink transmissions to and from another ED 110. Processing operations related to preparing 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 on the processing side may include transmit / receive beamforming, modulation / demodulation, and encoding / decoding symbols. Depending on the implementation, 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.

[0106] 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.

[0107] 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).

[0108] In some implementations, ED 110 can 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, transmitter 201 and receiver 203 can be replaced by an interface or at least one pin, wherein the interface or at least one pin connects a 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. 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 may apply to other nodes / entities in this invention.

[0109] 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.

[0110] 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).

[0111] 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 operating together to serve ED 110 using methods such as cooperative multicast.

[0112] Processor 260 performs various operations, including 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 indications, 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.

[0113] 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.

[0114] 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 implementations described herein and are executed by processor 260.

[0115] 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.

[0116] 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.

[0117] When T-TRP 170 is a device such as a communication module, modem, chip, or chipset (also referred to as a component) 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 connects a 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 ED 110 can be referred to as sending information to an interface or at least one pin. 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.

[0118] 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.

[0119] 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.

[0120] 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.

[0121] 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.

[0122] 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 implementations described herein and are executed by processor 276.

[0123] 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.

[0124] 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.

[0125] 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 connects a 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 ED110 can be termed sending information to an interface or at least one pin. Receiving information from T-TRP 170 and / or another NT-TRP 172 and / or ED 110 can be termed receiving information from an interface or at least one pin. This information may include control signaling and / or data.

[0126] It should be noted that "TRP" as 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.

[0127] 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.

[0128] 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.

[0129] 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 an AI or machine learning (ML) module. 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 can 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. Similar units or modules are applicable to other nodes / entities in this invention.

[0130] 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.

[0131] The disclosure of this invention pertains to devices such as UEs, IoT devices, and automobiles. 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.

[0132] Figure 5 This 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. The 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 a T-TRP or an NT-TRP, depending on factors such as traffic load, radio link quality, and congestion.

[0133] 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 free-space optical links (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 traffic load, wireless link quality, and congestion.

[0134] 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.

[0135] 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.

[0136] For illustrative purposes, the specific exemplary implementations will be explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and the above-described system, ED, and TRP.

[0137] 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.

[0138] In 5G NR and other cellular systems, 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.

[0139] 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 RRC (Remote Control Center) incorporates signaling for satellite ephemeris, satellite position, satellite signal polarization, timing advance offset, satellite 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.

[0140] 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.

[0141] 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.

[0142] 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).

[0143] 5G NR Rel-17 supports "bend-through" scenarios, where the base station is 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 "serving" link). Figure 8 An example is shown.

[0144] 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 the satellite does not steer its beams in a given direction, but rather the beams "slide" across the Earth's surface, so from the perspective of devices on the ground, the beams appear to be "moving".

[0145] 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.

[0146] In Low Earth Orbit (LEO) NTN access, satellites are constantly moving 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.

[0147] 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.

[0148] 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.

[0149] 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.

[0150] As LEO satellites travel along their orbits, they inevitably leave a given coverage area. All UEs within that area need to perform mobility procedures to maintain their connectivity with LEO satellites, etc. This necessitates re-establishing RRC connections with the target satellite, inevitably causing latency. This problem is more severe in NTN LEO scenarios because such handovers occur continuously. Therefore, every time a handover is required, the UE's connection to LEO satellites, etc., is interrupted and reset, degrading the UE's user experience.

[0151] Terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks are treated as "separate" networks by the UE because they are considered separate "public land mobile networks" (PLMNs) with their own unique codes. PLMN information consists of a mobile country code (MCC) and a mobile network code (MNC), both 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. This requires the UE to perform an initial access procedure for each terrestrial and non-terrestrial network.

[0152] In summary, a series of problems urgently need to be solved, including signal coverage, signaling overhead, PCI-related interference, and the complexity of NTN access handover.

[0153] It should be noted that the NTN access process is particularly affected by the continuous movement of LEO satellites. The UE must frequently perform mobility management procedures to maintain connectivity with the satellites. A handover procedure must be performed whenever the LEO satellite moves to a new coverage area of ​​the UE.

[0154] like Figure 9 As shown, there is a coverage area on the ground, and one or more devices (e.g., UEs) are located within this coverage area: the UE may not be connected to the network, i.e., the UE may not have an RRC connection with the network, and may be in idle or inactive mode. Alternatively, the UE may be in a power mode (for idle or inactive mode) unrelated to having an RRC connection. However, the latency associated with the handover process can increase system consumption and degrade the user experience. For example, the UE needs to scan all channels, which takes a long time.

[0155] PCI interference occurs when two or more adjacent beams use the same PCI. This can make it difficult for equipment to determine the specific cell it is connected to, thus affecting the reliability and stability of service quality.

[0156] Therefore, the present invention provides a method. In this method, the characteristics of pattern information are introduced in the form of SSB repetition, particularly the repetition of SSBs using the same transmission beam in the time domain, frequency domain, and polarization domain. Using SSB repetition offers several advantages. SSB repetition allows the UE to detect the same transmission beam from non-terrestrial TRPs in different resources, thereby increasing the detection probability of the SSB. For example, a frame may include eight subframes. If a specific subframe is the first subframe and the eighth subframe, the pattern information for that specific subframe can be {1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1}. Upon receiving the pattern information, the UE will know that the SSB will be transmitted in the first or eighth subframe of the radio frame. Therefore, when the UE loses connection with the NT-TRP and needs to reconnect, because the UE knows the pattern information, it can more quickly identify the SSB transmitted by the NT-TRP, thus achieving rapid reconnection. Furthermore, since the SSB is repeatedly transmitted in multiple subframes, the probability of the UE detecting the SSB can be increased.

[0157] In some implementations of the present invention, ground-based devices are not connected to the network (terrestrial network or non-terrestrial network), and they need to perform initial access in order to establish an RRC connection with the network.

[0158] The temporal SSB repetition feature was introduced, specifically the SSB repetition using the same transmit beam within a radio frame. SSB repetition means that the PSS and SSS use the same binary sequence, and the PBCH content is also the same.

[0159] Using SSB repetition in the time domain offers several advantages. It allows the UE to detect the same transmitted beam from non-terrestrial TRPs or similar sources across different time resources, thereby increasing the detection probability of the SSB.

[0160] Depending on the implementation, pattern information may include timing information, which may also be referred to as SSB repetition. For example, timing information may indicate the position of the SSB within a frame (e.g., a subframe).

[0161] Depending on the implementation, the pattern information may include frequency information indicating at least one transmission frequency of the SSB. For example, the pattern information may include at least one SSB repeat, each SSB repeat corresponding to a frequency.

[0162] Depending on the implementation, the pattern information may include polarization information indicating at least one polarization of the SSB. For example, the pattern information may include at least one SSB repeat, each SSB repeat corresponding to a polarization.

[0163] The following section will describe the drawing information in more detail.

[0164] According to some implementations, for UEs within the same coverage area, NT-TRP can use the same pattern information for specific subframes. For example, the pattern information for a specific subframe is {1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1}, and different non-terrestrial base stations within the same coverage area using the same SSB repeating pattern {1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1} to transmit SSBs for the same UE. In this implementation, if the original satellite leaves the UE's coverage area, causing the UE to need to establish a connection with other satellites, the UE can detect SSBs based on the same pattern information to improve connection efficiency.

[0165] In some implementations, the SSB can occupy certain positions within a radio frame. The number of positions that the SSB can occupy within a radio frame can vary and can depend on the frequency band; that is, the number of positions that the SSB can occupy can be {2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, ...}, etc.

[0166] Figure 10 An example is shown. Figure 10 In a radio frame, there are eight positions available for a Service SSB (SSB). These positions are the possible SSB time locations within the radio frame. At each position, an SSB may be present, or it may be empty.

[0167] To improve downlink coverage reliability, NT-TRP can transmit multiple SSBs at multiple time locations using the same transmit beam. The UE may not be aware that an SSB can be repeated using the same transmit beam in this way; however, if the UE successfully detects an SSB, it can learn that the SSB is repeated at other time locations through broadcast information (e.g., a master information block (MIB)). The MIB can include higher-layer parameters, such as ssb-Repetition-inFrame, which can be a bit string of length matching the number of SSB time locations.

[0168] Figure 11 An example of this signaling is provided. Figure 11 As shown, the value in the ssb-Repetition-inFrame parameter can be, for example, "11001100", where the most significant bit (MSB) (or equivalently, the leftmost bit) can represent the first SSB position, the second MSB can represent the second SSB position, and so on, with the least significant bit (or equivalently, the rightmost bit) representing the eighth SSB position.

[0169] Finding each position with a value of "1" indicates that the SSB at that position uses the same transmission beam for transmission. For example... Figure 12 As shown, in the example above, NT-TRP can transmit SS / PBCH blocks using the same transmit beam at positions 1, 2, 5, and 6 within the radio frame. Similarly, NT-TRP can transmit SS / PBCH blocks using different beams at positions 3, 4, 7, and 8 within the radio frame.

[0170] In some implementations, a radio frame may contain an integer number of time slots, for example, N=10 time slots, and one or more SS / PBCH blocks may be transmitted within each time slot.

[0171] In some implementations, the ssb-Repetition-inFrame parameter can be sent within a system information block (SIB). For example, ... Figure 13 As shown, the ssb-Repetition-inFrame parameter can be included in SIB1.

[0172] Using SSB repetition within a radio frame offers several advantages. In the time domain, SSB repetition enables the UE to detect the same transmitted beam from non-terrestrial TRPs or similar sources across different time resources, thereby increasing the detection probability of the SSB.

[0173] This implementation introduces a temporal SSB repetition feature, specifically the use of the same transmit beam in different radio frames. SSB repetition means that the PSS and SSS use the same binary sequence, and the PBCH content is also the same.

[0174] In some implementations, the ground-based device is not connected to the network (terrestrial or non-terrestrial) and needs to perform an initial access procedure to establish an RRC connection with the network.

[0175] Using SSB repetition in the time domain offers several advantages. It allows the UE to detect the same transmitted beam from non-terrestrial TRPs or similar sources across different time resources, thereby increasing the detection probability of the SSB.

[0176] The above implementation methods are for service BAI. Figure 9 The scenario can be used in this implementation, and the table for service BAI in the above implementation can also be used in this implementation.

[0177] According to some implementations, NT-TRP transmits SSBs within specific time slots within a time domain range, where the time domain range includes a given number of radio frames, such as 1024 radio frames. For ease of representation, the pattern information can be represented using a 16-bit sequence and two 8-bit sequences. That is, the 1024 frames are divided into 16 subsets, each with 64 time slots. Then, the 64 time slots are divided into 8 smaller subsets, each with 8 time slots. The 16-bit sequence represents the subset containing the specific time slot, the first 8-bit sequence represents the smaller subset containing the specific time slot, and the second 8-bit sequence represents the time slot containing the specific time slot within the smaller subset. Taking NT-TRP transmitting an SSB in the first radio frame out of 1024 radio frames as an example, the pattern information may include:

[0178] {1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0}、{1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0}、{1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0}、

[0179] These represent the first subset of the 16 subsets, the first smaller subset of the 8 smaller subsets, and the first time slot of the 8 time slots, respectively.

[0180] Since the UE knows the radio frames transmitted by the SSB, the SSB detection efficiency can be improved, which makes it easier for the UE to establish a connection with the NT-TRP.

[0181] In some implementations, such as Figure 14 As shown, there are 8 positions available for SSB in a radio frame, and the SS / PBCH blocks repeat using the same transmit beam.

[0182] To improve downlink coverage reliability, NT-TRP can transmit multiple SSBs in multiple radio frames and at multiple time locations using the same transmit beam. The UE may not be aware that an SSB can be repeated using the same transmit beam in this way; however, if the UE can successfully detect an SSB, the UE can learn that the SSB is repeated in other radio frames and at other time locations through broadcast information (e.g., MIB).

[0183] Figure 15 An example of this signaling is provided. Figure 15As shown, the MIB can include a higher-level parameter called, for example, ssb-Repetition-perFrame, which can be a bit string of length matching the number of SSB time positions. The ssb-Repetition-perFrame higher-level parameter can have multiple parameters to define a time-domain pattern over a given number of radio frames. In the example above, we assume a time-domain pattern applied over 1024 radio frames. Within each radio frame, SS / PBCH blocks can be repeated on the same transmit beam according to the time pattern provided in the ssb-Repetition-inFrame higher-level parameter.

[0184] according to Figure 15 In the example shown, the 1024 frames are first organized into a set comprising 16 subsets, each containing 64 radio frames, characterized by a higher-level parameter called ssb-Repetition-perSet. The value in the ssb-Repetition-perFrame parameter can be, for example, "1000000010000000", where the MSB (or equivalently, the leftmost bit) can represent the first set of 64 radio frames, such as frames with system frame numbers (SFNs) from 0 to 63. The second MSB can represent the second set of 64 radio frames, such as frames with SFNs from 64 to 127. And so on, with the least significant bit (or equivalently, the rightmost bit) representing the 16th set of 64 radio frames, such as frames with SFNs from 960 to 1023.

[0185] Each subset comprising 64 radio frames can be further divided into smaller subsets, characterized by higher-level parameters called ssb-Repetition-perSubset1 and ssb-Repetition-perSubset2. The value in the ssb-Repetition-perSubset1 parameter can be, for example, "10101010", and can represent a subset comprising 8 radio frames. The MSB (or equivalently, the leftmost bit) can represent the first radio frame in the subset, the second MSB can represent the second radio frame in the subset, and so on, with the Least Significant Bit (LSB) representing the eighth radio frame in the subset. Similarly, the value in the ssb-Repetition-perSubset2 parameter can be, for example, "10000000", and can represent a set comprising 8 subsets, each containing 8 radio frames. The MSB value of ssb-Repetition-perSubset2 can represent the first group of 8 radio frames, such as radio frames with SFN in the range {0,…,7}. The second MSB value of ssb-Repetition-perSubset2 can represent the second group of 8 radio frames, such as radio frames with SFN in the range {8,…,15}, and so on. The LSB value of ssb-Repetition-perSubset2 can represent the eighth group of radio frames, such as radio frames with SFN in the range {56,…,63}.

[0186] like Figure 16 As shown, the example above actually represents NT-TRP using the same transmit beam to transmit the same SS / PBCH block in a radio frame with SFN {0,2,4,6,512,514,516,518}. It should be noted that for each frame, since ssb-Repetition-inFrame is “11001100”, NT-TRP can use the beam to transmit SS / PBCH blocks at the 1st, 2nd, 5th, and 6th positions within the radio frame.

[0187] In some implementations, the ssb-Repetition-perFrame parameter can be sent within the SIB. For example, as... Figure 17 As shown, the ssb-Repetition-perFrame parameter can be included in SIB1.

[0188] Using SSB repetition in radio frames offers several advantages. In the time domain, SSB repetition enables the UE to detect the same transmitted beam from non-terrestrial TRPs or other sources across different time resources, thereby increasing the detection probability of the SSB.

[0189] Depending on the implementation, NT-TRP can transmit SSBs based on different frequency domain resources. The SSB can include information about the frequency domain resources used by NT-TRP. For example, NT-TRP can transmit SSBs based on a first frequency, a second frequency, and a third frequency, respectively. NT-TRP can also send identification information to the UE via the SSBs, such as the identifiers for the first, second, and third frequencies.

[0190] This implementation introduces a frequency-based SSB repetition feature, specifically SSB repetition using the same transmit beam at different SS / PBCH block center frequencies. SSB repetition means that the PSS and SSS use the same binary sequence, and the PBCH content is also identical. Using SSB repetition in the frequency domain offers several advantages. It allows NT-TRP to use a wide beam, covering a wider area without causing inter-beam interference. Multiplexing patterns can also be used to further mitigate inter-beam interference and enhance downlink coverage for initial access.

[0191] like Figure 18 As shown, SS / PBCH blocks can be repeated at three different SS / PBCH block center frequencies. SS / PBCH blocks can be repeated using the same transmit beam.

[0192] In some implementations, some SSB center frequencies may lie on the synchronization grid, while others may not. For example, the first SSB center frequency may lie on the synchronization grid, while we can assume that the second and third SSB center frequencies may not. Other combinations and scenarios can be considered and envisioned.

[0193] The UE may not be aware that an SSB can repeat using the same transmit beam in this way. However, if the UE can successfully detect an SSB whose center frequency is on the synchronization grid, the UE can learn that the SSB is repeating at other center frequencies through broadcast (e.g., MIB). The MIB may include higher-layer parameters, such as ssb-Repetition-Freq, which can be a sequence of absolute RF channel number values.

[0194] Figure 19 An example of this signaling is provided.

[0195] The ssb-Repetition-Freq higher-level parameter can have multiple values, each corresponding to a given absolute radio frequency channel number. The relationship between the SSB center frequency (denoted as fSSB) and the absolute radio frequency channel number (denoted as nARFCN) can be seen as follows:

[0196]

[0197] If the ARFCN value provided in the ssb-Repetition-Freq parameter is {60, 61, 62}, then the corresponding SSB center frequencies are {6.6 GHz, 6.61 GHz, 6.62 GHz}. In the example above, SSB center frequency 1 will be equal to 6.6 GHz, SSB center frequency 2 will be equal to 6.61 GHz, and SSB center frequency 3 will be equal to 6.62 GHz.

[0198] Figure 20 This illustrates such multiplexing of the same transmitted beam. For example... Figure 20 As shown, the same wide beam is used to transmit SS / PBCH blocks on three different frequencies (including SSB frequency 1, SSB frequency 2 and SSB frequency 3).

[0199] In some implementations, the above scheme can be combined with multiplexing patterns to provide wider wireless coverage using wide beamwidths. For different coverage areas, NT-TRP can transmit SSBs based on different frequency domain resources. Figure 21 For example, each beam can use, for instance, the SSB center frequency {1,2,3}, so that it will not cause any inter-beam interference to each other.

[0200] For example, during the first time period, an SSB is transmitted to the first area at a first frequency and to the second area at a second frequency; during the second time period, an SSB is transmitted to the first area at a second frequency and to the second area at the first frequency. In this way, the frequency domain resources of different coverage areas can be staggered, thereby avoiding inter-beam interference between beams in different coverage areas.

[0201] Alternatively, below Figure 22 Frequency multiplexing patterns that use different beams in a cyclic manner are shown (e.g., using time-division multiplexing patterns).

[0202] Using SSBs at different frequencies offers numerous advantages. As long as the UE knows the frequency used by the NT-TRP to transmit the SSB, it can improve SSB detection efficiency when establishing a connection with a satellite is required. Using SSB repetition in the frequency domain allows the UE to detect the same transmitted beam from non-terrestrial TRPs in different frequency resources, thereby increasing the detection probability of that SSB. It also enables the NT-TRP to utilize a wider beam, combined with multiplexing patterns, to provide better coverage for users on the ground.

[0203] Depending on the implementation, the SSB beam can vary according to frequency. That is, the pattern information can also include SSB repetitions at each frequency. For example, the MIB includes:

[0204] ssb-Repetition-FreqValue1=0,1,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,

[0205] ssb-Repetition-FreqValue2=1,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0.

[0206] In some implementations, such as Figure 23 As shown in the example, the high-level parameter ssb-Repetition-Freq can be included in the SIB (e.g., SIB1).

[0207] This implementation introduces a polarization-based SSB repetition feature, specifically the use of the same transmit beam in both left-hand and right-hand circular polarization. SSB repetition means that the PSS and SSS use the same binary sequence, and the PBCH content is also identical.

[0208] Depending on the implementation, NT-TRP can transmit SSBs through different polarizations, and transmit information of different polarizations through the SSBs. Different polarizations can include, but are not limited to, linear polarization, horizontal polarization, vertical polarization, circular polarization, right-hand circular polarization, and left-hand circular polarization.

[0209] Optionally, SSBs of different polarities can be transmitted according to different SSB repetitions. In this implementation, NT-TRP can transmit to the UE through SSB repetition patterns corresponding to each polarity.

[0210] Using SSB repetition in the polarization domain offers several advantages. SSB repetition in the polarization domain enables NT-TRP to utilize transmit diversity, thereby providing coverage gain for ground-based equipment.

[0211] For example, a left-hand circularly polarized SSB can be transmitted based on the first and third subframes of an 8-slot timeframe, while a right-hand circularly polarized SSB can be transmitted based on the second and fourth subframes of an 8-slot timeframe. Accordingly, NT-TRP can transmit pattern information {1,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0} for left-hand circularly polarized SSB and {0,1,0,1,0,0,0,0,0} for right-hand circularly polarized SSB.

[0212] SS / PBCH blocks can be repeated in different polarizations, for example, using left-handed and right-handed circular polarizations. These polarizations are mutually orthogonal. Figure 24 As shown, SS / PBCH blocks can repeat using the same transmit beam. Whether left-hand or right-hand polarization is used, the same repeating pattern is employed.

[0213] The UE may not be aware that an SSB can repeat using the same transmit beam in this way. However, if the UE can successfully detect an SSB using, for example, left-hand circular polarization, it can learn, through, the MIB, that the SSB is repeating using right-hand circular polarization. The MIB can include higher-level parameters such as ssb-Repetition-Lhcp and ssb-Repetition-Rhcp, which can be bit strings indicating the location where SSBs using the same polarization repeat. The MIB can also include higher-level parameters such as ssb-Repetition-LRpol, which can be bit strings indicating whether one or more of left-hand or right-hand circular polarizations are used.

[0214] Figure 25 An example of this signaling is provided.

[0215] like Figure 25 As shown, the ssb-Repetition-LRpol high-level parameters can have 2-bit values, where each value corresponds only to left-hand circular polarization (e.g., "00"), only to right-hand circular polarization (e.g., "01"), or both left-hand and right-hand circular polarization (e.g., "10").

[0216] The value in the ssb-Repetition-Lhcp parameter can be, for example, "11001100", where the MSB (or equivalently, the leftmost bit) represents the 1st SSB position, the 2nd MSB represents the 2nd SSB position, and so on, with the least significant bit (or equivalently, the rightmost bit) representing the 8th SSB position. Each position where the value "1" is found indicates that the SSB at that position uses the same transmit beam and transmits using left-hand circular polarization.

[0217] The value in the ssb-Repetition-Rhcp parameter can be, for example, "11001100", where the MSB (or equivalently, the leftmost bit) represents the 1st SSB position, the 2nd MSB represents the 2nd SSB position, and so on, with the least significant bit (or equivalently, the rightmost bit) representing the 8th SSB position. Each position where the value "1" is found indicates that the SSB at that position uses the same transmit beam and transmits using right-hand circular polarization.

[0218] Using different polarizations for SSB repetition offers several advantages. After detecting an SSB, the UE can determine the polarization used by the NT-TRP to transmit the SSB and the SSB transmission subframe for each polarization, thus improving SSB detection efficiency. Each polarization can be used to define an "antenna port," and having two orthogonal polarizations can help develop a "transmit diversity" scheme, where the same physical layer signal / channel can be transmitted in different polarizations to gain gain through diversity.

[0219] In some implementations, such as Figure 26 As shown, the high-level parameters ssb-Repetition-LRpol, ssb-Repetition-Lhcp, and ssb-Repetition-Rhcp can be included in the SIB (e.g., SIB1).

[0220] In some implementations, cross-polarization can be used instead of left-hand / right-hand circular polarization.

[0221] Figure 27 An example of this SSB repetition scheme is shown. For example... Figure 27 As shown, +45° polarization and -45° polarization are used instead of left-handed / right-handed circular polarization.

[0222] The UE may not be aware that an SSB can repeat using the same transmission beam in this way. However, if the UE can successfully detect an SSB using, for example, +45-degree polarization, the UE can learn, for example, through SIB1, that the SSB repeats using –45-degree polarization. The MIB may include higher-level parameters such as ssb-Repetition-LXp and ssb-Repetition-RXp, which can be bit strings indicating the location where an SSB repeats using the same polarization. SIB1 may also include higher-level parameters such as ssb-Repetition-Xpol, which can be bit strings indicating whether one or more of +45-degree / –45-degree polarizations are used.

[0223] Figure 28 An example of this signaling is provided.

[0224] like Figure 28 As shown, the ssb-Repetition-Xpol high-level parameters can have 2-bit values, where each value corresponds only to +45 degree polarization (e.g., "00"), only to -45 degree polarization (e.g., "01"), or both +45 degree and -45 degree polarization (e.g., "10").

[0225] The value in the ssb-Repetition-LXp parameter can be, for example, "11001100", where the MSB (or equivalently, the leftmost bit) represents the 1st SSB position, the 2nd MSB represents the 2nd SSB position, and so on, with the least significant bit (or equivalently, the rightmost bit) representing the 8th SSB position. Each position where the value "1" is found indicates that the SSB at that position uses the same transmit beam and is transmitted using +45 degree polarization.

[0226] The value in the ssb-Repetition-Rhcp parameter can be, for example, "10011001", where the MSB (or equivalently, the leftmost bit) represents the 1st SSB position, the 2nd MSB represents the 2nd SSB position, and so on, with the least significant bit (or equivalently, the rightmost bit) representing the 8th SSB position. Each position where the value "1" is found indicates that the SSB at that position uses the same transmit beam and is transmitted using –45-degree polarization.

[0227] Using SSB repetition in the polarization domain offers several advantages. After detecting an SSB, the UE can determine the polarization used by the NT-TRP to transmit the SSB, thereby improving SSB detection efficiency. Therefore, using SSB repetition in the polarization domain allows the NT-TRP to utilize transmit diversity, providing coverage gain for ground-based equipment.

[0228] Depending on the implementation, SSBs can be transmitted at different frequencies and with different polarizations. In these implementations, the pattern information may include at least one SSB repetition, where each SSB repetition corresponds to a frequency and polarization. The MIB may include higher-level parameters, such as ssb-Repetition-FreqPolar, which may be a bit string indicating the positions of SSB repetitions using the same polarization and frequency.

[0229] This implementation introduces a partial SSB repetition feature. Specifically, SSB repetition is achieved by, for example, sending only PSS, only SSS, or both PSS and SSS. SSB repetition means that the primary synchronization signal (PSS) and the secondary synchronization signal (SSS) use the same binary sequence, and the contents of PBCH are also the same.

[0230] Depending on the implementation, at least one of the PSS, SSS, and PBCH is included in the SSB. In implementations where the NT-TRP needs to send pattern information to the UE, the pattern information is carried using the MIB or SIB1 included in the PBCH. Using partial SSB repetition offers several advantages. Partial SSB repetition allows the NT-TRP to reduce power consumption by not transmitting every signal or channel in the SS / PBCH block.

[0231] For example, NT-TRP can transmit SSBs containing different information in different subframes of the same radio frame. The PSS, SSS, and PBCH can be transmitted in the first SSB, but only a portion of this information can be transmitted in subsequent SSBs. For instance, NT-TRP might transmit SSBs in the first and second subframes. The SSB transmitted in the first subframe includes PSS, SSS, and PBCH, while the SSB transmitted in the second subframe only includes PSS; that is, only PSS is transmitted repeatedly. In other examples, PSS and SS / PBCH can be transmitted repeatedly. Therefore, the transmission resource consumption of NT-TRP can be reduced.

[0232] According to some implementation methods, such as Figure 29 As shown, there are 8 positions available for SSB to occupy in a radio frame.

[0233] To reduce power consumption without negatively impacting downlink coverage, NT-TRP can transmit a portion of the SSB using the same transmit beam. The UE may not be aware that the SSB can be repeated using the same transmit beam in this way; however, if the UE successfully detects an SSB, it can learn, for example, that the SSB partially repeats at other time locations through a MIB. The MIB can include higher-level parameters such as ssb-FullPartial-Repetition and ssb-FullPartial-RepPattern, which can be bit strings.

[0234] Figure 30 An example of this signaling is provided.

[0235] like Figure 30 As shown, the value in the ssb-FullPartial-Repetition parameter can be, for example, "01". "00" can indicate that only PSS is repeated, "01" can indicate that PSS and SSS are repeated, and "10" can indicate that PSS, SSS and PBCH are all repeated (actually, they are completely repeated).

[0236] The value in the ssb-FullPartial-RepPattern parameter can be "01000100", where the MSB (or equivalently, the leftmost bit) represents the 1st SSB position, the 2nd MSB represents the 2nd SSB position, and so on, with the least significant bit (or equivalently, the rightmost bit) representing the 8th SSB position. Finding a value of "1" at each position indicates that the SSB at that position uses the same transmission beam and is partially transmitted according to the information in ssb-FullPartialRepetition. For example... Figure 31 As shown, PSS and SSS repeat at the 2nd SSB position and the 6th SSB position.

[0237] Using partial SSB repetition offers several advantages. Partial SSB repetition allows NT-TRP to reduce power consumption by not transmitting every signal or channel in the SS / PBCH block.

[0238] 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. In some implementations, different repetitions of the same SS / PBCH block transmitted using the same transmit beam can carry MIBs encoded with different redundancy versions. A redundancy version is defined as a set of coded bits that can be transmitted for transmission purposes; there can be one or more redundancy versions. Some redundancy versions can share some information bits with other redundancy versions. Predefined sequences can be used for how to transmit redundancy versions, such as {redundancy version 0; redundancy version 2; redundancy version 3; redundancy version 1}, {redundancy version 0; redundancy version 1; redundancy version 2; redundancy version 3}, etc. In some implementations, different redundancy versions can be used to transmit different repetitions of SIB1 associated with the same SS / PBCH block, which can be transmitted using, for example, the same transmit beam at different SS / PBCH block center frequencies. Predefined sequences can be used for how to transmit redundancy versions; for example, redundancy version 0 can be used for SIB1 transmission associated with the SS / PBCH block at the lowest frequency, redundancy version 1 can be used for SIB1 transmission associated with the SS / PBCH block at the second lowest frequency, and so on.

[0239] In some implementations, by default, the UE may assume that the MIB can be transmitted using, for example, redundancy version 0, in the absence of any higher-layer signaling. Similarly, by default, the UE may assume that the SIB1 can be transmitted using, for example, redundancy version 0. In some implementations, some redundancy versions used to transmit the MIB or SIB1, etc., may be undetectable.

[0240] In some implementations, the MIB may include higher-level parameters such as "rvPattern," which can indicate to the UE which redundant versions of the MIB are used in a given repetition of the SS / PBCH block. For example, the MIB may carry the following information:

[0241] MIB={

[0242] Ssb-Repetition-inFrame={11001100}.

[0243] rvPattern={00,11,10,01}

[0244] }

[0245] The above signaling can be interpreted as follows: The first SSB position (the MSB of the ssb-Repetition-inFrame parameter) can carry a MIB that can use redundancy version 0; the second SSB position (the second MSB of the ssb-Repetition-inFrame parameter) can carry a MIB that can use redundancy version 3; the third SSB position (the fifth MSB of the ssb-Repetition-inFrame parameter) can carry a MIB that can use redundancy version 2; and the fourth SSB position (the sixth MSB of the ssb-Repetition-inFrame parameter) can carry a MIB that can use redundancy version 1. Other redundancy version mappings can be considered and envisioned.

[0246] In some implementations, SIB1 may include higher-level parameters such as "rvPattern," which can indicate to the UE which redundancy versions of SIB1 are used for a given duplication of the SS / PBCH block. For example, SIB1 may carry the following information:

[0247] SIB1={

[0248] Ssb-Repetition-inFrame={11001100}.

[0249] rvPattern={00,11,10,01}

[0250] }

[0251] The above signaling can be interpreted as follows: The first SSB position (the MSB of the ssb-Repetition-inFrame parameter) can carry SIB1 that can use redundancy version 0 (denoted as the first value in the rvPattern parameter, set to "00"); the second SSB position (the second MSB of the ssb-Repetition-inFrame parameter) can carry SIB1 that can use redundancy version 3 (denoted as the first value in the rvPattern parameter, set to "11"); the third SSB position (the fifth MSB of the ssb-Repetition-inFrame parameter) can carry SIB1 that can use redundancy version 2 (denoted as the third value in the rvPattern parameter, set to "10"); and the fourth SSB position (the sixth MSB of the ssb-Repetition-inFrame parameter) can carry SIB1 that can use redundancy version 1 (denoted as the fourth value in the rvPattern parameter, set to "01"). Other redundancy version mapping methods can be considered and envisioned. It should be noted that the number of fields included in the rv-Pattern high-level parameters can be the same as the number of "1"s in the ssb-Repetition-inFrame high-level parameters. Another example is shown below:

[0252] SIB1={

[0253] Ssb-Repetition-inFrame={11000000},

[0254] rvPattern={00,01}

[0255] }

[0256] The above signaling can be interpreted as follows: The first SSB position (MSB of the ssb-Repetition-inFrame parameter) can carry SIB1 that can use redundancy version 0 (denoted as the first value in the rvPattern parameter, set to "00"), and the second SSB position (the second MSB of the ssb-Repetition-inFrame parameter) can carry SIB1 that can use redundancy version 1 (denoted as the second value in the rvPattern parameter, set to "01").

[0257] In some implementations, one or more of the above SS / PBCH block repetition methods can be combined to generate new SS / PBCH block repetition methods, thereby improving downlink coverage enhancement.

[0258] In some implementations, one or more of the above SS / PBCH block repetition methods can be used, and redundant versions can be used to improve the transmission reliability of other SIBs (e.g., SIB2, SIB19, etc.).

[0259] It should be noted that "SSB" is defined as "synchronization signal block" and is used interchangeably with "SS / PBCH block" in this application.

[0260] The communication method will be explained in detail below with reference to specific implementation methods.

[0261] Based on Figure 32 Some implementation methods include the following steps:

[0262] S1: NT-TRP sends the first SSB to the UE.

[0263] In some implementations, NT-TRP can send the first SSB to the UE. It is understood that the first SSB can be one of the SSBs in the sequence of SSBs to be sent.

[0264] When a UE powers on or enters a new cell area, it needs to acquire signals from the NT-TRP. The SSB signal is usually the first signal the UE looks for in this process because it is designed to be easy to detect and robust to various types of interference. Once the SSB signal is detected, the UE can continue to demodulate and decode signals carrying other bearer information from the NT-TRP.

[0265] In some implementations, the first SSB includes the PSS, SSS, and PBCH. The PSS consists of a sequence of complex symbols generated according to a specific mathematical algorithm, providing time synchronization at the OFDM symbol level. The SSS has a sequence generated according to a different algorithm than the PSS, helping the UE achieve more accurate time synchronization, especially at the slot level (a smaller time unit than an OFDM symbol). The PBCH contains various types of information, including the MIB. The MIB includes key system parameters such as downlink configuration, system frame number, and location information for other SIBs.

[0266] For example, pattern information may be included in the MIB of the first SSB. The pattern information indicates the transmission pattern of the SSB sequence (including the first SSB and one or more subsequent SSBs). Depending on the described implementation, the pattern information may refer to... Figure 11 , Figure 13 , Figure 15 , Figure 17 , Figure 19 , Figure 23 , Figure 25 , Figure 26 , Figure 28 and Figure 30The examples shown, as well as the descriptions provided above with reference to the aforementioned figures, will not be repeated here.

[0267] For clarity, one or more subsequent SSBs of the first SSB will be referred to as the second SSB. It should be noted that in other implementations, the second SSB can also be replaced by one or more second SSBs.

[0268] In some implementations, pattern information can indicate the timing information of the second SSB, such as the subframe number in which the second SSB is located within a frame.

[0269] In some implementations, pattern information can indicate other timing information for the second SSB, such as the frame number in which the second SSB is located within a frame group.

[0270] In some implementations, the pattern information may indicate the frequency information of the second SSB, such as the frequency used to transmit the second SSB. Alternatively, the pattern information may also include timing information for the second SSB transmitted at each frequency.

[0271] In some implementations, the pattern information may indicate the polarization information of the second SSB, such as the polarization used to transmit the second SSB. Alternatively, the pattern information may also include timing information for the second SSB transmitted on each polarization.

[0272] S2: The UE obtains pattern information based on the first SSB.

[0273] Depending on some implementation methods, the UE can decode the first SSB to obtain pattern information, for example, by obtaining pattern information from the MIB of the first SSB.

[0274] If the UE does not know when and where to search for an SSB, it must search among multiple possible time-frequency resources; this is called blind search. Blind search is very time-consuming, especially in scenarios with high bandwidth or complex network configurations.

[0275] However, in this implementation, the UE has prior knowledge of the SSB pattern information, meaning the UE can predict when and where the next SSB (e.g., the second SSB) will be transmitted. Therefore, the UE can search for SSBs within a specific time point and frequency range indicated by the pattern information, rather than searching across the entire bandwidth.

[0276] S3: NT-TRP sends the second SSB to the UE.

[0277] In some implementations, NT-TRP can send a second SSB to the UE. Understandably, the second SSB is sent after the first SSB.

[0278] For example, see Figure 12 The SBB in the first position is the first SSB, and the SSB in the second position is the second SSB. Furthermore, the SSBs in the fifth and sixth positions can also be considered second SSBs. For example, see... Figure 18 The SSB at the first position of SSB frequency 1 can be the first SSB. Figure 18 The other SSBs shown can be considered as second SSBs.

[0279] It should be noted that the above-mentioned first SSB is merely an example. Basically, the first SSB detected by the UE and sent by the NT-TRP can be considered the "first SSB". In other implementations, the "first SSB" can also be referred to as the SSB in different locations. For example, as... Figure 12 As shown, the "first SSB" can also be the SSB in the 5th position. In this scenario, the "second SSB" can be the SSB in the 6th position.

[0280] Assuming the UE has detected the first SSB, the UE knows the pattern information carried in the first SSB.

[0281] By understanding SSB transmission patterns, the UE can employ more advanced signal processing algorithms to predict and identify SSBs. For example, the UE can utilize matched filters or adaptive search algorithms to improve detection accuracy. Furthermore, the UE can allocate more signal processing resources during anticipated SSB transmission times while reducing resource usage at other times. This increases the probability of the UE detecting a second SSB.

[0282] For illustrative purposes, see reference. Figure 33 , Figure 33 A schematic block diagram of an apparatus provided by some implementations of the present invention is shown. Apparatus 1000 includes a processor 1010. The processor 1010 is coupled to a memory 1020. The memory 1020 is used to store computer programs or instructions and / or data. The processor 1010 is used to execute the computer programs or instructions and / or data stored in the memory 1020 to perform the methods in the above-described method implementations.

[0283] In some implementations, device 1000 includes one or more processors 1010.

[0284] In some implementations, such as Figure 33 As shown, device 1000 may also include memory 1020. In some implementations, device 1000 may include one or more memories 1020.

[0285] In some implementations, the memory 1020 may be integrated with the processor 1010 or set up separately from the processor 1010.

[0286] In some implementations, such as Figure 33 As shown, device 1000 may further include a communication interface 1030 for communicating with other devices, chips, equipment, or chipsets. For example, processor 1010 may receive signals via a receiver or transmit signals via a transmitter through communication interface 1030. Furthermore, processor 1010 may store data in or retrieve data from memory through communication interface 1030.

[0287] In some implementations, a detailed description of processor 1010 can be found in processors 210 / 260 / 276 described above.

[0288] In some implementations, a detailed description of memory 1020 can be found in memory 208 / 258 / 278 described above.

[0289] In some implementations, device 1000 may include more modules. In some implementations, device 1000 may be used as NT-TRP or UE.

[0290] Furthermore, the device 1000 can execute instructions to implement the steps performed in the above-described communication method.

[0291] In some implementations, device 1000 may be a chip or a chipset.

[0292] In some aspects of the present invention, a device / chipset system is provided, comprising components (e.g., at least one processor) for implementing the methods implemented by a UE (or at a UE) of the present invention. 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.

[0293] In some aspects of the present invention, an apparatus / 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 the present invention (or at a network device of the present invention). The apparatus / chipset system may be a network device or a module / component within a network device. Specifically, at least one processor may execute instructions stored in a computer-readable medium to implement the described methods.

[0294] In some aspects of the invention, a system is provided that includes at least one of means in a UE (or at the UE) of the invention or means in a network device of the invention.

[0295] In some aspects of the invention, a method is provided performed by a system comprising at least one of means in a UE (or at the UE) of the invention or means in a network device of the invention.

[0296] In some aspects of the invention, a computer program comprising instructions is provided. When executed by a processor, these instructions cause the processor to implement the method of the invention.

[0297] In some aspects of the invention, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided that stores instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to implement the method of the invention.

[0298] The solutions described in this invention are applicable to next-generation (e.g., sixth generation, 6G or higher) networks, or traditional (e.g., 5G, 4G, 3G or 2G) networks.

[0299] 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.

[0300] It should be noted that the message in this invention can be replaced with information, which can be carried in a single message or in more than one single message.

[0301] Unless otherwise specified, the terms “apparatus” and “equipment” are used interchangeably, as are the terms “identifier” and “identifier”.

[0302] In this invention, 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.

[0303] In this invention, 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 invention 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.

[0304] The terms “coupling,” “coupled,” or “connected” as used herein can have several different meanings depending on the context in which they are used. For example, in this document, depending on the specific context, these terms can mean that two elements or devices are directly connected or connected to each other via one or more intermediate elements or devices through mechanical elements.

[0305] 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.

[0306] This invention includes various implementations, not only method implementations but also other implementations, such as apparatus implementations and implementations related to non-transitory computer-readable storage media. Implementations may individually or in combination include the features disclosed herein.

[0307] Although this invention has referenced illustrative implementations, it is not intended to be interpreted in a limiting sense. Various modifications and combinations of the illustrative implementations, as well as other implementations of the invention, will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to this specification. When two or more implementations are combined, not all features of the combined implementations are necessary for that combination.

[0308] Alternatively or additionally, features disclosed herein in the context of any particular implementation may be implemented in other implementations. For example, alternatively or additionally, method implementations may be implemented in apparatus, system, and / or computer program product implementations. Furthermore, although implementations are described primarily in the context of methods and apparatuses, other implementations are also contemplated as, for example, 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 the present invention.

[0309] While various aspects of the invention have been described with reference to specific features and implementations thereof, various modifications and combinations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the specification and drawings are to be regarded only as illustrative of some implementations of the invention as defined by the appended claims, and are intended to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents within the scope of the invention. Thus, although various implementations and potential advantages have been described in detail, various changes, substitutions, and alterations are possible without departing from the invention as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, the scope of this application is not limited to the specific implementations of the processes, machines, articles, material components, components, methods, and steps described in the specification. Those skilled in the art will readily understand from the disclosure of the invention that existing or soon-to-be-developed processes, machines, articles, material components, components, methods, or steps that have substantially the same function as the corresponding implementations described herein, or that can achieve substantially the same results as the implementations, can be used according to the invention. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to include such processes, machines, articles, material components, components, methods, or steps within their scope.

Claims

1. A communication method for non-terrestrial network devices applied in non-terrestrial networks, characterized in that, include: Send a first synchronization signal including pattern information to terminal devices within a first area, wherein the pattern information indicates the transmission pattern of the first synchronization signal and the second synchronization signal; The second synchronization signal is sent to the terminal device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first synchronization signal includes a synchronization signal (SS) and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), wherein the physical broadcast channel (PBCH) carries the pattern information; The second synchronization signal includes at least one of the primary SS (PSS), secondary SS (SSS), or PBCH.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first synchronization signal and the second synchronization signal are the same.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first synchronization signal and the second synchronization signal are different. Both the first synchronization signal and the second synchronization signal include a first repeating signal, which is at least one of PSS, SSS, and PBCH.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The pattern information includes at least the first radio frame position of the first synchronization signal and the second radio frame position of the second synchronization signal.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The first radio frame position indicates the position of the subframe within the radio frame.

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, The pattern information includes a sequence of first position parameters, each of which corresponds to a subframe of the wireless frame. The first position parameter corresponding to the subframe of the first synchronization signal or the second synchronization signal is a first value; or The first position parameter that does not correspond to the subframe of the first synchronization signal or the second synchronization signal is a second value.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The wireless frame belongs to a wireless frame group. The pattern information includes the location of the first radio frame group of the first synchronization signal and the location of the second radio frame group of the second synchronization signal.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The pattern information includes a sequence of second position parameters, each of which corresponds to a radio frame in the radio frame group. The second position parameter corresponding to the radio frame of the first synchronization signal or the second synchronization signal is a third value; or The second position parameter that does not correspond to the wireless frame of the first synchronization signal or the second synchronization signal is a fourth value.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The pattern information also includes frequency information, which indicates at least one frequency at which the first synchronization signal and the second synchronization signal are transmitted; The frequency information includes the first radio frame position of the first synchronization signal for each of the at least one frequency and the second radio frame position of the second synchronization signal for each of the at least one frequency.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, Sending the first synchronization signal to the terminal devices within the first area includes: The first synchronization signal is sent to the terminal device in the first area via a first frequency and a first subframe; The first synchronization signal is sent to the terminal device in the first area via the second frequency and the first subframe.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, The first region includes a first sub-region and a second sub-region, and the at least one frequency includes a first frequency and a second frequency. Sending the first synchronization signal to the terminal devices within the first area includes: The first synchronization signal is sent to the terminal device in the first sub-region via a first frequency and a first subframe; The first synchronization signal is sent to the terminal device in the second sub-region via the second frequency and the first subframe.

13. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The pattern information includes a sequence of third position parameters for each of the at least one frequency, each third position parameter in the sequence corresponding to each subframe of the radio frame. The third position parameter corresponding to the subframe of the first synchronization signal or the second synchronization signal is a fifth value; or The third position parameter that does not correspond to the subframe of the first synchronization signal or the second synchronization signal is the sixth value.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that, The pattern information also includes polarization information, which indicates at least one polarization pattern of the first synchronization signal and the second synchronization signal; The polarization information includes the first radio frame position of the first synchronization signal for each of the at least one polarization pattern and the second radio frame position of the second synchronization signal for each of the at least one polarization pattern.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The at least one polarization pattern includes a first polarization pattern and a second polarization pattern. Sending the first synchronization signal to the terminal devices within the first area includes: The first synchronization signal is sent to the terminal device in the first area through the first polarization pattern; The first synchronization signal is sent to the terminal device in the first region through the second polarization pattern.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that, The polarization pattern includes at least two of the following: linear polarization, horizontal polarization, vertical polarization, circular polarization, right-hand circular polarization, and left-hand circular polarization.

17. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that, The pattern information includes a sequence of fourth position parameters for each of the at least one polarization pattern, each fourth position parameter in the sequence corresponding to each subframe of the radio frame. The fourth position parameter corresponding to the subframe of the first synchronization signal or the second synchronization signal is the seventh value; or The fourth position parameter that does not correspond to the subframe of the first synchronization signal or the second synchronization signal is the eighth value.

18. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that, The second synchronization signal includes multiple signals, and the second radio frame position includes the radio frame position of each second synchronization signal.

19. A communication method for terminal equipment applied in a non-terrestrial network, characterized in that, include: Receive a first synchronization signal including pattern information from a non-terrestrial network device, wherein the pattern information includes pattern information, and the pattern information includes at least a first radio frame position of the first synchronization signal and a second radio frame position of the second synchronization signal; Receive the second synchronization signal from the non-terrestrial network device.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, Receiving the second synchronization signal from the non-terrestrial network device includes: The second synchronization signal is received from the non-terrestrial network device according to the second wireless frame position of the second synchronization signal.

21. A first device applied to a non-terrestrial network device, characterized in that, Includes components for the following operations: Send a first synchronization signal including pattern information to terminal devices in a first area, wherein the pattern information includes pattern information, and the pattern information includes at least the first radio frame position of the first synchronization signal and the second radio frame position of the second synchronization signal; The second synchronization signal is sent to the terminal device.

22. A second device applied to a terminal equipment, characterized in that, Includes components for the following operations: Receive a first synchronization signal including pattern information from a non-terrestrial network device, wherein the pattern information includes pattern information, and the pattern information includes at least a first radio frame position of the first synchronization signal and a second radio frame position of the second synchronization signal; Receive the second synchronization signal from the non-terrestrial network device.

23. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device is used to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18 or claim 19 or 20.

24. An apparatus, characterized in that, include: One or more processors coupled to a memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18 or claim 19 or 20.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, characterized in that, Includes program instructions for causing the device to perform at least the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18 or claim 19 or 20.

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