Uplink transmission time point determination method and communication apparatus

Abstract

An uplink transmission time point determination method and a communication apparatus, which are applied to the technical field of communications. The method comprises: a terminal device determines a first time difference, wherein the first time difference is the difference between a first downlink arrival time point and a second downlink arrival time point, and the terminal device supports a positioning characteristic; and the terminal device determines an uplink transmission time point on the basis of the first time difference. By using embodiments of the present application, uplink timing can be reasonably adjusted, and uplink synchronization between the terminal device and a network device is realized.

Description

Uplink transmission time determination method and communication device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on June 13, 2023, with application number 202310701076.6, and priority to the Chinese patent application entitled “Method and Communication Device for Determining Uplink Transmission Timing”, all contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a method for determining an uplink transmission time and a communication device. Background Art

[0003] In wireless communication systems, to avoid intra-cell interference, downlink and uplink timing synchronization must be maintained during communication between a terminal device and a network device. Generally, a terminal device can achieve downlink timing synchronization based on a downlink reference signal (such as a synchronization signal block (SSB)) from the network device. Uplink timing synchronization can be achieved based on the downlink timing synchronization and timing advance (TA).

[0004] However, when the terminal device is moving, the uplink timing of the terminal device may be out of sync with the uplink timing of the network device. Therefore, how to ensure the uplink timing synchronization between the terminal device and the network device is an urgent problem to be solved.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] The embodiments of the present application disclose a method for determining an uplink transmission time and a communication device, which can reasonably adjust the uplink timing and achieve uplink synchronization between a terminal device and a network device.

[0007] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a method for determining an uplink transmission time. The method can be performed by a terminal device, or can also be performed by a component of the terminal device (such as a chip, circuit, or functional module), without limitation. The method includes: the terminal device determining a first time difference, where the first time difference is the difference between a first downlink arrival time and a second downlink arrival time, and the terminal device supports positioning features; and the terminal device determining an uplink transmission time based on the first time difference.

[0008] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device supports positioning features, that is, the terminal device is capable of obtaining an accurate first time difference. The terminal device adjusts the uplink transmission time according to the first time difference, thereby being able to reasonably adjust the uplink transmission time and achieve uplink synchronization between the terminal device and the network device. In addition, the terminal device can autonomously adjust the uplink timing, increase the robustness of the uplink, improve the uplink capacity and coverage, and achieve better uplink timing maintenance. Therefore, the network device does not need to periodically issue timing advance commands to adjust the uplink timing, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0009] Exemplarily, the first downlink arrival time may be the downlink arrival time (or downlink subframe arrival time) corresponding to the current moment of the terminal device, and the second downlink arrival time may be the downlink arrival time corresponding to the moment before the current moment of the terminal device, and the second downlink arrival time may also be referred to as the reference downlink arrival time. Alternatively, the first downlink arrival time is the downlink subframe arrival time after the position of the terminal device changes, and the second downlink arrival time is the downlink subframe arrival time before the position of the terminal device changes. The first time difference may also be referred to as the difference between the downlink delay of the terminal device at the current moment and the downlink delay at the previous moment, or the first time difference may be referred to as the delay change of the transmission link between the terminal device and the network device.

[0010] In an embodiment of the present application, the downlink arrival time can be replaced by the description of "downlink timing", and the uplink transmission time can be replaced by the description of "uplink timing", that is, the first time difference is the difference between the first downlink timing and the second downlink timing, and the terminal device determines the uplink timing based on the first time difference.

[0011] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the difference between the uplink transmission time and the first downlink arrival time is within a first value range, and the first value range includes the difference between the timing advance and twice the first time difference.

[0012] In the embodiment of the present application, the first value range may be within a range centered around TA-2*(T1-T2), where TA is the timing advance, T1 is the first downlink arrival time, T2 is the second downlink arrival time, and the first time difference is (T1-T2). That is, the difference between the first downlink arrival time and the uplink transmission time may fluctuate within TA-2*(T1-T2).

[0013] In combination with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the uplink transmission time satisfies: TU = T1-TA+2*(T2-T1), where TU is the uplink transmission time, T1 is the first downlink arrival time, T2 is the second downlink arrival time, and TA is the timing advance.

[0014] In this embodiment of the present application, the difference between the first downlink arrival time and the uplink transmission time is TA-2*(T1-T2), and the uplink transmission time is advanced by TA-2*(T1-T2) compared to the first arrival time. That is, the terminal device adjusts the timing advance by an adjustment amount of twice the first time difference, which can ensure that the time when the uplink signal transmitted by the terminal device arrives at the network device remains unchanged, that is, better maintain the uplink timing.

[0015] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the uplink transmission time is determined by the first time difference and the moving speed of the terminal device.

[0016] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device supports positioning characteristics, that is, the terminal device is capable of obtaining a reliable first time difference and moving speed. The terminal device can adjust the uplink transmission time in advance according to the first time difference, the timing advance, and the moving speed of the terminal device, so that the uplink transmission time obtained by the terminal device can be more reasonable and reliable.

[0017] In combination with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the uplink transmission time satisfies: TU = T1-TA + 2*(T2-T1)-ΔT, where TU is the uplink transmission time, T1 is the first downlink arrival time, T2 is the second downlink arrival time, TA is the timing advance, and the value of ΔT is determined by the moving speed of the terminal device.

[0018] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation, ΔT is proportional to the moving speed of the terminal device.

[0019] In the embodiment of the present application, the greater the mobile speed of the terminal device, the larger the value of ΔT. For example, the terminal device can determine the value of parameter ΔT based on the period of uplink transmission timing adjustment and the mobile speed of the terminal device. Alternatively, the terminal device can determine the value of parameter ΔT based on the mapping relationship between the terminal device's mobile speed and parameter ΔT. Based on this parameter ΔT, the uplink transmission timing can be adjusted in advance.

[0020] In a second aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a method for determining a timing advance, which can be performed by a terminal device, or by a component of the terminal device (e.g., a chip, circuit, or functional module), without limitation. The method includes: the terminal device determining a first time difference, where the first time difference is the difference between a first downlink arrival time and a second downlink arrival time, and the terminal device supports positioning features; and the terminal device determining a first timing advance based on the first time difference.

[0021] In the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device supports a positioning feature, that is, the terminal device is capable of obtaining an accurate first time difference. The terminal device adjusts the timing advance according to the first time difference, thereby being able to reasonably adjust the timing advance and achieve uplink synchronization between the terminal device and the network device.

[0022] With reference to the second aspect, in a possible implementation, a difference between the first timing advance and the second timing advance is within a second value range, and the second value range includes twice the first time difference.

[0023] In the embodiment of the present application, the first timing advance may be determined by the first time difference and the second timing advance, where the second timing advance is the timing advance of the terminal device at a previous moment, or the second timing advance is the timing advance of the terminal device before the position change, or the first timing advance is the timing advance used by the terminal device at the second position. The second value range may be within a range centered around 2 times the second time difference, that is, the adjustment amount of the first timing advance relative to the second timing advance may fluctuate around 2 times the second time difference.

[0024] In combination with the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the first timing advance TA1 satisfies: TA1=TA2+2*(T1-T2), where TA1 is the first timing advance, TA2 is the second timing advance, T1 is the first downlink arrival time, and T2 is the second downlink arrival time.

[0025] In an embodiment of the present application, the first time difference can be determined by the first downlink arrival time and the second downlink arrival time, that is, the first time difference is (T1-T2). The terminal device adjusts the timing advance according to 2 times the first time difference, which can maintain the time for the uplink signal to arrive at the network device unchanged, thereby realizing uplink synchronization between the terminal device and the network device.

[0026] In combination with the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the first timing advance satisfies: TA1=TA2+2*X / C, where TA1 is the first timing advance, TA2 is the second timing advance, X is the first distance difference, and C is the signal transmission speed, or C is the speed of light.

[0027] In an embodiment of the present application, the first time difference can be determined by a first distance difference, which is the change in distance between the terminal device and the network device at the first position and the second position. The terminal device adjusts the timing advance by an adjustment amount of 2 times the first time difference, so that the time for the uplink signal transmitted by the terminal device to reach the network device remains unchanged, that is, the uplink timing is better maintained.

[0028] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the first timing advance is determined by the first time difference, the second timing advance, and a moving speed of the terminal device.

[0029] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device supports positioning characteristics, that is, the terminal device is capable of obtaining a reliable first time difference and moving speed. The terminal device can adjust the timing advance amount in advance based on the first time difference, the timing advance amount, and the moving speed of the terminal device, so that the timing advance amount obtained by the terminal device can be more reasonable and reliable.

[0030] In combination with the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the first timing advance satisfies: TA1 = TA2 + 2*(T1-T2) + ΔT, where TA1 is the first timing advance, TA2 is the second timing advance, T1 is the first downlink arrival time, T2 is the second downlink arrival time, and the value of ΔT is determined by the moving speed of the terminal device.

[0031] In conjunction with the second aspect, in a possible implementation, ΔT is proportional to the moving speed of the terminal device.

[0032] In an embodiment of the present application, the greater the moving speed of the terminal device, the greater the value of ΔT. Exemplarily, the terminal device can determine the value of the parameter ΔT based on the period of uplink transmission adjustment and the moving speed of the terminal device. Alternatively, the terminal device can also determine the value of the parameter ΔT based on the mobile speed of the terminal device and the mapping relationship between the parameter ΔT. That is, the greater the moving speed of the terminal device, the greater the adjustment of the first timing advance relative to the second timing advance; the smaller the moving speed of the terminal device, the smaller the adjustment of the first timing advance compared to the second timing advance. It can be understood that the terminal device can achieve early adjustment of the timing advance according to the parameter ΔT.

[0033] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the first downlink arrival time corresponds to the first position, the second downlink arrival time corresponds to the second position, and the terminal device moves from the second position to the first position.

[0034] In the embodiments of the present application, a terminal device supporting positioning features can accurately obtain its relative position to a network device. When the terminal device detects a change in its relative position to the network device, it can obtain a precise first time difference, thereby obtaining a more accurate uplink transmission time or timing advance, thereby enabling the terminal device to better maintain uplink timing.

[0035] Exemplarily, the first time difference may also be referred to as the difference between the uplink timing of the terminal device at the first position and the uplink timing at the second position. Alternatively, the first time difference may also be referred to as the difference between the downlink timing of the terminal device at the first position and the downlink timing at the second position. Alternatively, the first time difference may also be referred to as the difference between the first delay and the second delay, the first delay being the downlink delay corresponding to the terminal device at the first position, and the second delay being the downlink delay corresponding to the terminal device at the second position, or the first delay may be the transmission delay between the terminal device at the first position and the network device, and the second delay being the transmission delay between the terminal device at the second position and the network device, and the first time difference may also be referred to as the link delay variation. The terminal device may determine the first time difference based on the uplink timing between its uplink timing at the first position and the uplink timing at the second position, or the terminal device may determine the first time difference based on the downlink timing at the first position and the downlink timing at the second position, or the terminal device may determine the first time difference based on the downlink delay at the first position and the downlink delay at the second position, or the terminal device may determine the first time difference based on the distance between the terminal device at the first position and the network device and the distance between the terminal device at the second position.

[0036] In combination with the first or second aspect, in one possible implementation, the method further includes: upon detecting a change in the relative position of the terminal device and the network device, the terminal device acquiring a first distance difference, where the first distance difference is the difference between the first distance and the second distance, the first distance being the distance between the terminal device at the first position and the network device, and the second distance being the distance between the terminal device at the second position and the network device. Determining the first time difference by the terminal device includes: the terminal device determining the first time difference based on the first distance difference.

[0037] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device supports a positioning feature, and the terminal device can accurately obtain the relative position between itself and the network device, that is, the terminal device can obtain an accurate first distance difference, thereby making the first time difference calculated based on the first distance difference more accurate and reliable.

[0038] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the first time difference satisfies: D=X / C, where D is the first time difference, X is the first distance difference, and C is the signal transmission speed.

[0039] In combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, determining the first time difference based on the first distance difference includes: determining the first time difference based on the first distance difference when the first distance difference is greater than a first threshold.

[0040] In an embodiment of the present application, when the first distance difference is greater than the first threshold value, it indicates that the displacement of the terminal device is large, and the difference between the first downlink arrival time and the second downlink arrival time is large. In this case, the difference between the uplink timing of the terminal device and the reference timing is large, and the terminal device may need to adjust the uplink transmission time or timing advance, that is, the terminal device needs to determine the first time difference based on the first distance difference, which can ensure the uplink synchronization between the terminal device and the network device. When the first distance difference is less than the first threshold value, it indicates that the displacement of the terminal device is small, and the difference between the first downlink arrival time and the second downlink arrival time is small. In this case, the difference between the uplink timing of the terminal device and the reference timing is small, and the terminal device can choose not to adjust the uplink transmission time or timing advance, that is, the terminal device does not need to determine the first time difference based on the first distance difference, that is, the terminal device does not need to frequently adjust the uplink transmission time or timing advance, which can save resources.

[0041] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device for executing the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect. The communication device includes a unit having a function of executing the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0042] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device for executing the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect. The communication device includes a unit having the function of executing the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0043] In the third aspect and the fourth aspect, the above-mentioned communication device and communication device may include a transceiver unit and a processing unit. For a detailed description of the transceiver unit and the processing unit, reference may also be made to the device embodiment shown below.

[0044] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, comprising a processor configured to execute the method described in any one of the first and second aspects or any possible implementation thereof. Alternatively, the processor is configured to execute a program stored in a memory, and when the program is executed, the method described in any one of the first and second aspects or any possible implementation thereof is executed.

[0045] In a possible implementation, the memory is located outside the communication device.

[0046] In a possible implementation, the memory is located within the above-mentioned communication device.

[0047] In an embodiment of the present application, the processor and the memory may also be integrated into one device, that is, the processor and the memory may also be integrated together.

[0048] In a possible implementation, the communication device further includes a transceiver, where the transceiver is configured to receive a signal or send a signal.

[0049] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, comprising a logic circuit and an interface, wherein the logic circuit and the interface are coupled; the logic circuit is configured to determine a first time difference and determine an uplink transmission time based on the first time difference. Optionally, the interface is configured to output an uplink signal.

[0050] It can be understood that with respect to the communication device shown in the sixth aspect, reference can also be made to the first aspect or the specific implementation shown below.

[0051] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, comprising a logic circuit and an interface, wherein the logic circuit and the interface are coupled; the logic circuit is configured to determine a first time difference and determine a first timing advance based on the first time difference. Optionally, the interface is configured to output an uplink signal.

[0052] It can be understood that with respect to the communication device shown in the seventh aspect, reference can also be made to the second aspect or the specific implementation shown below.

[0053] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the method shown in any one of the first to second aspects or any possible implementation to be executed.

[0054] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program. When the computer program is run on a computer, the method shown in any aspect of the first to second aspects or any possible implementation is executed.

[0055] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program. When the computer program is run on a computer, the method shown in any aspect of the first to second aspects or any possible implementation is executed.

[0056] In an eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, comprising a terminal device, wherein the terminal device is configured to execute the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or the terminal device is configured to execute the method described in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect. Optionally, the communication system further comprises a network device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0057] The following is an introduction to the drawings related to the embodiments of this application.

[0058] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] FIG2 is a flow chart of a method for determining an uplink transmission time according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] FIG3 is an example of a random access response message provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] FIG4 is an example of a scenario in which a terminal device moves, provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] FIG5A and FIG5B are examples of a scenario for adjusting the uplink transmission timing provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] FIG6 is a flow chart of a method for determining a timing advance according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] FIG7 is an example of a scenario for adjusting the timing advance provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] FIG8 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] FIG9 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] FIG10 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0068] The terms "first" and "second" in the specification, claims and drawings of this application are only used to distinguish different objects, and are not used to limit the order, timing, priority or importance of multiple objects. In the embodiments of the present application, "multiple" refers to two or more. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but optionally also includes steps or units that are not listed, or optionally also includes other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices. In addition, the character " / ", unless otherwise specified, generally indicates that the objects associated before and after are in an "or" relationship.

[0069] References to "embodiments" herein mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiments may be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The appearance of this phrase in various places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor does it refer to independent or alternative embodiments that are mutually exclusive of other embodiments. It will be understood, both explicitly and implicitly, by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein may be combined with other embodiments.

[0070] The terminal device in the embodiment of the present application may refer to a terminal that accesses a communication system and has wireless transceiver functions, or a chip or chip system that can be set in the terminal. The terminal device may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent or user device, etc. The terminal device may be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to the user, and also includes a device capable of sidelink communication, such as a vehicle-mounted terminal, or a handheld terminal capable of vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, etc. Exemplarily, the terminal device may also be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a terminal device in the future fifth generation mobile communication technology (5G) network, or a terminal device in a future evolved public land mobile communication network (PLMN), etc. The embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0071] The network device in the embodiments of the present application may refer to a network device that accesses a communication system and has wireless transceiver functions, or a chip or chip system that can be set in the network device. The network device can be a device that connects a terminal device to a wireless network, specifically a base station. The base station can include various forms of base stations, such as: macro base stations, micro base stations (also known as small base stations), relay stations, access points, etc. Specifically, it can be: an access point (AP) in a wireless local area network (WLAN), a base transceiver station (BTS) in a global system for mobile communications (GSM) or code division multiple access (CDMA), a base station (NodeB, NB) in wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), an evolved Node B (eNB or eNodeB) in LTE, or a relay station or access point, or a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, and the next generation Node B (gNB) in a 5G new radio (NR) system, an access network device or a module of an access network device in an open access network ORAN (ORAN) system, or a base station in a future evolved PLMN network, etc. Optionally, in some deployments of the network device, the network device may include a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU), etc. In other deployments of network devices, the CU may be further divided into a CU-control plane (CP) and a CU-user plan (UP), etc. In yet other deployments of network devices, the network device may be an antenna unit (RU), etc. In yet other deployments of network devices, the network device may be an open radio access network (ORAN) architecture, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific deployment method of the network device. For example, when the network device is an ORAN architecture, the network device shown in the embodiments of the present application may be a network device in the ORAN, or a module in the network device, etc.In the ORAN system, CU may also be referred to as open (O)-CU, DU may also be referred to as O-DU, CU-CP may also be referred to as O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be referred to as O-CU-UP, and RU may also be referred to as O-RU.

[0072] Figure 1 is an example of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system may include at least one network device and at least one terminal device. Figure 1 takes a network device and a terminal device as an example. The terminal device and the network device may be connected via a Uu interface. Exemplarily, the network device may be a base station with a CU-DU separation architecture, that is, the network device may include a CU and a DU.

[0073] For example, in the communication system shown in FIG1 , in order to avoid intra-cell interference, when a terminal device establishes a connection with a network device for data communication, the terminal device needs to perform downlink timing synchronization and uplink timing synchronization with the network device. Downlink timing synchronization (downlink wireless frame, subframe, time slot, symbol boundary, and corresponding index number) is achieved by the terminal device searching for a downlink reference signal (such as a synchronization signal block (SSB)) sent by the network device. The uplink timing is obtained by advancing the timing advance (TA) amount on the basis of the downlink timing.

[0074] In some scenarios, the terminal device can also autonomously adjust the uplink transmission time (i.e., uplink timing). For example, when the terminal device finds that the difference between the current uplink timing and the reference timing is greater than Te, the terminal device can actively adjust the uplink transmission time so that the difference between the uplink timing and the reference timing is maintained within Te. Among them, the reference timing is ahead of the downlink timing of the reference cell (N TA +N TA_offset )*Tc. In other words, the reference timing is the previous uplink timing of the terminal device.

[0075] For example, the value of Te can be found in Table 1.

[0076] Table 1

[0077] Exemplarily, the terminal device adjusts the uplink timing according to the following rules:

[0078] (1) The maximum value of the time variation amplitude in one adjustment should be Tq;

[0079] (2) Minimum total adjustment rate Tp per second;

[0080] (3) For uplink SCS signals less than or equal to 120 kHz, the maximum total adjustment rate shall be Tq every 200 ms; for uplink SCS signals greater than or equal to 480 kHz, the maximum total adjustment rate shall be Tq every 100 ms.

[0081] For example, the values ​​of the maximum adjustment step length Tq and the total adjustment rate Tp of the terminal device can be found in Table 2. When highSpeedMeasFlagFR2-r17 is configured for a terminal device supporting power class 6, K=4.5; otherwise, K=2.5.

[0082] Table 2

[0083] It can be understood that the manner in which the terminal device adjusts the uplink timing shown above can be referred to as gradual timing adjustment.

[0084] During the movement of the terminal device, when the relative position between the terminal device and the network device changes, the arrival time of the downlink subframe of the terminal device (i.e., the downlink timing) also changes. Since the uplink timing of the terminal device can be implemented based on the above-mentioned downlink timing and timing advance, when the downlink timing of the terminal device changes, the uplink timing of the terminal device will also change, which will cause the uplink timing of the terminal device to be out of sync with the uplink timing of the network device. Exemplarily, the terminal device can adjust the uplink timing by gradually adjusting the timing. However, when the terminal device adjusts the uplink timing by gradually adjusting the timing, the adjusted uplink timing may still be out of sync with the uplink timing of the network device. Therefore, how to ensure the uplink timing synchronization between the terminal device and the network device is an urgent problem to be solved.

[0085] In view of this, embodiments of the present application provide a method for determining an uplink transmission time and a communication device that can accurately adjust the uplink timing of a terminal device to synchronize the uplink timing of the terminal device with that of a network device. The method provided in embodiments of the present application can be applied to the communication system shown in Figure 1. Alternatively, the method can be applied to a terminal device. For a description of the terminal device, please refer to the above and will not be described in detail here.

[0086] Please refer to Figure 2, which is a flow chart of a method for determining an uplink transmission time according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 2, the method includes but is not limited to the following steps.

[0087] 201. The terminal device determines a first time difference, which is the difference between a first downlink arrival time and a second downlink arrival time. The terminal device supports a positioning feature.

[0088] Exemplarily, the first downlink arrival time may be the downlink arrival time corresponding to the current moment of the terminal device (or called the downlink subframe arrival time), and the second downlink arrival time may be the downlink arrival time corresponding to the moment of the terminal device before the current moment, and the second downlink arrival time may also be called the reference downlink arrival time. Alternatively, the first downlink arrival time is the downlink subframe arrival time (or downlink timing) after the position of the terminal device changes, and the second downlink arrival time is the downlink subframe arrival time (or downlink timing) before the position of the terminal device changes.

[0089] Optionally, the first time difference may also be referred to as the difference between the current uplink timing (or uplink transmission time) of the terminal device and a reference timing. The reference timing may be a previous uplink timing.

[0090] Exemplarily, the terminal device may respectively determine the first downlink arrival time and the second downlink arrival time, and then calculate the difference between the first downlink arrival time and the second downlink arrival time, thereby obtaining the first time difference. For example, if the first downlink arrival time is T1 and the second downlink arrival time is T2, then the first time difference D satisfies: D = T1 - T2.

[0091] In one possible implementation, the first downlink arrival time corresponds to the first position, the second downlink arrival time corresponds to the second position, and the terminal device moves from the second position to the first position. That is, the first downlink arrival time is the downlink subframe arrival time corresponding to the terminal device when the terminal device is in the first position, and the second downlink arrival time is the downlink subframe arrival time corresponding to the terminal device when the terminal device is in the second position.

[0092] Exemplarily, the terminal device supports a positioning feature, and the terminal device can accurately obtain the relative position between itself and the network device. For a terminal device that supports the positioning feature, the terminal device can periodically obtain positioning information, where the positioning information includes the relative distance between the terminal device and the network device. When the terminal device detects a change in the relative position between itself and the network device, it can obtain the precise first time difference.

[0093] In the embodiment of the present application, the first time difference may also be referred to as the difference between the uplink timing of the terminal device at the first position and the uplink timing at the second position. Alternatively, the first time difference may also be referred to as the difference between the first delay and the second delay, the first delay being the downlink delay corresponding to the terminal device at the first position, the second delay being the downlink delay corresponding to the terminal device at the second position, or the first delay may be the transmission delay between the terminal device at the first position and the network device, the second delay being the transmission delay between the terminal device at the second position and the network device, and the first time difference may also be referred to as the link delay variation. The terminal device may determine the first time difference based on the uplink timing between the terminal device at the first position and the uplink timing at the second position, or the terminal device may determine the first time difference based on the downlink timing at the first position and the downlink timing at the second position, or the terminal device may determine the first time difference based on the downlink delay at the first position and the downlink delay at the second position, or the terminal device may determine the first time difference based on the distance between the terminal device at the first position and the network device and the distance between the terminal device at the second position.

[0094] As an example, when a terminal device detects a change in the relative position between the terminal device and the network device, it obtains a first distance difference, which is the difference between a first distance and a second distance, where the first distance is the distance between the terminal device and the network device at the first position, and the second distance is the distance between the terminal device and the network device at the second position. The terminal device determines a first time difference based on the first distance difference. That is, the first distance difference is the change in distance between the terminal device and the network device at the first position and the second position.

[0095] For example, the first time difference may be the ratio of the first distance difference to the signal transmission speed, that is, the first time difference satisfies the following formula: D=X / C

[0096] Wherein, D is the first time difference, X is the first distance difference, and C is the signal transmission speed. Exemplarily, the signal transmission speed may be equal to the speed of light, that is, C is the speed of light.

[0097] The first distance difference may satisfy the following formula: X=X1-X2

[0098] Wherein, X is the first distance difference, X1 is the first distance, and X2 is the second distance.

[0099] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device supports a positioning feature, and the terminal device can accurately obtain the relative position between itself and the network device, that is, the terminal device can obtain an accurate first distance difference, thereby making the first time difference calculated based on the first distance difference more accurate and reliable.

[0100] In one possible implementation, the terminal device may determine the first time difference based on the first distance difference when the above-mentioned first distance difference is greater than the first threshold. It is understandable that when the first distance difference is less than the first threshold, it indicates that the displacement of the terminal device is small, and the difference between the first downlink arrival time and the second downlink arrival time is small. In this case, the difference between the uplink timing of the terminal device and the reference timing is small, and the terminal device may choose not to adjust the uplink transmission time, that is, the terminal device does not need to determine the first time difference based on the first distance difference. When the first distance difference is greater than the first threshold, it indicates that the displacement of the terminal device is large, and the difference between the first downlink arrival time and the second downlink arrival time is large. In this case, the difference between the uplink timing of the terminal device and the reference timing is large, and the terminal device may need to adjust the uplink transmission time, that is, the terminal device needs to determine the first time difference based on the first distance difference. In this implementation, the terminal device does not need to frequently adjust the uplink transmission time, which can save resources.

[0101] It can be understood that when the first distance difference is equal to the first threshold, the terminal device may or may not adjust the uplink transmission time.

[0102] Exemplarily, the first threshold may be predefined by a communication protocol, or configured by a network device, or determined by the processing capability of the terminal device.

[0103] In one possible implementation, when the first distance difference is less than the first threshold, the terminal device can add the first distance difference to the second distance difference to obtain a third distance difference, where the second distance difference is the difference between the third distance and the second distance, and the third distance is the distance between the location where the terminal device was when it last adjusted the uplink transmission time and the network device; when the third distance difference is greater than the second threshold, the terminal device determines the uplink transmission time based on the third distance difference.

[0104] In this implementation, the third distance difference is the total distance difference between the terminal device's location at the time of the last adjustment of the uplink transmission time and the first location relative to the network device. That is, the third distance difference is the change in distance from the terminal device's location at the time of the last adjustment of the uplink transmission time to the first location relative to the network device. If the first distance difference is less than the first threshold, the terminal device may obtain the third distance difference by accumulation and determine whether to adjust the uplink transmission time based on the third distance difference.

[0105] Exemplarily, the second threshold may be predefined by a communication protocol, configured by a network device, or determined by the processing capability of the terminal device. It is understood that the second threshold may be equal to the first threshold, or the second threshold may be greater than or less than the first threshold, and this application does not impose any limitation thereto.

[0106] For example, after the terminal device adjusts the uplink transmission time when it is at the third position, the terminal device moves from the third position to the second position, and the distance difference between the terminal device at the second position and the third position relative to the network device is the second distance difference, and the second distance difference is less than the first threshold value, so the terminal device does not adjust the uplink transmission time. Thereafter, the terminal device moves from the second position to the first position, and the distance difference between the terminal device at the first position and the second position relative to the network device is the first distance difference. When the first distance difference is less than the first threshold value, the terminal device adds the first distance difference to the second distance difference to obtain a third distance difference (i.e., the change in the distance from the terminal device to the first position relative to the network device). When the third distance difference is greater than the second threshold value, the terminal device determines to adjust the uplink transmission time, so the terminal device determines a new uplink transmission time based on the third distance difference. When the third distance difference is less than the second threshold value, the terminal device determines not to adjust the uplink transmission time.

[0107] In this implementation, the terminal device determines whether to adjust the uplink transmission time based on the change in distance from the position at the time of the last adjustment of the uplink transmission time to the first position relative to the network device, so that the uplink transmission time can be adjusted more reasonably.

[0108] 202. The terminal device determines the uplink transmission time according to the first time difference.

[0109] Exemplarily, the uplink transmission moment may be the current uplink transmission moment of the terminal device, or the uplink transmission moment may be the uplink transmission moment of the terminal device after the position changes, that is, the uplink transmission moment may be the uplink transmission moment when the terminal device is in the first position.

[0110] In the embodiment of the present application, the uplink transmission time can be replaced by the description of uplink timing, and the downlink arrival time can be replaced by the description of downlink timing or downlink subframe arrival time.

[0111] For example, regarding the terminal device determining the uplink transmission time according to the first time difference, the embodiments of the present application provide the following implementation methods:

[0112] Implementation method 1: the uplink transmission time can be determined by the first time difference and the timing advance.

[0113] Exemplarily, the difference between the uplink transmission time and the first downlink arrival time is within a first value range, and the first value range includes the difference between the timing advance and twice the first time difference, that is, the first value range includes TA-2*(T1-T2), where TA is the timing advance, T1 is the first downlink arrival time, and T2 is the second downlink arrival time. Exemplarily, the first value range can be within a range centered on TA-2*(T1-T2). For example, the first value range is within a range of x1% to y1% of TA-2*(T1-T2). Where x1 is less than 100 and y1 is greater than 100. For example, the first value range can be within a range of 95% to 105% of TA-2*(T1-T2). It is understood that the specific values ​​of x1 and y1 can be determined by the specific implementation process.

[0114] As an example, the uplink transmission time satisfies the following formula: TU = T1 - TA + 2 * (T2 - T1)

[0115] TU is the uplink transmission time, T1 is the first downlink arrival time, T2 is the second downlink arrival time, and TA is the timing advance.

[0116] In this implementation, the terminal device supports the positioning feature, that is, the terminal device is able to obtain a reliable first time difference, and the terminal device can adjust the uplink transmission time according to the first time difference, thereby maintaining the time for the uplink signal to reach the network device unchanged, thereby achieving uplink synchronization between the terminal device and the network device.

[0117] Implementation method 2: The above-mentioned uplink transmission time is determined by the first time difference and the moving speed of the terminal device.

[0118] For example, the uplink transmission time may be determined by the first time difference, the timing advance, and the moving speed of the terminal device. For example, the uplink transmission time satisfies the following formula: TU = T1 - TA + 2* (T2 - T1) - ΔT

[0119] Where TU is the uplink transmission time, T1 is the first downlink arrival time, T2 is the second downlink arrival time, TA is the timing advance, and the value of ΔT is determined by the moving speed of the terminal device.

[0120] Exemplarily, ΔT is proportional to the moving speed of the terminal device, that is, the greater the moving speed of the terminal device, the greater the value of ΔT.

[0121] For example, the moving speed v of the terminal device can be determined by the following formula: v = (X1-X2) / t

[0122] Wherein, X1 is the distance between the terminal device and the network device when the terminal device is at the first position, X2 is the distance between the terminal device and the network device when the terminal device is at the second position, and t is the time taken for the terminal device to move from the second position to the first position.

[0123] It can be understood that the moving speed of the terminal device is a vector. When the terminal device is far away from the network device, X1 is greater than X2 and the moving speed is a positive value; when the terminal device is close to the network device, X1 is less than X2 and the moving speed is a negative value.

[0124] As an example, the terminal device may periodically obtain its positioning information or periodically adjust the uplink transmission time. The terminal device may determine the value of the parameter ΔT based on the period of its positioning information update or uplink transmission time adjustment and the moving speed of the terminal device. For example, the parameter ΔT satisfies the following formula:

[0125] Where v is the speed of the terminal device, t is the period at which the terminal device can update its positioning information or adjust the uplink transmission timing, or t is the time interval at which the terminal device updates its positioning information, or t is the time it takes for the terminal device to move from the second location to the first location. C is the signal transmission speed, or C is the speed of light.

[0126] As another example, the terminal device may determine the value of ΔT based on a mapping relationship between the parameter ΔT and the moving speed. The mapping relationship between the parameter ΔT and the moving speed may be configured by a network device or predefined by a communication protocol.

[0127] In this implementation, the terminal device supports positioning features, that is, the terminal device has the ability to obtain a reliable first time difference and moving speed. The terminal device can adjust the uplink transmission time in advance according to the first time difference, the timing advance, and the moving speed of the terminal device, so that the uplink transmission time obtained by the terminal device can be more reasonable and reliable.

[0128] Implementation method three: the uplink transmission time is determined by the first time difference and the reference uplink timing.

[0129] For example, for a terminal device that supports positioning features, when it detects a change in the relative distance between it and the network device, the terminal device can actively adjust the uplink timing, and the adjustment amount of the uplink timing can be determined by the first time difference. The reference uplink timing is the uplink timing of the terminal device after the position changes and before the terminal device adjusts. That is, the reference uplink timing is the uplink timing of the terminal device before the adjustment at the first position. For example, the reference uplink timing can be obtained by advancing the timing advance TA at the first downlink arrival time, that is, the reference uplink timing T re Satisfaction: T re=T1-TA.

[0130] For example, the adjustment amount of the uplink timing is twice the first time difference, that is, the difference between the reference uplink timing and the uplink transmission time is twice the first time difference.

[0131] Exemplarily, the first time difference may be determined by a first distance difference, which is a change in the distance between the terminal device and the network device at the first position and the second position. For example, the uplink transmission time satisfies the following formula: TU = T re -2*D=T re -2*X / C

[0132] Among them, TU is the uplink transmission time, T re is the reference uplink timing, D is the first time difference, X is the first distance difference, and C is the signal transmission speed, or C is the speed of light.

[0133] It can be understood that when the terminal device is close to the network device, the time when the terminal device's uplink transmission is delayed compared to the reference uplink timing is the absolute value of 2*X / C. When the terminal device is far away from the network device, the time when the uplink transmission is advanced compared to the reference uplink timing is the absolute value of 2*X / C.

[0134] In this implementation, the terminal device supports positioning features, that is, the terminal device is able to obtain reliable uplink timing adjustments based on its relative position. For example, the terminal device can adjust the uplink timing based on 2 times the first time difference, thereby improving the uplink timing maintenance effect.

[0135] For example, regarding the determination of the above-mentioned timing advance, the embodiments of the present application further provide the following examples.

[0136] Example 1: During random access, the timing advance may be determined by a random access response (RAR) message. For example, the RAR includes a timing advance command, which includes an index value T of the timing advance. A , the timing advance command is passed through T A The index value to indicate N TA For example, RAR includes a timing advance command field, which occupies 12 bits and is used to indicate the index value T A For example, the index value T in RAR A The range is (0~3846), that is, the T A =0, 1, 2, ..., 3846.

[0137] For example, as shown in Figure 3, the RAR also includes a reserved (R) field, an uplink grant (UL Grant) field, and a temporary cell radio network temporary indentifier (C-RNTI) (Temporary C-RNTI) field. Among them, the R field is a reserved bit and can be set to "0", the uplink grant field occupies 27 bits, and the temporary C-RNTI field occupies 16 bits.

[0138] For example, the timing advance TA satisfies the following formula: TA=(N TA +N TA_offset )*T S N TA =T A *16*64 / 2 μ

[0139] Among them, N TA_offset is the fixed offset used to calculate the timing advance, T S is a time unit, and μ can be understood as a scaling factor of the sub-carrier space (SCS) relative to the reference sub-carrier space.

[0140] For example, the N TA_offset It can be configured by the n-TimingAdvanceOffset signaling of the serving cell. If the serving cell does not configure n-TimingAdvanceOffset signaling for the terminal device, N TA_offset The value of can be found in Table 3 (or in [TS 38.133]. As shown in Table 3, N TA_offset The value of can be 0, 25600, 39936, or 13792, and the unit is Tc. For example, Tc is 0.5 nanoseconds.

[0141] Table 3

[0142] Example 2: The terminal device may determine the timing advance amount according to the received timing advance command MAC CE. For example, the timing advance command MAC CE includes an index value T A The terminal device can use the index value T A Adjust the quantized value N of the timing advance TA , and based on the quantized value N of the adjusted timing advance TA Determine the timing advance. N TA The update process is: N TA_new =N TA_old+(T A -31)*16*64 / 2 μ

[0143] Among them, N TA_new is the adjusted N TA , N TA_old To adjust the N before TA , T A The index value T carried in the timing advance command MAC CE A For example, the index value T A The value range of T is (0~63), that is, A =0, 1, 2, ..., 63.

[0144] Optionally, the method shown in FIG2 may further include step 203 .

[0145] 203. The terminal device transmits an uplink signal based on the uplink transmission time, and correspondingly, the network device receives the uplink signal.

[0146] In an embodiment of the present application, for a terminal device that supports positioning features, when it continuously senses a change in the relative distance between the terminal device and the network device, the terminal device can adjust the uplink transmission time through steps 201 and 202 to achieve uplink synchronization between the terminal device and the network device. It is understood that the frequency of the terminal device adjusting the uplink transmission time is the same as the frequency at which the terminal device obtains positioning information, or the frequency of the terminal device adjusting the uplink transmission time can be less than the frequency at which the terminal device obtains positioning information. That is, after the terminal device updates the positioning information, the terminal device can adjust the uplink transmission time based on the new positioning information and historical positioning information.

[0147] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device supports positioning features, is able to obtain a reliable first time difference, and adjust the uplink transmission time based on the first time difference, thereby enabling the terminal device to autonomously adjust the uplink timing, increase uplink robustness, and improve uplink capacity and coverage. In addition, the terminal device autonomously adjusts the uplink timing, resulting in better uplink timing maintenance. Therefore, the network device does not need to periodically issue timing advance commands to adjust the uplink timing, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0148] For example, as shown in Figure 4, a terminal device can move from position A to position B. The relative distance between the terminal device and the network device at position B is greater than the relative distance between the terminal device and the network device at position A, i.e., the terminal device is far away from the network device. As shown in Figure 5A, the downlink subframe arrival time of the terminal device at position A is T2, the uplink transmission time is T4, and the timing advance TA = T2-T4. The timestamp of the network device is T0, i.e., the network device expects to receive the uplink signal from the terminal device and transmit the downlink signal at time T0. The difference between time T0 and time T4 is D1, and the difference between time T2 and time T0 is also D1, i.e., the timing advance TA = 2*D1. That is, at position A, the signal transmission delay between the terminal device and the network device is D1. Therefore, the uplink signal transmitted by the terminal device at time T4 is transmitted to the network device at time T0 after D1. That is, the terminal device transmits the uplink signal at time T4, and the network device can receive the uplink signal at the expected time (i.e., T0), thereby achieving uplink timing synchronization between the terminal device and the network device.

[0149] The terminal device moves from position A to position B. The arrival time of the downlink subframe at position B is T1. The difference between T1 and T0 is D2, that is, the signal transmission delay between the terminal device at position B and the network device is D2. The first time difference D is the difference between T1 and T2, or the difference between D2 and D1, that is, the time by which the arrival time of the downlink subframe at position B of the terminal device lags behind the arrival time of the downlink subframe at position A. As shown in Figure 5A, at position B, if no uplink timing adjustment is performed, the uplink timing of the terminal device at position B is advanced by the timing advance based on the downlink timing. Therefore, at position B, the uplink timing of the terminal device is updated to T3. However, at position B, the signal transmission delay between the terminal device and the network device is D2. If the terminal device transmits an uplink signal at time T3, the network device can only receive the uplink signal after time T0. In other words, the network device cannot receive the uplink signal at the expected time, and the uplink timing of the terminal device and the network device are not synchronized. Therefore, the terminal device needs to adjust the uplink timing.

[0150] As shown in Figure 5A, if the terminal device adjusts the uplink timing using a gradual timing adjustment method, the reference timing can be the uplink timing T4 of the terminal device at position A. That is, the terminal device can adjust the uplink timing using a gradual timing adjustment method so that the difference between the uplink timing of the terminal device at position B and the uplink timing at position A remains within Te. For example, the uplink timing of the terminal device after adjustment at position B can be T4. The signal transmission delay between the terminal device at position B and the network device is D2. Therefore, the uplink signal transmitted by the terminal device at time T4 is transmitted to the network device after D2. However, the difference between time T4 and time T0 is D1, and D2 is not equal to D1. Therefore, the uplink signal transmitted by the terminal device at time T4 cannot be transmitted to the network device at time T0. That is, the uplink signal transmitted by the terminal device at time T4 at the terminal device at position B cannot reach the network device at the expected time. That is, the uplink timing of the terminal device and the network device is not synchronized.

[0151] If the terminal device adjusts the uplink timing by the method shown in Figure 2, that is, the uplink transmission time of the terminal device at position B is TU, which satisfies: TU = T1-TA + 2*(T2-T1). As shown in Figure 5B, the difference between TU and T3 is 2*D, that is, the uplink timing of the terminal device after adjustment at position B is 2*D earlier than the uplink timing before adjustment. It can be seen from Figure 5B that the difference between T0 and TU is D2, that is, at position B, the uplink signal transmitted by the terminal device at time TU is transmitted to the network device at time T0 after passing through D2, that is, the network device can receive the uplink signal at the desired time (i.e., T0), thereby realizing uplink timing synchronization between the terminal device and the network device.

[0152] In summary, compared with the gradual timing adjustment method, the method shown in FIG2 can better maintain the uplink timing and achieve uplink timing between the terminal device and the network device.

[0153] In an embodiment of the present application, the downlink arrival time can be replaced by the description of "downlink timing", and the uplink transmission time can be replaced by the description of "uplink timing", that is, the first time difference is the difference between the first downlink timing and the second downlink timing, and the terminal device determines the uplink timing based on the first time difference.

[0154] Please refer to Figure 6, which is a flow chart of a method for determining a timing advance according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 6, the method includes but is not limited to the following steps.

[0155] 601. The terminal device determines a first time difference, which is the difference between a first downlink arrival time and a second downlink arrival time. The terminal device supports positioning features.

[0156] It is understandable that the specific description of the first time difference and the specific implementation of step 601 can be found in the relevant description of step 201 in Figure 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0157] 602. The terminal device determines a first timing advance based on the first time difference.

[0158] Exemplarily, the first timing advance is the timing advance of the terminal device at the current moment, or the first timing advance is the timing advance after the terminal device changes its position, or the first timing advance is the timing advance used by the terminal device when it is at the first position. The terminal device determines the first timing advance based on the first time difference, that is, the terminal device adjusts its timing advance based on the first time difference.

[0159] Exemplarily, the terminal device can determine the first timing advance based on the first time difference and the second timing advance, where the second timing advance is the timing advance of the terminal device at a previous moment, or the second timing advance is the timing advance of the terminal device before the position changes, or the first timing advance is the timing advance used by the terminal device when it is in the second position.

[0160] For example, regarding the terminal device determining the first timing advance based on the first time difference, embodiments of the present application provide the following implementations:

[0161] Implementation method 1: the first timing advance may be determined by the first time difference and the second timing advance.

[0162] Exemplarily, the difference between the first timing advance and the second timing advance is within a second value range, and the second value range includes twice the first time difference, that is, the second value range includes 2*(T1-T2), wherein T1 is the first downlink arrival time and T2 is the second downlink arrival time. Exemplarily, the second value range may be within a range centered on 2*(T1-T2). For example, the first value range is within a range of x2% to y2% of 2*(T1-T2). Wherein, x2 is less than 100 and y2 is greater than 100. For example, the second value range may be within a range of 95% to 105% of 2*(T1-T2). It is understandable that the specific values ​​of x2 and y2 may be determined by the specific implementation process.

[0163] In a possible implementation, the terminal device may adjust the timing advance by an adjustment amount that is twice the first time difference, that is, the difference between the first timing advance and the second timing advance is twice the first time difference.

[0164] As an example, the first time difference can be determined by the first downlink arrival time and the second downlink arrival time. The first timing advance satisfies the following formula: TA1 = TA2 + 2*(T1-T2)

[0165] TA1 is the first timing advance, TA2 is the second timing advance, T1 is the first downlink arrival time, and T2 is the second downlink arrival time.

[0166] As another example, the first time difference can be determined by a first distance difference, which is a change in the distance between the terminal device and the network device at the first position and the second position. The first timing advance satisfies the following formula: TA1 = TA2 + 2*X / C

[0167] TA1 is the first timing advance, TA2 is the second timing advance, X is the first distance difference, and C is the signal transmission speed, or C is the speed of light.

[0168] For example, the determination of the second timing advance in the above two examples may refer to the determination of the timing advance TA in step 202, which will not be described in detail here.

[0169] Exemplarily, after the terminal device determines the first timing advance, it can determine the uplink transmission time according to the first timing advance. For example, the time by which the uplink transmission time is advanced compared to the first downlink arrival time is the first timing advance. That is, the uplink transmission time satisfies: TU = T1 - TA1

[0170] TU is the uplink transmission time, T1 is the first downlink arrival time, and TA1 is the first timing advance.

[0171] For example, a terminal device moves from position A to position B, as shown in Figure 7. The downlink subframe arrival time of the terminal device at position A is T2, and the uplink transmission time is T4. The second timing advance TA2 = T2-T4. The timestamp of the network device is T0, that is, the network device expects to receive the uplink signal from the terminal device and transmit the downlink signal at time T0. Among them, the difference between time T0 and time T4 is D1, and the difference between time T2 and time T0 is also D1, that is, the second timing advance TA2 = 2*D1. That is, at position A, the signal transmission delay between the terminal device and the network device is D1. Therefore, the uplink signal transmitted by the terminal device at time T4 is transmitted to the network device at time T0 after D1. That is, the terminal device transmits the uplink signal at time T4, and the network device can receive the uplink signal at the expected time (i.e., T0), thereby achieving uplink timing synchronization between the terminal device and the network device.

[0172] When the terminal device moves from position A to position B, for example, the terminal device is far away from the network device, the downlink subframe arrival time of the terminal device at position B is T1. The difference between T1 and T0 is D2, that is, the signal transmission delay between the terminal device at position B and the network device is D2. The first time difference D is the difference between T1 and T2, or the difference between D2 and D1, that is, the time that the downlink subframe arrival time of the terminal device at position B lags behind the downlink subframe arrival time at position A is the first time difference D. The terminal device can adjust the timing advance according to the first time difference to obtain its first timing advance TA1 at position B. The TA1 satisfies: TA1 = TA2 + 2*(T1-T2). Therefore, the uplink transmission time TU of the terminal device at position B satisfies: TU = T1-TA1 = T1-TA+2*(T2-T1).

[0173] As can be seen from Figure 7, the difference between T0 and TU is D2, that is, at position B, the uplink signal transmitted by the terminal device at time TU is transmitted to the network device at time T0 after passing through D2, that is, the network device can receive the uplink signal at the desired time (ie T0), thereby realizing uplink timing synchronization between the terminal device and the network device.

[0174] In this implementation, the terminal device supports the positioning feature, that is, the terminal device is capable of obtaining a reliable first time difference, and the terminal device can adjust the timing advance according to the first time difference. For example, the terminal device adjusts the timing advance according to 2 times the first time difference, which can maintain the time for the uplink signal to reach the network device unchanged, thereby achieving uplink synchronization between the terminal device and the network device.

[0175] Implementation method 2: The first timing advance is determined by the first time difference, the second timing advance, and the moving speed of the terminal device.

[0176] Exemplarily, the first timing advance satisfies the following formula: TA1=TA2+2*(T1-T2)+ΔT

[0177] Among them, TA1 is the first timing advance, TA2 is the second timing advance, T1 is the first downlink arrival time, T2 is the second downlink arrival time, and the value of ΔT is determined by the moving speed of the terminal device.

[0178] Exemplarily, ΔT is proportional to the moving speed of the terminal device, that is, the greater the moving speed of the terminal device, the greater the value of ΔT.

[0179] It is understandable that the description of ΔT can refer to the relevant description of the second implementation method in step 202, and will not be repeated here.

[0180] In this implementation, the terminal device supports positioning characteristics, that is, the terminal device has the ability to obtain a reliable first time difference and moving speed. The terminal device can adjust the timing advance according to the first time difference, the timing advance, and the moving speed of the terminal device, so that the timing advance obtained by the terminal device can be more reasonable and reliable.

[0181] In an embodiment of the present application, after the terminal device receives the timing command MAC CE, it can determine the timing advance of the terminal device based on the configuration of the MAC CE, and update the local uplink timing advance timer, and then adjust the timing advance according to twice the first time difference during subsequent movement.

[0182] Optionally, the method shown in FIG6 may further include step 603 .

[0183] 603. The terminal device transmits an uplink signal based on the first timing advance, and correspondingly, the network device receives the uplink signal.

[0184] Exemplarily, the terminal device determines an uplink transmission time according to a first timing advance and a first downlink arrival time, and transmits the uplink signal at the uplink transmission time, wherein the time by which the uplink transmission time is advanced compared to the first downlink arrival time is the first timing advance.

[0185] In an embodiment of the present application, for a terminal device that supports positioning features, when the terminal device continuously senses a change in the relative distance between the terminal device and the network device, the terminal device can adjust the timing advance through steps 601 and 602 to achieve uplink synchronization between the terminal device and the network device. It is understood that the frequency at which the terminal device adjusts the timing advance is the same as the frequency at which the terminal device obtains positioning information, or the frequency at which the terminal device adjusts the timing advance can be less than the frequency at which the terminal device obtains positioning information. That is, after the terminal device updates the positioning information, the terminal device can adjust the timing advance based on the new positioning information and historical positioning information.

[0186] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device supports positioning features, is able to obtain a reliable first time difference, and adjust the timing advance based on the first time difference, enabling the terminal device to autonomously adjust the uplink timing, increase uplink robustness, and improve uplink capacity and coverage. In addition, the terminal device autonomously adjusts the timing advance, resulting in better uplink timing maintenance. Therefore, the network device does not need to periodically issue timing advance commands, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0187] In an embodiment of the present application, if a terminal device is configured with a primary timing advance group (pTAG) and a secondary timing advance group (sTAG), the first time difference applies to both the pTAG and the sTAG. That is, the terminal device can adjust the timing advance or uplink timing of each of the pTAG and the sTAG based on the first time difference.

[0188] The following describes the device provided in the embodiments of the present application.

[0189] The present application divides the functional modules of the communication device according to the above-mentioned method embodiment. For example, each functional module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above-mentioned integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It should be noted that the division of modules in this application is schematic and is only a logical functional division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. The communication device of the embodiment of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 8 to 10.

[0190] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 8, the communication device includes a processing unit 801 and a transceiver unit 802. The transceiver unit 802 can implement corresponding communication functions, and the processing unit 801 is used to process data. For example, the transceiver unit 802 can also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication unit.

[0191] Exemplarily, the communication device can be used to execute the actions performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiment. In this case, the communication device can be a terminal device or a component that can be configured in the terminal device (such as a chip or system, etc.), and the transceiver unit 802 is used to execute the transceiver-related operations of the terminal device in the above method embodiment, and the processing unit 801 is used to execute the processing-related operations of the terminal device in the above method embodiment.

[0192] In some embodiments of the present application, the processing unit 801 is configured to determine a first time difference and determine an uplink transmission time according to the first time difference.

[0193] Optionally, the processing unit 801 is further configured to obtain a first distance difference.

[0194] Optionally, the transceiver unit 802 is configured to send an uplink signal.

[0195] It is understandable that the specific description of the processing unit 801 determining the first time difference, determining the uplink transmission time, and obtaining the first distance difference can be referred to the method embodiment shown above, and will not be described in detail here.

[0196] In some other embodiments of the present application, the processing unit 801 is configured to determine a first time difference and determine a first timing advance according to the first time difference.

[0197] Optionally, the processing unit 801 is further configured to obtain a first distance difference.

[0198] Optionally, the transceiver unit 802 is configured to send an uplink signal.

[0199] It is understandable that the specific description of the processing unit 801 determining the first time difference, determining the first timing advance, and obtaining the first distance difference can refer to the method embodiment shown above, and will not be described in detail here.

[0200] Optionally, the above-mentioned communication device may further include a storage unit, which may be used to store instructions and / or data. The processing unit 801 may read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit so that the communication device implements the above-mentioned method embodiment.

[0201] It can be understood that the specific description of the transceiver unit and the processing unit shown in the embodiment of the present application is only an example. For the specific functions or execution steps of the transceiver unit and the processing unit, please refer to the above-mentioned method embodiment and will not be described in detail here.

[0202] In the above embodiments, the description of the first time difference, uplink transmission time, first distance difference, first timing advance, etc. can also refer to the introduction in the above method embodiment, and will not be described in detail here.

[0203] The above describes the communication device according to the embodiment of the present application. The following describes possible product forms of the communication device. It should be understood that any product having the functions of the communication device described in FIG8 falls within the scope of protection of the embodiment of the present application. It should also be understood that the following description is merely illustrative and does not limit the product forms of the communication device according to the embodiment of the present application to these examples.

[0204] In one possible implementation, in the communication device shown in FIG8 , the processing unit 801 may be one or more processors, the transceiver unit 802 may be a transceiver, or the transceiver unit 802 may be a transmitting unit and a receiving unit, the transmitting unit may be a transmitter, the receiving unit may be a receiver, and the transmitting unit and the receiving unit are integrated into a single device, such as a transceiver. In the embodiment of the present application, the processor and the transceiver may be coupled, etc., and the embodiment of the present application does not limit the connection method between the processor and the transceiver. During the execution of the above method, the process of sending information in the above method can be understood as the process of the processor outputting the above information. When outputting the above information, the processor outputs the above information to the transceiver so that the transceiver can transmit it. After being output by the processor, the above information may also need to undergo other processing before reaching the transceiver. Similarly, the process of receiving information in the above method can be understood as the process of the processor receiving the input information. When the processor receives the input information, the transceiver receives the above information and inputs it into the processor. Furthermore, after the transceiver receives the above information, the above information may need to be processed further before being received by the processor.

[0205] As shown in FIG. 9 , the communication device 90 includes one or more processors 920 and a transceiver 910 .

[0206] In some embodiments of the present application, the communication device can be used to execute the steps or functions performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments.

[0207] The processor 920 is configured to determine a first time difference and determine an uplink transmission time according to the first time difference.

[0208] Optionally, the processor 920 is further configured to obtain a first distance difference.

[0209] Optionally, the transceiver 910 is used to send an uplink signal.

[0210] In other embodiments of the present application, the communication device can be used to execute the steps or functions performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments.

[0211] The processor 920 is configured to determine a first time difference and determine a first timing advance according to the first time difference.

[0212] Optionally, the processor 920 is further configured to obtain a first distance difference.

[0213] Optionally, the transceiver 910 is used to send an uplink signal.

[0214] It is understandable that the specific descriptions of the transceiver and processor shown in the embodiments of the present application are only examples. For the specific functions or execution steps of the transceiver and processor, please refer to the above-mentioned method embodiments and will not be described in detail here.

[0215] In the above embodiments, the description of the first time difference, uplink transmission time, first distance difference, etc. can also refer to the introduction in the above method embodiment, and will not be described in detail here.

[0216] In various implementations of the communication device shown in FIG9 , the transceiver may include a receiver and a transmitter, wherein the receiver is configured to perform a receiving function (or operation) and the transmitter is configured to perform a transmitting function (or operation). The transceiver is configured to communicate with other devices / devices via a transmission medium.

[0217] Optionally, the communication device 90 may further include one or more memories 930 for storing program instructions and / or data, etc. The memory 930 is coupled to the processor 920. The coupling in the embodiment of the present application is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms, and is used for information exchange between devices, units or modules. The processor 920 may operate in conjunction with the memory 930. The processor 920 may execute program instructions stored in the memory 930. Optionally, at least one of the above-mentioned one or more memories may be included in the processor.

[0218] The specific connection medium between the transceiver 910, processor 920, and memory 930 is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. In Figure 9, the memory 930, processor 920, and transceiver 910 are connected via a bus 940. The bus is represented by a bold line in Figure 9. The connection methods between other components are only for illustrative purposes and are not limiting. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, Figure 9 only uses a single bold line, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0219] In the embodiments of the present application, the processor may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component, etc., and may implement or execute the various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of the present application may be directly implemented as being executed by a hardware processor, or may be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor, etc.

[0220] In the embodiment of the present application, memory may include but is not limited to non-volatile memories such as hard disk drive (HDD) or solid-state drive (SSD), random access memory (RAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), read-only memory (ROM) or portable read-only memory (CD-ROM), etc. Memory is any storage medium that can be used to carry or store program code in the form of instructions or data structures, and can be read and / or written by a computer (such as the communication device shown in the present application), but is not limited thereto. The memory in the embodiment of the present application can also be a circuit or other arbitrarily capable of realizing a storage function, for storing program instructions and / or data.

[0221] Illustratively, the processor 920 is primarily used to process communication protocols and communication data, control the entire communication device, execute software programs, and process software program data. The memory 930 is primarily used to store software programs and data. The transceiver 910 may include a control circuit and an antenna. The control circuit is primarily used to convert baseband signals into radio frequency signals and process radio frequency signals. The antenna is primarily used to transmit and receive radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input / output devices, such as a touch screen, display, and keyboard, are primarily used to receive user input and output data to the user.

[0222] When the communication device is powered on, the processor 920 can read the software program in the memory 930, interpret and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be sent wirelessly, the processor 920 performs baseband processing on the data to be sent and outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency circuit. The radio frequency circuit performs radio frequency processing on the baseband signal and then transmits the radio frequency signal to the outside in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the communication device, the radio frequency circuit receives the radio frequency signal through the antenna, converts the radio frequency signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 920. The processor 920 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0223] In another implementation, the RF circuit and antenna may be provided independently of the processor performing baseband processing. For example, in a distributed scenario, the RF circuit and antenna may be remotely arranged independent of the communication device.

[0224] It is understood that the communication device shown in the embodiment of the present application may also have more components than those in Figure 9, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited to this. The method performed by the processor and transceiver shown above is only an example. For the specific steps performed by the processor and transceiver, please refer to the method described above.

[0225] In another possible implementation, in the communication device shown in FIG8 , the processing unit 801 may be one or more logic circuits, and the transceiver unit 802 may be an input / output interface, or may be called a communication interface, or an interface circuit, or an interface, etc. Alternatively, the transceiver unit 802 may be a sending unit and a receiving unit, the sending unit may be an output interface, the receiving unit may be an input interface, and the sending unit and the receiving unit are integrated into one unit, such as an input / output interface. As shown in FIG10 , the communication device shown in FIG10 includes a logic circuit 1001 and an interface 1002. That is, the processing unit 801 may be implemented using a logic circuit 1001, and the transceiver unit 802 may be implemented using an interface 1002. The logic circuit 1001 may be a chip, a processing circuit, an integrated circuit, or a system on chip (SoC) chip, etc., and the interface 1002 may be a communication interface, an input / output interface, a pin, etc. For example, FIG10 is illustrated using the communication device as a chip, and the chip includes a logic circuit 1001 and an interface 1002.

[0226] In the embodiment of the present application, the logic circuit and the interface may also be coupled to each other. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific connection method between the logic circuit and the interface.

[0227] Exemplarily, the communication device can be used to execute the steps or functions performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiment.

[0228] In some embodiments of the present application, the logic circuit 1001 is configured to determine a first time difference and determine an uplink transmission time according to the first time difference. Optionally, the logic circuit 1001 is further configured to obtain a first distance difference. Optionally, the interface 1002 is configured to output an uplink signal.

[0229] In some other embodiments of the present application, the logic circuit 1001 is configured to determine the first time difference and determine the first timing advance based on the first time difference. Optionally, the logic circuit 1001 is further configured to obtain the first distance difference. Optionally, the interface 1002 is configured to output an uplink signal.

[0230] It can be understood that the specific description of the logic circuit and interface shown in the embodiments of the present application is only an example. For the specific functions or execution steps of the logic circuit and interface, please refer to the above-mentioned method embodiment and will not be described in detail here.

[0231] In the above embodiments, the description of the first time difference, uplink transmission time, first distance difference, first timing advance, etc. can also refer to the introduction in the above method embodiment, and will not be described in detail here.

[0232] It can be understood that the communication device shown in the embodiment of the present application can implement the method provided in the embodiment of the present application in the form of hardware, or can implement the method provided in the embodiment of the present application in the form of software, etc., and the embodiment of the present application is not limited to this.

[0233] The embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system, which includes a terminal device, and the terminal device can be used to execute the method in any of the above embodiments. Optionally, the communication system also includes a network device.

[0234] In addition, the present application also provides a computer program, which is used to implement the operations and / or processing performed by the terminal device in the method provided by the present application.

[0235] The present application also provides a computer program, which is used to implement the operations and / or processing performed by the terminal device in the method provided by the present application.

[0236] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores computer code. When the computer code runs on a computer, the computer executes the operations and / or processing performed by the terminal device in the method provided by the present application.

[0237] The present application also provides a computer program product, which includes computer code or computer program. When the computer code or computer program is run on a computer, the operations and / or processing performed by the terminal device in the method provided by the present application are executed.

[0238] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, or can be electrical, mechanical or other forms of connection.

[0239] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the technical effects of the solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application.

[0240] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of the present application may be integrated into a single processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into a single unit. The aforementioned integrated units may be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional units.

[0241] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application is essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a readable storage medium, including a number of instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned readable storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disk or optical disk, and other media that can store program code.

[0242] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for determining an uplink transmission time, characterized in that: include: Determine a first time difference, where the first time difference is a difference between a first downlink arrival time and a second downlink arrival time of a terminal device, and the terminal device supports a positioning feature; An uplink transmission time is determined according to the first time difference.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first downlink arrival time corresponds to a first position, the second downlink arrival time corresponds to a second position, and the terminal device moves from the second position to the first position.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The difference between the uplink transmission time and the first downlink arrival time is within a first value range, and the first value range includes a difference between a timing advance and twice the first time difference.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The uplink transmission time satisfies: TU=T1-TA+2*(T2-T1), wherein the TU is the uplink transmission time, the T1 is the first downlink arrival time, the T2 is the second downlink arrival time, and the TA is the timing advance.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The uplink transmission time is determined by the first time difference and the moving speed of the terminal device.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The uplink transmission time satisfies: TU=T1-TA+2*(T2-T1)-ΔT, wherein TU is the uplink transmission time, T1 is the first downlink arrival time, T2 is the second downlink arrival time, TA is the timing advance, and the value of ΔT is determined by the moving speed of the terminal device.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The ΔT is proportional to the moving speed of the terminal device.

8. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that: The method further comprises: When a change in the relative position between the terminal device and the network device is detected, a first distance difference is obtained, where the first distance difference is a difference between a first distance and a second distance, where the first distance is the distance between the terminal device at the first position and the network device, and the second distance is the distance between the terminal device at the second position and the network device; The determining of the first time difference comprises: The first time difference is determined according to the first distance difference.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The first time difference satisfies: D=X / C, wherein D is the first time difference, X is the first distance difference, and C is the signal transmission speed.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that: The determining the first time difference according to the first distance difference includes: When the first distance difference is greater than a first threshold, the first time difference is determined according to the first distance difference.

11. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a unit for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. A communication device, characterized in that: including a processor and a memory; The memory is used to store instructions; The processor is configured to execute the instructions so that the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 is performed.

13. A communication device, characterized in that: comprising a logic circuit and an interface, wherein the logic circuit and the interface are coupled; The interface is used to input and / or output code instructions, and the logic circuit is used to execute the code instructions so that the method described in any one of claims 1 to 10 is executed.

14. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium is used to store a computer program. When the computer program is executed, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 is executed.

15. A computer program, characterized in that When the computer program is executed, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 is performed.

16. A communication system, characterized in that: The communication system comprises a terminal device, and the terminal device is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-10.

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