Methods and apparatus for wireless communication

Abstract

The present application provides a method and apparatus for wireless communication, which contribute to a terminal device in an NTN cell performing neighbor cell measurements, the method including a step of the terminal device performing neighbor cell measurements in the NTN cell based on a first parameter, the first parameter being associated with one or more of the following information: a distance between the terminal device and a network device corresponding to the NTN cell, a height above ground of the network device corresponding to the NTN cell, an azimuth angle of an antenna of the network device corresponding to the NTN cell, and a sub-area within the NTN cell.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China National Intellectual Property Administration on February 1, 2023, with application No. 2023100977735 and the title of the application being "Method and Apparatus for Wireless Communication", the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technologies, and more specifically, to a method and apparatus for wireless communication. BACKGROUND ART

[0003] A non-terrestrial network (NTN) system has high mobility. In a system where the coverage area of an NTN cell is stationary relative to the ground (e.g., a quasi-geostationary system), a terminal device may perform neighbor cell measurement based on the reference position of the serving cell provided by a network device.

[0004] However, in a system where NTN cells move along with network devices (e.g., quasi-earth-moving cells), changes in the coverage area of the serving cell may be detrimental to the terminal device performing neighbor cell measurement. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

[0005] The present application provides a method and apparatus for wireless communication. Hereinafter, various aspects according to the embodiments of the present application will be described. MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEMS

[0006] In a first aspect, a method for wireless communication is provided, comprising the step of a terminal device performing neighbor cell measurement in an NTN cell based on a first parameter, wherein the first parameter is associated with one or more of the distance between the terminal device and a network device corresponding to the NTN cell, the height of the network device corresponding to the NTN cell from the ground, the azimuth angle of the antenna of the network device corresponding to the NTN cell, and information of a sub-region within the NTN cell.

[0007] In a second aspect, a method for wireless communication is provided, comprising the step of a network device transmitting a first parameter to a terminal device, wherein the first parameter is used by the terminal device to perform neighbor cell measurement in an NTN cell, and the first parameter is associated with one or more of the distance between the terminal device and the network device, the height of the network device from the ground, the azimuth angle of the antenna of the network device, and information of a sub-region within the NTN cell.

[0008] In a third aspect, an apparatus for wireless communication is provided, the apparatus being a terminal device, and the terminal device comprising a measurement unit configured to perform neighbor cell measurement in an NTN cell based on a first parameter, wherein the first parameter is associated with one or more of the distance between the terminal device and a network device, the height of the network device from the ground, the azimuth angle of the antenna of the network device, and information of a sub-region within the NTN cell.

[0009] In a fourth embodiment, an apparatus for wireless communication is provided, the apparatus being a network device, the network device including a transmitting unit for transmitting a first parameter to a terminal device, the first parameter being used by the terminal device to perform an adjacent cell measurement in an NTN cell, the first parameter being associated with information of one or more of the following: the distance between the terminal device and the network device, the height of the network device from the ground, the azimuth angle of the antenna of the network device, and one or more sub-regions within the NTN cell.

[0010] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory is used to store a program, and the processor is used to call the program in the memory and perform the method according to the first or second aspect.

[0011] The sixth aspect provides an apparatus including a processor for calling a program from memory and executing the method described in the first or second aspect.

[0012] In the seventh aspect, a chip is provided that includes a processor that causes a device to which the chip is attached to execute the method described in the first or second aspect by calling a program from memory.

[0013] The eighth aspect provides a computer-readable storage medium in which a program causing a computer to perform the method described in the first or second aspect is stored.

[0014] The ninth aspect provides a computer program product that includes a program for causing a computer to perform the method described in the first or second aspect.

[0015] In the tenth aspect, a computer program is provided that causes a computer to perform the method described in the first or second aspect.

[0016] In the embodiment of the present invention, the terminal device can perform adjacent cell measurement in an NTN cell based on a first parameter and its associated information. The first parameter can indicate the timing at which the terminal device triggers adjacent cell measurement based on sub-region information where the terminal device is located, or more accurate relative position information between the terminal device and the network device, thereby improving the effectiveness of the adjacent cell measurement performed by the terminal device. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0017] [Figure 1] This is a wireless communication system applicable to the embodiments of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is an NTN system applied to the embodiment of the present application. [Figure 3] This is another NTN system applicable to the embodiments of the present application. [Figure 4] This is a schematic diagram of a method for wireless communication according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This is a schematic diagram of the NTN cell division method according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a possible implementation of the method shown. [Figure 7] This is a schematic diagram of possible implementations for determining the sub-region where the terminal device of a mobile cell is located. [Figure 8] This is a schematic diagram of another NTN cell division method according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 9] This is a schematic diagram of yet another NTN cell division method according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 10] This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a wireless communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] This is a schematic diagram of the structure of another wireless communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0018] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the drawings of the embodiments of the present application, and as will be clear, the embodiments described are some embodiments of the present application, not all embodiments. All other embodiments that a person skilled in the art can obtain without creative work based on the embodiments of the present application are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0019] The embodiments of this application can be applied to various communication systems. For example, the embodiments of this application can be applied to global system of mobile communication (GSM) systems, code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA®) systems, general packet radio service (GPRS), long term evolution (LTE) systems, advanced long term evolution (LTE-A) systems, new radio (NR) systems, evolution systems of NR systems, LTE-based access to unlicensed spectrum (LTE-U) systems, NR-based access to unlicensed spectrum (NR-U) systems, NTN systems, universal mobile telecommunication systems (UMTS), wireless local area networks (WLAN), and wireless fidelity systems. This invention is applicable to fidelity (WiFi) and 5th-generation (5G) communication systems. Embodiments of this invention are applicable to other communication systems, such as future communication systems, which may be, for example, 6th-generation (6G) mobile communication systems or satellite communication systems.

[0020] Conventional communication systems have limitations on the number of connections they can support, and are easy to implement. However, with advancements in communication technology, communication systems can support not only conventional cellular communication but also one or more other types of communication. For example, a communication system can support one or more of the following: device-to-device (D2D) communication, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, and vehicle-to-everything / vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2X) communication. The embodiments of this application can also be applied to communication systems that support the above communication methods.

[0021] The communication system in the embodiment of the present invention can be applied to carrier aggregation (CA) scenarios, dual connectivity (DC) scenarios, and standalone (SA) networking scenarios.

[0022] The communication system in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to the non-licensed spectrum. This non-licensed spectrum can also be considered a shared spectrum. Alternatively, the communication system in the embodiment of the present application can also be applied to the licensed spectrum. This licensed spectrum can also be considered a dedicated spectrum.

[0023] The embodiments of this application are applicable to terrestrial network (TN) systems and also to NTN systems. For example, the NTN system may include a 4G-based NTN system, an NR-based NTN system, an Internet of Things (IoT)-based NTN system, and a narrow-band Internet of Things (NB-IoT)-based NTN system.

[0024] The communication system may include one or more terminal devices. The terminal devices according to the embodiments of the present application may also be called user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, or user equipment.

[0025] In some embodiments, the terminal device may be a station (ST) in a WLAN. In some embodiments, the terminal device may be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA) device, a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a next-generation communication system (e.g., an NR system), or a terminal device in a future public land mobile network (PLMN).

[0026] In some embodiments, a terminal device may refer to a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user. For example, a terminal device may be a handheld device with wireless connectivity, an in-vehicle device, etc. Some specific examples of terminal devices may be a mobile phone, a tablet PC (Pad), a laptop computer, a palmtop computer, a mobile internet device (MID), a wearable device, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home, etc.

[0027] In some embodiments, the terminal device may be located on land. For example, the terminal device may be located indoors or outdoors. In some embodiments, the terminal device may be located on water, for example, on a steamship. In some embodiments, the terminal device may be located in the air, for example, on an airplane, balloon or satellite.

[0028] In addition to terminal devices, the communication system may further include one or more network devices. The network devices in the embodiments of the present application may be devices for communicating with terminal devices, and such network devices may also be called access network devices or radio access network devices. Such network devices may be, for example, base stations. The network devices in the embodiments of the present application may refer to radio access network (RAN) nodes (or devices) that provide terminal devices with access to a radio network. The term "base station" broadly covers, or may be replaced by, various names such as NodeB, evolved NodeB (eNB), next-generation NodeB (gNB), relay station, access point, transmitting and receiving point (TRP), transmitting point (TP), main base station (MeNB), secondary base station (SeNB), multi-standard radio (MSR) node, home base station, network controller, access node, radio node, access point (AP), transmission node, transceiver node, baseband unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), remote radio head (RRH), central unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), and positioning node. A base station may also be a macro base station, micro base station, relay node, donor node, or similar, or a combination thereof. A base station may further refer to a communication module, modem, or chip installed within the aforementioned device or apparatus.The base station may also be a mobile switching center, a device that performs base station functions in D2D, V2X, and M2M communications, a network-side device in a 6G network, or a device that performs base station functions in future communication systems. The base station can support networks with the same or different access technologies. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technologies employed in the network devices or the specific forms of the devices.

[0029] Base stations may be fixed or mobile. For example, a helicopter or drone may be configured as a mobile base station, and one or more cells may move based on the location of the mobile base station. In another example, a helicopter or drone may be configured as a device for communicating with another base station.

[0030] In some deployments, the network device in the embodiments of the present invention refers to a CU or DU, or the network device may include both a CU and a DU. The gNB may further include an AAU.

[0031] As a non-limiting example, in the embodiments of the present application, the network device may have mobile characteristics; for example, the network device may be a mobile device. In some embodiments of the present application, the network device may be a satellite, a balloon station. In some embodiments of the present application, the network device may further be a base station installed at a location such as on land or in a body of water.

[0032] In embodiments of the present invention, a network device can provide services to a cell, and a terminal device communicates with the network device using the transmission resources (e.g., frequency domain resources, i.e., spectral resources) used by the cell, the cell may be a cell corresponding to a network device (e.g., a base station), the cell may belong to a macro base station, or to a base station corresponding to a small cell, the small cell here including metro cells, micro cells, pico cells, femto cells, etc., these small cells are characterized by a small coverage range and low transmission power and are applied to provide high-rate data transmission services.

[0033] Exemplary, Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 100 may include a network device 110, and the network device 110 may be a device that communicates with a terminal device 120 (also referred to as a communication terminal or terminal). The network device 110 can provide communication coverage to a specific geographic area and can communicate with terminal devices located within that coverage area.

[0034] The communication system 100 shown in Figure 1 exemplifies one network device and two terminal devices, and in some embodiments of the present application, the communication system 100 may include multiple network devices, and the coverage range of each network device may include other numbers of terminal devices, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0035] For illustrative purposes, Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the NTN system architecture described above. The NTN system 200 shown in Figure 2 uses a satellite 210 as an aerial platform. As shown in Figure 2, the satellite radio access network includes the satellite 210, a service link 220, a feeder link 230, terminal devices 240, a gateway 250, and a network 260 including base stations and a core network.

[0036] Satellite 210 is a spacecraft based on a space platform. Service link 220 refers to the link between satellite 210 and terminal device 240. Feeder link 230 refers to the link between gateway 250 and satellite 210. The Earth-based gateway 250 connects satellite 210 to a base station or core network, specifically determined based on the architecture selection.

[0037] The NTN architecture shown in Figure 2 is a bent-pipe transponder architecture. In this architecture, the base station is located on Earth behind the gateway 250, and the satellite 210 functions as a relay. The satellite 210 acts as a repeater, forwarding signals from feeder link 230 to service link 220, or forwarding signals from service link 220 to feeder link 230. In other words, the satellite 210 does not function as a base station, and communication between terminal devices 240 and the base station in network 260 must be performed using the satellite 210.

[0038] For example, Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of another NTN system architecture. The NTN system 300 shown in Figure 3 similarly uses a satellite 310 as an aerial platform. The difference from Figure 2 is that in Figure 3, the base station 312 is located on the satellite 310, and the network 360 behind the gateway 350 includes only the core network.

[0039] The NTN architecture shown in Figure 3 is a regenerative transponder architecture. In this architecture, satellite 310 carries base station 312 and can connect directly to the Earth-based core network using a link. Satellite 310 has the function of a base station, and terminal device 340 can communicate directly with satellite 310. Therefore, satellite 310 may also be called a network device.

[0040] The communication system architecture shown in Figures 2 and 3 may include multiple network devices, and the coverage range of each network device may include other terminal devices; however, the embodiments of this application are not limited to this.

[0041] In the embodiments of the present application, the wireless communication system shown in Figures 1 to 3 may further include other network entities such as a mobility management entity (MME) and an access and mobility management function (AMF), but is not limited to these embodiments.

[0042] One point that can be understood is that, in the embodiments of this application, a device having communication functionality in a network / system can be called a communication device. Taking the communication system 100 shown in Figure 1 as an example, the communication device may include a network device 110 and a terminal device 120 having communication functionality, and the network device 110 and the terminal device 120 may be the specific devices described above, and a detailed explanation is omitted here. The communication device may further include other devices in the communication system 100, such as a network controller and other network entities such as a mobility management entity, and this is not limited to the embodiments of this application.

[0043] For the sake of understanding, some relevant technical knowledge relating to the embodiments of this application will be explained first. The following related technologies can be optionally combined with the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application as selectable means, and all of them fall within the scope of protection of the embodiments of this application. The embodiments of this application include at least some of the following:

[0044] With advancements in communication technology, communication systems (e.g., 5G) are opening up market potential for integrating satellite and terrestrial network infrastructure. For example, the 5G standard has made NTN, including its satellite segment, part of the 5G connectivity infrastructure of the well-known 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP®).

[0045] Communication satellites are classified according to their orbital height into low Earth orbit (LEO), medium Earth orbit (MEO), geostationary Earth orbit (GEO), and high elliptical orbit (HEO) satellites. Of these, LEO is an orbit centered on the Earth, with an altitude of 2,000 km or less, or with at least 11.25 periods per day and an eccentricity of less than 0.25. Most man-made objects in outer layer space are located in LEO. LEO satellites orbit the Earth at high speed (mobility), but are in predictable or determinable orbits.

[0046] Satellites with different orbital altitudes have different orbital periods.

[0047] LEO: Typical altitudes are 250km to 1,500km, and orbital periods are 90 to 120 minutes.

[0048] MEO (Metropolitan Orbital Oscillators): Typical altitudes are 5,000 km to 25,000 km, and orbital periods are 3 to 15 hours.

[0049] GEO: Its altitude is approximately 35,786 km, and its orbital period is 24 hours.

[0050] NTN refers to a network or network segment that uses radio frequency (RF) resources on a satellite or unmanned aerial system (UAS) platform. Typical NTN scenarios for accessing terminal devices involve NTN transparent payloads or NTN regenerative payloads. Figures 2 and 3 above show two types of NTN system architectures, using satellites as an example. The vented-pipe transponder architecture shown in Figure 2 corresponds to NTN transparent payloads, while the regenerative transponder architecture shown in Figure 3 corresponds to NTN regenerative payloads.

[0051] In NTN systems based on satellite communications, the coverage range of serving cells is generally relatively large. NTN cells have a diameter of at least 50 km. In some embodiments, an NTN cell can cover multiple cities where TN cells are deployed, as well as remote or maritime areas where TN cells are not deployed.

[0052] In the NTN system, both satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) possess high mobility. Cells projected by satellites onto the ground may be fixed relative to the ground or may move with the satellite. Taking serving cells corresponding to LEO satellites as an example, cells projected by LEO satellites onto the ground typically include two modes: fixed cells and moving cells.

[0053] A cell stationary relative to the ground may refer to a serving cell whose covered geographical area is fixed. For example, different LEO satellites can cover the same area on the ground by adjusting the antenna's aiming angle, and if one LEO satellite can no longer cover that area, another LEO satellite will take over. Even in the case of satellites in geosynchronous orbit (GSO), the cells projected onto the ground may be fixed cells.

[0054] A mobile cell may refer to a serving cell whose covered geographical area changes. For example, a cell projected onto the ground by an LEO satellite may move with the satellite. Generally, if the LEO satellite's antenna is perpendicular to the ground, the cell projected onto the ground by the LEO satellite is a mobile cell. Whether the LEO satellite acts as an independent base station or a relay base station, the mobile cell moves with the LEO satellite, and the relative distance between the LEO satellite and the terminal device is constantly changing. After a certain period, the LEO satellite's signal may no longer cover the terminal device, and if the network deployment is relatively well-established, the next LEO satellite will cover the terminal device. Because the satellite system is spherical, the next LEO satellite may come from various angles.

[0055] The projected position of a satellite in a direction perpendicular to the ground may be called the satellite's nadir point, or it may be called the reference point or reference position. The trajectory of the satellite reference point on the ground is usually aligned with the satellite's orbit. In other words, the trajectory of the satellite reference point on the ground can be considered a projection of the satellite's orbit.

[0056] Satellite operation parameters can be represented by ephemeris data. Ephemeris data typically comes in two forms: orbital parameters and position, velocity, and time (PVT) parameters. Both orbital and PVT parameters can indicate the satellite's position relative to the ground. Terminal devices can use ephemeris data to determine the satellite's future trajectory and, consequently, whether measurement or handover is necessary.

[0057] The NTN system may include quasi-earth-fixed systems and mobile unit systems. The solutions for different systems differ in the theme of enhanced cell measurement and reselection. For example, in the case of time-based cell reselection in a quasi-earth-fixed system, a network device can provide terminal devices with a period of time during which its common cell stops serving. All idle / inactive terminal devices within the cell can perform cell reselection before the cell stop time. For example, in the case of initiating position-based measurement in a quasi-earth-fixed system, a network device can provide terminal devices with a reference position and distance threshold for the serving cell. If the distance between a terminal device and the reference position of the current serving cell is greater than the distance threshold, the terminal device is required to perform an adjacent cell measurement.

[0058] Using the Rel-17 specification as an example, the specification specifies location-based measurement initiation rules and time-based measurement initiation rules for NTN quasi-earth-fixed cells. For location-based measurement initiation rules, a distance threshold and the serving cell's reference position (i.e., the cell center on the ground) are introduced. If the distance between the terminal device and the serving cell's reference position is less than the distance threshold and the conventional signal reception conditions are met, the terminal device does not need to perform priority-based adjacent cell measurement. These signal reception conditions may be reference signal received power (RSRP) conditions or reference signal received quality (RSRQ) conditions. Priority-based adjacent cell measurement refers to performing adjacent cell measurement based on frequencies within or between NR frequencies with equal or lower priority, or between radio access technologies (RATs) with lower priority. For time-based measurement initiation rules, the rules introduce a serving cell downtime, i.e., the time during which the cell stops covering the current area. If a cell downtime is set, the terminal device must begin measuring adjacent cells before the cell downtime, regardless of whether it meets the above location conditions or conventional RSRP / RSRQ conditions.

[0059] However, the solutions applicable to the above-mentioned quasi-earth-fixed systems cannot be applied to mobile unit systems.

[0060] In a mobile unit system, the coverage area of ​​the NTN cell moves with the network devices. Even if the terminal device is fixed, the relative position of the terminal device to the network device changes. In other words, in a mobile unit system, both the position of the terminal device and the serving cell can change. Taking a mobile cell of a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite as an example, the typical velocity of an LEO satellite is 7.56 km / s. As the LEO satellite moves, the satellite's footprint slides across the Earth. Considering that the diameter of the NTN cell is at least 50 km, this means that all idle / inactive terminal devices in the cell must be assigned in 6.61 seconds. In other words, all terminal devices in the cell must re-select another resident cell, and the new terminal devices also reside in that cell. In the above solution, the information that the network device provides to the terminal device to trigger cell measurement / re-selection may be inaccurate, making it disadvantageous for the terminal device to perform adjacent cell measurement or cell re-selection.

[0061] As mentioned above, NTN cells typically cover a much larger area than TN cells. NTN cells cover a large number of low-mobility NB-IoT terminal devices. In the case of a moving Earth cell, despite the slow movement of NB-IoT terminal devices, the distance between network devices and terminal devices changes significantly due to the movement of network devices. Therefore, for terminal devices in a moving cell, terminal devices need more accurate information to perform neighbor cell measurements before the location where the network device stops serving.

[0062] To address some of the above problems, embodiments of the present application propose a method for wireless communication. In this method, a terminal device is instructed to perform adjacent cell measurements based on a first parameter related to the terminal device's location information. The terminal device's location information can indicate the relative positional relationship between the terminal device and the serving cell, which helps the terminal device to perform measurements / handovers, etc. For ease of understanding, the main technical solutions of embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to Figure 4.

[0063] Figure 4 is constructed from the perspective of the interaction between the terminal device and the network device. The terminal device determines the timing to trigger adjacent cell measurement through communication with the network device.

[0064] The terminal device may be any of the aforementioned terminal devices that communicate with network devices within an NTN cell, or it may be a terminal device that communicates within another ground mobile cell. In some embodiments, the terminal device may be a communication device with low mobility in NB-IoT.

[0065] In some embodiments, the terminal device may be a communication device that is idle or inactive in an NTN cell. The terminal device can receive broadcast information or system information transmitted from a network device. In some embodiments, the terminal device may be an active communication device. The terminal device can receive broadcast information or system information transmitted from a network device, and can also receive dedicated signaling transmitted from a network device. Dedicated signaling can reduce the consumption of public resources.

[0066] The network device may be a communication device that provides network services to the NTN cell where the terminal device is located. For example, the network device may be a satellite that functions as an independent base station, or an unmanned aerial vehicle system that functions as a relay base station.

[0067] An NTN cell may be a serving cell whose coverage area is stationary relative to the ground, such as a quasi-earth-fixed cell. Alternatively, an NTN cell may be a serving cell whose coverage area moves with network devices, such as a quasi-earth-mobile cell. This is not a limitation.

[0068] Referring to Figure 4, in step S410, the terminal device receives the first parameter transmitted from the network device.

[0069] The first parameter is used to instruct the terminal device to perform an adjacent cell measurement. The first parameter can indicate the relative position between the terminal device and the current serving cell, thereby allowing the terminal device to determine whether it is in the edge region of the serving cell and thus better trigger an adjacent cell measurement. The first parameter may be associated with one or more pieces of information. This information may be the distance between the terminal device and the network device. This distance may also be called the service link distance and is represented by L. The threshold of the service link distance is related to the coverage range of the NTN cell. This information may also be the height of the network device from the ground. This height may also be called the height of the network device in the direction perpendicular to the ground. This information may also be the azimuth angle of the network device's antenna. This azimuth angle is used to determine the coverage area of ​​the NTN cell. This information may also be sub-regions within the NTN cell. Sub-regions may include multiple virtual regions that further subdivide the NTN.

[0070] The azimuth angle of a network device's antenna may be the set azimuth angle of the antenna or the azimuth angle corresponding to the network device. In some embodiments, the azimuth angle of a network device's antenna may be the maximum configurable azimuth angle of the antenna or the azimuth angle when network services are currently being provided. Thus, the antenna azimuth angle may be called the maximum azimuth angle or beam antenna angle. For example, if an NTN cell is a quasi-earth fixed cell, the satellite antenna azimuth angle can be adjusted based on the maximum azimuth angle to adapt to the coverage range of the NTN cell. In some embodiments, the antenna azimuth angle may refer to the azimuth angle of the network device or the satellite. For example, if a satellite in an NTN system functions as a relay station, the antenna azimuth angle is the satellite azimuth angle. Based on the satellite azimuth angle, relative position information between a terminal device and the satellite can be determined, and the coverage area of ​​the corresponding NTN cell can also be determined.

[0071] A rational sub-region division scheme may be advantageous for terminal devices to perform measurements / handovers. Terminal device handovers may include handovers between NTN-NTN, NTN-TN, etc. For example, a terminal device can determine whether it is centrally located within the coverage area of ​​an NTN cell based on the sub-region in which it is located, thereby reducing unnecessary measurements.

[0072] To unify the coverage division scheme with that of terrestrial TN cellular networks, sub-regions within an NTN cell are determined based on the coverage angle of the network device. The current coverage region of a network device can be determined by the azimuth angle of the network device's antenna. Within this coverage region, the angle formed by the line connecting the network device and the coverage location, and the perpendicular of the network device to the ground, is the coverage angle of the network device. In other words, the coverage angle of a terminal device can be determined based on the ratio of the distance between the terminal device and the network device to the height of the network device relative to the ground. The coverage angle may also be called the offset angle. Terminal devices at different locations have different coverage angles. At the edge locations of an NTN cell, the coverage angle is equivalent to the antenna azimuth angle. Therefore, the coverage angle of a network device is less than or equal to the antenna azimuth angle.

[0073] In some embodiments, dividing an NTN cell based on coverage angles means determining multiple coverage angles for multiple corresponding sub-regions based on the antenna azimuth angle. The multiple coverage angles may or may not be in an arithmetic progression. For example, if the antenna azimuth angle is 60 degrees, the coverage angles corresponding to multiple sub-regions may be 15 degrees, 30 degrees, 45 degrees, and 60 degrees, respectively. In other words, the NTN cell is divided into four sub-regions based on the azimuth angle, and one boundary for each sub-region is determined by the coverage angles corresponding to the four sub-regions. Also, for example, at the edge of the cell, the satellite coverage angle is α max And this angle is α1, α2, α3...α i It can be divided into, where α1 < α2 < α3 ... < α i <α max That is the case.

[0074] As a possible implementation, the plurality of sub-regions divided by the NTN may be a plurality of circular or annular regions centered on the projection position of the network device in the direction perpendicular to the ground. When the NTN cell includes N sub-regions (N is a natural number greater than 1), the N coverage angles respectively corresponding to the boundaries of the N sub-regions away from the center satisfy the condition: 0<α i <α i+1 ≦α N where α i is the coverage angle corresponding to the boundary of the i-th sub-region away from the center among the N sub-regions, i is a natural number in the range of 1 to N-1, and α N is the azimuth angle of the antenna.

[0075] As a possible implementation, the plurality of sub-regions divided by the NTN cell may or may not equally divide the coverage area of the NTN cell. For example, when the NTN cell includes N sub-regions, the areas corresponding to the N sub-regions may equally divide the NTN cell. That is, the areas of the N sub-regions may be equal. Also for example, the areas corresponding to the N sub-regions may be partially equal, or may not be all equal.

[0076] In some embodiments, the sub-regions within the NTN cell may be determined based on the projection position of the network device in the direction perpendicular to the ground. The projection position may be referred to as the first position. The NTN may determine the boundaries of the sub-regions based on the coverage angle, and the boundaries of the sub-regions include a curve centered at the first position. The first position may be determined based on the coordinates of the network device. For example, the terminal device may determine the orbital parameters or PVT parameters of the network device based on ephemeris data corresponding to the network device, and these parameters may determine the coordinates of the projection of the network device onto the ground. Based on the first position and the coverage angle, the position information of the plurality of sub-regions of the NTN cell may be determined.

[0077] In some embodiments, when an NTN cell is divided based on its coverage angle, several other pieces of information may be considered. That is, multiple virtual sub-regions in an NTN cell may be determined based on one or more other relevant pieces of information. These other relevant pieces of information may include the coordinates of network devices, the geographical environment of the NTN cell's coverage region, the distribution of TN cells within the NTN cell's coverage region, the limitations on signal interaction of the NTN cell, the measurement requirements and / or handover requirements of terminal devices, or auxiliary information provided by terminal devices. For example, when dividing an NTN cell into N sub-regions, increasing the value of N based on the above other relevant pieces of information can increase the number of sub-regions and further divide the NTN cell.

[0078] As a possible implementation, sub-regions within an NTN cell may be adaptively adjusted based on the coordinates of the network device and the TN coverage status. For example, if the coordinates indicate that the network device is in a densely populated area, or if there are many TN cells within the NTN cell, the number of sub-regions can be increased. Increasing the number of sub-regions allows for more accurate handover between NTN cells and TN cells.

[0079] As a possible implementation, sub-regions within an NTN cell may be adaptively adjusted based on the geographical environment of the coverage area. For example, if the primary area covered by an NTN cell is ocean or desert, the number of sub-regions can be reduced. Because there are fewer TN cells in that area, the probability of handover with TN cells is lower.

[0080] As a possible implementation, the sub-regions within an NTN cell may be determined based on the limitations of signal interaction within the NTN cell. For example, if there are many TN cells within an NTN cell, a large number of sub-regions would require terminal devices to perform many signal interactions with network devices to meet the requirements for measurement or handover in different sub-regions. If the network device is a satellite, the transmission delay is large, and the number of sub-regions can be reduced to minimize interactions.

[0081] As a possible implementation, the sub-regions within the NTN cell may be determined based on the measurement and / or handover requirements of the terminal devices. For example, if the accuracy requirements for measuring or handover of terminal devices are high in order to reduce power consumption, increasing the number of sub-regions can reduce the deviation in subsequent measurement and handover decisions.

[0082] As a possible implementation, sub-regions within an NTN cell may be determined based on other auxiliary information provided by terminal devices. For example, terminal devices can provide network devices with information about their surrounding environment or location information determined by other means. Network devices can then determine the number of sub-regions based on auxiliary information provided by multiple terminal devices.

[0083] As described above, in order to determine the division method of an NTN cell and whether it will be divided into several sub-regions, in addition to the coverage angle and location of network devices, the ground conditions covered by the NTN cell, the distribution of TN in the coverage area, communication requirements, and auxiliary information provided by terminal devices may be considered. This will allow for more precise division of the NTN cell and better adaptation to the geographical area to be covered.

[0084] The NTN cell division method according to the embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to Figure 5.

[0085] As shown in Figure 5, the projection position of the network device in the direction perpendicular to the ground is the first position 510, and the antenna azimuth angle is the maximum azimuth angle α of the network device. max Based on this azimuth angle, the NTN cell is divided into three sub-regions, NTN1, NTN2, and NTN3. As shown in Figure 5, the boundaries of the three sub-regions are centered at the first position 510. Specifically, the boundary curve 520 of sub-region NTN1 is a circle centered at the first position 510. The boundary of sub-region NTN2 includes curves 520 and 530. Curve 530 is also a circle centered at the first position 510. Similarly, the boundary of sub-region NTN2 includes curves 530 and 540. Curve 540 is also a circle centered at the first position 510.

[0086] As shown in Figure 5, the coverage angle of the network device corresponding to the boundary of multiple sub-regions is less than or equal to the antenna azimuth angle. The coverage angle corresponding to the boundary curve 520 of sub-region NTN1 is α1, and α1 is α max It is less than . The coverage angles corresponding to the two boundaries of subregion NTN2 are α1 and α2, respectively, and both are α max It is less than . The coverage angle corresponding to the inner boundary curve 530 of sub-region NTN3 is α2, and the coverage angle corresponding to the outer boundary curve 540 is α max It is equal to.

[0087] The coverage angle corresponding to a terminal device within a sub-region is within the range of the coverage angle corresponding to the boundary of that sub-region. For example, the coverage angle corresponding to a terminal device within sub-region NTN1 is α1 or less.

[0088] It is important to understand that the concentric circle division method shown in Figure 5 is merely an example, and other division methods based on coverage angles can also be applied to this invention. For example, multiple elliptical sub-regions can be determined based on the coverage angles of network devices in multiple directions.

[0089] The NTN cell division scheme, as explained with reference to Figure 5, can be applied to quasi-earth fixed cells and quasi-earth mobile cells. The relative positional changes between terminal devices and network devices differ depending on the cell type. This will be explained in detail later.

[0090] The NTN cell division method shown in Figure 5 can be standardized with the coverage division of the terrestrial TN cellular network. This division method allows the NTN network to better integrate with the terrestrial cellular system and reduces blind spots in measurements. In addition to division based on azimuth angle, the NTN cell division method for antennas may include several other methods, which will be briefly explained later with reference to Figures 8 and 9.

[0091] Returning to step S410 shown in Figure 4, the first parameter may be used to instruct the terminal device to perform an adjacent cell measurement based on the terminal device's location information in the NTN cell. This location information can be used to determine the relative location information between the terminal device and the corresponding network device. In some embodiments, this relative location information can be used to determine whether the terminal device is in the edge region of the current serving cell. For example, the terminal device can determine the time to reach the edge by the distance between the terminal device and the network device associated with the first parameter. In some embodiments, this relative location information can be used to determine the subregion where the terminal device is located. Subregions within the NTN cell can set different measurement / handover modes, and the terminal device can perform reasonable measurements based on the subregion information where it is located.

[0092] Relative position information between a terminal device and a network device may include the relative distance or relative angle between the terminal device and the network device. In some embodiments, the first parameter can directly indicate the relative position information by associating multiple pieces of information. For example, the first parameter may be the distance between the terminal device and the network device. In some embodiments, the terminal device can determine the relative position information by multiple pieces of association information. For example, the first parameter can determine the coverage angle of the network device corresponding to the terminal device by the distance between the terminal device and the network device and the height of the network device from the ground.

[0093] In some embodiments, the first parameter may be directly one or more of the above-mentioned association information. For example, the first parameter received by the terminal device may be the height of the network device from the ground, the azimuth angle of the network device's antenna, or the sub-region division scheme. In some embodiments, the first parameter may be other information from which the above-mentioned one or more of the above-mentioned association information is obtained. For example, the first parameter may be ephemeris data corresponding to a serving satellite. Satellite orbit parameters in the ephemeris data are available, and the terminal device can determine and predict the position of the serving satellite and the position coordinates of the point directly beneath the satellite in real time. The terminal device can determine relative position information with respect to the serving satellite using this data. Alternatively, for example, the first parameter may be association information for sub-regions within an NTN cell. The terminal device can determine the sub-region it is located in using this association information, thereby determining the relative positional relationship between the terminal device and the network device. Alternatively, for example, the first parameter may be a reference signal transmitted from the network device. The terminal device can determine the distance between the terminal device and the network device based on the received RSRP.

[0094] In step S420, the terminal device performs an adjacent cell measurement in the NTN cell based on the first parameter.

[0095] Adjacent cell measurement may also be called neighbor cell measurement. Adjacent cell measurement may include measurements of adjacent cells, or it may include related measurements to trigger adjacent cell measurement. When a terminal device performs adjacent cell measurement, the adjacent cell may be an NTN cell or a TN cell, and is not limited to these.

[0096] In some embodiments, the terminal device performing an adjacent cell measurement may be preparation for cell reselection. That is, after the terminal device triggers an adjacent cell measurement, the results of the adjacent cell measurement can be used by the terminal device to perform cell reselection.

[0097] As described above, the first parameter can indicate the relative positional relationship between the terminal device and the serving cell. The association information of the first parameter can be used to determine this relative positional relationship and to indicate whether the terminal device triggers adjacent cell measurement.

[0098] A terminal device can perform adjacent cell measurements based on multiple trigger elements. These trigger elements may be time, distance, angle, or a sub-region in which the terminal device is located.

[0099] In some embodiments, a terminal device may trigger an adjacent cell measurement based on time. In a possible implementation, the terminal device may determine the time to reach the edge of an NTN cell based on a first parameter and decide whether or not to trigger an adjacent cell measurement based on that time. For example, in the case of a quasi-earth stationary cell, the serving cell may provide service downtime. The terminal device may set a time measurement threshold by combining the service downtime and its own motion information, and if the time to reach the edge of the NTN cell is less than the time measurement threshold, the terminal device triggers an adjacent cell measurement. For example, in the case of a quasi-earth moving cell, when relative movement occurs between the terminal device and the serving cell, the terminal device may similarly decide whether or not to trigger an adjacent cell measurement based on the time measurement threshold.

[0100] As a possible implementation, the first parameter may be determined based on the ratio of the distance between the terminal device and the network device to the height of the network device from the ground. For example, if the height of the network device from the ground is D and the distance between the terminal device and the network device is L, the ratio (D / L) can determine the coverage angle α of the network device corresponding to the terminal device. Specifically, α = arccos(D / L).

[0101] One possible implementation is that a network device may notify a terminal device of a first parameter via broadcast information / system information / dedicated signaling. The terminal device can then determine a second parameter based on the first parameter, which is used to indicate the time it will take for the terminal device to reach the edge of the NTN cell. For example, if the first parameter includes ephemeris data of the network device, the terminal device will determine the distance to the network device and the height of the network device from the ground based on the ephemeris data, thereby determining the corresponding coverage angle. To obtain the time it will take for the terminal device to reach the edge of the NTN cell, the second parameter may be determined based on the antenna azimuth angle. The antenna azimuth angle and the coverage angle corresponding to the terminal device will determine the time required for the terminal device to reach the edge of the cell, thereby determining whether or not to perform an adjacent cell measurement.

[0102] For example, the time t for a terminal device to reach the edge of an NTN cell is given by the formula: t=(α N -α n ) / Δγ This can be determined by, where α N This is the azimuth angle of the network device's antenna (α shown in Figure 5). max ), α n Δγ is the coverage angle of the network device corresponding to the position of the terminal device, Δγ is the relative angular velocity, and Δγ = γ1 - γ2, where γ1 is the angular velocity of the network device and γ2 is the angular velocity of the Earth's rotation.

[0103] In another possible implementation, the terminal device may further set a time measurement threshold. If the time it takes the terminal device to reach the edge of an NTN cell is less than this time measurement threshold, it can trigger an adjacent cell measurement. The time measurement thresholds for different terminal devices may be the same or different.

[0104] Another possible implementation is that a network device can notify terminal devices of the NTN cell division scheme. The NTN cell coverage is large, and the computational complexity is somewhat high if all terminal devices within the NTN area are configured to calculate and communicate the time it takes to reach the edge of an NTN cell. Terminal devices can also decide whether or not to trigger an adjacent cell measurement based on the time interval in which they are located. Taking the three sub-regions shown in Figure 1 as an example, regardless of whether the terminal device is in NTN1, NTN2, or NTN3, the time t required for the terminal device to reach the cell edge is given by the following conditions: t=(α N -α i ) / Δγ The condition satisfies, where α N This is the azimuth angle of the network device's antenna (α shown in Figure 5). max ), α i Δγ is the coverage angle corresponding to the boundary of the i-th sub-region out of N sub-regions, away from the first position, where i is a natural number in the range of 1 to N-1, and Δγ is the relative angular velocity, where Δγ = γ1 - γ2, where γ1 is the angular velocity of the network device and γ2 is the angular velocity of the Earth's rotation.

[0105] As can be seen from the above, the time required for terminal devices in different sub-regions to reach the cell edge can vary. The time it takes to reach the cell edge can be used to trigger adjacent cell measurements in quasi-earth stationary cells and quasi-earth mobile cells.

[0106] Specifically, if an NTN cell contains N sub-regions, the boundaries of the N sub-regions each correspond to one time period, so the N sub-regions can correspond to N time intervals. Two boundaries of a sub-region containing the edge of an NTN cell can correspond to one time range, and the terminal device can set a time measurement threshold based on this time range. In other words, the range of the time measurement threshold can correspond to a sub-region containing the edge of an NTN cell. The terminal device performs the adjacent cell measurement at the start time of the time measurement threshold. A sub-region containing the edge of an NTN cell may also be called the outermost sub-region.

[0107] For example, a network device can provide a terminal device with the vertical distance of the network device relative to the ground, the distance between the terminal device and the network device, and the antenna azimuth angle through broadcast information / system information / dedicated signaling. Based on the service link distance and the vertical height of the satellite relative to the ground, the terminal device can calculate the coverage angle range of the sub-region where it is located. Equation t=(α N -α i From ) / Δγ, we can determine the time it takes for the terminal device to reach the edge of the cell from the subregion where it is located, thereby initiating measurement and / or handover.

[0108] Let's take the sub-region division method shown in Figure 5 as an example. The NTN cell is divided into three regions: NTN1, NTN2, and NTN3. The times to reach the edges of these three regions are t1, t2, and t3, respectively. The terminal device can set a time threshold to trigger measurement. The setting of the time threshold is determined based on the NTNx ring range closest to the edge, obtained by dividing the NTN cell. If the time measurement threshold is t, the value of t corresponding to Figure 5 is [t2, t3]. When it is t2, the terminal device begins to perform evaluation of normal adjacent cells and prepares time for cell reselection. Therefore, at the time interval [t2, t3], the terminal device begins to perform measurement of normal adjacent cells and prepares for the next cell reselection.

[0109] In some embodiments, a terminal device may trigger an adjacent cell measurement based on distance. The terminal device determines the distance to the network device based on a first parameter and decides whether or not to trigger an adjacent cell measurement based on that distance. For example, in the case of a quasi-earth stationary cell, the network device can provide the terminal device with a reference position for calculating the distance. The terminal device may trigger an adjacent cell measurement based on a distance threshold provided by the network device, or it may trigger an adjacent cell measurement in combination with its own motion information. Based on the reference position and the distance threshold, the terminal device can also estimate when the serving cell will cease providing coverage at its current location. Terminal devices with different distances to the cell edge will have different service downtimes. For example, in the case of a quasi-earth moving cell, the terminal device can determine the distance from the terminal device to the cell edge based on the relative motion situation, thereby triggering an adjacent cell measurement.

[0110] As one possible implementation, based on the cell division scheme shown in Figure 5, the terminal device may determine the distance to the network device based on a first parameter and the distance between the cell edge and the network device based on the antenna azimuth angle. Comparing the two distances can indicate the distance between the terminal device and the edge of the NTN cell, thereby determining whether or not to trigger adjacent cell measurement. As shown in Figure 5, the distance between the edge of the NTN cell and the network device is L max The distance L between the terminal device and the network device is L max If the values ​​are close, it can trigger adjacent cell measurement. For example, one threshold can be set, such as L and L max If the difference between them is less than the threshold, trigger the adjacent cell measurement.

[0111] One possible implementation is that the terminal device may determine a second parameter based on the first parameter described above. The second parameter can be used to indicate the distance between the terminal device and the edge of the NTN cell. Based on the distance to the edge of the NTN cell, the terminal device can decide whether or not to trigger an adjacent cell measurement. Specifically, the terminal device can set a distance threshold, and when the distance between the terminal device and the edge of the cell falls below this threshold, it triggers an adjacent cell measurement. For example, the terminal device can determine the edge of the NTN cell based on the antenna azimuth angle. The terminal device can determine the distance to a first location based on the service link distance and the height of the network device from the ground, thereby determining the distance to the edge of the cell.

[0112] In one possible implementation, the second parameter may be determined based on other information. This other information may be an offset determined by the network device based on a reference position, ephemeris data of the network device, the speed of the network device, the trajectory of the network device, or the movement information of the terminal device. The offset, ephemeris data, speed, and trajectory associated with the network device may be called the first information. The terminal device can receive the first information through broadcast information, system information, or dedicated signaling from the network device. Various pieces of information in the first information can be converted to each other. For example, the trajectory of the network device can be determined by ephemeris data, and the offset can also be determined by the speed of the network device.

[0113] For example, the second parameter may be determined based on the terminal device's movement information and the time it takes to reach the edge of the NTN cell. The time it takes for the terminal device to reach the edge of the NTN cell can be determined by the first parameter or by other means. Specifically, the terminal device can calculate the distance to the edge of the cell based on its own speed and the time it takes to reach the edge of the cell. The terminal device can then use this distance and speed information to know when to start distance-based measurements.

[0114] For example, the second parameter can determine the offset of a network device over a period of time, based on the network device's motion trajectory and speed. Based on this offset, the real-time location information of the network device can be determined. A terminal device can determine the distance between itself and the real-time location information based on its own location information and the network device's coverage area. Based on this distance and the network device's coverage area, it can be determined whether or not to trigger adjacent cell measurement.

[0115] One possible implementation is that a network device may notify terminal devices of ephemeris data via broadcast information / system information / dedicated signaling while constantly moving. Based on the ephemeris data, the terminal device can obtain the position of the network device at different points in time. For example, the position of the satellite sub-point of the network device at a first point in time may be called the reference position, and the position of the satellite sub-point at a second point in time can be determined based on the reference position and offset. Thus, the terminal device can calculate the real-time reference position of the network device and the current real-time position of the terminal device. Based on the position information, the terminal device can determine the time to reach the edge of the cell, thereby determining when to start cell measurement and cell handover.

[0116] For example, the reference position of a network device is the first projected position corresponding to the network device at a first time point, and at a second time point, it corresponds to the second projected position, while the offset is the distance between the second and first projected positions. This offset can be used to determine the distance between the terminal device and the network device at the second time point. The first and second projected positions can be used to determine the motion trajectory of the network device.

[0117] As another example, the distance between the terminal device and the network device at a second point in time may be determined based on the terminal device's location information. The terminal device's location information can be determined by observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA), global navigation satellite system (GNSS) auxiliary information, or other positioning information.

[0118] For ease of understanding, a quasi-earth mobile cell will be used as an example below, and one possible implementation of the distance-based measurement trigger means will be specifically explained with reference to Figure 6. Figure 6 is a plan view of the NTN cell.

[0119] As shown in Figure 6, the network device moves along its trajectory. At the first time point, the first projected position of the network device is the reference position shown in Figure 6, and the coverage area is region A. At the second time point, the second projected position of the network device is the satellite sub-point shown in Figure 6, and the coverage area of ​​the network device is region B. As shown in Figure 6, the terminal device belongs to the coverage areas of region A and region B, respectively. The vertical distance from the terminal device to the trajectory of the network device can be represented by K, and K is usually a constant. With the trajectory of the network device as the reference, θ1 and θ2 in Figure 6 are the angles between the line connecting the reference position and the terminal device and the line connecting the reference position and the satellite sub-point in the plan view, and the angles between the line connecting the satellite sub-point and the terminal device and the line connecting the reference position and the satellite sub-point, respectively. d1 is the distance from the reference position to the terminal device, and d2 is the distance from the satellite sub-point to the terminal device.

[0120] From the first to the second time point, the network device moves from the reference position to the point directly beneath the satellite. At the first time point, the terminal device is within region A, can determine the sub-region to which it belongs, and can calculate the distance from the edge and the distance from the reference position. For example, the terminal device may determine d1 and θ1 through communication with the network device. Alternatively, for example, the terminal device may determine θ1 using OTDOA positioning, GNSS auxiliary information, or other positioning information. At the second time point, the terminal device does not determine the position of the network device.

[0121] As can be seen from the above, K is a constant and can be expressed as K = d1sinθ1 = d2sinθ2. Therefore, the distance d2 between the terminal device and the network device at the second time point is given by the following condition: d2 = d1sinθ1 / sinθ2 The following conditions are met, where d1 represents the distance between the terminal device and the network device at the first time point, d2 represents the distance between the terminal device and the network device at the second time point, θ1 represents the angle between the line connecting the terminal device and the reference position and the motion trajectory, θ2 represents the angle between the line connecting the terminal device and the second projection position and the motion trajectory, and θ2 is, condition: θ² = 180 - arctg[d1sinθ1 / (L offset (-d1cosθ1)] Satisfying the condition, where L offset This represents the offset based on the reference position of the network device at the second time point.

[0122] When the terminal device obtains d2, it indicates that it can obtain the distance from the cell edge when the terminal device is in region B. The satellite's speed of movement also allows us to know the service time of region B. Based on the edge distance and service time, the terminal device can determine when or at what distance to begin neighboring cell measurements.

[0123] In some embodiments, the terminal device may trigger adjacent cell measurements based on an angle. In a possible implementation, the terminal device may determine a relative angle with respect to a network device based on a first parameter. This relative angle may be the coverage angle of the network device corresponding to the terminal device. The coverage angle of the network device may be the angle formed by the line connecting the network device and the location to be covered, and the perpendicular of the network device to the ground. The coverage angle is typically less than or equal to the antenna's azimuth angle. α in Figure 6 max This is the coverage angle corresponding to the edge of the network device, and this coverage angle is equal to the antenna's azimuth angle. For example, in the case of a quasi-earth moving cell, the coverage angle corresponding to the terminal device changes as the network device moves relative to the terminal device. The terminal device can determine whether or not to trigger an adjacent cell measurement based on the difference between the coverage angle and the antenna's azimuth angle.

[0124] In a possible implementation, the terminal device may determine a second parameter based on a first parameter, which is used to indicate the coverage angle of the network device corresponding to the terminal device. Based on the coverage angle corresponding to the terminal device, the terminal device can decide whether or not to trigger an adjacent cell measurement.

[0125] In another possible implementation, when the network device and the terminal device move to a specific relative position at a specific time, the network device may notify the terminal device of ephemeris data via broadcast information / system information / dedicated signaling. The terminal device then obtains the current offset angle of the terminal device relative to the network device, i.e., the corresponding coverage angle, based on the current service link distance and the height of the network device from the ground. For example, if the service link distance of terminal device m is L m If the height is D, the coverage angle corresponding to the terminal device is α m =arccos(D / L m The maximum coverage angle of a network device is α. max =arccos(D / L max ) Taking satellites as an example, in a satellite's orbit, it can be determined that the height from the satellite is the same at each point directly below it. α m <α max In this case, it can be determined that the terminal device is within the satellite's coverage area. α m >α max In this case, it can be determined that the terminal device has already moved out of the satellite's coverage area. Therefore, adjacent cell measurements can be triggered based on the coverage angle corresponding to the terminal device.

[0126] Another possible implementation is that if an NTN cell contains N sub-regions determined based on the coverage angle, the antenna azimuth angle may be used to determine N angular regions that correspond one-to-one with the N sub-regions. When the coverage angle corresponding to a terminal device falls within the angular region containing the antenna azimuth angle, the terminal device triggers an adjacent cell measurement. In other words, if the coverage angle corresponding to a terminal device is within the last sub-region containing the edge, an adjacent cell measurement is triggered.

[0127] Taking the three divided sub-regions in Figure 5 as an example, the coverage angles corresponding to the outer boundaries of the three sub-regions are α1, α2, and α3, respectively. α1 = arccos(D / L1), α2 = arccos(D / L2), and α3 = arccos(D / L3). Here, α3 = α max , L3=L max The angular region corresponding to sub-region NTN1 is [0, α1], the angular region corresponding to sub-region NTN2 is [α1, α2], and the angular region corresponding to sub-region NTN3 is [α2, α3]. If the coverage angle corresponding to the terminal device is within the [α2, α3] range, the terminal device can start measuring adjacent cells. [α2, α3] corresponds to sub-region NTN3, which may also be called the relaxation measurement region.

[0128] In some embodiments, the terminal device may trigger an adjacent cell measurement based on the sub-region it is located in. In a possible implementation, if the NTN cell's sub-region division scheme can indicate the distance between the terminal device and the NTN edge, the terminal device may decide whether or not to trigger an adjacent cell measurement based on the sub-region it is located in. For example, in the case of a quasi-earth mobile cell, as the serving cell position changes, the sub-region in which the terminal device is stationary also changes.

[0129] As a possible implementation, a terminal device may determine its location within a sub-region based on a first parameter, and then determine whether or not to trigger an adjacent cell measurement based on its location within that sub-region. For example, a terminal device can determine which sub-region of the NTN cell it belongs to based on its current service link distance and the height of the network device from the ground. As the network device moves, if the terminal device moves to the outermost sub-region of the NTN cell, it may trigger an adjacent cell measurement, or it may calculate the time it will take to reach the cell edge, thereby determining whether a handover or measurement operation will occur. In Figure 5 as an example, if the terminal device is in sub-region NTN3, an adjacent cell measurement can be triggered.

[0130] For ease of understanding, the following explanation will use a quasi-earth mobile cell as an example, referring to Figure 7 to describe possible implementations.

[0131] As shown in Figure 7, at time T0, the terminal device belongs to sub-region NTN2 of region A. Due to the movement of the network device, at time T1, the terminal device belongs to sub-region NTN3 of region B. At this time, the terminal device needs to recalculate its service time in region B and its distance from the cell edge. The terminal device can determine the relevant parameters of the network device by periodically receiving broadcast / upper-layer signaling messages from the network device. These relevant parameters include, for example, the cell radius and the network device offset, as shown in Figure 7. Based on these parameters, the terminal device can recalculate the time it will take to reach the cell edge and determine whether an operation such as a handover or measurement will occur.

[0132] In some embodiments, a terminal device may determine whether or not to trigger an adjacent cell measurement based on a first parameter and a relaxation measurement region. The relaxation measurement region may correspond to multiple parameters, thereby determining multiple parameter ranges that trigger adjacent cell measurements. If the parameter corresponding to the terminal device is within the parameter range, the adjacent cell measurement is triggered. If the parameter corresponding to the terminal device is not within the parameter range, the terminal device does not need to perform any further calculations or measurements related to adjacent cell measurements. By setting a relaxation measurement region, the number of measurements performed by the terminal device can be reduced, thereby reducing power consumption.

[0133] As a possible implementation, the relaxation measurement regions may correspond to the time parameter, distance parameter, and angle parameter mentioned above. Based on the parameter range corresponding to the relaxation measurement region, the terminal device can determine the parameter corresponding to the terminal device based on the first parameter, and thereby determine whether or not it is necessary to trigger adjacent cell measurement.

[0134] For example, the relaxation measurement region may correspond to the coverage angle of a network device. Using the coverage angle shown in Figure 5 as an example, the parameter range corresponding to the relaxation measurement region can be set to [α2, α3]. The coverage angle corresponding to a terminal device is determined based on the first parameter. If the coverage angle corresponding to a terminal device does not belong to [α2, α3], the terminal device does not need to perform tests related to adjacent cell measurement, contributing to reduced power consumption. If the coverage angle corresponding to a terminal device belongs to [α2, α3], adjacent cell measurement is triggered.

[0135] For example, the relaxation measurement region may correspond to the distance between the terminal device and the network device. The parameter range corresponding to the relaxation measurement region can be set to [L2,L3]. The distance between the terminal device and the network device may be determined directly based on the first parameter. The terminal device triggers adjacent cell measurement only if the distance between the terminal device and the network device falls within the range [L2,L3].

[0136] In the above embodiment, the terminal device may decide whether or not to perform relevant measurements to trigger adjacent cell measurements based on the sub-region in which it is located. That is, the terminal device may first determine which sub-region it is in, and only perform the relevant time, distance, or angle measurements to trigger adjacent cell measurements if it is in the outermost sub-region. Still using Figure 5 as an example, if the terminal device is in NTN2, the terminal device does not need to trigger adjacent cell measurements and does not need to calculate or measure parameters to compare with thresholds. Therefore, finer cell division allows the terminal device to measure better, improves the effectiveness of the terminal device performing adjacent cell measurements, and reduces the power consumption of the terminal device by reducing unnecessary measurements.

[0137] As described above, the NTN cell division method explained in Figure 5 can be applied to quasi-earth fixed cells and quasi-earth mobile cells.

[0138] In the case of a quasi-earth-fixed cell, the coverage range of the NTN cell can be divided into multiple sub-regions. For example, the coverage range of an NTN cell in a quasi-earth-fixed cell may be divided into n equally divided sub-regions according to the method shown in Figure 5, or it may be divided into several undivided sub-regions based on the degree and range of TN coverage.

[0139] In the case of a quasi-earth fixed cell, the coverage range of the NTN cell does not change, but the relative distance between the network device and the terminal device is constantly changing. After a certain period of time, the signal from the current network device may not be able to cover the terminal device. For example, if the service link distance L is greater than the maximum service link distance L max The coverage angle of the first network device corresponding to the terminal device is less than α. max If it is less than α, the terminal device is within the coverage range of the first network device. Also, for example, if the service link distance is greater than the maximum distance, or if the coverage angle of the first network device corresponding to the terminal device is α max If the value is greater than this, the terminal device has already moved out of the coverage range of the first network device. The terminal device can communicate with the second network device that provides the area instead of the first network device. In other words, in the case of a quasi-earth fixed cell, the terminal device is always in the same sub-area as long as its location does not change. However, the network device providing coverage to the terminal device changes.

[0140] In the case of a quasi-global mobile cell, the coverage range of the NTN cell changes as the network device moves. After cell division is performed on the NTN cell, the sub-region where the terminal device is located changes as the network device moves. If the terminal device is stationary, the sub-region where the terminal device is located changes. The terminal device determines its current sub-region and subsequent changes based on messages sent from the network device (e.g., the first message mentioned above). When the terminal device is in motion, it needs to periodically receive messages from the network device to determine its current and subsequent sub-regions, thereby determining whether to trigger adjacent cell measurements and related measurements and calculations.

[0141] In some embodiments, the network device may provide terminal devices with the antenna beam angle at the cell center and the cell radius via broadcast information / system information / dedicated signaling. The beam angle at the cell center allows for the determination of the direction of the satellite sub-point and the distance of the service link. The network device may further provide terminal devices with NTN cell divisions, and the sub-regions of the NTN may differ based on their geographical location and different antenna azimuth angles. The terminal device can calculate the coordinates of the reference position at the cell center based on the network device's antenna azimuth angle and moving velocity. The terminal device may also need to calculate the cell edge using the cell radius or threshold.

[0142] In some embodiments, a time threshold T may be set when the network device is moving. At each interval of time T, the network device may provide reference information to the terminal device. The network device may provide the moving cell with updated ephemeris parameters or with timestamped ephemeris parameters. The network device may also provide the moving cell with multiple reference positions and their time information or moving speed. Once the terminal device can determine the time it will reach the edge of the cell, it can know when to begin cell measurement and cell handover.

[0143] As mentioned above, NTN cells may be divided using other methods. Figures 8 and 9 show two possible division methods.

[0144] As shown in Figure 8, the NTN cell is divided into eight sub-regions by four intersecting diameters. These eight sub-regions are sub-region a, sub-region b, sub-region c, sub-region d, sub-region e, sub-region f, sub-region g, and sub-region h. As shown in Figure 8, sub-regions a, b, and e each contain a TN cell.

[0145] As shown in Figure 9, the NTN cell is divided into nine sub-regions using a grid-like structure. These nine sub-regions are sub-region a, sub-region b, sub-region c, sub-region d, sub-region e, sub-region f, sub-region g, sub-region h, and sub-region i. As shown in Figure 9, sub-region f and sub-region h each contain a TN cell.

[0146] If TN units exist in the sub-regions shown in Figures 8 and 9, they can be indicated by predetermined instruction information. For example, the instruction information includes setting a bit corresponding to the sub-region of the TN unit to 1, or to 0 otherwise. Region division rules and numbering rules may be pre-configured in the terminal device. In this way, the network device can indicate the location of the TN cell by providing only a few bits to the terminal device. In possible implementations, the network device may notify the terminal device of the instruction information by broadcast, system information block (SIB) message, or radio resource control (RRC) message. Upon receiving the instruction information, the terminal device can calculate the approximate area range of the TN cell through the reference position and radius of the TN cell.

[0147] The method embodiments of the present application have been described in detail above with reference to Figures 4 to 9. Hereinafter, the apparatus embodiments of the present application will be described in detail with reference to Figures 10 to 12. It should be understood that the description of the apparatus embodiments corresponds to the description of the method embodiments, so for parts not described in detail, refer to the method embodiments described above.

[0148] Figure 10 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus for wireless communication according to one embodiment of the present application. The apparatus 1000 may be any of the terminal devices described above. The apparatus 1000 shown in Figure 10 includes a measuring unit 1010.

[0149] The measurement unit 1010 can be used to perform adjacent cell measurements in an NTN cell based on a first parameter, which is associated with information about one or more of the following: the distance between a terminal device and a network device in the NTN cell, the height of the network device in the NTN cell from the ground, the azimuth angle of the antenna of the network device in the NTN cell, and one or more sub-regions within the NTN cell.

[0150] Selectively, sub-regions within an NTN cell are determined based on the coverage angle of the network device corresponding to the NTN cell, where the coverage angle is less than or equal to the antenna's azimuth angle.

[0151] Selectively, the projection position of the network device in a direction perpendicular to the ground is at the first position, the coverage angle corresponds to the sub-region boundary, and the sub-region boundary includes a curve centered at the first position.

[0152] Selectively, an NTN cell contains N sub-regions, where N is a natural number greater than 1, and the N coverage angles corresponding to the boundaries of the N sub-regions away from the first position are given by the following conditions: 0 < α i <α i+1 ≤α N The condition satisfies, where α i α is the coverage angle corresponding to the boundary away from the first position of the i-th sub-region out of N sub-regions, i is a natural number in the range of 1 to N-1, and α N This is the antenna's azimuth angle.

[0153] Selectively, an NTN cell contains N sub-regions, where N is a natural number greater than 1, and the N sub-regions either equally divide the coverage area of ​​the NTN cell or not.

[0154] Selectively, sub-regions within an NTN cell are further determined based on one or more of the following: the coordinates of the network device corresponding to the NTN cell, the geographical environment of the NTN cell's coverage area, the distribution of TN cells within the NTN cell's coverage area, limitations on signal interaction of the NTN cell, measurement requirements and / or handover requirements of the terminal device, and auxiliary information provided by the terminal device.

[0155] Selectively, the first parameter is determined based on the ratio of the distance between the terminal device and the network device corresponding to the NTN cell to their heights.

[0156] Selectively, the device 1000 further includes a determination unit that can be used to determine a second parameter based on a first parameter, the second parameter being used to indicate the time it takes for a terminal device to reach the edge of an NTN cell, and to determine, based on the second parameter, whether or not to trigger an adjacent cell measurement.

[0157] Optionally, the second parameter is further determined based on information from one or more sub-regions within the NTN cell, including the azimuth angle of the network device's antenna.

[0158] Selectable, the second parameter is determined based on the azimuth angle of the network device's antenna, and the time t when the terminal device reaches the edge of the NTN cell is given by the following conditions: t=(α N -α n ) / Δγ The condition satisfies, where α N α is the azimuth angle of the network device's antenna. n Δγ is the coverage angle of the network device corresponding to the position of the terminal device, Δγ is the relative angular velocity, and Δγ = γ1 - γ2, where γ1 is the angular velocity of the network device and γ2 is the angular velocity of the Earth's rotation.

[0159] Selectively, an NTN cell includes N subregions, where N is a natural number greater than 1, and the device 1000 further includes a setting unit that can be used to set a time measurement threshold, the time measurement threshold corresponding to a subregion among the N subregions that includes the edge of the NTN cell, and the measurement unit 1010 can further be used to perform adjacent cell measurements at the start time of the time measurement threshold.

[0160] Selectively, the boundaries of N sub-regions are centered on the first position of the network device, the first position being the projected position of the network device in a direction perpendicular to the ground, the terminal device is in the i-th sub-region of the N sub-regions, i is a natural number in the range of 1 to N-1, and the time t when the terminal device reaches the edge of the NTN cell is given by the following conditions: t=(α N -α i ) / Δγ The condition satisfies, where α N α is the azimuth angle of the network device's antenna. i Δγ is the coverage angle of the network device corresponding to the boundary of the i-th sub-region from the first position, Δγ is the relative angular velocity, Δγ = γ1 - γ2, where γ1 is the angular velocity of the network device and γ2 is the angular velocity of the Earth's rotation.

[0161] Optionally, the decision unit further determines a second parameter based on a first parameter, the second parameter being used to indicate the coverage angle of the network device corresponding to the terminal device, and the second parameter being used to determine whether or not to trigger an adjacent cell measurement.

[0162] Selectively, an NTN cell contains N sub-regions, where N is a natural number greater than 1, and the antenna azimuth angle of a network device is used to determine N angular regions that correspond one-to-one with the N sub-regions of the NTN cell. The measurement unit 1010 is further used to trigger an adjacent cell measurement when the coverage angle of a network device corresponding to a terminal device is included in the angular region containing the antenna azimuth angle.

[0163] Optionally, the decision unit further determines a second parameter based on a first parameter, the second parameter being used to indicate the distance between the terminal device and the edge of the NTN cell, and the second parameter being used to determine whether or not to trigger an adjacent cell measurement.

[0164] Optionally, the second parameter is further determined based on one or more of the following pieces of information: an offset determined by the network device corresponding to the NTN cell based on a reference position, ephemeris data of the network device corresponding to the NTN cell, the moving speed of the network device corresponding to the NTN cell, the motion trajectory of the network device corresponding to the NTN cell, and the movement information of the terminal device.

[0165] Selectively, the first parameter is used to determine the time it takes for the terminal device to reach the edge of the NTN cell, and the second parameter is determined based on the terminal device's movement information and the time it takes to reach the edge of the NTN cell.

[0166] Selectively, the NTN cell is a quasi-earth mobile cell, and the second parameter relates to an offset determined by the network device corresponding to the NTN cell based on a reference position, where the reference position is the first projected position corresponding to the first time point of the network device, and the offset is the distance between the first projected position and the second projected position corresponding to the second time point of the network device, where the offset is used to determine the distance between the terminal device and the network device at the second time point.

[0167] Optionally, the distance between the terminal device and the network device at the second point in time is further determined based on the terminal device's location information.

[0168] Selectively, the motion trajectory of the network device is related to the first and second projected positions, and the distance d2 between the terminal device and the network device at the second time point is given by condition: d2 = d1sinθ1 / sinθ2 The following conditions are met, where d1 represents the distance between the terminal device and the network device at the first time point, d2 represents the distance between the terminal device and the network device at the second time point, θ1 represents the angle between the line connecting the terminal device and the reference position and the motion trajectory, and θ2 represents the angle between the line connecting the terminal device and the second projection position and the motion trajectory.

[0169] Selectable, the included angle θ2 is given by the condition: θ² = 180 - arctg[d1sinθ1 / (L offset (-d1cosθ1)] Satisfying the condition, where L offset This represents the offset based on the reference position of the network device at the second time point.

[0170] Selectively, the first parameter is used to determine the subregion in which the terminal device is located, and the determination unit is further used to determine whether or not to trigger an adjacent cell measurement based on the subregion in which it is located.

[0171] Selectively, the decision unit is further used to determine whether to trigger adjacent cell measurements based on a first parameter and a relaxation measurement region, the relaxation measurement region is used to determine the parameter range that triggers adjacent cell measurements, and the first parameter is used to determine the parameter values ​​corresponding to the terminal device and parameter range.

[0172] Figure 11 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus for wireless communication according to another embodiment of the present application. The apparatus 1100 may be any of the network devices described above. The apparatus 1100 shown in Figure 11 includes a transmitting unit 1110.

[0173] The transmitting unit 1110 can be used to transmit a first parameter to a terminal device, which is used by the terminal device to perform neighbor cell measurements in an NTN cell. The first parameter is associated with information about one or more of the following: the distance between the terminal device and the network device, the height of the network device from the ground, the azimuth angle of the network device's antenna, and one or more sub-regions within the NTN cell.

[0174] Selectively, sub-regions within an NTN cell are determined based on the coverage angle of the network device, where the coverage angle is less than or equal to the antenna's azimuth angle.

[0175] Selectively, the projection position of the network device in a direction perpendicular to the ground is at the first position, the coverage angle corresponds to the sub-region boundary, and the sub-region boundary includes a curve centered at the first position.

[0176] Selectively, an NTN cell contains N sub-regions, where N is a natural number greater than 1, and the N coverage angles corresponding to the boundaries of the N sub-regions away from the first position are given by the following conditions: 0 < α i <α i+1 ≤α N The condition satisfies, where α i α is the coverage angle corresponding to the boundary away from the first position of the i-th sub-region out of N sub-regions, i is a natural number in the range of 1 to N-1, and α N This is the antenna's azimuth angle.

[0177] Selectively, an NTN cell contains N sub-regions, where N is a natural number greater than 1, and the N sub-regions either equally divide the coverage area of ​​the NTN cell or not.

[0178] Selectively, sub-regions within an NTN cell are further determined based on one or more of the following: network device coordinates, geographical environment of the NTN cell's coverage area, distribution of terrestrial network TN cells within the NTN cell's coverage area, limitations on NTN cell signal interaction, measurement requirements and / or handover requirements of terminal devices, and auxiliary information provided by terminal devices.

[0179] Selectively, the first parameter is determined based on the ratio of the distance between the terminal device and the network device to their heights.

[0180] Optionally, the transmitting unit 1110 is further used to transmit first information to a terminal device, which is used to determine whether the terminal device triggers an adjacent cell measurement, and the first information includes one or more of the following: an offset determined by the network device based on a reference position, ephemeris data of the network device, the moving speed of the network device, and the motion trajectory of the network device.

[0181] Selectively, the first parameter and first information are carried to one or more of the following: broadcast information, system information, and dedicated signaling.

[0182] Figure 12 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. The dashed lines in Figure 12 indicate that the unit or module is selectable. The device 1200 can be used to implement the method described in the above embodiment. The device 1200 may be a chip, a terminal device, or a network device.

[0183] The apparatus 1200 may include one or more processors 1210. The processors 1210 can support the apparatus 1200 in implementing the methods described in the above embodiment of the method. The processors 1210 may be general-purpose processors or dedicated processors. For example, the processor may be a central processing unit (CPU). Alternatively, the processor may be another general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or the processor may be any conventional processor, etc.

[0184] The device 1200 may further include one or more memories 1220. A program is stored in the memory 1220, which can be executed by the processor 1210, causing the processor 1210 to perform the method described in the above embodiment of the method. The memory 1220 may be independent of the processor 1210 or may be integrated with the processor 1210.

[0185] The device 1200 may further include a transceiver 1230. The processor 1210 can communicate with other devices or chips via the transceiver 1230. For example, the processor 1210 can send and receive data with other devices or chips via the transceiver 1230.

[0186] Embodiments of the present application further provide a computer-readable storage medium for storing a program. The computer-readable storage medium can be applied to a terminal or network device according to an embodiment of the present application, and the program causes a computer to execute the method performed by the terminal or network device in each embodiment of the present application.

[0187] In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that a computer can read, or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media may be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, tapes), optical media (e.g., digital video discs (DVDs)), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state disks (SSDs)).

[0188] Embodiments of the present application further provide a computer program product, which includes a program, which can be applied to a terminal or network device according to an embodiment of the present application, and which causes a computer to perform the method executed by the terminal or network device in each embodiment of the present application.

[0189] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented by software, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. Loading and executing the computer program instructions into a computer generates all or part of the procedures 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 instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center by wire (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wirelessly (e.g., infrared, radio, microwave, etc.).

[0190] Embodiments of the present application further provide a computer program which can be applied to a terminal or network device according to an embodiment of the present application, and which causes a computer to execute the method performed by the terminal or network device in each embodiment of the present application.

[0191] In this application, the terms “system” and “network” may be used interchangeably. Furthermore, the terms used in this application are used solely to interpret the specific embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit this application. The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” and “fourth,” etc., in the specification, claims, and drawings of this application are used to distinguish different subjects, not to describe a specific order. Furthermore, the terms “include,” “have,” and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion.

[0192] In the embodiments of the present application, the “indication” referred to may be direct indication, indirect indication, or indicate a related relationship. For example, A indicating B may mean that A directly indicates B, for example, that B can be obtained by A; A indirectly indicates B, for example, that A indicates C, and B can be obtained by C; or it may indicate a related relationship between A and B.

[0193] In the embodiments of this application, the term "correspondence" may indicate a direct or indirect correspondence between the two, a related relationship between the two, or a relationship such as indicated and shown, or set and set.

[0194] In the embodiments of this application, the term "protocol" may refer to a standard protocol in the field of communications, and may include, for example, the LTE protocol, the NR protocol, and related protocols applicable to future communications systems, but is not limited thereto.

[0195] In the embodiments of the present application, determining B based on A does not mean determining B based solely on A, but rather B may be determined based on A and / or other information.

[0196] In the embodiments of this application, the term "and / or" simply describes the relationship between related objects and indicates that there are three types of relationships. For example, A and / or B includes the cases where only A exists, where A and B exist simultaneously, and where only B exists. In this specification, the symbol " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0197] In some embodiments relating to this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatus and methods can be implemented in other forms. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative, and for instance, the division of the units is merely one logic function division. In actual implementation, other division schemes may be employed, for example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or omitted. Furthermore, the mutual coupling, direct coupling or communication connection described or considered may also be an indirect coupling or communication connection via several interfaces, apparatus or units, and may be in the form of electrical, mechanical or other means.

[0198] The units described as separation members may or may not be physically separated, and the members referred to as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed among multiple network units. Based on actual needs, some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the objectives of the means of this embodiment.

[0199] Furthermore, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into a single processing unit, each unit may exist physically separately, and two or more units may be integrated into a single unit.

[0200] Although specific embodiments of the present application have been described above, the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any modifications or substitutions that a person skilled in the art could easily conceive without departing from the technical scope disclosed herein fall within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be the same as the scope of protection of the claims described above.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, A step in which a terminal device determines a second parameter based on a first parameter, wherein the second parameter indicates the distance between the terminal device and the edge of a non-terrestrial network (NTN) cell. The terminal device determines whether or not to trigger adjacent cell measurement based on the second parameter, The terminal device includes the step of performing the adjacent cell measurement in the NTN cell based on the first parameter, wherein the first parameter is associated with a subzone within the NTN cell. The subzone within the NTN cell is determined based on the coverage angle of the network device, wherein the coverage angle is less than or equal to the azimuth angle of the network device's antenna, in a method.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the projection of the network device in a direction perpendicular to the ground is at a first position, the coverage angle corresponds to the boundary of the subzone, and the boundary of the subzone includes a curve centered at the first position.

3. The NTN cell contains N subzones, where N is a natural number greater than 1, and the N coverage angles corresponding to the boundaries of the N subzones, each away from the first position, are given by the following condition: ０＜α ｉ ＜α ｉ＋１ ≦α Ｎ The condition satisfies, where α ｉ α is the coverage angle corresponding to the boundary of the i-th subzone among the N subzones, away from the first position, i is a natural number in the range of 1 to N-1, and α Ｎ The method according to claim 2, wherein is the azimuth angle of the antenna.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the NTN cell includes N subzones, where N is a natural number greater than 1, and the N subzones divide the coverage area of ​​the NTN cell.

5. The subzone within the aforementioned NTN cell is further, The coordinates of the aforementioned network device, The geographical environment of the coverage area of ​​the aforementioned NTN cell, Distribution of terrestrial network TN cells in the coverage area of ​​the aforementioned NTN cell, Limitations on the signal interaction of the NTN cell, The measurement requirements and / or handover requirements for the terminal device, or Auxiliary information provided by the aforementioned terminal device, The method according to claim 1, which is determined based on one or more pieces of information.

6. The second parameter mentioned above is further, The offset determined by the aforementioned network device based on the reference position, The ephemeris data of the aforementioned network device, The mobile speed of the aforementioned network device, The motion trajectory of the aforementioned network device, or Movement information of the aforementioned terminal device, The method according to claim 1, which is determined based on one or more pieces of information.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first parameter is used to determine the time it takes for the terminal device to reach the edge of the NTN cell, and the second parameter is determined based on the movement information of the terminal device and the time it takes to reach the edge of the NTN cell.

8. It is a device, At least one processor, A system comprising one or more non-temporary computer-readable storage media, wherein the one or more non-temporary computer-readable storage media are coupled to the at least one processor and store programming instructions to be executed by the at least one processor, and the programming instructions are executed when, The second parameter is determined based on the first parameter, wherein the second parameter indicates the distance between the terminal device and the edge of the non-terrestrial network (NTN) cell. Based on the second parameter, it is determined whether or not to trigger adjacent cell measurement, Performing the neighbor cell measurement in the NTN cell based on the first parameter, The device is made to perform an operation that includes the following: The first parameter is associated with a subzone within the NTN cell, The subzone within the NTN cell is determined based on the coverage angle of the network device, wherein the coverage angle is less than or equal to the azimuth angle of the network device's antenna.

9. The second parameter mentioned above is further, The offset determined by the aforementioned network device based on the reference position, The ephemeris data of the aforementioned network device, The mobile speed of the aforementioned network device, The motion trajectory of the aforementioned network device, or Movement information of the aforementioned terminal device The apparatus according to claim 8, which is determined based on one or more pieces of information.

10. One or more non-temporary computer-readable media storing computer instructions, wherein when the computer instructions are executed by one or more processors, The second parameter is determined based on the first parameter, wherein the second parameter indicates the distance between the terminal device and the edge of the non-terrestrial network (NTN) cell. Based on the second parameter, it is determined whether or not to trigger adjacent cell measurement, Performing the neighbor cell measurement in the NTN cell based on the first parameter, To cause a computing device to perform an action that includes the following: The first parameter is associated with a subzone within the NTN cell, A computer-readable medium in which the subzone within the NTN cell is determined based on the coverage angle of a network device, wherein the coverage angle is less than or equal to the azimuth angle of the antenna of the network device.

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