Method, apparatus, communication device, and storage medium for reporting time information.

Abstract

This disclosure provides a method, apparatus, communication device, and storage medium for reporting time information, relating to the mobile communication technology, the method enables a UE to report time information under specific pre-configured conditions, the time information representing the time required for GNSS measurement by the UE, and the pre-configured conditions include at least one of the following occasions: when the UE is idle or inactive and a system message instruction from a serving cell enables the reporting of time information; when the UE is connected and the UE has initiated a connection re-establishment process; when a handover or conditional handover has occurred; when a setting or reconfiguration signaling to enable the reporting of time information has been received; when an instruction to report time information has been received; or when the reporting of GNSS valid time has been triggered. The solution of this disclosure solves the problem of the ambiguity of the mechanism for reporting the time required for GNSS measurement by the UE, thereby adapting to the reporting of time information by the UE in different environments.

Description

Technical Field

[0004]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of mobile communication technologies, and particularly to a method and apparatus for reporting time information, a communication device, and a storage medium.

Background Art

[0002] Non-terrestrial Network (NTN) communication is an important technology introduced by the Fifth Generation (5G) mobile communication technology, which provides radio resources through satellites or drones instead of terrestrial base stations. However, in the Internet of Things (IoT) NTN, when a User Equipment (UE) performs Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) measurements, the reporting mechanism for the time required for GNSS measurements by the UE is still unclear.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] The present disclosure aims to provide a method and apparatus for reporting time information, a communication device, and a storage medium, and to solve the problem that the reporting mechanism for the time required for GNSS measurements by the UE is unclear.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0004] Embodiments of a first aspect of the present disclosure provide a method for reporting time information, which is performed by user equipment (UE), and the method includes the step of reporting time information when a preset condition is met, the time information representing the time required for GNSS measurement by the UE, and the preset condition includes at least one of the following occasions: when the UE is idle or inactive and a system message instruction from a serving cell enables the reporting of time information; when the UE is connected and the UE has initiated a connection re-establishment process; when a handover or condition handover has occurred; when a setting or re-setting signaling to enable time information reporting has been received; when an instruction to report time information has been received; or when a GNSS valid time reporting has been triggered.

[0005] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, if the UE is idle or inactive and a system message instruction of the serving cell enables the reporting of time information, the step of reporting time information includes the step of reporting time information via a connection establishment complete message or a MAC CE message.

[0006] In some embodiments of this disclosure, a time information trigger threshold is set in the system message instruction.

[0007] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, if a UE is in a connected state and the UE has initiated a connection re-establishment process, the step of reporting time information includes reporting time information via a connection re-establishment complete message or MAC CE message in response to a system message instruction of the re-established cell enabling the reporting of time information.

[0008] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, if the UE is connected and a handover or conditional handover occurs, the step of reporting time information includes reporting time information via a connection reset complete message or MAC CE message when switching to a target cell, in response to the target cell setting of a handover instruction or conditional handover instruction enabling the reporting of time information.

[0009] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, if the UE is connected and a setting or reconfiguration signaling to enable reporting of time information is received, the step of reporting time information includes reporting time information via a MAC CE message or a terminal assistance information message.

[0010] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the step of reporting time information via a MAC CE message or terminal assistance information message includes the step of reporting time information via a MAC CE message or terminal assistance information message in response to the UE not having reported time information in the current serving cell.

[0011] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the step of reporting time information via a MAC CE message or terminal assistance information message includes, in response to the UE having previously reported time information in the current serving cell, reporting time information via a MAC CE message or terminal assistance information message if the change between the currently reported time information and the previously reported time information is greater than a preset threshold.

[0012] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, if the UE is connected and has received an instruction to report time information, the step of reporting time information includes reporting time information via a MAC CE message or a terminal assistance information message.

[0013] In some embodiments of this disclosure, if the UE is connected and the GNSS validity period report is triggered, the step of reporting time information reports the GNSS validity period and time information at the same time.

[0014] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the method further includes the step of triggering a scheduling request resource in response to the UE not having any currently available uplink resources when reporting time information via a MAC CE message.

[0015] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the scheduling request resource is a scheduling request resource configured by the network for reporting time information, or a scheduling request resource configured by the network for a logical channel.

[0016] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, if the UE is connected, the method further includes the steps of receiving an RRC-only message or MAC CE message transmitted from a network device and enabling a time information reporting function in response to the RRC-only message or MAC CE message, or enabling a time information reporting function based on a setting in a serving cell system message that can be used to enable time information reporting.

[0017] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, if the UE is connected, the method further includes the step of receiving configuration information transmitted from a network device, wherein the configuration information includes a time information reporting period.

[0018] An embodiment of a second aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for reporting time information, which is performed by a network device, and which includes the step of receiving time information reported by user equipment (UE), wherein the time information represents the time required for GNSS measurement by the UE.

[0019] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the step of receiving time information reported by user equipment (UE) is to receive the time information reported by the UE via at least one of a connection establishment complete message, a connection re-establishment complete message, a connection reconfiguration complete message, a MAC CE message, or a terminal support information message.

[0020] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the method further includes sending a system message instruction to a UE, wherein the UE is idle or inactive, the system message instruction enables the reporting of time information, and the system message instruction has a time information trigger threshold set.

[0021] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the method includes the step of sending a message to the UE that enables the reporting of time information, wherein the message is a setting or resetting signaling that enables the reporting of time information, or an RRC-only message or a MAC CE message.

[0022] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the method further includes the step of setting up a scheduling request resource for a UE, wherein the scheduling request resource is a scheduling request resource dedicated to reporting time information by the UE, or a scheduling request resource set up for a logical channel.

[0023] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the method further includes the step of transmitting configuration information to a UE, wherein the configuration information includes a reporting cycle for time information.

[0024] An embodiment of the third aspect of the present disclosure provides a time information reporting device applied to a user equipment (UE). The device includes a transceiver module for reporting time information when a preset condition is satisfied. The time information represents the time required for GNSS measurement by the UE. The preset condition includes at least one of the following cases: when the UE is in an idle state or an inactive state and the system message indication of the serving cell enables the reporting of time information; when the UE is in a connected state and an occasion where the UE starts a connection re-establishment process, a handover, or a conditional handover occurs; an occasion where a setting or re-setting signaling for enabling time information reporting is received; an occasion where an indication for instructing to report time information is received; an occasion where the reporting of GNSS active time is triggered.

[0025] An embodiment of the fourth aspect of the present disclosure provides a time information reporting device applied to a network device. The device includes a transceiver module for receiving time information reported by a user equipment (UE), where the time information represents the time required for GNSS measurement by the UE.

[0026] An embodiment of the fifth aspect of the present disclosure provides a communication device. The communication device includes a transceiver, a memory, and a processor connected to the transceiver and the memory respectively. The processor is configured to control the transceiver to transmit and receive radio signals by executing computer-executable instructions in the memory, and to implement the method of the embodiment of the first aspect or the second aspect of the present disclosure.

[0027] An embodiment of the sixth aspect of the present disclosure provides a computer storage medium, in which computer-executable instructions are stored. When the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, the method of the embodiment of the first aspect or the second aspect of the present disclosure is realized.

[0028] An embodiment of the seventh aspect of the present disclosure provides a communication system including a user equipment (UE) and a network device, The UE is configured to execute the method of the embodiment of the first aspect, The network device is configured to execute the method of the embodiment of the second aspect.

Advantages of the Invention

[0029] According to the method for reporting time information of the present disclosure, the UE can report time information under specific preset conditions. The time information represents the time required for GNSS measurement by the UE. The preset conditions include cases where the UE is in an idle state or an inactive state and the system message indication of the serving cell enables the reporting of time information, and cases where the UE is in a connected state and an occasion where the UE starts a connection re-establishment process, a handover, or a conditional handover occurs, an occasion where setting or re-setting signaling for enabling time information reporting is received, an occasion where an indication for instructing to report time information is received, an occasion where reporting of GNSS active time is triggered, and at least one of the above cases. The solution of the present disclosure solves the problem that the reporting mechanism of the time required for GNSS measurement by the UE is unclear, and adapts to the reporting of time information by the UE in different environments.

[0030] Additional aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will be given in part in the following description, some will become apparent from the following description, or will be understood by practicing the present disclosure.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0031] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent and easier to understand from the following description of embodiments in combination with the drawings. [Figure 1] It is a schematic flowchart of a method for reporting time information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2]This is a schematic flowchart of the method for reporting time information according to the embodiments of this disclosure. [Figure 3] This is a schematic flowchart of the method for reporting time information according to the embodiments of this disclosure. [Figure 4] This is a schematic flowchart of the method for reporting time information according to the embodiments of this disclosure. [Figure 5] This is a schematic flowchart of the method for reporting time information according to the embodiments of this disclosure. [Figure 6] This is a schematic flowchart of the method for reporting time information according to the embodiments of this disclosure. [Figure 7] This is a schematic flowchart of the method for reporting time information according to the embodiments of this disclosure. [Figure 8] This is a schematic flowchart of the method for reporting time information according to the embodiments of this disclosure. [Figure 9] This is a schematic flowchart of the method for reporting time information according to the embodiments of this disclosure. [Figure 10] This is a schematic flowchart of the method for reporting time information according to the embodiments of this disclosure. [Figure 11] This is a schematic diagram of the interaction of the time information reporting method according to the embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 12] This is a schematic block diagram of a time information reporting device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 13] This is a schematic block diagram of a time information reporting device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 14] This is a schematic block diagram of a time information reporting device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 15] This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 16] This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the chip provided by the embodiments of this disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0032] The embodiments of this disclosure are described below in detail, and examples of embodiments are shown in the drawings, where the same or similar reference numerals always represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the drawings are illustrative and used to illustrate this disclosure and should not be understood as limiting this disclosure.

[0033] NTN Communications is a key technology introduced by 5G, providing wireless resources via satellites (or drones) instead of ground base stations. The communication connection between the UE and the satellite is a Service Link, and the connection between the satellite and the ground receiving station is a Feeder Link. The connection between the ground receiving station and the core network allows the UE to access the core network via the satellite access network. Depending on the difference in how the satellite processes the signal, it is divided into transparent mode and regenerative mode. In transparent mode, the NTN ground station transmits the gNB signal to the satellite, and the satellite converts the signal to the satellite frequency band and transmits it to the UE via the satellite frequency band. Except for frequency conversion and signal amplification, the satellite does not demodulate the gNB signal, similar to a relay. In regenerative mode, after the NTN ground station transmits the gNB signal to the satellite, the satellite first demodulates and decodes the signal, then re-encodes and modulates it (this process is called regeneration), and transmits the regenerated signal via the satellite frequency band.

[0034] Regardless of how the satellite processes the signal, for IoT NTN, the UE cannot simultaneously receive or transmit LTE while performing GNSS measurements. In R17, it is not supported for the UE to reacquire GNSS information while connected, so it is necessary to ensure that previously acquired GNSS position information is always valid when the UE is connected. Therefore, R17 introduces a time length for the UE to report GNSS position fix (i.e., GNSS position) via msg5, so that the base station can know when the UE's GNSS position fix will become invalid and release the UE connection in advance.

[0035] R18 IoT NTN requires support for long-term connections, and therefore, it is necessary to ensure long-term connections by supporting UEs in acquiring GNSS position while connected. To facilitate the network setting a measurement window for GNSS position measurement for the UE, the network needs to know the time required for the UE to perform GNSS position measurement. However, the time required for a UE to acquire GNSS position varies depending on the UE, and even for the same UE, the time required for the UE to acquire GNSS position information varies depending on environmental differences. Therefore, 3GPP has agreed to support the reporting of the time required for the UE to perform GNSS measurement, i.e., the GNSS position fix time duration, by the UE. However, it remains unclear under what circumstances the GNSS position fix time duration should be reported, how the reporting should be configured, and in what message it should be reported.

[0036] Therefore, this disclosure provides a method for reporting time information and solves the problem of the unclear mechanism for reporting the time required for GNSS measurements by the UE.

[0037] The solutions provided in this disclosure are applicable to satellite access networks, and in particular to non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) such as IoT NTNs. The solutions provided in this disclosure are applicable to core networks supporting 5G core networks and subsequent communication technologies, including, but are not limited to, Long-Term Evolution (LTE), 5G-advanced, and Sixth Generation (6G).

[0038] Furthermore, the methods provided in this disclosure are applicable to NTN communication systems, applicable to transparent mode, and applicable to replay mode. These methods are not limited to this disclosure.

[0039] The method for reporting time information provided by this disclosure, in conjunction with the drawings, will be described in detail below.

[0040] Figure 1 shows a schematic flowchart of a method for reporting time information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method is performed by a UE, and in particular, the UE of the present disclosure is an IoT UE. The UEs described in the present disclosure include, but are not limited to, intelligent terminal devices, cellular phones, wireless devices, handheld devices, mobile units, vehicles, and in-vehicle devices.

[0041] As shown in Figure 1, the method may include the following step S101.

[0042] In S101, time information is reported if the pre-set conditions are met.

[0043] In the embodiments of this disclosure, the time information represents the time required for GNSS measurement by the UE, i.e., the GNSS position fix time duration.

[0044] In this disclosure, the pre-set conditions include at least one of the following:

[0045] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, if the UE is in an idle state or an inactive state and a system message instruction in the serving cell enables time information reporting, the UE may report the time required for GNSS measurement. In this embodiment, the system message can enable the UE to report time information, and the system message may be explicitly or implicitly instructed to the UE, but is not limited to the present disclosure.

[0046] In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the UE may report the time required for a GNSS measurement if the UE is in a connected state and has initiated a connection re-establishment process, if a handover or conditional handover has occurred, if a setting or reconfiguration signaling to enable time information reporting has been received, if an instruction to report time information has been received, or if a GNSS validity duration report has been triggered.

[0047] In this embodiment, the disclosure of the connection re-establishment process by the UE may mean that the UE reconnects to the current serving cell or another candidate cell; a handover or conditional handover occurring to the UE may mean that the UE hands over or conditionally hands over the RRC configuration; a setting or reconfiguration signaling to enable time information reporting is received may mean that the UE first sends or receives a setting signaling to enable time information reporting from a network device or another device; and a GNSS validity report is triggered may mean that the UE receives a trigger command from a network device or another device to trigger a GNSS validity report by the UE.

[0048] This embodiment provides an example of reporting time information on different occasions under different UE conditions, and the reporting may be to a network device or to other devices, but is not limited to this disclosure.

[0049] In summary, the method provided by this disclosure allows a UE to report time information, provided certain pre-defined conditions are met, the time information representing the time required for GNSS measurement by the UE, and the pre-defined conditions include at least one of the following: when the UE is idle or inactive and a system message instruction from the serving cell enables the reporting of time information; when the UE is connected and at least one of the following occasions: when the UE has initiated a connection re-establishment process; when a handover or condition handover has occurred; when a setting or re-setting signaling to enable time information reporting has been received; when an instruction to report time information has been received; or when the reporting of GNSS valid time has been triggered. The solution of this disclosure solves the problem of the unclear mechanism for reporting the time required for GNSS measurement by the UE, thereby adapting to the reporting of time information by the UE in different environments.

[0050] Figure 2 shows a schematic flowchart of a time information reporting method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method may be performed by a UE, and based on the above embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in Figure 2, the embodiment relates to a UE in a disconnected state (including idle or inactive state) performing the time information reporting step, and the method may include the following step 201.

[0051] In S201, if the UE is idle or inactive, and the serving cell's system message instruction enables the reporting of time information, time information is reported via a connection establishment complete message or MAC CE message.

[0052] In the embodiments of this disclosure, the time information represents the time required for GNSS measurement by the UE.

[0053] The connection establishment complete message may also be a feedback message in which the UE reports to a network device or other device that a disconnected UE has successfully connected, and the MAC CE message may also be MAC CE msg3 or msg5, but is not limited to this disclosure.

[0054] In embodiments of this disclosure, a system message instruction enables the reporting of time information, which may be done by explicit or implicit instruction. For example, a network device or other device may send a system message that explicitly indicates a domain value for enabling time information reporting, for example, setting a domain for enabling time information reporting in the system message, where the domain value may be 1 or 0, where 1 identifies that time information reporting is supported / enabled, and 0 identifies that time information reporting is not supported / enabled. Alternatively, the domain value may be 1, and the network device or other device may carry the domain value in the system message only if it supports / enables time information reporting, and not if it does not support / enable it.

[0055] Network devices or other devices may enable the reporting of time information by implicitly instructing, for example, a system message instructing support / enable R18 GNSS location extensions, or setting a trigger threshold that triggers time information.

[0056] In embodiments of this disclosure, a network device may set a time information trigger threshold for a system message instruction of a serving cell, the trigger threshold may be determined according to specific communication conditions, and is not limited to this disclosure. In one optional embodiment, the network device may set a time information trigger threshold for an RRC-only message.

[0057] In summary, the method provided by this disclosure allows a UE in an idle or inactive state to report time information via a connection establishment complete message or MAC CE message if a system message instruction from a serving cell enables the reporting of time information, thereby resolving the issue of the unclear mechanism for reporting the time required for an disconnected IoT UE to perform GNSS measurements.

[0058] Figure 3 shows a schematic flowchart of a time information reporting method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method may be performed by a UE, and based on the above embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in Figure 3, the embodiment relates to a connected UE performing the time information reporting step, and the method may include the following step 301.

[0059] In S301, if the UE is connected and initiates the connection re-establishment process, the system message instruction of the re-established cell will enable the reporting of time information and will report time information via a connection re-establishment completion message or MAC CE message.

[0060] In the embodiments of this disclosure, the time information represents the time required for GNSS measurement by the UE.

[0061] The connection re-establishment complete message may also be a feedback message that the UE has reported to a network device or other device indicating that the UE has successfully reconnected, and the MAC CE message may also be MAC CE msg3 or msg5, but is not limited to these disclosures.

[0062] In embodiments of this disclosure, the system message instruction of a re-established cell may enable the reporting of time information by explicit or implicit instruction. For example, a network device or other device may send a system message of a re-established cell which indicates a domain value for enabling time information reporting, for example, setting a domain for enabling time information reporting in the system message, where the domain value may be 1 or 0, where 1 identifies supporting / enabling time information reporting and 0 identifies not supporting / enabling time information reporting. Alternatively, the domain value may be 1, and the network device or other device may carry the domain value in the system message only if supporting / enabling time information reporting, and not if not supporting / enabling it.

[0063] Network devices or other devices may enable the reporting of time information by implicitly instructing, for example, a system message instructing support / enable R18 GNSS location extensions, or setting a trigger threshold that triggers time information.

[0064] In embodiments of this disclosure, a network device may set a time information trigger threshold for a system message instruction of a serving cell, the trigger threshold may be determined according to specific communication conditions, and is not limited to this disclosure. In one optional embodiment, the network device may set a time information trigger threshold for an RRC-only message.

[0065] In an optional embodiment of the present disclosure, for an IoT UE in a connected state, the UE enables the connected state time information reporting function based on a setting in a serving cell system message that can be used to enable time information reporting.

[0066] In summary, the method provided by this disclosure addresses the issue of ambiguity regarding the mechanism by which a connected IoT UE reports time information via a connection re-establishment complete message or MAC CE message in response to a system message instruction from the re-established cell enabling the reporting of time information when the UE initiates a re-establishment process, thereby resolving the problem of ambiguity regarding the mechanism by which a connected IoT UE reports the time required to perform GNSS measurements.

[0067] Figure 4 shows a schematic flowchart of a time information reporting method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method may be performed by a UE, and based on the above embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in Figure 4, the embodiment relates to a connected UE performing the time information reporting step, and the method may include the following step S401.

[0068] In S401, if the UE is connected and a handover or conditional handover occurs, the time information is reported via a connection reset complete message or MAC CE message when switching to the target cell, in response to the target cell setting of the handover command or conditional handover command enabling the reporting of time information.

[0069] In the embodiments of this disclosure, time information represents the time required for GNSS measurement by the UE, and handover instruction or conditional handover instruction refers to an instruction that triggers a handover or conditional handover by the RRC.

[0070] The connection reset complete message may also be a feedback message that the UE has reported to a network device or other device indicating that the UE handover is complete, and the MAC CE message may also be MAC CE msg3 or msg5, but is not limited to these disclosures.

[0071] In embodiments of the present disclosure, if a handover or conditional handover occurs, and the target cell setting in the handover RRC setting (handover command) or conditional handover RRC setting (conditional handover command) enables the reporting of time information, the UE may report the time information via a connection reset complete message (i.e., a handover complete message) or MAC CE msg3 or msg5 when switching to the target cell.

[0072] In one specific implementation of this disclosure, a handover RRC setting or a conditional handover RRC setting means that the RRC setting includes a reconfigurationWithSync IE.

[0073] In summary, the method provided by this disclosure addresses the issue of ambiguity regarding the mechanism by which a connected IoT UE reports time information via a connection reset complete message or MAC CE message when switching to a target cell, in response to a handover or conditional handover occurring, where the target cell setting of the handover instruction or conditional handover instruction enables the reporting of time information.

[0074] Figure 5 shows a schematic flowchart of a time information reporting method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method may be performed by a UE, and based on the above embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in Figure 5, the embodiment relates to a connected UE performing the time information reporting step, and the method may include the following step S501.

[0075] In S501, if the UE is connected and a setting or reconfiguration signaling to enable time information reporting is received, time information is reported via MAC CE messages or terminal assistance information messages.

[0076] In the embodiments of this disclosure, the time information represents the time required for GNSS measurement by the UE, the MAC CE message may be MAC CE msg3 or msg5, and the terminal assistance information message may be a UEAssistanceInformation message, but is not limited to these embodiments.

[0077] The following describes several optional embodiments of this implementation.

[0078] In one optional embodiment, in response to the UE never having reported time information in the current serving cell, the UE may report time information via a MAC CE message or a terminal assistance information message.

[0079] Specifically, if an IoT UE that is in a connected state receives a configuration or reconfiguration signaling to enable time information reporting, and the UE has not previously reported such time information in the current serving cell, the UE will send the time information via a MAC CE message or terminal assistance information message.

[0080] In another possible implementation, the UE, in response to having previously reported time information for the current serving cell, reports time information via a MAC CE message or terminal assistance message if the change in the currently reported time information from the previously reported time information is greater than a preset threshold.

[0081] Specifically, for an IoT UE with a connected status, if the UE has previously reported time information for the current cell, the UE will report the time information if the change in the current time information compared to the previously reported time information exceeds a preset threshold. Note that the preset threshold can be set according to the specific communication scenario and is not limited to this.

[0082] In summary, the method provided by this disclosure reports time information via MAC CE messages or terminal assistance messages to a connected UE upon receiving a configuration or reconfiguration signaling to enable time information reporting, thereby resolving the issue of the unclear mechanism for reporting the time required for a connected IoT UE to perform GNSS measurements.

[0083] Figure 6 shows a schematic flowchart of a time information reporting method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method may be performed by a UE, and based on the above embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in Figure 6, the embodiment relates to a connected UE performing the time information reporting step, and the method may include the following step S601.

[0084] In S601, if the UE is connected and receives an instruction to report time information, it reports the time information via a MAC CE message or a terminal support information message.

[0085] In the embodiments of this disclosure, the time information represents the time required for GNSS measurement by the UE, the MAC CE message may be MAC CE msg3 or msg5, and the terminal assistance information message may be a UEAssistanceInformation message, but is not limited to these embodiments.

[0086] In embodiments of this disclosure, when an IoT UE is connected, if the UE receives a time information reporting command instructed by a network device or another device, the UE transmits time information via a MAC CE message or terminal assistance information message.

[0087] The instruction may be transmitted explicitly or implicitly by a network device or other device to the UE, may be an instruction dedicated to instructing to report time information, or may be a general instruction having the function of instructing to report time information, and may be transmitted alone or together with other instructions, none of which are limited in this disclosure.

[0088] In summary, the method provided by this disclosure resolves the issue of the unclear mechanism by which a connected IoT UE reports time information via a MAC CE message or terminal assistance message when it receives an instruction to report time information.

[0089] Figure 7 is a schematic flowchart of a time information reporting method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method may be performed by a UE, and based on the above embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in Figure 7, the embodiment relates to a connected UE performing the time information reporting step, and the method may include the following step 701.

[0090] In S701, if the UE is connected and the GNSS validity period report is triggered, the GNSS validity period is reported, along with time information.

[0091] In the embodiments of this disclosure, the time information represents the time required for GNSS measurement by the UE, and the GNSS valid time represents the time during which the GNSS position information is valid.

[0092] In embodiments of this disclosure, when a GNSS availability report is triggered for an IOT UE in a connected state, time information is simultaneously transmitted to that occasion. The method of transmission, via what signaling or medium, depends on the GNSS availability report mechanism, and any mechanism applicable to GNSS availability reports is suitable for reporting such time information and is not limited to this disclosure.

[0093] In summary, the method provided by this disclosure allows a connected UE to report GNSS validity time simultaneously with time information when a GNSS validity time report is triggered, thereby resolving the issue of the unclear mechanism for a connected IoT UE to report the time required to perform GNSS measurements.

[0094] As shown in the embodiments in Figures 1 to 7 above, in one selectable embodiment, when reporting time information via MAC CE messages, the UE can trigger a Scheduling Request (SR) resource in response to the UE not having any currently available uplink resources.

[0095] Specifically, a scheduling request resource is a scheduling request resource set up by the network to report time information, or a scheduling request resource set up by the network for a logical channel.

[0096] In one selectable embodiment, using the scheduling request resources configured for a logical channel, the UE can select the scheduling request resource for the logical channel with the highest priority, or the UE can select the scheduling request resource based on its implementation.

[0097] Therefore, this disclosure addresses the issue of resource scheduling simultaneously with the time information reporting solution.

[0098] Based on the embodiments shown in Figures 3 to 7 above, in one selectable embodiment, a network device or other device can enable the time information reporting function for a connected IOT UE via an RRC-only message or MAC CE. In one selectable embodiment, the UE can enable the time information reporting function based on settings in the serving cell's system message that can be used to enable time information reporting. In one selectable embodiment, a network device or other device can directly trigger time information reporting by the UE via an RRC message or MAC CE.

[0099] Therefore, this disclosure provides several methods for enabling time information reporting functionality, thereby improving the applicability of the solution.

[0100] Based on the embodiments shown in Figures 3 to 7 above, in one selectable embodiment, when the UE is connected, the UE can receive configuration information transmitted from a network device, which includes a reporting cycle for time information. In other words, the network device or other device can simultaneously be configured to report time information periodically and can instruct the UE on the reporting cycle.

[0101] Therefore, this disclosure provides a solution for periodically reporting time information, which allows the UE to perform time information reporting without responding to commands or signaling that trigger the reporting, thereby saving communication resources.

[0102] Figure 8 shows a schematic flowchart of a time information reporting method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method is performed by a network device, which may be a base station. As shown in Figure 8, the method may include the following step S801.

[0103] In S801, time information reported by the User Equipment (UE) is received, and this time information represents the time required for GNSS measurement by the UE.

[0104] In addition, corresponding to the embodiment shown in Figure 1, this embodiment provides a method for receiving time information reported by a network device in different UE states and on different occasions.

[0105] In embodiments of this disclosure, a network device can receive time information reported by the UE via at least one of the following: connection establishment complete message, connection re-establishment complete message, connection reconfiguration complete message, MAC CE message, and terminal support information message, corresponding to the embodiments described in Figures 1 to 7 above, which will not be described in detail here.

[0106] In summary, the method provided by this disclosure allows a network device to receive time information reported by a UE, assuming certain pre-configured conditions are met, where the time information represents the time required for GNSS measurement by the UE, and the solution of this disclosure solves the problem of the unclear reporting mechanism for the time required for GNSS measurement by the UE, thereby adapting to the reporting of time information by the UE in different environments.

[0107] Specific embodiments will be described below with reference to Figures 9 and 10. Figure 9 shows a schematic flowchart of a time information reporting method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method may be performed by a network device and corresponds to the embodiment shown in Figure 2, based on the embodiment shown in Figure 8, and as shown in Figure 9, the method may include the following steps S901 to S902.

[0108] In S901, a system message instruction is sent to the UE.

[0109] In this embodiment, the UE is in an idle or inactive state, the system message instruction enables the reporting of time information, and the time information represents the time required for GNSS measurement by the UE.

[0110] In one selectable embodiment, a time information trigger threshold is set for the system message instruction.

[0111] In S902, time information reported by the user equipment (UE) is received.

[0112] In this embodiment, the network device receives time information reported by the UE via a connection establishment complete message or a MAC CE message.

[0113] The connection establishment complete message may also be a feedback message in which the UE reports to a network device or other device that a disconnected UE has successfully connected, and the MAC CE message may also be MAC CE msg3 or msg5, but is not limited to this disclosure.

[0114] In embodiments of this disclosure, system message instructions may be made by explicit or implicit instructions to enable time information reporting. For example, a network device or other device may send a system message that explicitly indicates a domain value for enabling time information reporting, for example, setting a domain for enabling time information reporting in the system message, where the domain value may be 1 or 0, where 1 identifies that time information reporting is supported / enabled, and 0 identifies that time information reporting is not supported / enabled. Alternatively, the domain value may be 1, and the network device or other device may carry the domain value in the system message only if it supports / enables time information reporting, and not if it does not support / enable it.

[0115] Network devices or other devices may enable the reporting of time information by implicitly instructing, for example, a system message instructing support / enable R18 GNSS location extensions, or setting a trigger threshold that triggers time information.

[0116] In embodiments of this disclosure, a network device may set a time information trigger threshold for a system message instruction of a serving cell, the trigger threshold may be determined according to specific communication conditions, and is not limited to this disclosure. In one optional embodiment, the network device may set a time information trigger threshold for an RRC-only message.

[0117] The principle of this disclosure is the same as the principle of the embodiment shown in Figure 2. For details, please refer to the embodiments shown in Figures 2 and 8, and a detailed explanation will be omitted here.

[0118] In summary, the method provided by this disclosure allows a network device to send a system message instruction to an idle or inactive UE, and if the system message instruction enables the reporting of time information, the network device can receive time information reported by the UE via a connection establishment complete message or MAC CE message, thereby solving the problem of the unclear time reporting mechanism required for an disconnected IoT UE to perform GNSS measurements.

[0119] Figure 10 shows a schematic flowchart of a time information reporting method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method may be performed by a network device and corresponds to the embodiment shown in Figure 5, based on the embodiment shown in Figure 9, and as shown in Figure 10, the method may include the following steps S1001 to S1002.

[0120] In S1001, a message is sent to the UE to enable the reporting of time information.

[0121] In this embodiment, the UE is in a connected state, and the message is a setting or reset signaling to enable time information reporting, or an RRC-only message or a MAC CE message.

[0122] In S1002, time information reported by the user equipment (UE) is received.

[0123] In the embodiments of this disclosure, the time information represents the time required for GNSS measurement by the UE, and the network device may receive the time information reported by the UE via MAC CE messages or terminal assistance information messages, the MAC CE messages may be MAC CE msg3 or msg5, and the terminal assistance information messages may be UEAssistanceInformation messages, but are not limited to this disclosure.

[0124] The principle of this disclosure is the same as the principle of the embodiment shown in Figure 5. For specifics, please refer to the embodiments shown in Figures 5 and 8, and a detailed explanation will be omitted here.

[0125] In summary, the method provided by this disclosure allows a network device to send a configuration or reconfiguration signaling to a connected UE to enable time information reporting, and the network device receives the time information reported by the UE via MAC CE messages or terminal assistance information messages, thereby resolving the issue of the unclear mechanism by which a connected IoT UE reports the time required to perform GNSS measurements.

[0126] Based on all the embodiments described above, in one selectable embodiment, a network device can configure a scheduling request resource for the UE. The scheduling request resource is either a scheduling request resource dedicated to the reporting of time information by the UE, or a scheduling request resource configured for a logical channel.

[0127] Specifically, when reporting time information via MAC CE messages, if the UE does not currently have any available uplink resources, the UE can trigger a scheduling request, and the network device can set up the scheduling request resources for the UE.

[0128] Therefore, this disclosure provides a solution for time information reporting that simultaneously addresses resource scheduling issues.

[0129] Based on all the embodiments described above, in one selectable embodiment, the network device may further transmit configuration information to the UE, including the reporting cycle for time information. In other words, the network device or other device may simultaneously be configured to report time information periodically and instruct the UE on the reporting cycle.

[0130] Therefore, this disclosure provides a solution for periodically reporting time information, which allows the UE to perform time information reporting without responding to other commands or signaling that would trigger the reporting, thus saving communication resources.

[0131] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the interaction of a time information reporting method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method is applied to a communication system, which includes a UE and a network device. As shown in Figure 11, the method includes the following step S1101.

[0132] In S1101, the UE reports time information to the network device if the pre-configured conditions are met.

[0133] In the embodiments of this disclosure, the time information represents the time required for GNSS measurement by the UE, i.e., the GNSS position fix time duration.

[0134] This disclosure includes at least one of the following pre-defined conditions:

[0135] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, if the UE is in an idle state or an inactive state and a system message instructing a serving cell enables time information reporting, the UE may report the time required for GNSS measurement. In this embodiment, the system message may enable time information reporting by the UE, and the system message may be explicitly or implicitly instructed to the UE, but is not limited to the present disclosure.

[0136] In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the UE may report the time required for a GNSS measurement if the UE is in a connected state and has initiated a connection re-establishment process, if a handover or conditional handover has occurred, if a setting or reconfiguration signaling to enable time information reporting has been received, if an instruction to report time information has been received, or if a GNSS validity duration report has been triggered.

[0137] In this embodiment, the disclosure of the connection re-establishment process by the UE may mean that the UE reconnects to the current serving cell or another candidate cell; a handover or conditional handover occurring to the UE may mean that the UE handovers or conditionally handovers the RRC configuration; a setting or reconfiguration signaling to enable time information reporting is received may mean that the UE first sends or receives a setting signaling to enable time information reporting from a network device or another device; and a GNSS validity report is triggered may mean that the UE receives a trigger command from a network device or another device to trigger a GNSS validity report by the UE.

[0138] This embodiment provides an example of reporting time information for different occasions under different UE (Unified Entity) conditions.

[0139] In summary, the method provided by this disclosure allows a UE to report time information, provided certain pre-configured conditions are met, where the time information represents the time required for GNSS measurement by the UE, and the pre-configured conditions include at least one of the following: when the UE is idle or inactive and a system message instruction from a serving cell enables the reporting of time information; when the UE is connected and at least one of the following occasions has been triggered: when the UE has initiated a connection re-establishment process; when a handover or conditional handover has occurred; when a setting or reconfiguration signaling to enable time information reporting has been received; when an instruction to report time information has been received; or when the reporting of GNSS valid time has been triggered, and a network device can receive the time information reported by the UE. The solution of this disclosure solves the problem of the unclear mechanism for reporting the time required for GNSS measurement by the UE, thereby adapting to the reporting of time information by the UE in different environments.

[0140] Furthermore, the UE in the communication system shown in this embodiment may be used to carry out the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 7 of this disclosure, and the network device may be used to carry out the embodiments shown in Figures 8 to 10 of this disclosure, and a detailed explanation is omitted here.

[0141] In the embodiments provided by the present application described above, the methods provided by the embodiments of the present application were explained from the user equipment side and the network device side, respectively. In order to realize each function of the methods provided by the embodiments of the present application described above, the network device and the user equipment may include hardware structures and software modules, and each of the above functions is realized in the form of hardware structures, software modules, or a combination of hardware structures and software modules. Specific functions in each of the above functions may be performed in the form of hardware structures, software modules, or a combination of hardware structures and software modules.

[0142] In correspondence with the time information reporting methods provided by some of the embodiments described above, this disclosure further provides a time information reporting device, and since the time information reporting device provided by some of the embodiments of this disclosure corresponds to the time information reporting methods provided by some of the embodiments described above, embodiments of the time information reporting methods also apply to the time information reporting device provided by this embodiment, and a detailed explanation is omitted in this embodiment.

[0143] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a time information reporting device 1200 provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, which is applicable to user equipment.

[0144] As shown in Figure 12, the device 1200 is It may also include a transmit / receive module 1210 for reporting time information when pre-set conditions are met. The time information represents the time required for GNSS measurement by the UE, and the pre-set conditions are: When the UE is idle or inactive, and the system message instruction of the serving cell enables the reporting of time information, The case includes at least one of the following occasions: when the UE is connected and the UE has initiated the connection re-establishment process; when a handover or conditional handover has occurred; when a setting or reconfiguration signaling to enable time information reporting has been received; when an instruction to report time information has been received; or when GNSS validity reporting has been triggered.

[0145] According to the time information reporting method provided by the embodiments of this disclosure, a UE can report time information on the premise that certain pre-set conditions are met, the time information representing the time required for GNSS measurement by the UE, and the pre-set conditions include at least one of the following cases: when the UE is idle or inactive and a system message instruction from the serving cell enables the reporting of time information; when the UE is connected and at least one of the following cases: when the UE has started the connection re-establishment process; when a handover or condition handover has occurred; when a setting or re-setting signaling to enable time information reporting has been received; when an instruction to report time information has been received; or when the reporting of GNSS valid time has been triggered. The solution of this disclosure solves the problem of the unclear mechanism for reporting the time required for GNSS measurement by the UE, thereby adapting to the reporting of time information by the UE in different environments.

[0146] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transmit / receive module 1210 is used to report time information via a connection establishment complete message or MAC CE message when the UE is idle or inactive and a system message instruction of the serving cell enables the reporting of time information.

[0147] In some embodiments of this disclosure, a time information trigger threshold is set in the system message instruction.

[0148] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transmit / receive module 1210 is used to report time information via a reconnection completion message or MAC CE message in response to a system message instruction from a re-established cell enabling the reporting of time information when the UE is in a connected state and the UE has initiated a reconnection process.

[0149] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transmit / receive module 1210 is used to report time information via a reconnection complete message or MAC CE message when switching to a target cell, in response to the target cell setting of a handover instruction or conditional handover instruction enabling the reporting of time information, when the UE is connected and a handover or conditional handover occurs.

[0150] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transmit / receive module 1210 is used to report time information via MAC CE messages or terminal assistance information messages when the UE is connected and a setting or reset signaling to enable time information reporting is received.

[0151] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transmit / receive module 1210 is used to report time information via MAC CE messages or terminal assistance information messages in response to the UE not having reported time information in the current serving cell.

[0152] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transmit / receive module 1210 is used to report time information via MAC CE messages or terminal assistance information messages in response to the UE having previously reported time information in the current serving cell, if the change in the currently reported time information from previously reported time information is greater than a preset threshold.

[0153] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transmit / receive module 1210 is used to report time information via MAC CE messages or terminal assistance information messages when the UE is connected and receives an instruction to report time information.

[0154] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the transmit / receive module 1210 is used to report the GNSS validity period and time information when the UE is connected and the GNSS validity period report is triggered.

[0155] In some embodiments of this disclosure, as shown in Figure 13, the apparatus 1200 is: When reporting time information via MAC CE messages, the system further includes a trigger module 1220 for triggering a scheduling request resource in response to the UE not having any currently available uplink resources.

[0156] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the scheduling request resource is a scheduling request resource set up by the network for reporting time information, or a scheduling request resource set up by the network for a logical channel.

[0157] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the UE is connected, the transmit / receive module 1210 is used to receive an RRC-only message or MAC CE message transmitted from a network device and to enable the time information reporting function in response to the RRC-only message or MAC CE message, or to enable the time information reporting function based on a setting in a serving cell's system message that can be used to enable time information reporting.

[0158] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the UE is connected, the transmit / receive module 1210 is used to receive configuration information transmitted from a network device, the configuration information including a reporting period for time information.

[0159] In summary, the time information reporting methods provided by embodiments of the present disclosure provide various ways of enabling the time information reporting function, improving the applicability of the solution and providing a solution for periodically reporting time information, which allows the UE to perform time information reporting without responding to other commands or signaling that trigger the reporting, thereby saving communication resources.

[0160] Furthermore, this technology addresses the issue of the unclear mechanism for reporting the time required for a connected IoT UE to perform GNSS measurements.

[0161] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a time information reporting device 1400 provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. The time information reporting device 1400 is applicable to network devices.

[0162] As shown in Figure 14, the device 1400 is A transmit / receive module 1410 for receiving time information reported by user equipment (UE) may include a transmit / receive module 1410 in which the time information represents the time required for GNSS measurement by the UE.

[0163] According to the time information reporting method provided by the embodiments of this disclosure, a network device can receive time information reported by the UE when certain pre-configured conditions are met, the time information representing the time required for GNSS measurement by the UE, and the solution of this disclosure solves the problem of the unclear mechanism for reporting the time required for GNSS measurement by the UE, thereby adapting to the reporting of time information by the UE in different environments.

[0164] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transmit / receive module 1410 is used to receive time information reported by the UE via at least one of the following: connection establishment complete message, connection re-establishment complete message, connection reconfiguration complete message, MAC CE message, and terminal assistance information message.

[0165] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transmit / receive module 1410 is used to send a system message instruction to a UE, where the UE is idle or inactive, the system message instruction enables the reporting of time information, and the system message instruction has a time information trigger threshold set.

[0166] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transmit / receive module 1410 is used to send a message to the UE that enables the reporting of time information, the message being a setting or resetting signaling to enable the reporting of time information, or an RRC-only message or a MAC CE message.

[0167] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transmit / receive module 1410 is used to set up a scheduling request resource for the UE, the scheduling request resource being a scheduling request resource dedicated in particular to the reporting of time information by the UE, or a scheduling request resource set up for a logical channel.

[0168] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the transmit / receive module 1410 transmits configuration information, including a time information reporting period, to the UE.

[0169] In summary, the time information reporting method provided by the embodiments of this disclosure allows a network device to send a system message instruction to an idle or inactive UE, which enables time information reporting, and the network device can receive time information reported by the UE via a connection establishment complete message or MAC CE message, thereby solving the problem of unclear mechanisms for reporting the time required for a disconnected IoT UE to perform GNSS measurements. For a connected UE, the network device can send a setting or reconfiguration signaling to the UE to enable time information reporting, and the network device can receive time information reported by the UE via a MAC CE message or terminal assistance information message, thereby solving the problem of unclear mechanisms for reporting the time required for a connected IoT UE to perform GNSS measurements.

[0170] Furthermore, this disclosure provides a solution for time information reporting that simultaneously addresses the resource scheduling problem, and also provides a solution for periodic time information reporting, which allows the UE to perform time information reporting without responding to other commands or signaling that trigger the report, thereby saving communication resources.

[0171] Embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a communication system which includes user equipment (UE) and network devices. The UE is configured to perform the method described in any one of the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 7 above.

[0172] The network device is used to carry out the method described in any one of the embodiments shown in Figures 8 to 10.

[0173] In summary, according to the time information reporting method provided by embodiments of the present disclosure, a UE can report time information when certain pre-configured conditions are met, the time information representing the time required for GNSS measurement by the UE, the pre-configured conditions include at least one of the following: when the UE is idle or inactive and a system message instruction from a serving cell enables the reporting of time information; when the UE is connected and at least one of the following occasions: when the UE has initiated a connection re-establishment process; when a handover or conditional handover has occurred; when a setting or reconfiguration signaling to enable time information reporting has been received; when an instruction to report time information has been received; or when a GNSS valid time reporting has been triggered, and network devices can receive the time information reported by the UE. The solution of the present disclosure solves the problem of the unclear mechanism for reporting the time required for GNSS measurement by the UE, thereby adapting to the reporting of time information by the UE in different environments.

[0174] Referring to Figure 15, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 1500 provided by an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1500 may be a network device, user equipment, a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the implementation of the above method by a network device, or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the implementation of the above method by user equipment. The device may be used to implement the method described in the above embodiment of the method, for which specifics should be referred to the description in the above embodiment of the method.

[0175] The communication device 1500 may include one or more processors 1501. The processors 1501 may be general-purpose processors or dedicated processors, etc. For example, they may be baseband processors or central processing units. The baseband processor may be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit may be used to control measuring devices (e.g., base stations, baseband chips, terminal devices, terminal device chips, DUs or CUs, etc.), execute computer programs, and process data from computer programs.

[0176] Selectively, the communication device 1500 may include one or more memories 1502 in which a computer program 1504 is stored, and the processor 1501 executes the computer program 1504 to cause the communication device 1500 to perform the method described in the above embodiment of the method. Selectively, data may be stored in the memories 1502. The communication device 1500 and the memories 1502 may be installed separately or integrated as a single unit.

[0177] Selectively, the communication device 1500 may further include a transceiver 1505 and an antenna 1506. The transceiver 1505 may also be called a transmitting / receiving unit, transceiver, or transmitting / receiving circuit, and is used to implement a transmitting / receiving function. The transceiver 1505 may also include a receiver and a transmitter, the receiver may also be called a receiver or receiving circuit, and is used to implement a receiving function, and the transmitter may also be called a transmitter or transmitting circuit, and is used to implement a transmitting function.

[0178] Selectively, the communication device 1500 may further include one or more interface circuits 1507. The interface circuits 1507 receive code instructions and transmit them to the processor 1501. The processor 1501 executes the code instructions, causing the communication device 1500 to perform the method described in the above embodiment of the method.

[0179] In one implementation, the processor 1501 may include a transceiver for implementing receiving and transmitting functions. For example, the transceiver may be a transmit / receive circuit, an interface, or an interface circuit. The transmit / receive circuit, interface, or interface circuit for implementing receiving and transmitting functions may be separate or integrated as a single unit. The transmit / receive circuit, interface, or interface circuit may be used for reading and writing code / data, or it may be used for transmitting or transmitting signals.

[0180] In one implementation, the processor 1501 may store a computer program 1503, which is executed on the processor 1501, thereby causing the communication device 1500 to execute the method described in the above embodiment. The computer program 1503 may be fixed to the processor 1501, in which case the processor 1501 may be implemented by hardware.

[0181] In one embodiment, the communication device 1500 may include a circuit that can implement the transmission, reception, or communication functions described in the method embodiment described above. The processor and transceiver described herein can be implemented as an integrated circuit (IC), analog IC, radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), mixed-signal IC, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), printed circuit board (PCB), electronic device, etc. The processor and transceiver can be manufactured using various IC process technologies, such as complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS), n-metal oxide semiconductor (nMOS), positive channel metal oxide semiconductor (PMOS), bipolar junction transistor (BJT), bipolar CMOS (BiCMOS), silicon germanium (SiGe), gallium arsenide (Gas), etc.

[0182] The communication devices described in the above embodiments may be network devices or user equipment, but the scope of communication devices described in this application is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device is not limited by Figure 15. The communication device may be an independent device or part of a larger device. For example, the communication device may be the following: (1) Independent integrated circuit IC, or chip, or chip system or subsystem, (2) A set having one or more ICs, wherein the IC set may optionally include a storage component for storing data, computer programs, (3) For example, ASICs such as modems, (4) Modules that can be incorporated into other devices, (5) Receivers, terminal devices, intelligent terminal devices, cellular phones, wireless devices, handhelds, mobile units, in-vehicle devices, network devices, cloud devices, artificial intelligence devices, etc. (6) Others.

[0183] For cases where the communication device is a chip or a chip system, please refer to the schematic diagram of the chip structure shown in Figure 16. The chip shown in Figure 16 includes a processor 1601 and an interface 1602. Here, the number of processors 1601 may be one or more, and the number of interfaces 1602 may be multiple.

[0184] Selectively, the chip further includes memory 1603 for storing necessary computer programs and data.

[0185] As those skilled in the art will see, the various illustrative logical blocks and steps enumerated in the embodiments of this application can be implemented by electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. Whether such functions are implemented by hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design requirements of the overall system. Those skilled in the art can implement the functions in various ways for each specific application, but such implementations should not be understood as exceeding the scope of protection of the embodiments of this application.

[0186] The present invention further provides a readable storage medium on which instructions are stored, and when the instructions are executed by a computer, the functions of any one of the above-described embodiment of the method are realized.

[0187] The present invention further provides a computer program product that, when executed by a computer, realizes the functionality of any one of the above-described embodiment of the method.

[0188] In the embodiments described above, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs. When a computer loads and executes a computer program, it generates all or part of the flows or functions described in the embodiments of this application. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, a computer program can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center by wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, radio, microwave, etc.). The computer-readable storage medium may be any available media accessible by a computer, or a data storage device such as a server or data center containing one or more available media. The usable media may be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., high-density digital video discs (DVDs)), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state drives (SSDs)).

[0189] One specific embodiment of this disclosure is as follows:

[0190] The UE triggers the reporting of GNSS position fix time duration in the following cases:

[0191] - For idle / inactive IOT UEs, if the serving cell's system message instruction enables reporting of GNSS position fix time duration, the UE will report the GNSS position fix time duration in the connection establishment complete message, or via MAC CE in msg3 or msg5.

[0192] In one embodiment, the system message instruction to enable reporting of GNSS position fix time duration may be an explicit or implicit instruction. An implicit instruction is, for example, a system message that supports / enables the R18 GNSS position extension, and a trigger threshold is set that triggers GNSS position fix time duration, for example.

[0193] - For an IOT UE that is in a connected state, if the system message instruction of the re-established cell enables GNSS position fix time duration reporting on the occasion when the UE initiates the re-establishment process, the UE will report the GNSS position fix time duration in the re-establishment completion message, or report the GNSS position fix time duration via MAC CE in msg3 or msg5.

[0194] - For an IOT UE that is connected, if a handover or conditional handover occurs on an occasion, and the target cell setting in the handover RRC setting (handover command) or conditional handover RRC setting (conditional handover command) enables reporting of GNSS position fix time duration, the UE will report the GNSS position fix time duration via the connection reset completion message (also indicating handover completion) when it switches to the target cell, or via MAC CE in msg3 or msg5.

[0195] In one embodiment, the RRC setting referred to by the handover RRC setting or conditional handover RRC setting includes reconfigurationWithSync IE.

[0196] - For an IoT UE that is connected, the UE will send the GNSS position fix time duration via MAC CE or UEAssistanceInformation message if it receives a setting or reconfiguration signal to enable reporting of the GNSS position fix time duration.

[0197] - For an IoT UE that is connected, if the UE receives a configuration or reconfiguration signal to enable reporting of GNSS position fix time duration, and has not previously reported GNSS position fix time duration in the current serving cell, it will send GNSS position fix time duration via MAC CE or UEAssistanceInformation message.

[0198] - For an IoT UE that is connected, the UE will report the GNSS position fix time duration if it has previously reported the GNSS position fix time duration for the current cell, and the change in the current GNSS position fix time duration from the previously reported value is greater than a certain threshold.

[0199] - For IoT UEs that are connected, if the UE receives a reported GNSS position fix time duration instructed by the base station, the UE will transmit the GNSS position fix time duration via MAC CE or UEAssistanceInformation message.

[0200] - When a GNSS validity duration report is triggered for an IoT UE that is in a connected state, the UE will simultaneously report the GNSS position fix time duration.

[0201] In one embodiment, when reporting GNSS position fix time duration via MAC CE, the UE triggers an SR if there are no currently available UL resources.

[0202] In one embodiment, the SR resource may be an SR resource set up by the network and dedicated to reporting GNSS position fix time duration, or an SR resource set up for a logical channel may be used.

[0203] In one embodiment, when using SR resources configured for a logical channel, the UE selects the SR resource for the logical channel with the highest priority, or the UE selects an SR resource based on the implementation.

[0204] In one embodiment, for an IOT UE that is in a connected state, the base station enables the GNSS position fix time duration reporting function via an RRC-dedicated message or MAC CE.

[0205] In one embodiment, the base station can simultaneously be configured to periodically report the GNSS position fix time duration and can also specify the reporting period.

[0206] In one embodiment, for an IOT UE that is in a connected state, the UE enables the connected state GNSS position fix time duration function based on the setting in the serving cell's system messages to enable reporting of the GNSS position fix time duration.

[0207] In one embodiment, the base station directly triggers the reporting of the UE GNSS position fix time duration to an IOT UE that is in a connected state via an RRC message or MAC CE.

[0208] In one embodiment, the base station sets a trigger threshold for the GNSS position fix time duration in a system message or an RRC-specific message.

[0209] As those skilled in the art will understand, the various numerical designations such as "1st," "2nd," etc., in this application are classifications made for the purpose of facilitating explanation and do not limit the scope of the embodiments of this application, but also represent priority.

[0210] In this application, at least one may be described as one or more, and more may be two, three, four or more, and are not limited to this application. In embodiments of this application, for a single technical feature, technical features in that type of technical feature are distinguished by "first," "second," "third," "A," "B," "C," and "D," and there is no priority or size order among the technical features described by "first," "second," "third," "A," "B," "C," and "D."

[0211] As used herein, the terms “machine-readable medium” and “computer-readable medium” refer to any computer program product, device, and / or apparatus (e.g., magnetic disks, optical disks, memory, programmable logic devices (PLDs)) for providing machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor, and include machine-readable mediums that receive machine instructions as machine-readable signals. The term “machine-readable medium” refers to any signal for providing machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor.

[0212] The systems and technologies described herein can be implemented in a computing system including backend components (e.g., a data server), a computing system including middleware components (e.g., an application server), a computing system including frontend components (e.g., a user computer having a graphical user interface or a network browser, through which the user can interact with embodiments of the systems and technologies described herein), or any combination of backend components, middleware components, or frontend components. The components of the system can be connected to each other via digital data communication of any form or medium (e.g., a communication network). Examples of communication networks include local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), and the Internet.

[0213] A computer system can include clients and servers. Clients and servers are generally geographically separated and interact via a communication network. A client-server relationship is created by running a computer program that has a client-server relationship on the corresponding computer.

[0214] Furthermore, the steps can be rearranged, added, or deleted using the various forms of processes described above. For example, each step described in this disclosure may be performed in parallel, sequentially, or in a different order, as long as the desired results of the proposed technology disclosed herein can be achieved.

[0215] Furthermore, the various embodiments of this application may be implemented individually, or in combination with other embodiments, as the solution allows.

[0216] As those skilled in the art will understand, each exemplary unit and algorithmic step described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented by electronic hardware, or by a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or in software depends on the specific application of the invention and the design constraints. Those skilled in the art may implement the described functions in different ways for specific applications, but such implementations should not be understood as being beyond the scope of this application.

[0217] For the convenience and brevity of explanation, and so that those skilled in the art can clearly understand, the specific working processes of the systems, apparatus, and units described above should be referred to the corresponding processes in the previously described method embodiments, and a detailed explanation is omitted here.

[0218] The above are specific embodiments of the present application, but the scope of protection is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that a person skilled in the art could easily conceive within the scope of the disclosed art should be included in the scope of protection. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application should be the same as the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for reporting time information, wherein the method is performed by user equipment (UE), and the method is The process includes a step of reporting time information when pre-set conditions are met, The aforementioned time information represents the time required for the UE to measure the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), The aforementioned pre-set conditions are: When the UE is in an idle or inactive state, and the system message instruction of the serving cell enables the reporting of the time information, The UE is in a connected state and the UE has initiated a connection re-establishment process; the UE has initiated a handover or conditional handover; the UE has received a setting or re-setting signaling to enable the time information reporting; the UE has received a setting instructing the UE to report the time information; the UE has received a setting in the UE has initiated a connection re-establishment process occurred A method for reporting time information characterized by the following features.

2. If the UE is in an idle or inactive state, and a system message instruction from the serving cell enables the reporting of the time information, the step of reporting the time information is: The step includes reporting the time information via a connection establishment complete message or MAC CE message, The method for reporting time information according to feature 1.

3. The trigger threshold for the time information is set in the aforementioned system message instruction. The method for reporting time information according to feature 2.

4. If the UE is in a connected state and the UE has started the connection re-establishment process, the step of reporting the time information is: The system message instruction of the re-established cell enables the reporting of the time information, and includes the step of reporting the time information via a connection re-establishment complete message or MAC CE message, A method for reporting time information according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. If the UE is in a connected state and a handover or conditional handover occurs, the step of reporting the time information is: The process includes the step of reporting the time information via a connection reset complete message or MAC CE message when switching to the target cell, in response to the target cell setting of a handover command or conditional handover command enabling the reporting of the time information, A method for reporting time information according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. If the UE is connected and a setting or reconfiguration signaling to enable the reporting of the time information is received, the step of reporting the time information is: The process includes the step of reporting the time information via a MAC CE message or terminal support information message. A method for reporting time information according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The step of reporting the time information via the MAC CE message or terminal support information message is: In response to the fact that the UE has never reported the time information in the current serving cell, the UE reports the time information via the MAC CE message or the terminal support information message. The method for reporting time information according to feature 6.

8. The step of reporting the time information via the MAC CE message or terminal support information message is: In response to the UE having previously reported the time information in the current serving cell, if the change between the currently reported time information and the previously reported time information is greater than a preset threshold, the UE includes the step of reporting the time information via the MAC CE message or the terminal support information message. The method for reporting time information according to feature 6.

9. If the UE is connected and receives an instruction to report the time information, the step of reporting the time information is: The process includes the step of reporting the time information via a MAC CE message or terminal support information message. A method for reporting time information according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. If the UE is connected and the reporting of the GNSS validity period is triggered, the step of reporting the time information is as follows: The process includes reporting the GNSS validity period and simultaneously reporting the time information. A method for reporting time information according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. The aforementioned method, When reporting the time information via a MAC CE message, the process further includes the step of triggering a scheduling request resource in response that the UE does not currently have any available uplink resources. A method for reporting time information according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. The scheduling request resource is a scheduling request resource configured by the network for reporting the time information, or a scheduling request resource configured by the network for a logical channel. The method for reporting time information according to feature 11.

13. If the UE is in a connected state, the method is: The steps include: receiving an RRC-dedicated message or MAC CE message transmitted from a network device, and enabling the time information reporting function in response to the RRC-dedicated message or MAC CE message; The step of enabling the time information reporting function based on a setting in a serving cell's system message that can be used to enable the reporting of the time information, further includes: A method for reporting time information according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. If the UE is in a connected state, the method is: A step of receiving configuration information transmitted from a network device, further comprising the step of ensuring that the configuration information includes a reporting period for the time information, A method for reporting time information according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

15. A method for reporting time information, wherein the method is performed by a network device, and the method is A step of receiving time information reported by user equipment (UE), the step of the time information representing the time required for GNSS measurement by the UE, A method for reporting time information characterized by the following features.

16. The step of receiving time information reported by the user equipment (UE) is: The step includes receiving the time information reported by the UE via at least one of the following: connection establishment complete message, connection re-establishment complete message, connection reconfiguration complete message, MAC CE message, and terminal support information message. The method for reporting time information according to feature 15.

17. The aforementioned method, A step of sending a system message instruction to the UE, further comprising the steps of: the UE being idle or inactive; the system message instruction enabling the reporting of the time information; and the system message instruction having a trigger threshold set for the time information. The method for reporting time information according to claim 15 or 16, characterized by the features described above.

18. The aforementioned method, A step of sending a message to the UE that enables the reporting of the time information, further comprising the step that the message is a setting or resetting signaling to enable the reporting of the time information, or an RRC-specific message or a MAC CE message, A method for reporting time information according to any one of claims 15 to 17, characterized by the features described herein.

19. The aforementioned method, A step of setting a scheduling request resource for the UE, further comprising the step of determining whether the scheduling request resource is a scheduling request resource dedicated to the reporting of the time information by the UE, or a scheduling request resource set up for a logical channel. A method for reporting time information according to any one of claims 15 to 18, characterized by the features described above.

20. The aforementioned method, A step of transmitting configuration information to the UE, further comprising a step of the configuration information including the reporting cycle of the time information, A method for reporting time information according to any one of claims 15 to 19, characterized by the features described above.

21. A time information reporting device, It includes a transmit / receive module for reporting time information when pre-set conditions are met, The aforementioned time information represents the time required for GNSS measurement by the UE, The aforementioned pre-set conditions are: When the UE is in an idle or inactive state, and the system message instruction of the serving cell enables the reporting of the time information, The case in which the UE is in a connected state and the UE has initiated a connection re-establishment process, the case in which a handover or conditional handover has occurred, the case in which a setting or reconfiguration signaling to enable the time information reporting has been received, the case in which an instruction to report the time information has been received, and the case in which the reporting of the GNSS validity period has been triggered, and includes at least one of these. A time information reporting device characterized by the following features

22. A time information reporting device, A transmit / receive module for receiving time information reported by user equipment (UE), wherein the time information includes a transmit / receive module that represents the time required for GNSS measurement by the UE. A time information reporting device characterized by the following features.

23. A communication device comprising a transceiver, a memory, and a processor connected to the transceiver and the memory, respectively. The processor is configured to control the transmission and reception of radio signals of the transceiver by executing computer-executable instructions in the memory, and to realize the time information reporting method described in any one of claims 1 to 20. A communication device characterized by

24. A computer storage medium, wherein the computer storage medium stores computer-executable instructions, and when the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, a method for reporting time information according to any one of claims 1 to 20 is realized. Computer storage medium characterized by

25. It is a communication system, Including user equipment (UE) and network devices, The UE is configured to perform the time information reporting method described in any one of claims 1 to 14, The network device is configured to perform the time information reporting method described in any one of claims 15 to 20. A communication system characterized by the following features.

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