Communication method and device, and storage medium

Abstract

This application discloses a communication method and device, and a storage medium, in which, after receiving a first offset at a first time point, a terminal adjusts the first offset at the first time point based on the first offset at the first time point and a first propagation delay difference between a feeder link of a serving cell and a feeder link of a neighboring cell corresponding to the first time point to obtain a second offset at a second time point. Thus, an accurate offset can be obtained, and the accuracy of neighboring cell measurement can be improved.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication technologies, and in particular to communication methods and devices, and storage media. [Background technology]

[0002] Non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) are communications realized using non-terrestrial network devices. Non-terrestrial network devices include air network devices such as satellite communication systems, unmanned aerial vehicle communication systems, and high-altitude platform station (HAPS) communication systems. NTNs offer advantages such as wide coverage, long communication distances, high reliability, high flexibility, and high throughput. In addition, NTNs are unaffected by geographical environments, weather conditions, and natural disasters. Therefore, NTNs are widely used in fields such as aviation, maritime, and military communications. Introducing NTNs into future 5th-generation (5G) mobile networks can significantly improve user experience. NTNs can provide communication services to areas difficult to cover by terrestrial networks, such as oceans, forests, deserts, or remote areas. Additionally, NTNs can improve the reliability of 5G communications and provide more stable communication services to users in high-speed travel scenarios, such as trains and airplanes. Furthermore, NTNs can provide more data transmission resources to support more connections. Thanks to the concept of "anytime, anywhere" communication, satellite communication networks will play a more important role in the future.

[0003] In a cell selection / reselection or handover scenario, the network side delivers measurement configuration information to the terminal device for measurement. The measurement configuration information is a synchronization signal block-based measurement timing configuration (SSB-based measurement timing configuration). (S MTC) Including SMT C is The SMTC offset includes a period, a duration, and an SMTC offset, and is used to determine the measurement window. However, after the network side distributes the offset, the terminal device may perform the corresponding measurement after a certain period of time. However, during this period, the satellite moves significantly. The satellite movement causes a discrepancy between the offset configured by the network side and the offset actually required by the terminal during the actual measurement. As a result, the offset configured by the network side is inaccurate, and the measurement accuracy is affected. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] The present application provides a communication method and apparatus, and a storage medium, for improving the accuracy of neighbor cell measurements.

[0005] According to a first aspect, a communication method is provided, the method comprising: receiving, by a terminal device, first information, the first information including a first offset at a first time point, the first offset being used to determine a measurement window; 1st and adjusting the first offset at the first time point based on the offset and a first propagation delay difference between the feeder link of the serving cell and the feeder link of the neighboring cell corresponding to the first time point to obtain a second offset at a second time point.

[0006] Equivalently, the step of adjusting the first offset at a first time point to obtain a second offset at a second time point may alternatively be expressed as compensating for changes in feeder link propagation delay caused by satellite movement, or as adjusting the second offset at a second time point to obtain the second offset at the second time point.

[0007] In this aspect, after receiving the first offset at the first time point, the terminal adjusts the first offset at the first time point based on the first offset at the first time point and a first propagation delay difference between the feeder link of the serving cell and the feeder link of the neighboring cell corresponding to the first time point to obtain a second offset at the second time point. Thus, an accurate offset can be obtained, and the accuracy of the neighboring cell measurement is improved.

[0008] In one possible implementation, the first propagation delay difference is a feeder link propagation delay difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cell, or the first propagation delay difference is a common timing advance CommonTA difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cell.

[0009] In this implementation, if the base station compensates for the propagation delay between the uplink synchronization reference point and the base station when configuring the first offset, the first propagation delay difference is the CommonTA difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cell. If the base station does not compensate for the propagation delay between the uplink synchronization reference point and the base station when configuring the first offset, the first propagation delay difference is the CommonTA difference between the serving cell satellite and each of the neighboring cell satellites and each base station, i.e., CommonTA and K mac is the propagation delay difference including

[0010] In another possible implementation, the method further includes obtaining a first propagation delay difference.

[0011] In yet another possible implementation, the step of obtaining the first propagation delay difference includes the steps of obtaining a first time point; receiving second information, where the second information includes a feeder link related parameter; and determining the first propagation delay difference based on the first time point and the feeder link related parameter.

[0012] In yet another possible implementation form, determining the first propagation delay difference includes determining the first propagation delay difference based on the first time point and feeder link-related parameters of the serving cell and the neighboring cell.

[0013] In this implementation, the terminal may determine a first propagation delay difference.

[0014] In yet another possible implementation, the first information further includes a first time point.

[0015] In yet another possible implementation, the first information is system information and the first time point is an end time point of a system information window of the first information.

[0016] In this implementation, the first point in time is the end point of a system information window of the first information, thereby reducing the signaling overhead of the first information.

[0017] In yet another possible implementation, the first point in time is a reference time, and the reference time is a reference time of the ephemeris information and the common timing advance.

[0018] In this implementation, the first point in time is a reference time, thereby reducing the signaling overhead of the first information.

[0019] In yet another possible implementation, the first information further includes a first propagation delay difference.

[0020] In this implementation, the access network device may transmit the first propagation delay difference to a terminal having a low requirement on the terminal's computational power.

[0021] In yet another possible implementation, at a first time 1stand adjusting the first offset at the first time point to obtain a second offset at a second time point based on the offset and a first propagation delay difference between the feeder link of the serving cell and the feeder link of the neighboring cell corresponding to the first time point, the step of determining the second offset at the second time point based on the following formula: offset_T2=(SL2_T2-SL1_T2)+(FL2_T2-FL1_T2)+(FL2_T1-FL1_T1+T_sfn)-(FL2_T1-FL1_T1); offset_T2 is a second offset at a second time point, SL2_T2 is the serving link propagation delay of the neighboring cell at the second time point, SL1_T2 is the serving link propagation delay of the serving cell at the second time point, FL2_T2 is the feeder link propagation delay of the neighboring cell at the second time point, FL1_T2 is the feeder link propagation delay of the serving cell at the second time point, and T_sfn is the timing difference between the signal transmission of the serving cell and the signal transmission of the neighboring cell.

[0022] In yet another possible implementation, the time difference between the second time point and the first time point exceeds a specified time difference.

[0023] In this implementation, if the terminal configures the measurement within a time Delta T1 after receiving the first offset (i.e., the time difference between the second point in time and the first point in time does not exceed the specified time difference), the change in the first offset caused by satellite movement may be considered small. Therefore, the first offset delivered by the base station may be directly used to calculate the SMTC offset, and the aforementioned adjustment does not need to be performed on the first offset. Instead, if the time difference between the second point in time and the first point in time exceeds the specified time difference, the aforementioned adjustment needs to be performed.

[0024] In yet another possible implementation, the specified time difference is conveyed in the first information, or the specified time difference is pre-negotiated, or the specified time difference is the timing duration of a timer.

[0025] According to a second aspect, there is provided a communication method, the method including: a network device obtaining first information, the first information indicating a first time point and a first offset at the first time point, the first information being used to determine a measurement window; and transmitting the first information.

[0026] In this aspect, the network device transmits first information to the terminal, where the first information includes a first offset at a first time point. After receiving the first offset at the first time point, the terminal adjusts the first offset at the first time point based on the first offset at the first time point and a first propagation delay difference between the feeder link of the serving cell and the feeder link of the neighboring cell corresponding to the first time point to obtain a second offset at a second time point. Therefore, an accurate offset can be obtained, and the accuracy of the neighboring cell measurement is improved.

[0027] In one possible implementation, the method further includes receiving second information from a neighboring cell base station, the second information including a third offset, and determining the first offset based on the second information.

[0028] In this implementation, the serving base station specifies the manner in which the first offset is determined, improving the accuracy of the first offset.

[0029] In another possible implementation, the third offset is based on a first propagation delay in a feeder link of the neighboring cell, and the second information further includes a third time point, where the third time point is a time point corresponding to the third offset. The third offset being based on the first propagation delay in the feeder link of the neighboring cell means that the first propagation delay in the feeder link is taken into account when determining the third offset.

[0030] The first propagation delay is a first propagation delay corresponding to a third point in time.

[0031] In one possible implementation, the first propagation delay is a feeder link propagation delay corresponding to the third point in time, or the first propagation delay is a common timing advance CommonTA corresponding to the third point in time.

[0032] In yet another possible implementation, the method further includes the steps of determining a feeder link propagation delay of the neighboring cell at a third time point based on the third time point and feeder link information of the neighboring cell; determining a feeder link propagation delay of the neighboring cell at a first time point based on the feeder link information of the neighboring cell (e.g., related parameters of CommonTA); optionally, determining a feeder link propagation delay of the neighboring cell at the first time point based on ephemeris information of the neighboring cell; and adjusting the third offset based on the feeder link propagation delay of the neighboring cell at the third time point and the feeder link propagation delay of the neighboring cell at the first time point to obtain the first offset.

[0033] In this implementation, if the third offset is based on the first propagation delay of the feeder link of the adjacent cell, the serving base station may adjust the third offset based on the feeder link propagation delay of the adjacent cell at the third time point and the feeder link propagation delay of the adjacent cell at the first time point to accurately obtain the first offset.

[0034] In yet another possible implementation, the third offset is not based on the first propagation delay in the feeder link of the adjacent cell. The fact that the third offset is not based on the first propagation delay in the feeder link of the adjacent cell means that the first propagation delay in the feeder link is not taken into account when determining the third offset.

[0035] In yet another possible implementation, the method further includes determining a feeder link propagation delay of the neighboring cell at a first time point based on feeder link information of the neighboring cell; and adjusting the third offset based on the feeder link propagation delay of the neighboring cell at the first time point to obtain the first offset.

[0036] In this implementation, if the third offset is not based on the first propagation delay in the feeder link of the neighboring cell, the serving base station may determine the feeder link propagation delay of the neighboring cell at the first time point based on the feeder link information of the neighboring cell, and then adjust the third offset based on the feeder link propagation delay of the neighboring cell at the first time point to obtain the first offset, thereby improving the accuracy of the first offset.

[0037] According to a third aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device may implement the method of the first aspect. For example, the communication device may be a terminal or a chip system of a terminal. The method may be implemented by software, hardware, or hardware executing corresponding software.

[0038] In one possible implementation, the apparatus includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit. The transceiver unit is configured to receive first information, the first information including a first offset at a first time point, the first offset being used to determine a measurement window. The processing unit is configured to receive the first information including a first offset at a first time point, the first offset being used to determine a measurement window. 1stand configured to adjust the first offset at the first time point based on the offset and a first propagation delay difference between the feeder link of the serving cell and the feeder link of the neighboring cell corresponding to the first time point to obtain a second offset at a second time point.

[0039] Optionally, the first propagation delay difference is a feeder link propagation delay difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cell, or the first propagation delay difference is a common timing advance CommonTA difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cell.

[0040] Optionally, the processing unit is further configured to obtain a first propagation delay difference.

[0041] Optionally, the processing unit is further configured to obtain a first time point. The transceiver unit is further configured to receive second information, the second information including a feeder link related parameter. The processing unit is further configured to determine a first propagation delay difference based on the first time point and the feeder link related parameter.

[0042] Optionally, the first information further includes a first time point.

[0043] Optionally, the first information is system information, and the first time point is an end time point of a system information window of the first information.

[0044] Optionally, the first point in time is a reference time, and the reference time is a reference time of the ephemeris information and the common timing advance.

[0045] Optionally, the first information further includes a first propagation delay difference.

[0046] Optionally, the processing unit is further configured to determine a second offset at the second time point based on the following formula: offset_T2=(SL2_T2-SL1_T2)+(FL2_T2-FL1_T2)+(FL2_T1-FL1_T1+T_sfn)-(FL2_T1-FL1_T1), where offset_T2 is the second offset at the second time point, SL2_T2 is the serving link propagation delay of the neighboring cell at the second time point, SL1_T2 is the serving link propagation delay of the serving cell at the second time point, FL2_T2 is the feeder link propagation delay of the neighboring cell at the second time point, FL1_T2 is the feeder link propagation delay of the serving cell at the second time point, and T_sfn is the timing difference between the signal transmission of the serving cell and the signal transmission of the neighboring cell.

[0047] Optionally, the time difference between the second time point and the first time point exceeds a specified time difference.

[0048] Optionally, the specified time difference is carried in the first information, or the specified time difference is pre-negotiated, or the specified time difference is the timing duration of a timer.

[0049] According to a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device may implement the method according to the second aspect. For example, the communication device may be a network device or a chip system within a network device. The method may be implemented by software, hardware, or hardware executing corresponding software.

[0050] In one possible implementation, an apparatus includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit. The processing unit is configured to acquire first information, the first information indicating a first time point and a first offset at the first time point, the first information being used to determine a measurement window. The transceiver unit is configured to transmit the first information.

[0051] Optionally, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive second information from the neighboring cell base station, the second information including the third offset, and the processing unit is further configured to determine the first offset based on the second information.

[0052] Optionally, a third offset To , based on a first propagation delay in a feeder link of the neighboring cell, and the second information further includes a third time point, where the third time point is a time point corresponding to the third offset.

[0053] Optionally, the processing unit is further configured to determine a feeder link propagation delay of the neighboring cell at a third time point based on the third time point and the feeder link information of the neighboring cell. The processing unit is further configured to determine a feeder link propagation delay of the neighboring cell at the first time point based on the feeder link information of the neighboring cell. The processing unit is further configured to adjust the third offset based on the feeder link propagation delay of the neighboring cell at the third time point and the feeder link propagation delay of the neighboring cell at the first time point to obtain the first offset.

[0054] Optionally, the third offset is not based on the first propagation delay in the feeder link of the neighboring cell.

[0055] Optionally, the processing unit is further configured to determine, based on the feeder link information of the neighboring cell, a feeder link propagation delay of the neighboring cell at a first time point. The processing unit is further configured to adjust the third offset based on the feeder link propagation delay of the neighboring cell at the first time point to obtain the first offset.

[0056] In relation to the third or fourth aspect, in one possible implementation, the communication device includes a processor coupled to a memory, and the processor is configured to support the device in implementing corresponding functions in the aforementioned communication method. The memory is configured to be coupled to the processor and stores computer programs (or computer-executable instructions) and / or data required for the device. Optionally, the communication device may further include a communication interface configured to support communication between the device and another network element, e.g., transmission or reception of data and / or signals. For example, the communication interface may be a transceiver, a circuit, a bus, a module, or another type of communication interface. Optionally, the memory may be located inside the communication device and integrated with the processor, or may be located outside the communication device.

[0057] In relation to the third or fourth aspect, in another possible implementation, a communication device includes a processor and a transceiver device, and the processor is coupled to the transceiver device. The processor is configured to execute a computer program or instructions to control the transceiver device to transmit and receive information. When the processor executes the computer program or instructions, the processor is further configured to perform the aforementioned method using logic circuits or by executing code instructions. The transceiver device may be a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, an interface circuit, or an input / output interface, and is configured to receive signals from a communication device other than the communication device and transmit the signals to the processor, or transmit signals from the processor to a communication device other than the communication device. When the communication device is a chip, the transceiver device is a transceiver circuit or an input / output interface.

[0058] When the communication device is a chip, the transmitting unit may be an output unit, such as an output circuit or a communication interface, and the receiving unit may be an input unit, such as an input circuit or a communication interface. When the communication device is a terminal, the transmitting unit may be a transmitter, or a sender, and the receiving unit may be a receiver, or a receiver.

[0059] According to a fifth aspect, there is provided a communication system, the communication system including the communication device according to the third aspect and the communication device according to the fourth aspect.

[0060] According to a sixth aspect, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium, the computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions which, when executed by a processor, perform a method according to the first aspect, the second aspect, or any one of implementations of the first or second aspect.

[0061] According to a seventh aspect, there is provided a computer program product, which, when executed on a computing device, performs a method according to the first aspect, the second aspect, or any one of the implementations of the first or second aspect.

[0062] According to an eighth aspect, there is provided a circuit coupled to a memory, the circuit configured to perform a method according to the first aspect, the second aspect, or any one of the implementations of the first or second aspects. The circuit may include a chip circuit. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0063] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram of the architecture of a communication system to which an embodiment of the present application applies; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a CU-DU architecture according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 3a] 1 is a diagram of a transparent satellite architecture according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 3b] 1 is a diagram of a regenerative satellite architecture according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an NTN SMTC according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example of SMTC expiration caused by satellite mobility, according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 6] 1 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example of feeder link propagation delay in an NTN according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 8] 4 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 9] 1 is a diagram of the structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram of the structure of another communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0064] The following describes embodiments of the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application.

[0065] Embodiments of the present application may be applied to various communication systems, such as long term evolution (LTE) systems, LTE time division duplex (TDD) systems, fifth generation (5G) communication systems, and future sixth generation (6G) communication systems.

[0066] FIG. 1 is a diagram of the architecture of a communication system to which an embodiment of the present application is applied. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system 1000 includes a radio access network 100 and a core network 200. Optionally, the communication system 1000 may further include the Internet 300. The radio access network 100 may include at least one radio access network device (e.g., 110a and 110b in FIG. 1 ) and may further include at least one terminal (e.g., 120a to 120j in FIG. 1 ). The terminal is connected to the radio access network device wirelessly. The radio access network device is connected to the core network wirelessly or by a wired method. The core network device and the radio access network device may be separate and distinct physical devices, or the functions of the core network device and the logical functions of the radio access network device may be integrated into the same physical device, or some functions of the core network device and some functions of the radio access network device may be integrated into one physical device. A wired or wireless method may be used for the connection between the terminal and the radio access network device. FIG. 1 is merely a diagram. The communication system may further include other network devices, for example, wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices not shown in FIG.

[0067] A radio access network device is a radio access network (RAN) node (or device) that connects terminals to a wireless network, and may also be called a base station. Currently, some examples of RAN nodes are a further evolved NodeB (gNB), a transmission reception point (TRP), an evolved NodeB (eNB), a radio network controller (RNC), a NodeB (NodeB, gNB), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a home base station (e.g., home evolved NodeB or home NodeB, HNB), a baseband unit (BBU), a wireless fidelity (Wi-fi) access point (AP), etc. In addition, in a network structure, an access network device may include a RAN device including a central unit (CU) node, a distributed unit (DU) node, or a CU node and a DU node. The RAN devices, including the CU node and the DU node, divide the protocol layers of the gNB in ​​the NR system. Some protocol layer functions are centrally controlled by the CU, and some or all of the remaining protocol layer functions are distributed in the DU, with the CU centrally controlling the DU. Furthermore, the central unit CU may be divided into a control plane (CU-CP) and a user plane (CU-UP). Figure 2 is a diagram of the CU-DU architecture according to one embodiment of the present application. The CU-CP is responsible for control plane functions and mainly includes RRC and PDCP, i.e., PDCP-C, corresponding to the control plane. The PDCP-C is mainly responsible for data encryption and decryption, integrity protection, data transmission, etc. in the control plane.The CU-UP is responsible for the user plane functions and mainly includes the SDAP and PDCP corresponding to the user plane, i.e., PDCP-U. The SDAP is mainly responsible for processing data in the core network and mapping flows to bearers. The PDCP-U is User The CU-CP is responsible for data encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, sequence number maintenance, data transmission, etc. in the radio access network device (RAN) plane. The CU-CP is connected to the CU-UP via the E1 interface. The CU-CP indicates that the gNB is connected to the core network via the NG interface. The CU-CP is connected to the DU via the F1 interface control plane, i.e., F1-C. The CU-UP is connected to the DU via the F1 interface user plane, i.e., F1-U. Of course, in another possible implementation, the PDCP-C is alternatively located within the CU-UP. For ease of explanation, the following uses an example in which the radio access network device is a base station for explanation.

[0068] A terminal device, which may also be called a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc., is a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity for a user, such as a handheld device or an in-vehicle device with wireless connectivity. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D) scenarios, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication scenarios, machine-type communication (MTC) scenarios, internet of things (IoT) scenarios, virtual reality scenarios, augmented reality scenarios, industrial control scenarios, autonomous driving scenarios, telemedicine scenarios, smart grid scenarios, smart furniture scenarios, smart office scenarios, smart wearable scenarios, smart transportation scenarios, and smart city scenarios. The terminal may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver functionality, a wearable device, a vehicle, an unmanned aerial vehicle, a helicopter, an airplane, a ship, a robot, a robotic arm, a smart home device, etc. The specific technology and specific device form used by the terminal are not limited to the embodiments of the present application.

[0069] A core network device is a device in a core network (CN) that provides service support to a terminal. Currently, some examples of core network devices are an access and mobility management function (AMF) entity, a session management function (SMF) entity, a user plane function (UPF) entity, etc., which are not listed one by one here. An AMF entity may be responsible for access management and mobility management of a terminal. An SMF entity may be responsible for session management, such as user session establishment. A UPF entity may be a user plane functional entity and is mainly responsible for connection with an external network. It should be noted that entities in this application may also be referred to as network elements or functional entities. For example, an AMF entity may also be referred to as an AMF network element or an AMF functional entity. As another example, an SMF entity may also be referred to as an SMF network element or an SMF functional entity, etc.

[0070] The base station and the terminal may be fixed or mobile. The base station and the terminal may be deployed on land, including indoor or outdoor scenarios, handheld devices or vehicle-mounted scenarios, or on water, or on airborne aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The application scenarios of the base station and the terminal are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0071] The roles of a base station and a terminal may be relative. For example, helicopter or unmanned aerial vehicle 120i in FIG. 1 may be configured as a mobile base station. For terminal 120j accessing wireless access network 100 by using 120i, terminal 120i is a base station. However, in the case of base station 110a, 120i is a terminal. That is, 110a and 120i communicate with each other via a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, 110a and 120i may alternatively communicate with each other via a base station-to-base station interface protocol. In this case, for 110a, 120i is also a base station. Therefore, both base stations and terminals may be collectively referred to as communication devices, and 110a and 110b in FIG. 1 may be referred to as communication devices having base station functionality, and 120a through 120j in FIG. 1 may be referred to as communication devices having terminal functionality.

[0072] Communications between base stations and terminals, between base stations, and between terminals may be implemented by using licensed spectrum, or by using unlicensed spectrum, or by using both licensed and unlicensed spectrum, and may be implemented by using spectrum below 6 gigahertz (GHz), or by using spectrum above 6 GHz, or by using spectrum below 6 GHz and spectrum above 6 GHz. Spectral resources used for wireless communications are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0073] In the embodiment of the present application, the functions of the base station may be realized by a module (e.g., a chip) in the base station or by a control subsystem including the functions of the base station. Here, the control subsystem including the functions of the base station may be a control center in the aforementioned application scenarios such as smart grid, industrial control, smart transportation, and smart city. The functions of the terminal may be realized by a module (e.g., a chip or a modem) in the terminal or by a device including the functions of the terminal.

[0074] In this application, a base station transmits downlink signals or downlink information to a terminal, and the downlink information is carried on a downlink channel. The terminal transmits uplink signals or uplink information to the base station, and the uplink information is carried on an uplink channel. To communicate with the base station, the terminal establishes a wireless connection to a cell controlled by the base station. The cell that establishes a wireless connection to the terminal is called the serving cell of the terminal. When communicating with the serving cell, the terminal is further interfered with by neighboring cell signals.

[0075] As explained in the background section, the introduction of satellites into such communication systems can greatly improve the user experience.

[0076] Generally, the higher the satellite's orbit, the larger the satellite's coverage area but the longer the communication latency. Satellites can be classified into the following types based on their orbital altitude:

[0077] (1) Low Earth Orbit (LEO): The orbital altitude ranges from 160 km to 2,000 km.

[0078] (2) Medium Earth Orbit (MEO): The orbital altitude ranges from 2,000 km to 35,786 km.

[0079] (3) Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO): The orbital altitude is 35,786 km.

[0080] GEO is a geostationary Earth orbit, meaning that satellites in this orbit are stationary relative to the Earth. LEO and MEO are collectively known as non-geostationary Earth orbits (NGSO), meaning that satellites in these orbits move at high speeds relative to the Earth.

[0081] Depending on whether the satellite beam moves with the satellite, NGSO can be further classified as an earth moving cell or an earth fixed cell. In an earth moving cell, the cell moves relative to the Earth and the direction of the satellite beam moves with the satellite. In an earth fixed cell, the cell is fixed relative to the Earth for a period of time, and the satellite antenna can use its beamforming capabilities to fix the beam to an area on the Earth for a period of time.

[0082] Satellites can generally be classified into two types based on their operation modes. The first type is a transparent forwarding type. The satellite forwards cell information of terrestrial network devices (e.g., base stations). Figure 3a is a diagram of a transparent satellite architecture according to one embodiment of the present application. The satellite is used for radio frequency filtering as well as frequency conversion and amplification. In other words, the satellite is mainly used as an L1 relay to regenerate physical layer signals and does not have other upper protocol layers.

[0083] The second form is a regenerative form. The satellite has the processing function of a base station. In the regenerative operation mode, the satellite can be further classified into the following types: Regenerative satellite without inter-satellite link, for example, FIG. 3b is a diagram of a regenerative satellite architecture according to one embodiment of the present application, specifically, there is no inter-satellite link (ISL) between the satellites; Regenerative satellite with inter-satellite link, specifically, there is an interface between the satellites that can be directly used to exchange data, and the inter-satellite link is an Xn interface; Architecture satellite with only the DU processing function of a base station, this satellite is used as a DU in this scenario.

[0084] In the cell selection / reselection process, the UE generally selects a target cell based on the UE's measurement results. The UE performs measurements, including measurement distribution, measurement result generation, etc. In the cell selection / reselection scenario, the UE performs related measurements based on the measurement configuration information distributed by the base station. The measurement configuration information includes the measurement objects (synchronization signal block (SSB) frequency, SSB subcarrier spacing, SMT C、 In the measurement result generation phase, the UE measures multiple (at least one) SSB beams of the cell, combines the beam-level measurement results (power values) and exports the cell quality. Finally, the UE selects a suitable cell to camp on based on the measurement results and cell selection / reselection criteria. Note that the SMTC and SSB in this application may be alternatively replaced by other names. This is not limited in this application. For example, SSB may be referred to as a reference signal, and SMTC may be referred to as a reference signal measurement timing configuration.

[0085] Each cell periodically transmits multiple SSB beams (i.e., SSB beam scanning) in the time domain. To ensure that all SSB beams of each cell are accurately and completely measured, the base station distributes a measurement configuration to indicate the SSB frequencies that need to be measured, as well as the time sequence position and duration for starting the SSB measurements. In other words, the UE indicates the time window for searching for SSBs, and the time window is configured by using the SMTC. Configuring the SMTC can effectively indicate the time window during which the UE searches for SSBs, reducing unnecessary power consumption of measurements performed by the UE.

[0086] The SMTC indicates the time sequence configuration that is delivered by the base station to the UE when the UE performs SSB-based measurements on neighboring cells. The time sequence configuration includes the SMTC periodicity, SMTC duration, and SMTC offset. For example, the SMTC C is The configuration information element given by and corresponding to SMTC1 is SSB-MTC, which includes two sub-information elements: periodicityAndOffset and duration.

[0087] periodicityAndOffset indicates the SMTC periodicity (representing the repetition period of the measurement operation or the period of the SMTC measurement window) and the SMTC offset (which is used to determine the measurement window, and may be, for example, the start subframe of the time window in which the UE searches for SSBs in a certain period).

[0088] The duration indicates the SMTC duration (which indicates the duration of the measurement operation from the start of the measurement operation).

[0089] Generally, the UE uses the timing of the current serving cell as a reference to determine the window in which the UE searches for the SSBs of neighboring cells.

[0090] For example, the UE may calculate the UE's current serving cell's UE BER corresponding to the first subframe of the measurement window based on the following formula: system Frame number (system frame number, SFN) and subframe number (subframe number) Make a decision. SFN mod T=(FLOOR(SMTC offset / 10))

[0091] If the SMTC period is more than 5 subframes, then subframe = SMTC offset mod 10, otherwise subframe = SMTC offset or (SMTC offset + 5).

[0092] T = CEIL(SMTC period / 10), where CEIL() is rounded up.

[0093] In the case of NTN, cells cover a wide area, which is usually tens to hundreds of kilometers. Therefore, the propagation distance from the UE to the serving cell and the propagation distance from the UE to the neighboring cells are also significantly different. In order to configure an SMTC suitable for the UE so that the UE can measure more neighboring cell signals, NTN's SMT CTo enhance this, SMTC4list is introduced in R17. The information element corresponding to SMTC4list is one or more SSB-MTC4s. SSB-MTC4 includes two sub-information elements: pci-List and Offset. In other words, a base station may configure multiple SMTCs for a UE. Different cells may correspond to different offsets in the SMTC. A UE may use multiple SMTCs to perform measurements simultaneously. When a base station configures an SMTC4list for a UE, the UE establishes additional SMTCs in addition to the SMTC corresponding to SMTC1. The period and duration of these additional SMTCs are the same as those configured for SMTC1, and the offset is the offset value carried in SMTC4list. Up to four SMTCs may be configured on a measurement frequency. The offsets of different SMTCs on the same frequency are different. Figure 4 shows an NTN SMT according to an embodiment of the present application. C Figure. NTN SMT C way The law is as follows:

[0094] The UE sends the SMT C love Receives information and SMT C love The base station obtains the offset from the SMT information. The offset includes the propagation delay difference of part or all of the feeder link (FL) between the serving cell and the neighboring cell. Optionally, the timing difference T_sfn between the signal transmission of the serving cell and the signal transmission of the neighboring cell may be further included. The offset received from the base station does not include the service link propagation delay difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cell (i.e., the service link propagation delay difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cell is assumed to be 0). This is the SMT information sent by the base station to the UE. C loveThe value of offset in the information is sometimes referred to as being obtained based on the case where the base station considers the propagation delay difference between some or all of the feeder links of the serving cell and some or all of the feeder links of the neighboring cells. Optionally, the timing difference between the signal transmission of the serving cell and the signal transmission of the neighboring cells may be further considered. The serving link propagation delay difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cells is not considered. This is sometimes referred to as being obtained based on the SMT transmitted by the base station to the UE. C love The offset value in the information is sometimes referred to as being related to the propagation delay difference between some or all of the serving cell's feeder links and some or all of the neighboring cell's feeder links and the timing difference between the serving cell's signaling transmissions and the neighboring cell's signaling transmissions, and is independent of the serving link propagation delay difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cell.

[0095] The UE then calculates the service link (SL) propagation delay difference and compares the service link propagation delay difference with the SIB message and the offset received from , i.e., obtain the final offset based on the actual propagation delay.

[0096] In other words, from the UE's perspective, the radio timing difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cell is divided into three parts: the service link propagation delay difference, the feeder link propagation delay difference, and the timing difference between the serving cell's signal transmission and the neighboring cell's signal transmission. The feeder link propagation delay difference and the timing difference between the serving cell's signal transmission and the neighboring cell's signal transmission are taken into account when the base station delivers offsets to the UE, and the service link propagation delay difference is calculated by the UE.

[0097] In FIG. 4, SL1 is the serving link propagation delay of the serving cell, SL2 is the serving link propagation delay of the neighboring cell, FL1 is the feeder link propagation delay of the serving cell, and FL2 is the feeder link propagation delay of the neighboring cell.

[0098] FIG. 5 illustrates an SMT triggered by satellite movement according to one embodiment of the present application. C loss The UE receives the SMT signal from the base station. C Since the corresponding measurement can only be performed after a certain period of time after the broadcast, the offset used by the UE has an expiration problem. For example, as shown in Figure 5, the base station broadcasts SMT C In this case, the feeder link propagation delay difference included in the delivered offset corresponds to time T1. Based on the offset delivered by the base station at time T1, the UE determines the time window for receiving SSB only when the UE performs measurements at time T2. However, due to satellite movement, the feeder link propagation delay difference may have changed at time T2. If the offset delivered at time T1 is still in use, the SMT C is Alternatively, the SMT delivered by the base station may be inaccurate, resulting in the signal of the neighboring cell being measured not being received. C loveIt may be understood that the information only indicates the value of the offset, but does not indicate a specific time point at which the base station takes into account the feeder link propagation delay difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cell when configuring the offset. Due to satellite movement, when the UE performs measurements at time T2, the UE cannot know the difference between the feeder link propagation delay difference taken into account in the offset configured by the base station and the feeder link propagation delay difference at time T2. As a result, the offset to be used at time T2 cannot be correctly acquired, and the signal of the neighboring cell to be measured cannot be received. Alternatively, it may be understood that when configuring the offset value, the base station does not consider the feeder link propagation delay difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cell at the time the base station transmits the offset. When the UE performs measurements at time T2, the UE cannot know the difference between the feeder link propagation delay difference taken into account in the offset configured by the base station and the feeder link propagation delay difference at time T2. As a result, the offset to be used at time T2 cannot be correctly acquired, and the signal of the neighboring cell to be measured cannot be received. In addition, if the base station considers the feeder link propagation delay difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cell at the current transmission time every time it transmits an offset, the base station will use the SMT Inside C The offset value of SMT needs to be updated. C is When carried in an SIB message, the base station shall Inside C The UE needs to be paged frequently to notify it to reacquire the offset value.

[0099] Therefore, one embodiment of the present application provides a communication solution. After receiving a first offset at a first time point, the terminal adjusts the first offset at the first time point based on the first offset at the first time point and a first propagation delay difference between the feeder link of the serving cell and the feeder link of the neighboring cell corresponding to the first time point to obtain a second offset at a second time point. Thus, an accurate offset can be obtained, and the accuracy of neighboring cell measurement can be improved. For example, the first time point is when the base station configures the SMTC or when the base station distributes the SMTC, and the second time point is when the terminal device performs measurement.

[0100] 6 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. For example, the method may include the following steps:

[0101] S601: The base station transmits first information.

[0102] In response, the UE receives the first information.

[0103] The first information includes a first offset (offset_T1) at a first time point T1, which is used to determine a measurement window.

[0104] The first offset may be the offset carried in the above-mentioned SMTC1 or SMTC4 list. Specifically, the first offset is the SMT Inside C is the corresponding offset of

[0105] offset_T1 includes a propagation delay difference of part or all of the feeder link (FL) between the serving cell and the neighboring cell. Optionally, it may further include a timing difference T_sfn between the signal transmission of the serving cell and the signal transmission of the neighboring cell. The offset_T1 received from the base station does not include the service link propagation delay difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cell (i.e., the service link propagation delay difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cell is assumed to be 0). This is the SMT transmitted by the base station to the UE. C love The value of the offset in the SMT information transmitted by the base station to the UE may be referred to as being obtained based on the case where the base station considers the propagation delay difference between some or all of the feeder links of the serving cell and the feeder links of the neighboring cells. Optionally, the timing difference between the signal transmission of the serving cell and the signal transmission of the neighboring cells may be further considered. The serving link propagation delay difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cells is not considered. This is also referred to as being obtained based on the SMT information transmitted by the base station to the UE. C love The offset value in the information is sometimes referred to as being related to the propagation delay difference between some or all of the serving cell's feeder links and some or all of the neighboring cell's feeder links and the timing difference between the serving cell's signaling transmissions and the neighboring cell's signaling transmissions, and is independent of the serving link propagation delay difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cell.

[0106] The propagation delay difference between some or all of the feeder links of the serving cell and some or all of the feeder links of the adjacent cells is calculated as the feeder link common timing advance difference between the serving cell and the adjacent cells, or the feeder link difference K between the serving cell and the adjacent cells. mac Common timing advance difference and K mac Please refer to the steps below for the meaning of

[0107] For example, the first time point is a time point corresponding to a first offset. For example, the first offset includes a propagation delay difference between some or all of the feeder links of the serving cell and some or all of the feeder links of the neighboring cells at the first time point, or the first offset takes into account a propagation delay difference between some or all of the feeder links of the serving cell and some or all of the feeder links of the neighboring cells at the first time point, or the value of the first offset is related to a propagation delay difference between some or all of the feeder links of the serving cell and some or all of the feeder links of the neighboring cells.

[0108] For example, the first information may be SIB2 / SIB4.

[0109] S602: The UE adjusts the first offset at the first time point based on the first offset at the first time point and a first propagation delay difference between the feeder link of the serving cell and the feeder link of the neighboring cell corresponding to the first time point to obtain a second offset at the second time point.

[0110] It should be noted that S602 emphasizes that the UE determines the second offset at the second time point based on the first propagation delay difference corresponding to the first time point. Equivalently, the UE may alternatively be expressed as adjusting the second offset at the second time point based on the first offset at the first time point and the first propagation delay difference between the feeder link of the serving cell and the feeder link of the neighboring cell corresponding to the first time point. The UE may alternatively be expressed as obtaining the actual offset (i.e., the offset used for the second time point) based on the actual propagation delay difference (i.e., the propagation delay at the second time point, where the propagation delay includes the delay of the entire feeder link and the serving link propagation delay), the first offset at the first time point, and the first propagation delay difference between the feeder link of the serving cell and the feeder link of the neighboring cell corresponding to the first time point. The UE receives a first offset at a first time point, a first propagation delay difference between a feeder link of the serving cell and a feeder link of the neighboring cell corresponding to the first time point, and a serving link between the serving cell and the neighboring cell corresponding to a second time point. propagation This may alternatively be expressed as obtaining a second offset at a second time point based on the delay difference.

[0111] The UE may perform a measurement a certain period after the UE receives offset_T1 at the first time point. During this period, the satellite moves, and the first propagation delay difference between the feeder links changes. If the UE still performs a measurement based on offset_T1 at the first time point, the signal of the neighboring cell to be measured may not be received. Alternatively, if the UE does not know the time point T1 considered for the received offset, the UE may not accurately obtain the offset required by the actual measurement at time point T2, and the signal of the neighboring cell to be measured may not be received. Therefore, when determining the time window for receiving SSB, the UE needs to adjust offset_T1.

[0112] 7 is a diagram of an example of feeder link propagation delay in an NTN according to one embodiment of the present application. The feeder link propagation delay is divided into two parts: a common timing advance (CommonTA), which indicates the propagation delay between the satellite and the uplink synchronization reference point (RP), and a K mac The first propagation delay difference includes the propagation delay between the RP and the base station or NTN gateway, represented by K. If the base station compensates for the propagation delay between the RP and the base station or NTN gateway when configuring offset_T1, the first propagation delay difference is the CommonTA difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cell. If the base station does not compensate for, does not include, or does not consider the propagation delay between the RP and the base station or NTN gateway when configuring offset_T1, the first propagation delay difference is the propagation delay difference between the satellite of the serving cell and each of the satellites of the neighboring cell and the respective base station or NTN gateway, i.e., the delay difference between the feeder link corresponding to the serving cell and the feeder link corresponding to the neighboring cell, and is the difference between CommonTA and K. mac The base station assigns K s to the serving cell and neighboring cells corresponding to the UE, respectively. mac For example, in SIB19, mac In this application, compensation may also be referred to as inclusion or consideration.

[0113] For example, offset_T1 includes a first propagation delay difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cell corresponding to a first time point and a timing difference T_sfn between the signal transmission of the serving cell and the signal transmission of the neighboring cell, which means that the sum of the first propagation delay difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cell corresponding to the first time point and the timing difference T_sfn between the signal transmission of the serving cell and the signal transmission of the neighboring cell is included. Therefore, when the UE needs to adjust or determine a second offset at a second time point, the UE needs to additionally obtain the first propagation delay difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cell corresponding to the first time point.

[0114] In one implementation, the UE obtaining a first propagation delay difference corresponding to a first time point comprises the UE obtaining the first time point and receiving second information, the second information including a feeder link related parameter, and the feeder link related parameter being K mac and / or determining a first propagation delay difference corresponding to the first time point based on the receiving and the feeder link-related parameters, the first time point including related parameters of a Common TA, the feeder link-related parameters including related feeder link parameters of the serving cell and the neighboring cell.

[0115] For example, the base station may transmit the first time point to the UE. For example, the base station may simultaneously deliver the first time point and offset_T1 to the UE, that is, T1 may be carried in the first information (e.g., SIB2 / SIB4) and delivered to the UE.

[0116] For example, the UE may alternatively use the end point of the system information window (SI window) of the first information (e.g., SIB2 / SIB4) as the first point in time, or if the UE does not receive an indication of the first point in time, the UE uses the end point of the system information window (SI window) of the first information as the first point in time.

[0117] The first point in time may be indicated by a system frame number (SFN) and / or a subframe number, e.g., the subframe number is a starting point corresponding to the system frame number and / or the subframe number, or the first point in time may be indicated by a coordinated universal time (UTC) time.

[0118] For example, the first time point may alternatively be a reference time (t epoch), and the reference time is the reference time of the ephemeris information and CommonTA. The reference time may be carried in SIB19. The reference time may be indicated by a system frame number (SFN) and / or a subframe number, for example, a start time corresponding to the system frame number and / or the subframe number, or the reference time is the end time of the system information window (SI window) in SIB19.

[0119] The relevant parameters for CommonTA are TA Common , T.A. CommonDrift , and T.A. CommonDriftVariant These parameters may be delivered to the UE by the base station via an SIB19 message.

[0120] When the base station configures offset_T1, K mac When the UE compensates for, includes, or takes into account K when determining the first propagation delay difference corresponding to the first time point based on the first time point and related parameters of the CommonTA. mac The first propagation delay difference is the Common TA difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cell. When the base station configures offset_T1, K mac If not compensated, the UE will not use K when determining the first propagation delay difference corresponding to the first time point based on the first time point and the relevant parameters of CommonTA. mac must be considered, the first differential propagation delay being the feeder link differential propagation delay.

[0121] The CommonTA of a serving cell or neighboring cell can be calculated by using the following formula:

number

[0122] t is the time instant that currently needs to be calculated, for example CommonTA corresponding to the first time instant T1.

[0123] After the Common TA of the serving cell and the Common TA of the neighboring cell are calculated separately, the difference between the Common TA of the neighboring cell and the Common TA of the serving cell, i.e., the Common TA difference, may be obtained. For example, the Common TA difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cell is the Common TA of the neighboring cell minus the Common TA of the serving cell, or the Common TA of the serving cell minus the Common TA of the neighboring cell.

[0124] The propagation delay between the RP and the base station or NTN gateway is K mac It is calculated based on K mac is delivered by the base station and may be carried in, for example, SIB19. mac The propagation delay is expressed as K mac is the slot duration corresponding to the subcarrier spacing. Specifically, K mac The propagation delay corresponding to K mac =2^u*K mac The slot length is the slot length corresponding to the subcarrier spacing of u=0 (i.e., the subcarrier spacing is 15 kHz), and u is a parameter corresponding to the subcarrier spacing. For example, u=0 corresponds to a subcarrier spacing of 15 kHz, and u=1 corresponds to a subcarrier spacing of 30 kHz.

[0125] In another implementation, the UE obtaining the first propagation delay difference may be the UE obtaining a first time point and determining the first propagation delay difference based on ephemeris information of the serving cell and ephemeris information of the neighboring cell.

[0126] In another implementation, a first propagation delay difference corresponding to a first time point is carried in the first information. Specifically, the base station may deliver to the UE a first propagation delay difference between a feeder link of the serving cell and a feeder link of a neighboring cell, corresponding to the first time point. For example, the first propagation delay difference may be carried in SIB2 / SIB4.

[0127] Alternatively, the base station may deliver to the UE a first propagation delay in a feeder link corresponding to the first time point and belonging to the serving cell and a first propagation delay in a feeder link corresponding to the first time point and belonging to the neighboring cell, so that the UE calculates a first propagation delay difference between the feeder link of the serving cell and the feeder link of the neighboring cell corresponding to the first time point.

[0128] After receiving offset_T1 at a first time point and obtaining a first propagation delay difference between the feeder link of the serving cell and the feeder link of the neighboring cell corresponding to the first time point, the UE may determine a second offset, offset_T2, at a second time point based on offset_T1 at the first time point and the first propagation delay difference between the feeder link of the serving cell and the feeder link of the neighboring cell corresponding to the first time point, where the determined offset_T2 takes into account the effect of satellite movement. For example, offset_T2 may be obtained by adjusting offset_T1 at the first time point. Equivalently, offset_T2 may alternatively be expressed as being obtained by compensating for changes in feeder link propagation delay differences caused by satellite movement. For example, offset_T2 at the second time point is determined based on the following equation: offset_T2=(SL2_T2-SL1_T2)+(FL2_T2-FL1_T2)+(FL2_T1-FL1_T1+T_sfn)-(FL2_T1-FL1_T1) or offset_T2=-((SL2_T2-SL1_T2)+(FL2_T2-FL1_T2)+(FL2_T1-FL1_T1+T_sfn)-(FL2_T1-FL1_T1))

[0129] offset_T2 is the offset at the second time point T2, SL2_T2 is the serving link propagation delay of the neighboring cell at the second time point, SL1_T2 is the serving link propagation delay of the serving cell at the second time point, FL2_T2 is the feeder link propagation delay of the neighboring cell at the second time point, FL1_T2 is the feeder link propagation delay of the serving cell at the second time point, and T_sfn is the timing difference between the signal transmission of the serving cell and the signal transmission of the neighboring cell (also called the frame delay offset between the serving cell and the neighboring cell). The second time point is the time point when the UE starts measuring the neighboring cell signal.

[0130] In the above equation, SL2_T2-SL1_T2 represents the service link propagation delay difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cell corresponding to the second time point, which may be obtained by the UE through calculation. For example, the UE may determine the satellite positions of the serving cell and the neighboring cell based on the ephemeris information of the serving cell and the ephemeris information of the neighboring cell at the second time point, and then calculate the service link propagation delay difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cell by referring to the UE's position.

[0131] FL2_T2-FL1_T2 represents the feeder link propagation delay difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cell corresponding to the second time point, and the calculation method is as described above.

[0132] FL2_T1-FL1_T1+T_sfn represents offset_T1 received by the UE from the base station, which includes a first propagation delay difference between the feeder link of the serving cell and the feeder link of the neighboring cell and a frame delay offset corresponding to a first time point.

[0133] FL2_T1-FL1_T1 represents the propagation delay difference between some or all of the feeder links of the serving cell and the neighboring cell corresponding to the first time point. The calculation method is as described above. When the base station configures offset_T1, K macmay be compensated, and K mac may not be compensated. mac If you do not compensate for K mac The propagation delay difference corresponding to FL2_T1-FL1_T1 is added to FL2_T1-FL1_T1.

[0134] The UE adjusts offset_T1 at the first time point to obtain offset_T2 at the second time point, so that an accurate offset can be obtained and measurement accuracy is improved.

[0135] Furthermore, a specified time difference (or validity time), e.g., Delta T1, may be set. If the UE configures measurements within Delta T1 after receiving offset_T1 (in other words, the time difference between the second point in time and the first point in time does not exceed the specified time difference), the change in offset_T1 caused by satellite movement may be considered small. Therefore, offset_T1 delivered by the base station may be directly used to calculate the SMTC offset, and the aforementioned adjustment does not need to be performed on offset_T1. Instead, if the time difference between the second point in time and the first point in time exceeds the specified time difference, the aforementioned adjustment needs to be performed.

[0136] In one implementation, the specified time difference may be delivered to the UE by the base station together with offset_T1, in other words, the specified time difference is carried in the first information.

[0137] In another implementation, the specified time difference may alternatively be pre-negotiated by the base station and the UE.

[0138] In yet another implementation, the UE may alternatively maintain a timer, e.g., Time0, whose timing duration is a specified time difference. Time0 starts in the subframe indicated by T1. If Time0 has not expired when the UE starts measurement, the change in offset_T1 caused by satellite movement may be considered small. Therefore, offset_T1 at the first time point delivered by the base station may be directly used to calculate the SMTC offset, and the aforementioned adjustment does not need to be made to offset_T1 at the first time point. Otherwise, the aforementioned adjustment needs to be made to offset_T1.

[0139] Furthermore, a validity time Delta T2 may alternatively be set for offset_T1 at the first time point. If the UE configures measurement within time Delta T2 after receiving offset_T1 at the first time point, the UE may adjust offset_T1 by using the above-mentioned method; otherwise, offset_T1 at the first time point is considered to have expired. In other words, offset_T1 is unavailable at the first time point and cannot be used to adjust and obtain offset_T2 at the second time point. In this case, the UE may re-request offset_T1, or the base station may reconfigure offset_T1 and deliver it to the UE after offset_T1 expires.

[0140] Furthermore, if the UE is handed over after receiving offset_T1 (including the UE changing satellites or satellite feeder links), offset_T1 is unavailable. In this case, the UE may also request the base station to re-broadcast offset_T1, or the base station may actively re-broadcast offset_T1 after the UE is handed over.

[0141] Furthermore, if the ephemeris changes after the base station transmits offset_T1 at the first time point, the base station recalculates the propagation delay difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cell and redistributes the propagation delay difference to the UE.

[0142] Optionally, if the ephemeris changes after the base station sends offset_T1 at the first time point, the base station recalculates offset_T1 and redelivers offset_T1 to the UE.

[0143] According to the communication method provided in this embodiment of the present application, after receiving the first offset at a first time point, the terminal adjusts the first offset at the first time point based on the first offset at the first time point and a first propagation delay difference between the feeder link of the serving cell and the feeder link of the neighboring cell corresponding to the first time point to obtain a second offset at a second time point. Thus, an accurate offset can be obtained, and the accuracy of neighboring cell measurement is improved.

[0144] In the conventional technology, the neighboring cell base station sends SMT to the serving base station. C love Send information and SMT C Specifies that the configuration time series uses the sender's time series (i.e., neighboring cell base station) as the reference. SMT C love The offset in the information is used to determine the time when the neighboring cell transmits the SSB. For example, the time when the SSB is transmitted may be the starting subframe, and the time sequence of the neighboring cell base station is used as the reference for the starting subframe.

[0145] However, the time when the neighbor cell base station configures the offset is different from the time when the serving base station configures the offset. In other words, the serving base station receives the SMT from the neighbor cell base station. CThe offset is configured to be delivered to the UE only after a certain period of time has passed since it was received. During the period between the time the neighbor cell base station configures the offset and the time the serving base station configures the offset, the feeder link propagation delay of the neighbor cell may have changed due to satellite movement. Therefore, the offset from the neighbor cell base station needs to be corrected.

[0146] 8 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. For example, the method may include the following steps:

[0147] S801: A neighboring cell base station sends second information to a serving base station.

[0148] In response, the serving base station receives second information from the neighbor cell base station.

[0149] The second information includes a third offset (offset_T3). Optionally, different cells in the same neighboring cell base station may correspond to the same third offset or different third offsets. Further, the second information may include cell identification information.

[0150] In one implementation, the third offset is based on a first propagation delay in the feeder link of the neighboring cell, where the first propagation delay is the propagation delay of part or all of the feeder link corresponding to the neighboring cell. The third offset may also be referred to as including, taking into account, or compensating for the first propagation delay. The second information may further include a third time point. The third time point is a time point corresponding to the third offset. The third offset is an offset corresponding to a third time point T3. The third time point is a time point at which the neighboring cell base station configures the third offset, or the neighboring cell base station considers feeder link-related information at the third time point when configuring the third offset. The third offset being based on the first propagation delay in the feeder link of the neighboring cell may also be referred to as the value of the third offset being related to the first propagation delay in the feeder link of the neighboring cell. The propagation delay of part of the feeder link may be C It can be commonTA or Kmac.

[0151] For example, the third point in time may be UTC time, or a system frame number and / or a subframe number corresponding to the cell of the neighboring cell base station.

[0152] In another implementation, the third offset is based on a first propagation delay in the feeder link of the adjacent cell. The meaning of the first propagation delay is the same as above. The second information includes the first propagation delay.

[0153] In another implementation, the third offset is not based on the first propagation delay in the feeder link of the adjacent cell; in other words, the third offset does not include, take into account, or compensate for the feeder link propagation delay.

[0154] In one implementation, the third offset is based on the difference between the first propagation delay in the feeder link of the neighboring cell and the first propagation delay in the feeder link of the serving cell of the serving base station. The specific meaning of the first propagation delay is the same as above. The third offset may also be referred to as including, taking into account, or compensating for the difference between the first propagation delay of the neighboring cell and the first propagation delay of the serving cell. The second information may further include a third time point. The third time point is a time point corresponding to the third offset. The third offset is an offset corresponding to a third time point T3. The third time point is the time point at which the neighboring cell base station configures the third offset, or the neighboring cell base station considers the feeder link-related information at the third time point when configuring the third offset. The fact that the third offset is based on the difference between the first propagation delay in the feeder link of the neighboring cell and the first propagation delay in the feeder link of the serving cell of the serving base station is sometimes referred to as the third offset being related to the difference between the first propagation delay in the feeder link of the neighboring cell and the first propagation delay in the feeder link of the serving cell of the serving base station.

[0155] S802: The serving base station determines a first offset based on the second information.

[0156] Specifically, depending on whether the neighboring cell base station configures offset_T3 based on the first propagation delay in the feeder link of the neighboring cell, the serving base station's determination of the first offset based on the second information can be classified into the following two cases:

[0157] In one implementation, the neighbor cell base station includes the first propagation delay when configuring offset_T3. In this case, the serving base station needs to correct offset_T3 when configuring the SMTC (i.e., configuring the first offset in the SMTC). The time when the neighbor cell base station configures offset_T3 is different from the time when the serving base station configures the offset (i.e., configuring the first offset in the SMTC). During the period from the time when the neighbor cell base station configures offset_T3 to the time when the serving base station configures the offset, the feeder link propagation delay of the neighbor cell may have changed due to satellite movement. In addition, the neighbor cell base station configures offset_T3 by using the timing of the neighbor cell as a reference, and the serving base station Serving The offset is constructed by using the timing of the cell as a reference, so offset_T3 needs to be corrected.

[0158] Equivalently, the serving base station needs to correct offset_T3 when configuring the SMTC, which may alternatively be expressed as compensating for changes in feeder link propagation delay caused by satellite movement when the serving base station configures the SMTC.

[0159] For example, the second information may convey time T3 corresponding to offset_T3, and the serving base station may adjust offset_T3 based on T3 when configuring the offset. For example, the serving base station may determine the feeder link propagation delay FL2_T3 of the adjacent cell at time T3 based on T3 and the feeder link information of the adjacent cell, and determine the feeder link propagation delay FL2_T1 of the adjacent cell at time T1 based on the feeder link information of the adjacent cell. Furthermore, offset_T3 may be corrected by subtracting the feeder link propagation delay FL2_T3 of the adjacent cell at time T3 from the received offset_T3 of the adjacent cell, and then adding the feeder link propagation delay FL2_T1 of the adjacent cell at the current time (T1). The corrected offset_T3 compensates for changes in feeder link propagation delay caused by satellite movement. The serving base station then determines the offset to be delivered to the UE based on the corrected offset of the adjacent cell. The feeder link information may include: C It may also contain the relevant parameters for commonTA and Kmac.

[0160] For example, the second information may carry a first propagation delay corresponding to offset_T3. The serving base station adjusts offset_T3 based on the first propagation delay corresponding to offset_T3, offset_T3, and the first propagation delay corresponding to the neighboring cell at the time the serving base station configures the offset to obtain the offset that needs to be configured by the serving base station. For example, an effective time Delta T3 may be specified for offset_T3. If the serving base station configures the offset within Delta T3 after receiving offset_T3, it may be considered that the change in offset caused by satellite movement is small and the offset_T3 exchanged by the neighboring cell base station does not need to be corrected.

[0161] For example, offset_T3 may be assigned a valid time Delta T4. After receiving offset_T3, if the serving base station does not configure an offset within Delta T4, offset_T3 is considered unavailable, and the offset_T3 exchanged by the neighboring cell base station does not need to be corrected. The base station may re-request an offset, or the neighboring cell base station may re-request an SMT. C Re-determine the serving base station and offset or SMT C Replace.

[0162] For example, if the ephemeris changes after the neighboring cell base station transmits offset_T3, the neighboring cell base station recalculates the offset and exchanges the offset with the serving base station.

[0163] In another implementation, the base station does not consider the feeder link propagation delay when configuring offset_T1. In this case, the serving base station needs to compensate for the feeder link propagation delay when configuring SMTC. Specifically, when configuring offset_T1, the serving base station calculates the feeder link propagation delay between the serving cell and the adjacent cell based on the feeder link information of the adjacent cell, and then determines offset_T1 based on the feeder link propagation delay between the serving cell and the adjacent cell.

[0164] The base station is Serving cell and Neighboring cells Between Feeder Link propagation When calculating the differential delay, the feeder link information of the neighboring cells is required. In this embodiment, the serving base station can obtain the feeder link information of the neighboring cells, for example, through operations, administration, and maintenance (OAM).

[0165] In addition, when calculating the offset, the base station needs to further consider the timing difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cell. In this embodiment, the serving base station can obtain the timing difference (which may alternatively be expressed as a frame offset) between the serving cell and the neighboring cell, for example, through operations, administration, and maintenance (OAM).

[0166] Note that depending on whether the propagation delay between the RP and the base station (which may be represented by Kmac, for example) is included when the base station configures the offset, the offset needs to be adjusted as follows:

[0167] If Kmac is included when the base station determines the offset, the serving base station does not need to consider the propagation delay between the RP and the base station when determining the offset_T1 to be delivered to the UE.

[0168] If Kmac is not included when the base station determines the offset, the serving base station must include the propagation delay corresponding to Kmac of the serving cell and the propagation delay corresponding to Kmac of the neighboring cell when determining the offset_T1 to be delivered to the UE.

[0169] S803: The serving base station transmits first information.

[0170] In response, the UE receives the first information.

[0171] After obtaining the first offset (offset_T1) at the first time point T1, the serving base station sends first information to the UE, where the first information includes offset_T1.

[0172] For a specific implementation of this step, please refer to step S601 in the above embodiment.

[0173] S804: The UE adjusts the first offset at the first time point based on the first offset at the first time point and a first propagation delay difference between the feeder link of the serving cell and the feeder link of the neighboring cell corresponding to the first time point to obtain a second offset at the second time point.

[0174] For a specific implementation of this step, please refer to step S602 in the above embodiment.

[0175] Step S804 is optional, and the UE may alternatively obtain the second offset at the second time point according to another method.

[0176] According to the communication method provided in this embodiment of the present application, methods for determining the first offset by the serving base station in different scenarios are specified, thereby improving the accuracy of the first offset.

[0177] After receiving the first offset at the first time point, the terminal adjusts the first offset at the first time point based on the first offset at the first time point and a first propagation delay difference between the feeder link of the serving cell and the feeder link of the neighboring cell corresponding to the first time point to obtain a second offset at the second time point. Thus, an accurate offset can be obtained, and the accuracy of the neighboring cell measurement is improved.

[0178] It can be understood that to implement the functions in the foregoing embodiments, the network devices and terminals include corresponding hardware structures and / or software modules for realizing each function. Those skilled in the art should easily recognize that the units and method steps in the examples described with reference to the embodiments disclosed in this application can be implemented by hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether the functions are realized by hardware or by hardware driven by computer software depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solutions.

[0179] 9 and 10 are diagrams of possible communication device structures according to an embodiment of the present application. These communication devices can be configured to implement the functions of the terminal or network device in the above-mentioned method embodiments. Thus, the beneficial effects of the above-mentioned method embodiments can also be realized. In this embodiment of the present application, the communication device may be one of the terminals 120a to 120j shown in FIG. 1, the network device 110a or 110b shown in FIG. 1, or a module (e.g., a chip) used in the terminal or network device.

[0180] 9, the communication apparatus 900 includes a processing unit 910 and a transceiver unit 920. The communication apparatus 900 is configured to implement the functions of a terminal or a network device in the embodiment of the method shown in FIG.

[0181] When the communication device 900 is configured to implement the functions of the terminal in the embodiment of the method shown in FIG. 6, the processing unit 910 is configured to perform step S602 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, and the transceiver unit 920 is configured to perform the operation performed by the terminal in step S601 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 6.

[0182] When the communication apparatus 900 is configured to implement the functionality of the network device in the embodiment of the method shown in FIG. 6, the transceiver unit 920 is configured to perform the operations performed by the base station in step S601 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 6.

[0183] When the communication device 900 is configured to implement the functions of the terminal in the embodiment of the method shown in FIG. 8, the processing unit 910 is configured to perform step S804 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, and the transceiver unit 920 is configured to perform the operation performed by the terminal in step S803 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8.

[0184] When the communication device 900 is configured to implement the functions of the network device in the embodiment of the method shown in FIG. 8, the processing unit 910 is configured to perform step S802 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, and the transceiver unit 920 is configured to perform the operations performed by the serving base station in steps S801 and S803 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8.

[0185] For a more detailed description of the processing unit 910 and the transceiver unit 920, please directly refer to the relevant description of the method embodiment shown in Figure 6 or Figure 8. The details will not be repeated here.

[0186] 10, the communication device 1000 includes a processor 1010 and an interface circuit 1020. The processor 1010 and the interface circuit 1020 are coupled to each other. It may be understood that the interface circuit 1020 may be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication device 1000 may further include a memory 1030 configured to store instructions to be executed by the processor 1010, or to store input data required by the processor 1010 to execute the instructions, or to store data generated after the processor 1010 executes the instructions.

[0187] When the communications device 1000 is configured to implement the method shown in FIG. 6 or FIG. 8, the processor 1010 is configured to implement the functions of the processing unit 910 described above, and the interface circuit 1020 is configured to implement the functions of the transceiver unit 920 described above.

[0188] When the aforementioned communication device is a chip used in a terminal, the terminal chip implements the functions of the terminal in the aforementioned method embodiment. The terminal chip receives information from another module (e.g., a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the terminal, and the information is transmitted to the terminal by the network device. Alternatively, the terminal chip transmits information to another module (e.g., a radio frequency module or an antenna) of the terminal, and the information is transmitted to the network device by the terminal.

[0189] When the aforementioned communication device is a chip used in a network device, the network device chip implements the functions of the network device in the aforementioned method embodiment. The network device chip receives information from another module (e.g., a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the network device, and the information is transmitted to the network device by the terminal. Alternatively, the network device chip transmits information to another module (e.g., a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the network device, and the information is transmitted to the terminal by the network device.

[0190] It may be understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or may be another general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a transistor logic device, a hardware component, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0191] The steps of the method in the embodiments of the present application may be implemented in a hardware manner or in a manner in which a processor executes software instructions. The software instructions may include corresponding software modules. The software modules may be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disk, removable hard disk, CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium well known in the art. For example, the storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium may be components of the processor. The processor and the storage medium may be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC may be located in an access network device or a terminal device. Of course, the processor and the storage medium may exist as separate components in the access network device or the terminal device.

[0192] All or part of the above-described embodiments may be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When software is used to implement an embodiment, all or part of the embodiment may be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer programs or instructions are loaded into a computer and executed, all or part of the procedures or functions of the embodiments of the present application are performed. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, an access network device, user equipment, or another programmable device. The computer program or instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions may be transmitted from a website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via a wired or wireless method. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer, or a data storage device, such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The usable medium may be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape, or an optical medium, such as a digital video disk, or a semiconductor medium, such as a solid state drive.

[0193] In the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or unless a logical contradiction occurs, the terms and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can refer to each other, and the technical features of different embodiments can be combined based on their internal logical relationships to form new embodiments.

[0194] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "plurality" means two or more. "And / or" describes an association relationship between related objects and indicates that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B may indicate the following three cases: when only A is present, when both A and B are present, and when only B is present, and A and B may be singular or plural. In the description in the main text of this application, the character " / " indicates an "or" relationship between related objects. In formulas in this application, the character " / " indicates a "division by" relationship between related objects.

[0195] It can be understood that various numbers in the embodiments of the present application are only used for distinction to facilitate description, and are not used to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. The sequence numbers of the above processes do not mean the execution order, and the execution order of the processes should be determined based on the functions and internal logic of the processes. [Explanation of symbols]

[0196] 100 Wireless Access Network 110a Radio access network devices, base stations 110b Radio Access Network Devices 120a terminal 120i terminal, unmanned aerial vehicle 120j terminal 200 Core Network 300 Internet 900 Communication Equipment 910 Processing Unit 920 Transceiver Unit 1000 Communication equipment, communication system 1010 processor 1020 Interface circuit 1030 memory

Claims

1. 1. A communication method comprising: receiving first information, the first information including a first offset at a first time point, the first offset being used to determine a measurement window; adjusting the first offset at the first time point based on the offset at the first time point and a first propagation delay difference between a feeder link of a serving cell and a feeder link of a neighboring cell corresponding to the first time point to obtain a second offset at a second time point; A method comprising:

2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first propagation delay difference is a feeder link propagation delay difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cell, or the first propagation delay difference is a common timing advance (CommonTA) difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cell.

3. The method comprises: The method of claim 1 or 2, further comprising the step of obtaining the first propagation delay difference.

4. obtaining the first propagation delay difference; obtaining the first time point; receiving second information, the second information including feeder link related parameters; determining the first propagation delay difference based on the first time point and the feeder link-related parameter; 4. The method of claim 3, comprising:

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first information further comprises the first time point.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first information is system information and the first time point is an end time point of a system information window of the first information.

7. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first point in time is a reference time, and the reference time is a reference time of ephemeris information and a common timing advance.

8. The method of claim 3 , wherein the first information further includes the first propagation delay difference.

9. the step of adjusting the first offset at the first time point to obtain a second offset at a second time point based on the offset at the first time point and a first propagation delay difference between a feeder link of a serving cell and a feeder link of a neighboring cell corresponding to the first time point, The following formula offset_T2 = (SL2_T2 - SL1_T2) + (FL2_T2 - FL1_T2) + (FL2_T1 - FL1_T1 + T_sfn) - (FL2_T1 - FL1_T1) 9. The method of claim 1, comprising: determining the second offset at the second time point based on: SL2_T2 = SL1_T2 + FL2_T2 + FL ...

10. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the time difference between the second time point and the first time point exceeds a specified time difference.

11. the specified time difference is carried in the first information; or The specified time difference is pre-negotiated, or The method of claim 10 , wherein the specified time difference is the timing duration of a timer.

12. 1. A communication method comprising: acquiring first information, the first information indicating a first time point and a first offset at the first time point, the first information being used to determine a measurement window; transmitting the first information; A method comprising:

13. The method comprises: receiving second information from a neighboring cell base station, the second information including a third offset; determining the first offset based on the second information; 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

14. the third offset is based on a first propagation delay in a feeder link of the neighboring cell; The method of claim 13 , wherein the second information further includes a third time point, the third time point being a time point corresponding to the third offset.

15. The method comprises: determining a feeder link propagation delay of the neighboring cell at the third time point based on the third time point and feeder link information of the neighboring cell; determining a feeder link propagation delay of the neighboring cell at the first time point based on the feeder link information of the neighboring cell; adjusting the third offset based on the feeder link propagation delay of the neighboring cell at the third time point and the feeder link propagation delay of the neighboring cell at the first time point to obtain the first offset; 15. The method of claim 13 or 14, further comprising:

16. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the third offset is not based on a first propagation delay in a feeder link of an adjacent cell.

17. The method comprises: determining a feeder link propagation delay of the neighboring cell at the first time point based on feeder link information of the neighboring cell; adjusting the third offset based on the feeder link propagation delay of the neighboring cell at the first time point to obtain the first offset; 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

18. 1. A communication method comprising: receiving first information from a second network device, the first information including a first offset, the first offset being determined based on an assumption that a feeder link propagation delay is equal to zero; determining a second offset based on the first information, wherein a first SMTC measurement configuration includes the second offset, and the first SMTC measurement configuration is used by the terminal device to search for a synchronization signal block (SSB); transmitting the first SMTC measurement configuration; A method comprising:

19. 20. The method of claim 18, wherein the feeder link propagation delay comprises a propagation delay between a non-terrestrial network device and a base station.

20. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the propagation delay between the non-terrestrial network device and the base station includes a propagation delay between the non-terrestrial network device and an uplink synchronization reference point and a propagation delay between the uplink synchronization reference point and the base station.

21. 21. The method of claim 18, wherein the first offset corresponds to a first cell, the first cell belonging to the second network device.

22. 22. The method of claim 18, wherein a second SMTC measurement configuration includes the first offset, and wherein the second SMTC measurement configuration is included in the first information.

23. The method comprises:

23. The method of any one of claims 18 to 22, further comprising compensating for the feeder link propagation delay when determining the second offset.

24. 1. A communication method comprising:

1. A method comprising: transmitting first information to a first network device, the first information including a first offset, the first offset being determined based on an assumption that a feeder link propagation delay is equal to 0.

25. 25. The method of claim 24, wherein the feeder link propagation delay comprises a propagation delay between a non-terrestrial network device and a base station.

26. 26. The method of claim 25, wherein the propagation delay between the non-terrestrial network device and the base station includes a propagation delay between the non-terrestrial network device and an uplink synchronization reference point and a propagation delay between the uplink synchronization reference point and the base station.

27. 27. The method of claim 24, wherein the first offset corresponds to a first cell, the first cell belonging to a second network device.

28. 28. The method of claim 24, wherein a second SMTC measurement configuration includes the first offset, and wherein the second SMTC measurement configuration is included in the first information.

29. A communication device, comprising a transceiver unit and a processing unit, the transceiver unit is configured to receive first information, the first information including a first offset at a first time point, the first offset being used to determine a measurement window; the processing unit is configured to adjust the first offset at the first time point based on the offset at the first time point and a first propagation delay difference between a feeder link of a serving cell and a feeder link of a neighboring cell corresponding to the first time point to obtain a second offset at a second time point.

30. 30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the first propagation delay difference is a feeder link propagation delay difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cell, or the first propagation delay difference is a common timing advance (CommonTA) difference between the serving cell and the neighboring cell.

31. 31. The apparatus of claim 29 or 30, wherein the processing unit is further configured to obtain the first propagation delay difference.

32. the processing unit is further configured to obtain the first time point; the transceiver unit is further configured to receive second information, the second information including feeder link related parameters; 32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the processing unit is further configured to determine the first propagation delay difference based on the first time point and the feeder link-related parameter.

33. 30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the first information further comprises the first time point.

34. 32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the first information further comprises the first propagation delay difference.

35. A communication device, comprising: a processing unit and a transceiver unit; the processing unit is configured to acquire first information, the first information indicating a first time point and a first offset at the first time point, the first information being used to determine a measurement window; The apparatus, wherein the transceiver unit is configured to transmit the first information.

36. the transceiver unit is further configured to receive second information from a neighbor cell base station, the second information including a third offset; 36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the processing unit is further configured to determine the first offset based on the second information.

37. the third offset is based on a first propagation delay in a feeder link of the neighboring cell; the second information further includes a third time point, the third time point corresponding to the third offset; the processing unit is further configured to determine a feeder link propagation delay of the neighboring cell at the third time point based on the third time point and feeder link information of the neighboring cell; the processing unit is further configured to determine a feeder link propagation delay of the neighboring cell at the first time point based on the feeder link information of the neighboring cell; 37. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the processing unit is further configured to adjust the third offset based on the feeder link propagation delay of the neighboring cell at the third time point and the feeder link propagation delay of the neighboring cell at the first time point to obtain the first offset.

38. the third offset is not based on a first propagation delay in a feeder link of an adjacent cell; the processing unit is further configured to determine a feeder link propagation delay of the neighboring cell at the first time point based on feeder link information of the neighboring cell; 37. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the processing unit is further configured to adjust the third offset based on the feeder link propagation delay of the neighboring cell at the first time point to obtain the first offset.

39. A communication device, comprising: a processing unit and a transceiver unit; the transceiver unit is configured to receive first information from a second network device, the first information including a first offset, the first offset being determined based on an assumption that a feeder link propagation delay is equal to zero; The processing unit is configured to determine a second offset based on the first information, a first SMTC measurement configuration includes the second offset, and the first SMTC measurement configuration is used by a terminal device to search for a synchronization signal block (SSB); The apparatus, wherein the transceiver unit is further configured to transmit the first SMTC measurement configuration.

40. 40. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the feeder link propagation delay includes a propagation delay between a non-terrestrial network device and a base station.

41. 41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the propagation delay between the non-terrestrial network device and the base station includes a propagation delay between the non-terrestrial network device and an uplink synchronization reference point and a propagation delay between the uplink synchronization reference point and the base station.

42. 42. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the first offset corresponds to a first cell, the first cell belonging to the second network device.

43. 43. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein a second SMTC measurement configuration includes the first offset, and wherein the second SMTC measurement configuration is included in the first information.

44. 44. The apparatus of any one of claims 39 to 43, wherein the processing unit is further configured to compensate for the feeder link propagation delay when determining the second offset.

45. A communication device, comprising: a processing unit and a transceiver unit; the processing unit is configured to generate first information, the first information including a first offset, the first offset being determined based on an assumption that a feeder link propagation delay is equal to 0; The apparatus, wherein the transceiver unit is configured to transmit the first information to a first network device.

46. 46. ​​The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the feeder link propagation delay includes a propagation delay between a non-terrestrial network device and a base station.

47. 47. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the propagation delay between the non-terrestrial network device and the base station includes a propagation delay between the non-terrestrial network device and an uplink synchronization reference point and a propagation delay between the uplink synchronization reference point and the base station.

48. 48. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the first offset corresponds to a first cell, the first cell belonging to a second network device.

49. 49. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein a second SMTC measurement configuration includes the first offset, and wherein the second SMTC measurement configuration is included in the first information.

50. A communication system comprising a communication device according to any one of claims 29 to 34 and a communication device according to any one of claims 35 to 38.

51. 13. A communications device including a processor and a storage medium, the storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, perform a method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, or a method according to any one of claims 12 to 17, or a method according to any one of claims 18 to 28.

52. 13. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause a method according to any one of claims 1 to 11 to be performed, or a method according to any one of claims 12 to 17 to be performed, or a method according to any one of claims 18 to 28 to be performed.

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