Non-terrestrial network communication method, apparatus, communication device and storage medium

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a non-terrestrial network communication method, an apparatus, a communication device, and a storage medium related to the mobile communication technology field, in which a UE receives an NTN system message sent by a network device and determines that uplink synchronization has been restored when a preset condition is met, and the preset condition may be when the UE applies the NTN system message, when the UE receives the NTN system message, or when the UE starts a synchronization valid timer. The present disclosure solves a timing problem in the related art in which the RRC layer of the UE indicates to a lower layer that uplink synchronization has been restored when the effective time in the system message indicates a future time.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of mobile communications technology, and in particular to a non-terrestrial network communication method, apparatus, communication device and storage medium. [Background technology]

[0002] Non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication is a key technology introduced in the fifth generation (5G) mobile communications technology, which provides radio resources through satellites or drones rather than terrestrial base stations. However, in the new radio (NR) NTN, the current protocol specifies that the user equipment (UE) notifies the user that uplink synchronization at the MAC layer has been restored after receiving a system message, but the timing issue remains unresolved when the effective time in the system message indicates a future time. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] The present disclosure provides a non-terrestrial network communication method, apparatus, communication device and storage medium to solve the indication timing problem in the related art. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] An embodiment of a first aspect of the present disclosure provides a non-terrestrial network communication method, the method being executed by a user equipment (UE), the method including: receiving an NTN system message transmitted by a network device; and determining that uplink synchronization has been restored if a preset condition is satisfied, the preset condition including at least one of: when the UE applies the NTN system message; when the UE receives the NTN system message; and when the UE starts a synchronization validity timer.

[0005] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the NTN system message includes satellite assistance information and / or timing advance (TA) information, and applying the NTN system message includes applying at least some of the information in the NTN system message.

[0006] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the step of determining that uplink synchronization has been restored when the UE receives the NTN system message includes: if the effective time corresponding to the NTN system message refers to a time after the UE receives the NTN system message and the UE supports early application of the NTN system message, determining that uplink synchronization has been restored when the UE receives the NTN system message.

[0007] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the effective time corresponding to the NTN system message refers to a time after the UE receives the NTN system message and the UE supports early application of the NTN system message, applying the NTN system message includes at least one of: determining satellite assistance information to be used for the period from the current time to the effective time based on the satellite assistance information in the NTN system message and applying the satellite assistance information to be used for the period from the current time to the effective time; determining TA information to be used for the period from the current time to the effective time based on the TA information in the NTN system message and applying the TA information to be used for the period from the current time to the effective time; or applying the satellite assistance information and / or the TA information in the NTN system message.

[0008] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the effective time corresponding to the NTN system message refers to a time after the UE receives the NTN system message, and the UE supports early application of the NTN system message, applying the NTN system message includes applying the NTN system message before the effective time or applying the NTN system message when the effective time arrives.

[0009] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the step of determining that uplink synchronization is restored when the UE starts a synchronization validity timer includes the step of determining that uplink synchronization is restored when the UE starts a synchronization validity timer if the effective time corresponding to the NTN system message refers to a time after the UE receives the NTN system message and the UE does not support early application of the NTN system message.

[0010] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the method further includes a step of sending capability information to the network device, where the capability information identifies whether the UE supports early application of the NTN system message, and the capability information is used to assist the network device in setting parameters in the NTN system message.

[0011] An embodiment of a second aspect of the present disclosure provides a non-terrestrial network communication method, the method being performed by a network device, the method including the step of sending an NTN system message to a user equipment (UE).

[0012] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the method further includes receiving capability information transmitted by the UE, the capability information identifying whether the UE supports early application of the NTN system message, and setting parameters in the NTN system message based on the capability information.

[0013] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the step of setting parameters in the NTN system message based on the capability information includes a step of setting the effective times of at least two NTN system messages to overlap if the capability information identifies that the UE supports early application of the NTN system message.

[0014] An embodiment of a third aspect of the present disclosure provides a non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication device applied to a user equipment (UE), the device including a transceiver module for receiving an NTN system message sent by a network device and determining that uplink synchronization is restored if a preset condition is satisfied, the preset condition including at least one of when the UE applies the NTN system message, when the UE receives the NTN system message, and when the UE starts a synchronization valid timer.

[0015] An embodiment of a fourth aspect of the present disclosure provides a non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication apparatus applied to a network device, the apparatus including a transceiver module for transmitting an NTN system message to a user equipment (UE).

[0016] An embodiment of a fifth aspect of the present disclosure provides a communication device, the communication device including a transceiver, a memory, and a processor connected to the transceiver and the memory, respectively, and capable of controlling the transceiver to transmit and receive radio signals and realizing a method of an embodiment of the first aspect or an embodiment of the second aspect of the present disclosure by executing computer-executable instructions in the memory.

[0017] An embodiment of a sixth aspect of the present disclosure provides a computer storage medium, the computer storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, can realize a method of an embodiment of the first aspect or an embodiment of the second aspect of the present disclosure.

[0018] An embodiment of a seventh aspect of the present disclosure provides a communication system, including: a user equipment (UE) and a network device; The UE performs the method of the embodiment of the first aspect; The network device performs the method of the embodiment of the second aspect.

[0019] According to the non-terrestrial network communication method of the present disclosure, when a UE receives an NTN system message sent by a network device and satisfies a preset condition, it can determine that uplink synchronization has been restored, where the preset condition may be when the UE applies the NTN system message, when the UE receives the NTN system message, or when the UE starts a synchronization valid timer. Therefore, the present disclosure solves the timing problem of the RRC layer of the UE informing lower layers that uplink synchronization has been restored when the effective time in the system message of the related art indicates a future time.

[0020] Additional aspects and advantages of the disclosure will be set forth in part in the description that follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the disclosure. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will be apparent and readily understood from the following description of examples taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of timing synchronization according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 1 is a flowchart of a non-terrestrial network communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] 1 is a flowchart of a non-terrestrial network communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 1 is a flowchart of a non-terrestrial network communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] 1 is a flowchart of a non-terrestrial network communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 2 is a signaling interaction schematic diagram of a non-terrestrial network communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 1 is a schematic block diagram of a non-terrestrial network communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] 1 is a schematic block diagram of a non-terrestrial network communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] 1 is a schematic block diagram of a non-terrestrial network communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] 1 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of a chip provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022]

[0030] The following detailed description of the embodiments of the present disclosure is provided in the accompanying drawings, in which the same or similar reference numerals throughout the drawings represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions.

[0031] The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are merely examples for explaining the present disclosure and should not be construed as limitations of the present disclosure.

[0023] NTN communication is a key technology introduced in 5G, allowing UEs to access the core network through a satellite access network. The communication connection between the UE and the satellite is a service link, and the connection between the satellite and the terrestrial receiving station is a feeder link, which connects to the core network, thereby allowing UEs to access the core network through the satellite access network. However, in NR NTN, the current protocol stipulates that after the UE receives a system message, it notifies the MAC layer that uplink synchronization has been restored. However, the timing issue when the effective time in the system message points to a future time has not yet been resolved.

[0024] Therefore, the present disclosure provides an NTN communication method aimed at solving the instruction timing problem in the related art. To better understand the inventive point of the present disclosure, the following first introduces the concept of Timing Advance (TA).

[0025] TA is an important concept in 5G communication. 5G networks are synchronous networks, and UEs must ensure uplink-downlink synchronization. Downlink synchronization is achieved by the UE receiving the downlink synchronization signal transmitted by the base station. After downlink synchronization is achieved, the UE must perform uplink synchronization to ensure that the time at which all UE uplink signals arrive at the base station is aligned with the base station's uplink time. Uplink synchronization is achieved by initiating random access. Specifically, the UE transmits a preamble to the base station, and the base station receives the preamble to acquire the transmission delay between the UE and the base station. The base station then transmits a timing advance (TA) command (the TA value is equal to twice the transmission delay) to the UE. The UE then advances the uplink value indicated by the TA to achieve uplink synchronization. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of timing synchronization.

[0026] When a downlink signal transmitted by a base station reaches a terminal, a one-way propagation delay occurs, resulting in the terminal's downlink time being delayed by one one-way propagation delay compared to the base station. When a UE transmits an uplink signal after its uplink time is aligned, one one-way propagation delay occurs to reach the base station. Therefore, as shown in Figure 1(a), the uplink time is delayed by one round-trip time (RTT) compared to the downlink time at the base station. Because the RTTs of different UEs and base stations are different, the uplink times of different UEs may not be aligned at the base station, which may result in interference during data transmission between UEs. To solve this problem, the base station advances the UE's uplink time by one RTT by transmitting a TA adjustment command to the terminal so that the uplink times at which all UEs arrive at the base station are aligned, as shown in Figure 1(b).

[0027] The network broadcasts the common TA that the UE needs to compensate for, as well as satellite ephemeris information to help the UE acquire the satellite's position to calculate the RTT to the satellite. Because the common TA and ephemeris information change due to satellite mobility, the ephemeris information and common TA broadcast in the system message have a validity period called the uplink synchronization validity duration (UL synchronization validity duration). The ephemeris information and common TA are transmitted in a single system message (System Information Block, SIB) that shares the validity period. The validity period value is broadcast to the UE by the network, and the UE starts the uplink synchronization validity timer based on the start validity time (i.e., epoch time) of the validity period corresponding to the ephemeris information and common TA in the broadcast message.

[0028] For NR NTN, NTN-related system messages are broadcast in SIB19, and for LTE NTN, NTN-related system messages are broadcast in SIB31. Taking NR NTN as an example, after the UE receives SIB19, it starts timer T430 (i.e., the UL synchronization validity timer) based on the start validity time indicated in SIB19. The start validity time may point to a future time. It is not yet clear whether the UE can apply SIB19 in advance to the current time. Taking NR NTN as an example, the current protocol specifies that after the UE receives SIB19, it notifies the MAC layer that uplink synchronization has been restored. However, this indication poses a timing problem because the epoch time can point to the future and the UE may not have applied SIB19 yet.

[0029] It should be understood that the schemes provided by the present disclosure can be applied to satellite access networks, and in particular non-terrestrial networks NTN, including but not limited to 5G core networks and core networks supporting subsequent communication technologies such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), 5G-advanced, and 6th Generation (6G).

[0030] It should be understood that the methods of the present disclosure can be applied to NTN communication systems and can be applied in either transparent or regenerative modes, although the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0031] The NTN communication method provided by this disclosure will be described in detail below in conjunction with the drawings.

[0032] 2 illustrates a flowchart of a non-terrestrial network communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method is performed by a UE. UEs described in this disclosure include, but are not limited to, smart terminal devices, mobile phones, wireless devices, handsets, mobile units, vehicles, in-vehicle devices, etc. The present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 2, the method includes the following steps:

[0034] S201, receive an NTN system message sent by a network device, and determine that uplink synchronization has been restored if a preset condition is met.

[0035] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the preset conditions include at least one of when the UE applies an NTN system message, when the UE receives an NTN system message, and when the UE starts a synchronization valid timer.

[0036] It can be understood that "determining that uplink synchronization is restored" in the present disclosure refers to an instruction between different layers of the UE, specifically, refers to a Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer of the UE instructing the UE that lower layers uplink synchronization has been restored, where the lower layer may be a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, or a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, and is not limited in the present disclosure.

[0037] In this disclosure, the NTN system message may be NR SIB19 or LTE SIB31 / SIB31-NB, and is not limited in this disclosure.

[0038] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the NTN system message may include satellite assistance information and / or timing advance (TA) information, and the effective time of the NTN system message may refer to any time, in particular, the effective time of the NTN system message may be a future time, i.e., a time after the UE receives the NTN system message.

[0039] From the above, according to the method provided by the present disclosure, when a UE receives an NTN system message sent by a network device and a preset condition is satisfied, it can determine that uplink synchronization has been restored, where the preset condition may be when the UE applies the NTN system message, when the UE receives the NTN system message, or when the UE starts a synchronization valid timer. Therefore, the present disclosure solves the timing problem of the RRC layer of the UE informing lower layers that uplink synchronization has been restored when the effective time in the system message of the related art indicates a future time.

[0040] 3 shows a flowchart of a non-terrestrial network communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method can be performed by a UE, and based on the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, as shown in FIG. 3, the method can include the following steps:

[0041] S301, transmitting capability information to a network device.

[0042] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the capability information is used to identify whether the UE supports early application of NTN system messages. The UE reports its capability information to the base station, and the capability information indicates whether the UE supports early application of SIB19 / SIB31 / SIB-31NB.

[0043] For example, the value of the capability information may be 1 or 0, where 1 identifies that the UE supports early application, and 0 identifies that the UE does not support early application. Also, for example, the value of the capability information may be 1, where the capability information is sent to the network device only if the UE supports early application, and is not sent to the UE if the UE does not support early application.

[0044] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the capability information is used to assist a network device in setting parameters in an NTN system message. For example, if the network can know whether a UE supports early application of SIB19, it can help the network better set ephemeris and common TA-related parameters for a connected UE, such as whether the validity times set in two ephemeris and common TA overlap. For example, if the network knows that the UE supports early application, it can configure the UE so that there is an overlap between the validity times of two system messages, thereby avoiding a situation where there is no gap between the application of two system messages and no available system message between the two validity times, and improving communication performance.

[0045] In an implementation manner, the UE capability information can be sent via the RRC message UECapabilityInformation message, which is not limited in the present disclosure.

[0046] It can be understood that the above step S301 is an optional step and is not limited in the present disclosure.

[0047] S302, receive an NTN system message sent by a network device, and determine that uplink synchronization has been restored if a preset condition is met.

[0048] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the preset conditions include at least one of when the UE applies an NTN system message, when the UE receives an NTN system message, and when the UE starts a synchronization valid timer.

[0049] In this embodiment, the above three preset conditions will be explained in detail.

[0050] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the NTN system message includes satellite assistance information and / or timing advance (TA) information. The satellite assistance information may be ephemeris information.

[0051] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, applying the NTN system message includes applying at least some of the information in the NTN system message, for example, applying only the ephemeris information, applying only the applied TA information, or applying both.

[0052] It can be understood that in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the application of the TNT system message may be early application. If the effective time corresponding to the NTN system message indicates a time after the UE receives the NTN system message and the UE supports early application of the NTN system message, the UE can apply the NTN system message before a future time. In other words, after the UE receives a system message, if the effective time corresponding thereto indicates a future time after the reception of the system message, the UE can early apply the information in the SIB before the effective time. The application method includes applying all or only some of the parameters of the SIB.

[0053] Specifically, the early adoption methods include the following two: 1) Estimate information applicable to the current time based on information in NTN system messages: For example, the UE can determine the satellite assistance information to be used for the period from the current time to the effective time (future time) based on the satellite assistance information in the NTN system message, thereby applying the satellite assistance information to be used for the period from the current time to the future time before the future time arrives.

[0054] Also, for example, the UE can determine the TA information to be used for the period from the current time to a future time based on the TA information in the NTN system message, thereby applying the TA information to be used for the period from the current time to a future time before the future time arrives.

[0055] 2) Directly use the information in the NTN system message: For example, the UE may directly apply the satellite assistance information and / or TA information in the NTN system message without re-estimating.

[0056] In an optional implementation manner, the UE can also apply the NTN system message when a future time arrives.

[0057] In another implementation, if the effective time corresponding to the NTN system message refers to the time after the UE receives the NTN system message, and the UE supports early application of the NTN system message, when the UE receives the NTN system message, the RRC layer of the UE indicates to the lower layer that uplink synchronization has been restored. It can be understood that the situation of determining that uplink synchronization has been restored when receiving a NTN system message can also be applied to the effective time referred to before the UE receives the NTN system message, and will not be discussed in this disclosure.

[0058] In another implementation manner, if the effective time corresponding to the NTN system message refers to the time after the UE receives the NTN system message, and the UE does not support early application of the NTN system message, when starting the synchronization validity timer, the RRC layer of the UE indicates to the lower layer that uplink synchronization has been restored.

[0059] Therefore, according to the method provided by the present disclosure, when a UE receives an NTN system message sent by a network device and meets a preset condition, it can determine that uplink synchronization has been restored, and the UE can report its capability information to the network to inform the network whether it supports early application of the system message, so that the network can better configure parameters in the system message and improve communication performance.In addition, the present disclosure solves the timing problem in the related art that the RRC layer of the UE indicates to lower layers that uplink synchronization has been restored when the effective time in the system message indicates a future time.

[0060] 4 shows a flowchart of a non-terrestrial network communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, which is performed by a network device. As shown in FIG. 4, the method includes the following steps:

[0061] S401, sending an NTN system message to a user equipment (UE);

[0062] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the NTN system message is used to assist the UE to determine that uplink synchronization has been restored when a preset condition is met, i.e., the RRC layer of the assisting UE indicates that uplink synchronization of the UE's MAC layer or RLC layer or PDCP layer has already been restored.

[0063] The preset conditions of the present disclosure include at least one of when the UE applies an NTN system message, when the UE receives an NTN system message, and when the UE starts a synchronization valid timer.

[0064] In this disclosure, the NTN system message may be NR SIB19 or LTE SIB31 / SIB31-NB, and is not limited in this disclosure.

[0065] From the above, according to the method provided by the present disclosure, a network device can send an NTN system message to a UE, and the NTN system message can assist the UE in determining that uplink synchronization has been restored if a preset condition is met, thereby solving the timing problem of the RRC layer of the UE informing lower layers that uplink synchronization has been restored when the effective time in the system message of the NTN communication-related technology indicates a future time.

[0066] 5 shows a flowchart of a non-terrestrial network communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method can be performed by a network device, and based on the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, as shown in FIG. 5, the method can include the following steps:

[0067] S501, receiving capability information sent by a UE;

[0068] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the capability information is used to identify whether the UE supports early application of NTN system messages. The UE reports its capability information to the base station, and the capability information indicates whether the UE supports early application of SIB19 / SIB31 / SIB-31NB.

[0069] For example, the value of the capability information may be 1 or 0, where 1 identifies that the UE supports early application, and 0 identifies that the UE does not support early application. Also, for example, the value of the capability information may be 1, where the capability information is sent to the network device only if the UE supports early application, and is not sent to the UE if the UE does not support early application.

[0070] In an implementation manner, the UE capability information can be sent via the RRC message UECapabilityInformation message, which is not limited in the present disclosure.

[0071] S502, setting parameters in NTN system messages based on the capability information.

[0072] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the capability information is used to assist a network device in setting parameters in an NTN system message, specifically, if the capability information identifies that the UE supports early application of the NTN system message, the effective times of at least two NTN system messages are set to overlap.

[0073] For example, if the network can know whether the UE supports early application of SIB19, it can help the network better configure ephemeris and common TA-related parameters for the connected UE, such as whether the validity times configured in two ephemeris and common TA can overlap. For example, if the network knows that the UE supports early application, the network can configure the UE so that there is an overlap between the validity times of two system messages, thereby avoiding a situation where there is no gap between the application of two system messages and no available system message between the two validity times, and improving communication performance.

[0074] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the start time of the validity period is the effective time described in the above embodiment.

[0075] It can be understood that the above steps S501 and S502 are optional steps and are not limited in the present disclosure.

[0076] S503, sending an NTN system message to the UE;

[0077] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the network device can send a configured NTN system message to the UE to assist the UE in determining that uplink synchronization has been restored when a preset condition is met. For specific implementation methods, please refer to the UE-side embodiment shown in Figures 2 and 3, and will not be further described herein.

[0078] As described above, according to the method provided by the present disclosure, the network can receive capability information reported by the UE, and know whether the UE supports early application of the system message, thereby better setting parameters in the system message and improving communication performance. The network device sends a configured NTN system message to the UE to assist the UE in determining that uplink synchronization has been restored if the preset condition is met. The present disclosure solves the timing problem in the related art that the RRC layer of the UE indicates to lower layers that uplink synchronization has been restored when the effective time in the system message indicates a future time.

[0079] 6 is an interaction diagram of a non-terrestrial network communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method is applied to a communication system, which includes a UE and a network device. As shown in FIG. 6, the method includes the following steps:

[0080] S601, a UE reports capability information to a network device.

[0081] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the capability information of the UE is used to identify whether the UE supports early application of the NTN system message.

[0082] S602, the network device sets parameters in the NTN system message based on the capability information of the UE.

[0083] The network device better sets the ephemeris and common TA related parameters of the connected UE based on whether the UE supports early application, for example, whether the effective time set in the two ephemeris and common TA can overlap.

[0084] It can be understood that the above steps S601 and S602 are optional steps.

[0085] S603, the network device sends an NTN system message to the UE.

[0086] The network device may transmit an NTN system message to the UE, including satellite assistance information and / or timing advance (TA) information, which may be configured by the network device based on the UE capability information or may be configured without considering the UE capability information, and is not limited by the present disclosure.

[0087] S604, the UE determines that uplink synchronization has been restored if a preset condition is met based on the NTN system message.

[0088] If the UE determines that the preset condition is met based on the parameters in the NTN system message, the RRC layer indicates to the lower layer that uplink synchronization has been restored.Specific implementation methods may refer to the embodiments shown in Figures 2 to 5, and will not be further described herein.

[0089] As described above, according to the method provided by the present disclosure, the network can receive capability information reported by the UE, and know whether the UE supports early application of the system message, thereby better setting parameters in the system message and improving communication performance. The network device sends a configured NTN system message to the UE to assist the UE in determining that uplink synchronization has been restored if the preset condition is met. The present disclosure solves the timing problem in the related art that the RRC layer of the UE indicates to lower layers that uplink synchronization has been restored when the effective time in the system message indicates a future time.

[0090] The above-described embodiments of the present application describe the methods provided by the embodiments of the present application from the user equipment side and the network device side, respectively. To realize each function in the methods provided by the embodiments of the present application, the network device and the user equipment may include a hardware structure or a software module that realizes each of the above-described functions in the form of a hardware structure, a software module, or a hardware structure plus a software module. Any of the above-described functions may be implemented by a hardware structure, a software module, or a hardware structure plus a software module.

[0091] Corresponding to the non-terrestrial network communication method provided by some of the above-mentioned embodiments, the non-terrestrial network communication device provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure corresponds to the non-terrestrial network communication method provided by some of the above-mentioned embodiments, and therefore the embodiments of the non-terrestrial network communication method are also applicable to the non-terrestrial network communication device provided in this embodiment, and will not be described in detail in this embodiment.

[0092] 7 is a schematic diagram of a non-terrestrial network communication device 700 provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, which can be used in user equipment.

[0093] As shown in FIG. 7, the device 700 may include a transceiver module 710; The transceiver module 710 is used to receive an NTN system message sent by a network device and determine that uplink synchronization has been restored if a preset condition is met, the preset condition including at least one of when the NTN system message is applied, when the UE receives the NTN system message, and when the UE synchronization valid timer is started.

[0094] According to the non-terrestrial network communication method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, when a UE receives an NTN system message sent by a network device and meets a preset condition, it can determine that uplink synchronization has been restored, where the preset condition may be when the UE applies the NTN system message, when the UE receives the NTN system message, or when the UE starts a synchronization valid timer. Therefore, the present disclosure solves the timing problem of the RRC layer of the UE informing lower layers that uplink synchronization has been restored when the effective time in the system message of the related art indicates a future time.

[0095] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the NTN system message includes satellite assistance information and / or timing advance (TA) information, and applying the NTN system message includes applying at least some of the information in the NTN system message.

[0096] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transceiver module 710 is specifically used to determine that uplink synchronization is restored when the UE receives the NTN system message if the effective time corresponding to the NTN system message refers to the time after the UE receives the NTN system message and the UE supports early application of the NTN system message.

[0097] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, if the effective time corresponding to the NTN system message refers to a time after the UE receives the NTN system message, and the UE supports early application of the NTN system message, the transceiving module 710 further: Based on the satellite assistance information in the NTN system message, determine the satellite assistance information to be used for the period from the current time to the effective time, and apply the satellite assistance information to be used for the period from the current time to the effective time; Based on the TA information in the NTN system message, determine the TA information to be used for the period from the current time to the effective time, and apply the TA information to be used for the period from the current time to the effective time; Used to apply satellite assistance information and / or TA information in NTN system messages.

[0098] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, if the effective time corresponding to the NTN system message refers to the time after the UE receives the NTN system message, and the UE supports early application of the NTN system message, the transceiver module 710 is further used to apply the NTN system message before the effective time or to apply the NTN system message when the effective time arrives.

[0099] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transceiver module 710 is specifically used to determine that uplink synchronization is restored when the UE starts a synchronization validity timer if the effective time corresponding to the NTN system message refers to a time after the UE receives the NTN system message and the UE does not support early application of the NTN system message.

[0100] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transceiver module 710 further comprises: It is used to send capability information to a network device, and the capability information identifies whether the UE supports early application of NTN system messages, and the capability information is used to assist the network device in setting parameters in NTN system messages.

[0101] From the above, according to the non-terrestrial network communication method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, if the UE receives an NTN system message sent by a network device and meets the preset conditions, it can determine that uplink synchronization has been restored, and the UE can report its capability information to the network to inform the network whether it supports early application of the system message, so that the network can better set parameters in the system message and improve communication performance.

[0102] The present disclosure also solves a timing problem where the RRC layer of the UE indicates to lower layers that uplink synchronization has been restored when the effective time in a system message in the related art points to a future time.

[0103] 8 is a schematic diagram of a non-terrestrial network communication device 800 provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, which can be used in a network device.

[0104] As shown in FIG. 8, the device 800 includes: It may include a transceiver module for transmitting NTN system messages to user equipment (UE).

[0105] According to the non-terrestrial network communication method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, the network device can send an NTN system message to the UE, and solves the timing problem that the RRC layer of the UE indicates to the lower layer that uplink synchronization has been restored when the effective time in the NTN communication related technology system message points to a future time.

[0106] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transceiver module 810 further comprises: Used to receive capability information sent by the UE, the capability information identifies whether the UE supports early application of NTN system messages.

[0107] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 9 , the above-mentioned device 800 further includes a setting module: The configuration module is used to configure parameters in NTN system messages based on the capability information.

[0108]

[0013] As a result, according to the non-terrestrial network communication method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, the network can receive capability information reported by the UE, and know whether the UE supports early application of the system message, thereby better setting parameters in the system message and improving communication performance. The network device sends a configured NTN system message to the UE to assist the UE in determining that uplink synchronization has been restored if the preset condition is met. The present disclosure solves the timing problem in the related art that the RRC layer of the UE indicates to lower layers that uplink synchronization has been restored when the effective time in the system message indicates a future time.

[0109] An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a communication system, the communication system including a user equipment (UE) and a network device; The UE reports capability information to the network device.

[0110] The network device sets parameters in the NTN system message based on the UE's capability information.

[0111] The network device sends an NTN system message to the UE.

[0112] If the UE meets the preset condition based on the NTN system message, it determines that uplink synchronization has been restored.

[0113]

[0013] As a result, according to the non-terrestrial network communication method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, the network can receive capability information reported by the UE, and know whether the UE supports early application of the system message, thereby better setting parameters in the system message and improving communication performance. The network device sends a configured NTN system message to the UE to assist the UE in determining that uplink synchronization has been restored if the preset condition is met. The present disclosure solves the timing problem in the related art that the RRC layer of the UE indicates to lower layers that uplink synchronization has been restored when the effective time in the system message indicates a future time.

[0114] 10, which is a schematic diagram of another communication device 1000 provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. The communication device 1000 may be a network device or a user equipment, and the network device may be a chip, a chip system, a processor, etc. that supports the implementation of the above-mentioned method, and the user equipment may be a chip, a chip system, a processor, etc. that supports the implementation of the above-mentioned method. The device can be used to implement the methods described in the above-mentioned method embodiments, and for details, please refer to the description of the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0115] The communication device 1000 may include one or more processors 1001. The processor 1001 may be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor. For example, the processor 1001 may be a baseband processor or a central processor. The baseband processor may be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processor may be used to control a communication device (e.g., a base station, a baseband chip, a terminal device, a terminal device chip, a DU or CU, etc.), execute a computer program, and process data of the computer program.

[0116] Optionally, the communication device 1000 may include one or more memories 1002 in which a computer program 1004 is stored, and the processor 1001 executes the computer program 1004 to cause the communication device 1000 to perform the method described in the method embodiments above. Optionally, data may be stored in the memory 1002. The communication device 1000 and the memory 1002 may be provided separately or integrated as a single unit.

[0117] Optionally, the communication device 1000 may further include a transceiver 1005 and an antenna 1006. The transceiver 1005 may also be referred to as a transmitting / receiving unit, transceiver, or transmitting / receiving circuit, and is used to realize transceiver functionality. The transceiver may include a receiver and a transmitter, and the transceiver 1005 may also be referred to as a receiving device or receiving circuit, and is used to realize receiving functionality, and the transmitter may also be referred to as a transmitting device or transmitting circuit, and is used to realize transmitting functionality.

[0118] Optionally, the communication device 1000 may further include one or more interface circuits 1007. The interface circuits 1007 are used to receive and transmit code instructions to the processor 1001. The processor 1001 executes the code instructions, thereby causing the communication device 1000 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments.

[0119] In one implementation, the processor 1001 may include a transceiver for implementing the receiving and transmitting functions. For example, the transceiver may be a transmitting and receiving circuit, an interface, or an interface circuit. The transmitting and receiving circuit, the interface, or the interface circuit for implementing the receiving and transmitting functions may be separate or integrated. The transmitting and receiving circuit, the interface, or the interface circuit may be used to read and write code / data, or the transmitting and receiving circuit, the interface, or the interface circuit may be used to transmit or convey signals.

[0120] In one implementation, the processor 1001 may store a computer program 113, which, when executed by the processor 1001, enables the communication device 1000 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. The computer program 113 may be embedded in the processor 1001, in which case the processor 1001 may be implemented in hardware.

[0121] In one implementation, the communications device 1000 may include circuitry capable of performing the transmit, receive, or communication functions of the method embodiments described above. The processors and transceivers described in this disclosure may be integrated into an integrated circuit (IC), analog IC, radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), mixed-signal IC, application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), printed circuit board (PCB), electronic device, etc. The processors and transceivers may be fabricated using a variety of IC process technologies, such as complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS), n-type metal oxide semiconductor (nMOS), p-type metal oxide semiconductor (pMOS), bipolar junction transistor (BJT), bipolar CMOS (BiCMOS), silicon germanium (SiGe), gallium arsenide (GaAs), etc.

[0122] The communication device in the above description of the embodiment may be a network device or user equipment, but the scope of the communication device described in this disclosure is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device may not be limited by Fig. 10. The communication device may be an independent device or a part of a larger device. For example, the communication device may be as follows: (1) An independent integrated circuit IC or chip, or a chip system or subsystem; (2) A set having one or more integrated circuits, optionally including a storage component for storing data, computer programs; (3) ASIC, e.g., modem, (4) Modules that can be embedded into other devices; (5) Receivers, terminal devices, intelligent terminal devices, cellular phones, wireless devices, handhelds, mobile units, vehicle-mounted devices, base stations, cloud devices, artificial intelligence devices, etc. (6)Others.

[0123] The communication device may be in the form of a chip or a chip system, and reference is made to the schematic configuration diagram of the chip shown in Fig. 11. The chip shown in Fig. 11 includes a processor 1101 and an interface 1102. The number of processors 1101 may be one or more, and the number of interfaces 1102 may be more than one.

[0124] Optionally, the chip also includes a memory 1103, which is used to store necessary computer programs and data.

[0125] As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the various illustrative logical blocks and steps enumerated in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be realized by electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. Whether such functions are realized by hardware or software depends on the specific application and the overall system design requirements. Those skilled in the art can realize the functions using various methods for each specific application, but such realization should not be understood as exceeding the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0126] The present disclosure further provides a readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by a computer implement the functions of any one of the above method embodiments.

[0127] The present disclosure further provides a computer program product, which, when executed by a computer, implements the functions of any one of the above method embodiments.

[0128] In the above embodiments, all or a portion thereof can be implemented in software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, all or a portion thereof can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs. When the computer programs are loaded and executed on a computer, the computer programs generate, in whole or in part, the flow or functions described in the embodiments of the present disclosure. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer programs may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program may be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, radio, microwave, etc.) methods. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium accessible to a computer, or a data storage device such as a server, data center, or the like, integrating one or more available media. The usable medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., a high-density digital video disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a solid state disk (SSD)).

[0129] As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the various numerals, such as first, second, etc., used in the present disclosure are used for ease of explanation and do not limit the scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and also represent a priority order.

[0130] "At least one" in the present disclosure may be explained as "one or more," and "more" may be two, three, four or more, and is not limited by the present disclosure. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, for one technical feature, "first," "second," "third," "A," "B," "C," and "D" are used to distinguish technical features in the same category, and there is no priority or size order between the technical features explained by "first," "second," "third," "A," "B," "C," and "D."

[0131] As used herein, the terms "machine-readable medium" and "computer-readable medium" refer to any computer program product, apparatus, and / or device (e.g., magnetic disk, optical disk, memory, programmable logic device (PLD)) used to provide machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor, including a machine-readable medium that receives machine instructions that are a machine-readable signal. The term "machine-readable signal" refers to any signal for providing machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor.

[0132] The systems and techniques described herein can be implemented in a computing system that includes back-end components (e.g., a data server), or a computing system that includes middleware components (e.g., an application server), or a computing system that includes front-end components (e.g., a user computer having a graphical user interface or a web browser through which a user interacts with embodiments of the systems and techniques described herein), or a computing system that includes any combination of such back-end, middleware, and front-end components. The components of the system can be interconnected by any form or medium of digital data communication (e.g., a communication network). Examples of communication networks include a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), and the Internet.

[0133] A computer system may include clients and servers. Clients and servers are generally remote from each other and typically interact through a communication network. The relationship of client and server is created by computer programs running on corresponding computers and having a client-server relationship to each other.

[0134] It should be understood that steps can be rearranged, added, or deleted using the various types of flows shown above. For example, the steps described in this application may be performed in parallel, sequentially, or in a different order, but this specification is not limited thereto as long as the desired results of the technical solution disclosed in this application can be achieved.

[0135] It should also be understood that the various embodiments of the present application may be practiced alone or in combination with other embodiments where schemes permit.

[0136] As can be understood by those skilled in the art, the units and algorithm steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can implement the described functions using different methods for each specific application, and such implementation should not be considered as going beyond the scope of this application.

[0137] As can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art, for convenience and simplification of explanation, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above are to be referred to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted here.

[0138] The above description is merely a specific example of the present application, and the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any modifications or substitutions that a person skilled in the art can easily make without departing from the technical scope disclosed in the present application should be included in the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application should be governed by the claims.

Claims

1. 1. A non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication method performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving an NTN system message sent by a network device, and determining that uplink synchronization has been restored if a preset condition is met; The preset conditions are: When the UE applies the NTN system message, When the UE receives the NTN system message, and when the UE starts a synchronization valid timer. A non-terrestrial network communication method comprising:

2. the NTN system message includes satellite assistance information and / or timing advance (TA) information, and applying the NTN system message includes applying at least some of the information in the NTN system message; 2. The non-terrestrial network communication method according to claim 1.

3. The step of determining that uplink synchronization is restored when the UE receives the NTN system message includes: If an effective time corresponding to the NTN system message refers to a time after the UE receives the NTN system message, and the UE supports early application of the NTN system message, determining that uplink synchronization is restored when the UE receives the NTN system message; 3. A non-terrestrial network communication method according to claim 1 or 2.

4. If the effective time corresponding to the NTN system message refers to a time after the UE receives the NTN system message, and the UE supports early application of the NTN system message, applying the NTN system message includes: determining satellite assistance information to be used for the period from the current time to the effective time based on the satellite assistance information in the NTN system message, and applying the satellite assistance information to be used for the period from the current time to the effective time; determining TA information to be used for a period from the current time to the effective time based on TA information in the NTN system message, and applying the TA information to be used for a period from the current time to the effective time; applying satellite assistance information and / or TA information in the NTN system message.

4. The non-terrestrial network communication method according to claim 1, wherein the non-terrestrial network communication method is a communication method for transmitting a signal to a plurality of terminals.

5. If the effective time corresponding to the NTN system message refers to a time after the UE receives the NTN system message, and the UE supports early application of the NTN system message, applying the NTN system message includes: applying the NTN system message before the effective time or applying the NTN system message when the effective time arrives.

5. The non-terrestrial network communication method according to claim 1, wherein the non-terrestrial network communication method is a communication method for transmitting a signal to a plurality of terminals.

6. The step of determining that uplink synchronization is restored when the UE starts a synchronization valid timer includes: When an effective time corresponding to the NTN system message refers to a time after the UE receives the NTN system message, and the UE does not support early application of the NTN system message, determining that uplink synchronization is restored when the UE starts a synchronization validity timer.

6. The non-terrestrial network communication method according to claim 1, wherein the non-terrestrial network communication method is a communication method for transmitting a signal to a plurality of terminals.

7. The method comprises: The method further includes sending capability information to the network device, wherein the capability information identifies whether the UE supports early application of the NTN system message, and the capability information is used to assist the network device in setting parameters in the NTN system message.

7. The non-terrestrial network communication method according to claim 1.

8. 1. A non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication method performed by a network device, comprising: transmitting an NTN system message to a user equipment (UE); A non-terrestrial network communication method comprising:

9. The method comprises: receiving capability information sent by the UE, the capability information identifying whether the UE supports early application of the NTN system message; and setting parameters in the NTN system message based on the capability information.

9. The non-terrestrial network communication method according to claim 8.

10. The step of setting parameters in the NTN system message based on the capability information includes: If the capability information identifies that the UE supports early application of the NTN system message, setting effective times of at least two NTN system messages to overlap.

10. The non-terrestrial network communication method of claim 9.

11. 1. A non-terrestrial network (NTN) communications device, comprising: a transceiver module for receiving an NTN system message sent by a network device, and determining that uplink synchronization has been restored if a preset condition is met; The preset conditions are: When the UE applies the NTN system message, When the UE receives the NTN system message, and when the UE starts a synchronization valid timer. A non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication device.

12. 1. A non-terrestrial network (NTN) communications device, comprising: a transceiver module for transmitting NTN system messages to a user equipment (UE); A non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication device.

13. A communication device a transceiver, a memory, and a processor connected to the transceiver and the memory, respectively, the processor configured to execute computer-executable instructions in the memory to control the transceiver to transmit and receive radio signals and to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10. A communication device characterized by:

14. A computer storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, When the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 is realized. A computer storage medium comprising:

15. 1. A communication system comprising: a user equipment (UE) and a network device; The UE performs a method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, The network device executes the method according to any one of claims 8 to 10. A communication system comprising:

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