Communication method, device, storage medium, and computer program product

Abstract

A communication method, a device, a storage medium, and a computer program product, relating to the technical field of communications, and used for improving the communication quality. In the present application, a terminal device sends first information. The first information comprises indication information of at least one spatial region, the indication information of the at least one spatial region is used for determining a first spatial region, and the first spatial region comprises a track interval of a second satellite device. Alternatively, the first information comprises indication information of at least one track interval, the indication information of the at least one track interval is used for determining a first track interval, and the first track interval belongs to a track of the second satellite device. The terminal device receives second information, wherein the second information instructs the terminal device to switch from a first satellite device to the second satellite device. Because a network device can determine a to-be-switched-to satellite device on the basis of the first information, the communication quality of the terminal device can be improved, the workload of selecting the to-be-switched-to satellite device by the network device can be reduced, and the working complexity can be reduced.

Description

Communication method, device, storage medium and computer program product Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, device, storage medium, and computer program product. Background Art

[0002] Currently, 5G new radio (NR) technology is evolving from version R18 to version R19. At the same time, NR technology has also entered the commercial deployment stage from the standardization stage. The NR standard protocol is a wireless communication technology designed for terrestrial cellular network scenarios, which can provide users with wireless communication services with ultra-low latency, ultra-reliability, ultra-high speed, and excessive connectivity. Compared with terrestrial communications, non-terrestrial networks (NTN) communications have the characteristics of large coverage areas and flexible networking, and can achieve seamless global network coverage. NTN communications include the use of drones, high-altitude platforms, satellites and other equipment for networking, providing user equipment (UE) with data transmission, voice communication and other services.

[0003] In some communication scenarios (such as NR or NTN), data transmission between communication devices will be affected, leading to a series of problems. For example, in a satellite mobile communication scenario, when a terminal device transmits data to a satellite base station, it will be affected by sudden / short-term shielding of the signal by buildings, trees, road signs, street lights, etc., causing the link signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) to drop suddenly. The shielding duration can reach tens of milliseconds (ms), resulting in the emergence of an error floor, fluctuations in data transmission rate, and an increase in the number (probability) of data retransmissions, which in turn leads to low communication quality. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a solution to improve communication quality.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present application provides a communication method, apparatus, storage medium, and computer program product for improving communication quality.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which is executed by a terminal device, which may be a terminal device, or a unit, module, or chip inside the terminal device.

[0007] In this method, a terminal device transmits first information. The first information includes information indicating at least one spatial region, where the information is used to determine a first spatial region, where the first spatial region includes an orbital interval of a second satellite device. The terminal device then receives second information, where the second information instructs the terminal device to switch from the first satellite device to the second satellite device.

[0008] The terminal device may send the first information to the network device, and the second information may also be sent by the network device. The first satellite device may operate in a transparent transmission mode or a regeneration mode. When the first satellite device operates in the transparent transmission mode, the first information sent by the terminal device may be forwarded to the network device via the first satellite device. When the first satellite device operates in the regeneration mode, the network device may be the first satellite device.

[0009] Because the terminal device can report first information including information indicating at least one spatial region, the network device can determine the first spatial region based on the first information and then determine a satellite device (e.g., a second satellite device) to be switched for the terminal device from within the first spatial region. This improves communication quality for the terminal device. Furthermore, because the network device can directly search for the satellite device to be switched from the determined first spatial region, this solution reduces the workload of the network device in selecting the satellite device to be switched, thereby reducing operational complexity.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the information indicating the spatial region in at least one spatial region includes information indicating an elevation angle range. The elevation angle in the elevation angle range includes the angle between a line projected into the air from the terminal device as the starting point and the projection of the line on the horizontal plane. The information indicating the elevation angle range may indicate the elevation angle range. The elevation angle range may construct a spatial region. The network device may identify the spatial region indicated by the elevation angle range based on the current location of the terminal device and the elevation angle range.

[0011] In one possible embodiment, the information indicating the spatial region in at least one spatial region includes information indicating an azimuth range. The azimuth in the azimuth range includes the angle between the projection of a line projected into the air starting from the terminal device on a horizontal plane and the projection of a preset line starting from the terminal device on a horizontal plane. The information indicating the azimuth range may indicate the azimuth range. The azimuth range may construct a spatial region. The network device may identify the spatial region indicated by the azimuth range based on the current location of the terminal device and the azimuth range.

[0012] In another possible implementation, the elevation range and the elevation range can be used to jointly indicate a spatial area, for example, the spatial area is the intersection of the spatial area constructed by the elevation range and the spatial area constructed by the azimuth. In this way, the spatial area can be defined separately from the elevation and azimuth angles, thereby reducing the granularity of the spatial area to improve the fineness of the division of the spatial area, thereby improving the accuracy of the solution. For example, if there are obstacles in the surrounding environment of the terminal device, the spatial area where the obstacle is located can be divided into smaller areas based on the elevation and azimuth angles, and then the network device can select the satellite device to be switched from a larger spatial area, and the network device can also more accurately identify when the communication quality between the first satellite device and the terminal device deteriorates.

[0013] In one possible implementation, at least one spatial region can be determined based on: information about the surrounding environment of the terminal device. It can be seen that in this solution, there is no need to switch the satellite device based on the measurement result of the reference signal transmitted between the terminal device and the first satellite device. This solution can save the power consumption of the first satellite device for transmitting the reference signal or measuring the reference signal. Moreover, in this solution, the terminal device can report the first information before the communication quality with the first satellite device deteriorates, and then the network device can also instruct the terminal device to switch to the second satellite device before the communication quality between the first satellite device and the terminal device deteriorates, thereby reducing the duration of the terminal device's poor communication quality and the occurrence of communication interruptions caused by poor communication quality, thereby improving the overall communication quality of the terminal device.

[0014] In one possible implementation, a terminal device acquires information about its surrounding environment based on data collected by sensors, including at least one of a camera, a lidar, or a range-finding device. This solution eliminates the need for assistance from other devices, thereby reducing the resource overhead associated with signaling interactions with other devices.

[0015] In one possible implementation, at least one spatial region can also be determined based on the quality of the signal transmitted between the terminal device and a satellite device moving to the at least one spatial region. In this solution, the terminal device does not need to continuously receive the reference signal from the first satellite device during the entire time the first satellite device is overhead, nor does the first satellite device need to continuously measure the reference signal from the terminal device during the entire time the first satellite device is overhead. This solution can reduce the power consumption of the first satellite device. Furthermore, in this solution, the terminal device can report the first information before the communication quality with the first satellite device deteriorates. Subsequently, the network device can instruct the terminal device to switch to the second satellite device before the communication quality between the first satellite device and the terminal device deteriorates. This can reduce the duration of poor communication quality for the terminal device and the occurrence of communication interruptions caused by poor communication quality, thereby improving the overall communication quality of the terminal device.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the at least one spatial region includes a first spatial region and / or a second spatial region. The first spatial region does not include any obstacles, or the quality of a signal transmitted between the terminal device and a satellite device moving into the first spatial region is greater than a first quality threshold. The second spatial region does include any obstacles, or the quality of a signal transmitted between the terminal device and a satellite device moving into the second spatial region is less than a second quality threshold.

[0017] If the terminal device reports the indication information of the first spatial area, the network device can identify the spatial area with better communication quality, and then find the satellite device to be switched from the first spatial area, and then instruct the terminal device to switch to the satellite device with better communication quality, thereby improving the communication quality.

[0018] If the terminal device reports indication information for the second spatial region, the network device can identify the spatial region with poor communication quality, and then, based on the movement pattern of the first satellite device, identify when the first satellite device enters the second spatial region. The network device can also search for a satellite device to be switched from a spatial region different from the second spatial region, and then instruct the terminal device to switch to a satellite device in a spatial region different from the second spatial region, thereby improving communication quality. In another possible implementation, the network device can instruct the terminal device to switch to the second satellite device before the first satellite device enters the second spatial region. In this way, the duration of poor communication quality of the terminal device can be reduced, thereby improving the communication quality of the terminal device.

[0019] In one possible implementation, the first information further includes information regarding a priority level associated with at least one spatial region. The priority level is associated with the quality of a signal transmitted between a satellite device operating in the spatial region and a terminal device, and / or the priority level is associated with the presence of obstacles in the spatial region.

[0020] In this way, the network device can determine the order in which to search for satellite devices in the areas where the handover is located based on the priority information. For example, it can prioritize searching for satellite devices in the spatial area with the best communication quality. This solution enables the network device to find satellite devices with better communication quality for the terminal device, thereby further improving the communication quality of the terminal device.

[0021] In one possible implementation, the terminal device sends an updated first information. When the position of the terminal device moves, or the position of the obstacle around the terminal device changes, the range of each spatial area previously identified by the terminal device may also change. For example, the second spatial area including the obstacle may change, and the range of the first spatial area that originally did not include the obstacle may also change. In this way, the terminal device reports the updated first information to indicate the range of each changed spatial area, so that the network device re-determines whether it is necessary to switch the satellite device for the terminal device based on the updated first information. For example, when it is identified that the communication quality between the terminal device and the second satellite device is about to deteriorate, the terminal device can be instructed to switch to other satellite devices, thereby further improving the communication quality.

[0022] In one possible implementation, before a terminal device transmits updated first information, the terminal device determines that at least one of the following conditions is satisfied: the change in the terminal device's position is greater than a first threshold; the change in the spatial area surrounding the terminal device where obstacles exist is greater than a second threshold; or the change in the spatial area surrounding the terminal device where obstacles are not present is greater than a fifth threshold. In this way, the updated first information can be reported only when the change in the terminal device's position or the change in the range of each spatial area reaches a certain level, thereby reducing the amount of first information reported and reducing resource overhead.

[0023] In one possible implementation, the terminal device determines that the amount of change in the spatial region surrounding the terminal device where an obstacle exists is greater than a second threshold if the following conditions are met: the amount of change in the elevation angle range corresponding to the spatial region surrounding the terminal device where the obstacle exists is greater than a third threshold; and / or the amount of change in the azimuth angle range corresponding to the spatial region surrounding the terminal device where the obstacle exists is greater than a fourth threshold. This solution provides a specific method for the terminal device to identify when the amount of change in the spatial region surrounding the obstacle exists is greater than the second threshold, and performs identification based on the elevation angle range and / or the azimuth angle range, making it relatively simple and easy to implement.

[0024] In a possible implementation, the terminal device periodically sends the updated first information. This implementation can reduce the overhead caused by scheduling resources of the network device.

[0025] In one possible implementation, the terminal device may also semi-statically and periodically transmit the updated first information. The network device may configure resources for the terminal device. After the network device transmits activation signaling to the terminal device, the terminal device periodically reports the first information. This can partially reduce the resource overhead associated with reporting the first information.

[0026] In a possible implementation, the terminal device may send the updated first information after receiving the trigger signaling sent by the network device, where the trigger signaling is used to instruct the terminal device to report the updated first information. This implementation is more flexible and has lower resource overhead.

[0027] In a second aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which is executed by a network device, which may be a network device, or a unit, module, or chip within the network device.

[0028] In this method, a network device receives first information. The first information includes information indicating at least one spatial region, the at least one spatial region indicating information being used to determine a first spatial region, the first spatial region including an orbital interval of a second satellite device. The network device then sends second information instructing a terminal device to switch from the first satellite device to the second satellite device.

[0029] Because the terminal device can report first information including information indicating at least one spatial region, the network device can determine the first spatial region based on the first information and then determine a satellite device (e.g., a second satellite device) to be switched for the terminal device from within the first spatial region. This improves communication quality for the terminal device. Furthermore, because the network device can directly search for the satellite device to be switched from the determined first spatial region, this solution reduces the workload of the network device in selecting the satellite device to be switched, thereby reducing operational complexity.

[0030] In a possible implementation, the related descriptions of the first information, the indication information of the spatial area in at least one spatial area, the first spatial area, the second spatial area, etc. can refer to the related descriptions of the first aspect mentioned above and will not be repeated here.

[0031] In one possible implementation, the network device receives the updated first information. For example, the network device may periodically receive the updated first information. The network device may also semi-statically and periodically receive the updated first information. For example, the network device may send activation signaling to the terminal device, the activation signaling being used to instruct the terminal device to periodically send the updated first information. The network device may also send trigger signaling to the terminal device, the trigger signaling being used to instruct the terminal device to report the updated first information. For related content, please refer to the relevant description in the aforementioned first aspect and possible implementations of the first aspect, and no further details will be given.

[0032] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which is executed by a terminal device, which may be a terminal device, or a unit, module, or chip inside the terminal device.

[0033] In this method, a terminal device transmits first information. The first information includes information indicating at least one orbital interval, the at least one orbital interval indicating information being used to identify a first orbital interval, the first orbital interval belonging to the orbit of a second satellite device. The terminal device receives second information, the second information instructing the terminal device to switch from the first satellite device to the second satellite device.

[0034] Because the terminal device can report first information including information indicating at least one orbital interval, the network device can determine the first orbital interval based on the first information and then determine a satellite device (e.g., a second satellite device) to be switched for the terminal device from within the first orbital interval. This improves communication quality for the terminal device. Furthermore, because the network device can directly search for the satellite device to be switched from within the determined first orbital interval, this solution reduces the workload of the network device in selecting the satellite device to be switched, thereby reducing operational complexity.

[0035] In one possible implementation, the indication information of at least one orbital interval includes the indication information of the first orbital interval. In this solution, the terminal device can report the indication information of the first orbital interval. In this way, the network device can search for the satellite device to be switched from the first orbital interval. This solution can reduce the workload of the network device in selecting the satellite device to be switched, thereby reducing the complexity of the work.

[0036] In one possible implementation, the information indicating the first orbital interval includes information indicating a first angular range. Angles in the first angular range include angles between a first point on the orbit of the second satellite apparatus and a line connecting a reference point and the orbital center of the second satellite apparatus. The information indicating the first angular range may indicate the first angular range. Thus, the network apparatus may identify the first orbital interval based on the first angular range and then search for the satellite apparatus to be switched within the first orbital interval.

[0037] In one possible implementation, the first point includes an intersection of a first spatial region in the at least one spatial region and an orbit of the second satellite device. The first spatial region does not include any obstacles, or the quality of a signal transmitted between the terminal device and the satellite device moving to the first spatial region is greater than a second quality threshold.

[0038] As can be seen, the terminal device can identify the first spatial region based on obstacles or signal quality (such as historical signal quality), and then use part or all of the orbital interval within the first spatial region as the first orbital interval. Since the quality of the first spatial region is relatively good, the communication quality between the terminal device and the satellite device to be handed over, which is searched for in the first orbital interval, is also relatively good.

[0039] In one possible embodiment, the indication information of at least one orbital interval includes the indication information of the second orbital interval. In this scheme, the terminal device can report the indication information of the second orbital interval. In this way, the network device can search for the satellite device to be switched from an orbital interval different from the second orbital interval. This scheme can reduce the workload of the network device in selecting the satellite device to be switched, thereby reducing the complexity of the work.

[0040] In one possible implementation, the second orbital interval belongs to the orbit of the first satellite apparatus. The indicative information of the second orbital interval includes indicative information of a second angular range. The angles in the second angular range include angles between a second point in the orbit of the first satellite apparatus and a line connecting the reference point and the orbital center of the first satellite apparatus. The indicative information of the second angular range may indicate a second angular range. In this manner, the network apparatus may identify the second orbital interval based on the second angular range and then search for the satellite apparatus to be switched in an orbital interval different from the second orbital interval.

[0041] In one possible implementation, the second point includes an intersection of a second spatial region in the at least one spatial region and an orbit of the first satellite apparatus. The second spatial region includes an obstacle, or quality of a signal transmitted between the terminal apparatus and the satellite apparatus moving to the second spatial region is less than a first quality threshold.

[0042] As can be seen, the terminal device can identify the second spatial region based on obstacles or signal quality (such as historical signal quality), and then use part or all of the orbital interval within the second spatial region as the second orbital interval. Due to the poor quality of the second spatial region, the communication quality between the satellite devices in the second orbital interval and the terminal device is also poor. The network device can search for a satellite device to be handed over in an orbital interval different from the second orbital interval to improve the communication quality of the terminal device.

[0043] In one possible implementation, the at least one spatial region is determined based on information about the terminal device's surrounding environment and / or based on the quality of a signal transmitted between the terminal device and a satellite device moving to the at least one spatial region. The at least one spatial region may include a first spatial region and / or a second spatial region. For more information, please refer to the description of the first aspect and possible implementations of the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0044] In one possible implementation, the terminal device obtains surrounding environment information based on data collected by a sensor, where the sensor includes at least one of a camera, a lidar, or a range-finding device. For related details, please refer to the description of the first aspect and possible implementations of the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0045] In a possible embodiment, the spatial region in at least one spatial region includes: a spatial region consisting of an elevation angle range and / or an azimuth angle range. The elevation angle in the elevation angle range includes: the angle between a line shot into the air with the terminal device as the starting point and the projection of the line on the horizontal plane. The azimuth angle in the azimuth angle range includes: the angle between the projection of the line shot into the air with the terminal device as the starting point on the horizontal plane and the projection of a preset line with the terminal device as the starting point on the horizontal plane. For related content, please refer to the relevant description in the aforementioned first aspect and possible implementation methods of the first aspect, and no further details will be given.

[0046] In one possible embodiment, the first information also includes at least one of the following: information on the orbital plane in which the orbital interval in at least one orbital interval is located; identification information of a satellite device operating on an orbital interval in at least one orbital interval; time range information for establishing a communication connection between a satellite device operating on an orbital interval in at least one orbital interval and a terminal device; or, a priority associated with an orbital interval in at least one orbital interval; the priority is associated with the quality of a signal transmitted between a satellite device operating in the orbital interval and a terminal device, and / or, the priority is associated with the presence of obstacles in the signal transmission path between a satellite device operating in the orbital interval and a terminal device.

[0047] If the first information includes orbital plane information, the network device can further narrow the search range for the satellite device to be switched, reducing the network device's workload. If the first information includes satellite device identification information, the network device can search for the satellite device to be switched from the satellite devices indicated by these satellite device identification information, further narrowing the search range for the satellite device to be switched, reducing the network device's workload. If the first information includes satellite device time range information, the network device can, based on this time range information, instruct the terminal device to establish communication with each satellite device within the communication time range of each satellite device, further reducing the network device's workload. If the first information includes priority information associated with the orbital intervals of the satellite devices, the network device can determine the order in which to search for the orbital intervals of the satellite devices to be switched based on the priority information. For example, the network device can prioritize searching for the satellite device to be switched from the orbital interval with the best communication quality. This solution enables the network device to find a satellite device with better communication quality for the terminal device, thereby further improving the communication quality of the terminal device.

[0048] In a possible implementation, the terminal device sends the updated first information. For related content, please refer to the related description in the above-mentioned first aspect and possible implementation of the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0049] In one possible implementation, before the terminal device sends the updated first information, the terminal device determines that at least one of the following conditions is satisfied: a change in the terminal device's position is greater than a first threshold; a change in the spatial region surrounding the terminal device where obstacles are present is greater than a second threshold; or a change in the spatial region surrounding the terminal device where obstacles are not present is greater than a fifth threshold. For related details, please refer to the description of the first aspect and possible implementations of the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0050] In one possible implementation, the terminal device periodically sends the updated first information. In one possible implementation, the terminal device may also semi-statically and periodically send the updated first information. In one possible implementation, the terminal device may receive trigger signaling and then send the updated first information. This implementation is more flexible and has less resource overhead. For related content, please refer to the relevant description in the aforementioned first aspect and possible implementation of the first aspect, and no further details will be given.

[0051] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which is executed by a network device, which may be a network device or a unit, module, or chip within the network device.

[0052] In this method, a network device receives first information. The first information includes information indicating at least one orbital interval, the at least one orbital interval indicating information being used to determine a first orbital interval, the first orbital interval belonging to the orbit of a second satellite device. The network device then sends second information instructing a terminal device to switch from the first satellite device to the second satellite device.

[0053] Because the terminal device can report first information including information indicating at least one orbital interval, the network device can determine the first orbital interval based on the first information and then determine a satellite device (e.g., a second satellite device) to be switched for the terminal device from within the first orbital interval. This improves communication quality for the terminal device. Furthermore, because the network device can directly search for the satellite device to be switched from within the determined first orbital interval, this solution reduces the workload of the network device in selecting the satellite device to be switched, thereby reducing operational complexity.

[0054] For the related descriptions of the first information, the indication information of at least one orbital interval, the indication information of the first orbital interval, the indication information of the first angle range, the indication information of the second orbital interval, and the indication information of the second angle range, etc., reference may be made to the related descriptions of the third aspect mentioned above, and no further details will be given. For the related descriptions of the first spatial area and the second spatial area, etc., reference may be made to the related descriptions of the first aspect mentioned above, and no further details will be given.

[0055] In one possible implementation, the network device receives the updated first information. The network device may periodically receive the updated first information. The network device may also semi-statically and periodically receive the updated first information. For example, the network device may send activation signaling to the terminal device, the activation signaling being used to instruct the terminal device to periodically send the updated first information. The network device may also send trigger signaling to the terminal device, the trigger signaling being used to instruct the terminal device to report the updated first information. For related content, please refer to the relevant description in the aforementioned first aspect and possible implementations of the first aspect, and no further details will be given.

[0056] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, which may be the aforementioned terminal device or network device. The communication device may include a communication unit and a processing unit to perform any of the above-mentioned first to fourth aspects, or to perform any possible implementation of the first to fourth aspects. The communication unit is used to perform functions related to sending and receiving. Optionally, the communication unit includes a receiving unit and a sending unit. In one design, the communication device is a communication chip, the processing unit may be one or more processors or processor cores, and the communication unit may be an input / output circuit or port of the communication chip.

[0057] In another design, the communication unit may be a transmitter and a receiver, or the communication unit may be a transmitter and a receiver.

[0058] Optionally, the communication device further includes modules that can be used to execute any one of the first to fourth aspects above, or execute any possible implementation of the first to fourth aspects.

[0059] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, which may be the aforementioned terminal device or network device. The communication device may include a processor and a memory to perform any of the above-mentioned aspects 1 to 4, or to perform any possible implementation of the above-mentioned aspects 1 to 4. Optionally, it further includes a transceiver, the memory is used to store a computer program or instruction, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program or instruction from the memory. When the processor executes the computer program or instruction in the memory, the communication device performs any of the above-mentioned aspects 1 to 4, or to perform any possible implementation of the above-mentioned aspects 1 to 4.

[0060] Optionally, there are one or more processors and one or more memories.

[0061] Optionally, the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory may be provided separately from the processor.

[0062] Optionally, the transceiver may include a transmitter (transmitter) and a receiver (receiver).

[0063] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided. This communication device may be the aforementioned terminal device or network device. The communication device may include a processor to perform any of the aforementioned aspects 1 to 4, or any possible implementation of the aforementioned aspects 1 to 4. The processor is coupled to a memory. Optionally, the communication device also includes a memory. Optionally, the communication device also includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0064] In one implementation, when the communication device is a terminal device or a network device, the communication interface may be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Alternatively, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Alternatively, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0065] In another implementation, when the communication device is a chip or a chip system, the communication interface may be an input / output interface, an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin, or related circuits on the chip or chip system. The processor may also be embodied as a processing circuit or a logic circuit.

[0066] In an eighth aspect, a system is provided, which includes the above-mentioned terminal device.

[0067] In one possible implementation, the system may further include a network device. In another possible implementation, the system may further include a first satellite device and a second satellite device.

[0068] In the ninth aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes: a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions), which, when executed, enables the computer to execute any one of the above-mentioned first to fourth aspects, or any possible implementation of the first to fourth aspects.

[0069] In the tenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions). When the computer program is run on a computer, the computer executes any one of the above-mentioned first to fourth aspects, or executes any possible implementation of the first to fourth aspects.

[0070] In an eleventh aspect, a processing device is provided, comprising: an interface circuit and a processing circuit. The interface circuit may include an input circuit and an output circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive signals via the input circuit and transmit signals via the output circuit, thereby implementing any of the first to fourth aspects, or any possible implementation of the first to fourth aspects.

[0071] In a specific implementation, the processing device may be a chip, the input circuit may be an input pin, the output circuit may be an output pin, and the processing circuit may be a transistor, a gate circuit, a trigger, or various logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit may be, for example, but not limited to, received and input by a receiver, and the signal output by the output circuit may be, for example, but not limited to, output to and transmitted by a transmitter. The input circuit and the output circuit may be the same circuit, which functions as an input circuit and an output circuit at different times. This application does not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0072] In one implementation, when the communication device is a terminal device or a network device, the interface circuit may be a radio frequency processing chip in the terminal device or the network device, and the processing circuit may be a baseband processing chip in the terminal device or the network device.

[0073] In another implementation, the communication device may be a component of a terminal device or a network device, such as an integrated circuit product such as a system-on-chip (SoC) or a communication chip. The interface circuit may be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, or related circuit on the chip or chip system. The processing circuit may be a logic circuit on the chip. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0074] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system used in an embodiment of the present application;

[0075] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture of another communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application;

[0076] FIG3 is a flow chart of a possible communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0077] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a possible elevation angle range of a second spatial region provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0078] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a possible azimuth angle range of a second spatial region provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0079] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a possible elevation angle range and azimuth angle range of a second spatial region provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0080] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a possible elevation angle range and azimuth angle range of a second spatial region provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0081] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a possible elevation angle range of a first spatial region provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0082] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of a possible azimuth angle range of a first spatial region provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0083] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of a possible first track section provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0084] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of a possible first track section provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0085] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of a possible second track section provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0086] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of a possible second track section provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0087] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0088] FIG15 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0089] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as terrestrial communication systems, non-terrestrial communication systems, such as satellite communication systems. Among them, the satellite communication system can be integrated with the mobile communication system. For example, the mobile communication system can be a fourth generation (4G) communication system (for example, a long term evolution (LTE) system), a world-wide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, a fifth generation (5G) communication system (for example, a new radio (NR) system), and future mobile communication systems. The mobile communication system can also be a vehicle to everything (V2X) system and an Internet of Things (IoT) system.

[0090] FIG1 exemplarily illustrates a possible architecture diagram of a communication system 1000 used in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG1 , the communication system includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network 200. Optionally, the communication system 1000 may also include the Internet 300. The RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (e.g., 110a and 110b in FIG1 , collectively referred to as 110), and may also include at least one terminal (e.g., 120a-120j in FIG1 , collectively referred to as 120). The RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in FIG1 ). The terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to the RAN node 110, and the RAN node 110 is wirelessly or wiredly connected to the core network 200. The core network devices in the core network 200 and the RAN node 110 in the RAN 100 may be independent and distinct physical devices, or they may be a single physical device that integrates the logical functions of the core network devices and the logical functions of the RAN nodes. Terminals and RAN nodes may be connected to each other via wired or wireless means.

[0091] RAN100 can be an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) system, a new radio (NR) system, or a future radio access system defined in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), or a WiFi system. RAN100 can also include two or more of the aforementioned different radio access systems. RAN100 can also be an open RAN (O-RAN).

[0092] A RAN node, also known as a radio access network device, RAN entity, or access node, facilitates wireless access to a communication system by a terminal. In one application scenario, a RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication system, a next-generation base station in a sixth-generation (6G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. A RAN node can be a macro base station (such as 110a in Figure 1), a micro base station, an indoor station (such as 110b in Figure 1), a relay node, or a donor node.

[0093] In another application scenario, multiple RAN nodes can collaborate to help terminals achieve wireless access, with different RAN nodes implementing portions of the base station's functions. For example, a RAN node can be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), or a radio unit (RU). The CU implements the base station's radio resource control protocol and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) functions, as well as the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) functions. The DU implements the base station's radio link control layer and medium access control (MAC) layer functions, as well as some or all of the physical layer functions. For detailed descriptions of each of the above protocol layers, please refer to the relevant 3GPP technical specifications. The RU can be used to implement the transmission and reception of radio frequency signals. The CU and DU can be two independent RAN nodes, or they can be integrated into the same RAN node, such as in a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in radio frequency equipment, such as a remote radio unit (RRU) or an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU can be further divided into two types of RAN nodes: CU-control plane and CU-user plane.

[0094] In different systems, RAN nodes may have different names. For example, in an O-RAN system, a CU may be called an open CU (O-CU), a DU may be called an open DU (O-DU), and a RU may be called an open RU (O-RU). The RAN node in the embodiments of the present application may be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module. For example, the RAN node may be a server loaded with the corresponding software module. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the RAN node. For ease of description, the following description takes a base station as an example of a RAN node.

[0095] A terminal is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities that can send signals to a base station or receive signals from a base station. A terminal may also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearable, smart transportation, smart city, etc. A terminal can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable device, vehicle, airplane, ship, robot, robotic arm, smart home device, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the terminal.

[0096] Base stations and terminals can be fixed or mobile. They can be deployed on land, indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; on water; or on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of base stations and terminals.

[0097] The roles of base stations and terminals can be relative. For example, the helicopter or drone 120i in Figure 1 can be configured as a mobile base station. To terminals 120j accessing the wireless access network 100 via 120i, terminal 120i is a base station. However, to base station 110a, 120i is a terminal, meaning that communication between 110a and 120i occurs via a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, communication between 110a and 120i can also occur via a base station-to-base station interface protocol. In this case, 120i is also a base station relative to 110a. Therefore, base stations and terminals can be collectively referred to as communication devices. 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be referred to as communication devices with base station functionality, while 120a-120j in Figure 1 can be referred to as communication devices with terminal functionality.

[0098] Communication between base stations and terminals, between base stations, and between terminals can be carried out through authorized spectrum, unauthorized spectrum, or both; communication can be carried out through spectrum below 6 gigahertz (GHz), spectrum above 6 GHz, or spectrum below 6 GHz and spectrum above 6 GHz. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0099] In the embodiments of the present application, the functions of the base station may also be performed by a module (such as a chip) in the base station, or by a control subsystem that includes the base station functions. The control subsystem that includes the base station functions here may be a control center in the above-mentioned application scenarios such as smart grid, industrial control, smart transportation, and smart city. The functions of the terminal may also be performed by a module (such as a chip or modem) in the terminal, or by a device that includes the terminal functions.

[0100] In this application, a base station sends downlink signals or downlink information to a terminal, and the downlink information is carried on a downlink channel; the terminal sends uplink signals or uplink information to the base station, and the uplink information is carried on an uplink channel. In order to communicate with the base station, the terminal needs to establish a wireless connection with the cell controlled by the base station. The cell with which the terminal has established a wireless connection is called the serving cell of the terminal. When the terminal communicates with the serving cell, it will also be subject to interference from signals in neighboring cells.

[0101] As another example, please refer to Figure 2, which is a schematic diagram of the network architecture of another communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application. The communication system includes a satellite, a terminal device and a gateway. The satellite can be a high elliptical orbit (HEO) satellite, a geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite, a medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite and a low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite. In addition, the NTN system can also include a high altitude platform station (HAPS), etc., which is not limited here. A gateway (also known as a ground station, earth station, gateway, or gateway) can be used to connect a satellite and a ground base station gateway / gateway. One or more satellites can be connected to one or more ground base stations through one or more gateways, which is not limited here. Terminal devices, for example, include mobile phones, airplanes, etc. (Figure 2 takes this as an example). The link between the satellite and the terminal device is called a service link, and the link between the satellite and the gateway is called a feeder link.

[0102] The embodiments of the present application do not limit the working mode of the satellite. For example, the working mode of the satellite can be a transparent mode or a regenerative mode.

[0103] In transparent transmission mode, the satellite acts as an analog RF repeater, providing relay and forwarding capabilities. It can perform wireless frequency conversion and amplification, transparently transmitting or replicating signals between the base station and the terminal device. For example, signals sent by the terminal device can be transparently transmitted via the satellite and forwarded by the gateway to the ground base station. The gateway has some or all of the functions of a base station and can be considered a base station in this case. The network element and base station can be deployed together or separately. If the gateway is deployed separately from the base station, the feeder link latency includes both the satellite-to-gateway latency and the gateway-to-base station latency.

[0104] In regenerative mode, the satellite acts as a wireless communication base station, performing some or all of the base station's functions. It regenerates signals received from the ground and can understand and process them. For example, the satellite can be a base station on an artificial satellite or high-altitude aircraft, such as an evolved base station (eNB) or a 5G base station (gNB). The gateway forwards signaling between the satellite (i.e., base station) and the core network.

[0105] Based on the embodiments shown in Figures 1 and 2 and the other contents mentioned above, Figure 3 exemplarily shows a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0106] For ease of understanding, Figure 3 is introduced from the perspective of the interaction between various devices. The terminal device involved in Figure 3 can be a terminal device or a chip system inside the terminal device. The network device involved in Figure 3 can be a network device or a chip system inside the network device. The satellite devices involved in Figure 3 (such as the first satellite device and the second satellite device) can be understood as network devices installed on the satellite, and the network device installed on the satellite can be a network device or a chip system inside the network device.

[0107] As shown in FIG3 , the method includes:

[0108] Step 301: The terminal device sends first information.

[0109] Correspondingly, the network device receives the first information.

[0110] In this embodiment of the present application, the first information can be used to enable the network device to determine the satellite device to be switched (such as the second satellite device). After receiving the first information, the network device can determine the satellite device to be switched (such as the second satellite device) of the terminal device based on the first information.

[0111] In one possible implementation, the first information may include indication information of at least one spatial region. The spatial region in the embodiment of the present application refers to a region in a three-dimensional coordinate system. For ease of understanding, it is referred to as a spatial region. In actual applications, the spatial region may also be replaced by a term such as region. The indication information of at least one spatial region is used to determine the first spatial region. The network device can determine the first spatial region based on the indication information of at least one spatial region, and then determine the second satellite device. The first spatial region includes the orbital interval of the second satellite device. For example, the network device can determine the second satellite device whose orbit intersects with the first spatial region based on the satellite ephemeris information.

[0112] In the embodiments of the present application, ephemeris information may refer to a table of the precise position or trajectory of a celestial body (including an artificial satellite) over time, which may be a function of time. Satellite ephemeris can determine the time, position, speed, and other operating conditions of a flying object. Satellite ephemeris can also be used to determine information about the satellite's orbital plane and satellite identification information.

[0113] In another possible implementation, the first information may include information indicating at least one orbital interval. The information indicating the at least one orbital interval is used to determine a first orbital interval, where the first orbital interval belongs to the orbit of the second satellite apparatus. In this implementation, the terminal apparatus may obtain satellite ephemeris information in advance, determine information about the at least one orbital interval, and transmit the information to the network apparatus. The network apparatus determines the first orbital interval based on the received information about the at least one orbital interval.

[0114] In one possible implementation, the network device may send information to the terminal device for instructing the terminal device to report the first information. After receiving the information, the terminal device may then send the first information. The information for instructing the terminal device to report the first information may include resource information of the first information, such as at least one of a time domain resource, a frequency domain resource, or a spatial domain resource used by the terminal device to transmit the first information.

[0115] Step 302: The network device sends second information.

[0116] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives second information, wherein the second information instructs the terminal device to switch from the first satellite device to the second satellite device.

[0117] In the embodiment of the present application, the first satellite device can operate in transparent transmission mode or regeneration mode. When the first satellite device operates in transparent transmission mode, the first information sent by the terminal device can be forwarded to the network device via the first satellite device. The second information sent by the network device in step 302 can also be forwarded to the terminal device via the first satellite device. When the first satellite device operates in transparent transmission mode, the network device and the first satellite device can be two devices. When the first satellite device operates in regeneration mode, the network device can be the first satellite device, and the above step 301 can be replaced by: the terminal device sends the first information to the first satellite device. The above step 302 can be replaced by: the first satellite device sends the first information to the terminal device. In the embodiment of the present application, the first satellite device and the second satellite device can be two different satellite devices.

[0118] Because the terminal device can report first information including information indicating at least one spatial region, the network device can determine the first spatial region based on the first information and then determine a satellite device (e.g., a second satellite device) to be switched for the terminal device from within the first spatial region. This improves communication quality for the terminal device. Furthermore, because the network device can directly search for the satellite device to be switched from the determined first spatial region, this solution reduces the workload of the network device in selecting the satellite device to be switched, thereby reducing operational complexity.

[0119] In order to further introduce the beneficial effects of the solution provided by the embodiment of the present application, a comparative solution is provided below, in which the satellite device sends a reference signal to the terminal device, the terminal device measures the reference signal, and feeds back the obtained measurement result to the network device. Or the terminal device sends a reference signal to the satellite device, the satellite device measures the reference signal, and feeds back the obtained measurement result to the terminal device. For the satellite device in a certain orbital plane, in order to measure the channel conditions corresponding to each elevation angle (or communication elevation angle) (such as whether the signal transmission path between the satellite device and the terminal device corresponding to the elevation angle is blocked or whether the signal quality is poor), it is necessary to perform channel measurement during the entire time when the satellite device passes over the top. In addition, in order to measure whether the channels corresponding to different elevation angles in different orbital planes are blocked (or whether the signal quality is poor), it is also necessary to perform channel measurement during the period when the satellite device in each orbital plane passes over the top.

[0120] Taking a satellite device with an orbital altitude of 1200 kilometers as an example, the satellite overpass time in a certain orbital plane is about 8 minutes (assuming the minimum communication elevation angle is 30 degrees). Therefore, the connection time between each orbital plane satellite device and the terminal device is 8 minutes. When measuring the channel conditions of all communication elevation angles of all terminal devices (for example, the minimum elevation angle is 30 degrees, taking the granularity of 10 degrees as an example), more (for example, 13) orbital planes need to pass by satellites, and it takes 13*8=104 minutes to measure the terminal obstruction angle information. From this analysis, it can be seen that this solution takes a long measurement time, and due to the large number of terminal devices, this solution consumes more energy of the satellite device.

[0121] In the above scheme, the network device instructs the terminal device to switch satellite devices only when it determines that the terminal device needs to switch satellite devices based on the signal measurement results. However, a sudden obstruction (or shielding) between the terminal device and the satellite device will cause the communication signal quality to suddenly drop, which is likely to cause the link communication to be interrupted. This will lead to an increase in the number of random accesses by the terminal device, increasing the access pressure on the system. On the other hand, when the terminal device measures that the signal quality has deteriorated, the network device is triggered to switch satellite devices. Due to the large time delay between the satellite device and the terminal device, this scheme will cause the terminal device to be in a state of poor communication quality for a long time.

[0122] In response to the above-mentioned problem, an embodiment of the present application provides a possible implementation method, in which the terminal device can report first information, and the first information can indicate a spatial region (or orbital interval) with better (and / or worse) communication quality with the terminal device, so that the network device selects a satellite to be switched with better communication quality for the terminal device based on the first information, and instructs the terminal device to switch the satellite device based on the first information.

[0123] In one possible implementation, the first information in the embodiment of the present application can be determined based on the environmental information and / or historical signal quality information of the terminal device, so that the terminal device does not need to send or detect reference signals during the entire satellite device's overhead time, thereby reducing the number of reference signals sent and / or detected by the satellite, thereby reducing the power consumption of the satellite device.

[0124] In another possible implementation, the terminal device identifies a spatial region or orbital interval with better (or worse) communication quality based on surrounding environmental information or historical signal quality. The network device can identify, in combination with the movement pattern of the first satellite device, that the communication quality between the first satellite device and the terminal device is about to deteriorate (for example, the first satellite device is about to enter a second spatial region or a second orbital interval). The network device determines, based on the first information, a second satellite device with better communication quality with the terminal device, and instructs the terminal device to switch to the second satellite device, thereby improving the communication quality of the terminal device. In this solution, the network device can instruct the terminal device to switch to the second satellite device before the first satellite device enters the orbital interval with poor communication quality, thereby reducing the duration of poor communication quality of the terminal device and reducing the occurrence of communication interruptions caused by poor communication quality, thereby improving the overall communication quality of the terminal device.

[0125] In the embodiments of the present application, the first information may include information in various situations. These situations are described below using Implementation A and Implementation B. Implementation A uses the example of the first information including information indicating at least one spatial region. Implementation B uses the example of the first information including information indicating at least one orbital interval. Implementation A and Implementation B may also be used in combination. For example, the first information may include information indicating at least one spatial region and information indicating at least one orbital interval.

[0126] In implementation A, the first information includes indication information of at least one spatial area.

[0127] There may be spatial areas with better communication quality and spatial areas with poor communication quality in the surrounding environment of the terminal device. The first information may include indication information of one or more spatial areas with better communication quality, and / or indication information of one or more spatial areas with poor communication quality. If the spatial area reported by the terminal device is indication information of one or more spatial areas with better communication quality, the network device may search for a satellite device to be switched from these spatial areas with better communication quality, so as to instruct the terminal device to switch to the satellite device (such as the second satellite device). If the spatial area reported by the terminal device is indication information of one or more spatial areas with poor communication quality, the network device may search for a satellite device to be switched from a spatial area different from these spatial areas with poor communication quality, so as to instruct the terminal device to switch to the satellite device (such as the second satellite device).

[0128] In embodiments of the present application, the at least one spatial region may be determined based on information about the surrounding environment of the terminal device, and / or the at least one spatial region may be determined based on the quality of a signal transmitted between the terminal device and a satellite device moving to the at least one spatial region. The following examples 1 and 2 illustrate two exemplary methods for determining the at least one spatial region by a terminal device.

[0129] In example one, the at least one spatial region may be determined based on surrounding environment information of the terminal device.

[0130] The terminal device collects data through sensors, obtains surrounding environment information based on the data collected by the sensors, and then can identify at least one spatial area based on the surrounding environment information. The sensor includes at least one of a camera, a lidar, a millimeter-wave radar, an ultrasonic radar, or a ranging device. For example, the terminal device can take a picture of the surrounding environment through a camera, and then analyze the picture to identify whether there are obstacles in the environment around the terminal device, and then divide the at least one spatial area from the spatial area around the terminal device based on whether there are obstacles. For another example, the terminal device can perform perception modeling of the surrounding environment through perception technology to identify whether there are obstacles. This solution does not require the assistance of other devices, thereby reducing the resource overhead caused by signaling interactions with other devices.

[0131] For example, the terminal device may divide the space region where obstacles exist into one or more second space regions, and divide the space region where no obstacles exist into one or more first space regions. In the embodiment of the present application, in the space region where obstacles exist, the signal transmitted between the terminal device and the satellite device will be blocked by the obstacle, which may result in poor communication quality. Therefore, the space region where obstacles exist can be referred to as a space region with poor communication quality. In the embodiment of the present application, in the space region where no obstacles exist, the signal transmitted between the terminal device and the satellite device is not blocked by the obstacle, which may result in good communication quality. Therefore, the space region where no obstacles exist can be referred to as a space region with good communication quality.

[0132] Obstacles in the embodiments of the present application may include objects that may affect the quality of signals transmitted between a terminal device and a satellite device. For example, an obstacle may include an object located in the signal transmission path between the terminal device and the satellite device, which may block the signal transmission between the terminal device and the satellite device. Obstacles may include, for example, one or more of buildings, trees, or billboards.

[0133] In the solution provided in Example 1, there's no need to switch satellite devices based on the measurement results of the reference signal transmitted between the terminal device and the first satellite device. This solution can reduce the power consumed by the first satellite device to transmit or measure the reference signal. Furthermore, in this solution, the terminal device can report the first information before the communication quality with the first satellite device deteriorates. Subsequently, the network device can instruct the terminal device to switch to the second satellite device before the communication quality between the first satellite device and the terminal device deteriorates. This can reduce the duration of poor communication quality for the terminal device and the occurrence of communication interruptions caused by poor communication quality, thereby improving the overall communication quality of the terminal device.

[0134] In a second example, the at least one spatial region may be determined based on the quality of a signal transmitted between the terminal device and a satellite device moving to the at least one spatial region.

[0135] The terminal device may determine at least one spatial region based on historical signal transmission quality. For example, the terminal device may pre-divide the spatial region into several candidate spatial regions. For a candidate spatial region, if the signal quality of historical signals within the candidate spatial region is good, the terminal device may divide the region into one or more first regions. For example, the quality of the signal transmitted between the terminal device and a satellite device moving to the first spatial region is greater than a first quality threshold. For example, a spatial region with a channel quality satisfying SNR>=0dB may be divided into one or more first regions. If the signal quality of historical signals within the candidate spatial region is poor, the terminal device may divide the region into one or more second regions. For example, the quality of the signal transmitted between the terminal device and a satellite device moving to the second spatial region is less than a second quality threshold. The second quality threshold may be equal to or different from the first quality threshold. For example, a spatial region with a channel quality satisfying SNR<=0dB may be divided into one or more second regions. In the embodiments of the present application, “>=” may be understood as greater than or equal to, or as not less than. In the embodiments of the present application, “<=” may be understood as less than or equal to, or as not greater than. In the embodiments of the present application, “not greater than” can be replaced by “less than or equal to”, and “not greater than” can also be replaced by “less than or equal to”.

[0136] In the solution provided in Example 2, the terminal device is not required to continuously receive the reference signal from the first satellite device during the entire time the first satellite device passes overhead, nor is the first satellite device required to continuously measure the reference signal from the terminal device during the entire time the first satellite device passes overhead. This solution can thus reduce the power consumption of the first satellite device. Furthermore, in this solution, the terminal device can report the first information before the communication quality with the first satellite device deteriorates. Subsequently, the network device can instruct the terminal device to switch to the second satellite device before the communication quality between the first satellite device and the terminal device deteriorates. This can reduce the duration of poor communication quality for the terminal device and the occurrence of communication interruptions caused by poor communication quality, thereby improving the overall communication quality of the terminal device.

[0137] The above-mentioned example 1 and example 2 can be used separately or in combination. For example, the terminal device can divide the at least one spatial area based on the data collected by the sensor and the signal quality of the historical signal. For example, when a spatial area includes an obstacle and the signal quality of the historical signal in the spatial area is poor, the terminal device can divide the area into one or more second areas. For another example, when a spatial area does not include an obstacle and the signal quality of the historical signal in the spatial area is good, the terminal device can divide the area into one or more first areas.

[0138] In one possible implementation, the first information may include one or more types of information. For example, the first information may include at least one of the following: information A1, information A2, information A3, or information A4. Information A1 is information indicating at least one second spatial area. Information A2 is information indicating at least one first spatial area. Information A3 is location information of the terminal device. Information A4 is priority information of at least one spatial area.

[0139] Information A1: indication information of at least one second spatial area.

[0140] The second spatial region includes an obstacle. And / or the quality of the signal transmitted between the terminal device and the satellite device moving into the second spatial region is less than a second quality threshold. The quality of the signal transmitted between the terminal device and the satellite device moving into the first spatial region may also be equal to the second quality threshold. The manner in which the terminal device divides the second spatial region can be found in Examples 1 and 2 above and will not be further described.

[0141] The first information may include indication information for one or more second spatial regions. The indication information for one second spatial region is described below. The indication information for other second spatial regions is similar and is not further described. The indication information for the second spatial region may include the following information A1.1 (indication information for the elevation range) and / or information A1.2 (indication information for the azimuth range).

[0142] Information A1.1, indication of elevation range.

[0143] The indication information of the second spatial region may include indication information of an elevation angle range, where the indication information of the elevation angle range may be used to indicate the elevation angle range, and the spatial region constructed by the elevation angle range may include the second spatial region. The network device may determine the spatial region constructed by the elevation angle range based on the location of the terminal device (e.g., the current location) and the elevation angle range.

[0144] The elevation angle range indication information may include indication information for indicating the elevation angle range, and the elevation angle range indication information may be information of the elevation angle value or an index value associated with the elevation angle range. The specific form of the elevation angle range indication information is introduced below through the following examples.

[0145] In example 1, the indication information of the elevation angle range includes two elevation angle values. The two elevation angle values ​​are used to indicate two boundaries of the elevation angle range. For example, if the elevation angle range is [30°, 50°], the elevation angle values ​​included in the indication information of the elevation angle range are 30° and 50°.

[0146] In the embodiment of the present application, "°" is used to represent the symbol of the angle. In the embodiment of the present application, the symbol "[]" representing the angle range can be replaced by "()". For example, [30°, 50°] can be replaced by (30°, 50°), and 30° and 50° can be regarded as the boundaries of the elevation angle range. [30°, 50°] means that the elevation angle range includes 30° and 50°, and (30°, 50°) means that the elevation angle range does not include 30° and 50°.

[0147] In a second example, the indication information of the azimuth angle range may include an azimuth angle value, and the calculation result between the azimuth angle value and the preset angle value may be regarded as the two boundary values ​​of the azimuth angle range. For example, the elevation angle value may indicate a boundary of the elevation angle range, such as the elevation angle value being 50°. The elevation angle value and a preset elevation angle value (such as 30°) may jointly determine the elevation angle range. The preset elevation angle value may be pre-configured on the network device side or agreed upon by a protocol, or sent to the network device by another device.

[0148] In example three, the indication information of the elevation angle range may include an elevation angle value. The elevation angle value may indicate the two boundaries of the elevation angle range, for example, the elevation angle value is 40°. The range of 10° before and after the elevation angle value (i.e., [30°, 50°]) is the elevation angle range, where 10° is an example and may be replaced by other preset angle values. The preset angle value may be pre-configured on the network device side or agreed upon by a protocol, or sent to the network device by another device.

[0149] In a fourth example, the indication information of the elevation angle range may include an index value. The index value is associated with the elevation angle range, and the network device may search for the elevation angle range associated with the index value based on the index value, and then determine the elevation angle range.

[0150] The elevation angle in the embodiment of the present application can be composed of two lines, for example, it can be composed of the angle between a line passing through the terminal device and the projection of the line on a plane. For example, the elevation angle can include: the angle between a line projected into the air with the terminal device as the starting point and the projection of the line on a horizontal plane. The value range of the elevation angle in the embodiment of the present application can be [0°, 90°]. For another example, the elevation angle includes the angle between the line of sight and the horizontal line in the vertical plane where the line of sight is above the horizontal line, which is called the elevation angle. For another example, the elevation angle includes the angle between the satellite device and the horizon where the terminal device is located. The elevation angle can also be used to describe the position of the satellite device passing above the terminal device at a certain moment. For example, an elevation angle of 90° can indicate that the satellite device is directly above the terminal device. Because the elevation angle is related to the position of the terminal device, the elevation angle of the same satellite device is different for different terminal devices on the ground. In addition, the elevation angle changes continuously as the satellite device moves in its orbit.

[0151] Figure 4 illustrates a schematic diagram of an elevation angle range of a possible second spatial region provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 4, the location of the terminal device is the origin of the coordinate system. The three coordinate axes of the coordinate system are represented as the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis, respectively, and any two of the three coordinate axes are perpendicular to each other.

[0152] Line #11 and line #13 are lines projected into the air starting from the terminal device. When the plane containing line #11 and line #13 is perpendicular to the horizontal plane, line #11 and line #13 coincide with their projections. In Figure 4, line #12 represents the projections of line #11 and line #13 on the horizontal plane. In actual applications, the projections of line #11 and line #13 on the horizontal plane may not coincide. θ1 is the angle between line #13 and the projection of line #13 on the horizontal plane. θ1 is an elevation angle within the elevation angle range, or a boundary of the elevation angle range. θ2 is the angle between line #11 and the projection of line #11 on the horizontal plane. θ2 is an elevation angle within the elevation angle range, or a boundary of the elevation angle range. Figure 4 also shows a first satellite device and a second satellite device. The communication system may also include other satellite devices, not shown in Figure 4. The orbits of the first satellite device and the second satellite device may be the same orbit or different orbits. Figure 4 illustrates the first satellite device and the second satellite device being located in different orbits.

[0153] For example, the elevation angle range includes [θ1, θ2], and the spatial area constructed by the elevation angle range may include: the spatial area constructed by rotating the area between line #11 and line #13 around the z-axis, and the second spatial area belongs to part or all of the spatial area.

[0154] In one possible implementation, a boundary of the elevation range used to determine the second spatial area can be determined by the position of the obstacle. For example, the line corresponding to the elevation angle as a boundary in the elevation range can pass through the obstacle or contact a part of the obstacle (for example, it can pass through the top of the obstacle). For another example, the line corresponding to the elevation angle as a boundary in the elevation range does not contact the obstacle, such as the line passes over the top of the obstacle. In this way, the range of the second spatial area is larger, and the boundary line of the second spatial area does not contact the building, and then the obstacle can be better divided into the second spatial area. Figure 4 is illustrated by taking line #11 passing through the top of the obstacle as an example. In actual application, line #11 can also pass over the top of the obstacle, that is, line #11 does not contact the obstacle. In this way, the range of the second spatial area is larger, and the boundary line of the second spatial area (such as line #11) does not contact the obstacle, and then the obstacle can be better divided into the second spatial area.

[0155] In an embodiment of the present application, another boundary for determining the elevation range of the second spatial area can be determined by the position of the obstacle. It can also be a preset value. For example, if the obstacle is a billboard set in the air, the line #13 corresponding to θ1 can be a line passing through the bottom of the billboard, or a line passing below the bottom of the billboard, and θ1 is calculated based on this line. θ1 can be a preset value, such as 0° or 30°. The preset value can be determined based on the communication elevation angle between the terminal device and the satellite device, such as the value of the minimum communication elevation angle. For example, the elevation range of communication between the satellite device and the terminal device is [30°, 90°]. When the angle (elevation angle) between the line between the satellite device and the terminal device and the projection of the line on the horizontal plane is less than 30°, the satellite device is not allowed to communicate with the terminal device.

[0156] In the embodiment of the present application, the lines used to determine the angle (such as the elevation angle or the azimuth angle) are exemplified as rays. In practical applications, the two lines can also be exemplified as straight lines or line segments.

[0157] Information A1.2, indication of azimuth range.

[0158] The indication information of the second spatial region may include indication information of an azimuth range, where the indication information of the azimuth range may be used to indicate the azimuth range, and the spatial region constructed by the azimuth range may include the second spatial region. The network device may determine the spatial region constructed by the azimuth range based on the location of the terminal device (such as the current location) and the azimuth range.

[0159] The indication information of the azimuth range may include indication information for indicating the azimuth range, and the indication information of the azimuth range may be information of the azimuth value, or an index value associated with the azimuth range. For example, the indication information of the azimuth range may include two boundary values ​​of the azimuth range. For another example, the indication information of the azimuth range may include an azimuth value, and the calculation result between the azimuth value and the preset angle value may be regarded as the two boundary values ​​of the azimuth range. For another example, the indication information of the azimuth range may include an index value, and the network device may find the azimuth range associated with the index value based on the index value. For related examples, please refer to the aforementioned elevation example, which will not be repeated here.

[0160] The azimuth angle in the azimuth angle range in the embodiment of the present application can be composed of two lines, for example, the angle between a line passing through the terminal device and the projection of a preset line on a plane. The azimuth angle in the embodiment of the present application can range from [0° to 360°]. For example, the azimuth angle in the azimuth angle range can include: the angle between the projection of a line projected into the air with the terminal device as the starting point on the horizontal plane and the projection of a preset line with the terminal device as the starting point on the horizontal plane.

[0161] Figure 5 illustrates a schematic diagram of a possible azimuth range of a second spatial region provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 5 , the location of the terminal device is the origin of the coordinate system. In one possible example, the coordinate system can have the direction pointing to the North Pole as the x-axis and the direction of the line connecting the center of the Earth and the location of the terminal device as the z-axis.

[0162] Line #21 and line #23 are lines extending into the air from the terminal device. Line #22 is the horizontal projection of line #21. Line #25 is the horizontal projection of the preset line. Figure 5 uses line #25 as the x-axis for illustration purposes. In actual applications, the horizontal projection of the preset line may not be a coordinate axis. is the angle between the projections of line #25 and line #22 on the horizontal plane, is an azimuth within the azimuth range, or a boundary of the azimuth range. Line #24 is the projection of line #23 on the horizontal plane. is the angle between the projections of line #25 and line #24 on the horizontal plane, It is an azimuth within the azimuth range, or a boundary of the azimuth range.

[0163] For example, the azimuth range includes The spatial region constructed by the azimuth range may include: a spatial region constructed by extending the area between line #24 and line #22 in a direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane, and the second spatial region belongs to part or all of the spatial region.

[0164] In one possible embodiment, the two boundaries of the azimuth range used to determine the second spatial region can be determined by the position of the obstacle. For example, the line corresponding to the azimuth angle serving as the boundary in the azimuth range can pass through the obstacle or contact a portion of the obstacle (for example, it can pass through the left or right side of the obstacle). For another example, the line corresponding to the azimuth angle serving as the boundary in the azimuth range does not contact the obstacle, such as passing to the left of the left side of the obstacle (or to the right of the right side). In this way, the scope of the second spatial region is larger, and the boundary line of the second spatial region does not contact the building, thereby better dividing the obstacle into the second spatial region. Figure 5 illustrates an example in which line #23 passes through the left side of the obstacle and line #21 passes through the right side of the obstacle. In actual application, line #23 and line #21 can also pass through the area outside the obstacle, that is, line #23 and line #21 do not contact the obstacle. In this way, the scope of the second spatial region is larger, and the boundary line of the second spatial region (such as line #21) does not contact the obstacle, thereby better dividing the obstacle into the second spatial region. For other contents of Figure 5, please refer to the relevant description of Figure 4 and will not be repeated here.

[0165] In one possible implementation, the spatial region constructed by the azimuth range and the spatial region constructed by the elevation range have an intersection, and the second spatial region may be part or all of the spatial regions in the intersection. It can also be understood that the elevation range and the elevation range are used to jointly indicate a spatial region, for example, the spatial region is the intersection of the spatial region constructed by the elevation range and the spatial region constructed by the azimuth. In this way, the spatial region can be defined from the perspectives of elevation and azimuth, respectively, so that the granularity of the spatial region can be reduced to improve the fineness of the division of the spatial region, thereby improving the accuracy of the solution. For example, if there are obstacles in the surrounding environment of the terminal device, the spatial region where the obstacle is located can be divided into smaller areas based on the elevation and azimuth angles, and then the network device can select the satellite device to be switched from a larger spatial region, and the network device can also more accurately identify when the communication quality between the first satellite device and the terminal device deteriorates.

[0166] Figures 6 and 7 illustrate schematic diagrams of several possible elevation ranges and azimuth ranges of the second spatial area provided in the embodiments of the present application. Please refer to Figure 6, the horizontal axis represents the azimuth, and the vertical axis represents the elevation. The obstacles in the figure can be divided into the second spatial area #11. In Figure 6, the range of the second spatial area #11 is larger than the obstacle itself, so that the boundary line of the second spatial area #11 does not contact the obstacle, and some margin is left between the two. As shown in Figure 6, the azimuth range corresponding to the second spatial area #11 is 200°~245°, and the elevation range of the second spatial area #11 is 0°~60°. As can be seen from Figure 6, the spatial area constructed by the elevation range of 0°~60° and the azimuth range of 200°~245° is the second spatial area #11.

[0167] In Figure 6, the obstacle is divided into a second spatial region, namely, second spatial region #11. The difference from Figure 6 is that in Figure 7, the spatial region where the obstacle is located is divided into multiple second spatial regions, such as second spatial region #21 and second spatial region #22 shown in Figure 7. The azimuth angle range corresponding to second spatial region #21 is 200° to 230°, and the elevation angle range of second spatial region #11 is 33° to 60°. The azimuth angle range corresponding to second spatial region #21 is 200° to 230°, and the elevation angle range of second spatial region #21 is 33° to 60°. The azimuth angle range corresponding to second spatial region #22 is 200° to 245°, and the elevation angle range of second spatial region #22 is 0° to 33°.

[0168] In an embodiment of the present application, the first information may include elevation range indication information and / or azimuth range indication information of at least one spatial region (such as at least one second spatial region). Table 1 below illustrates an example of an elevation range and azimuth range reported by a terminal device to indicate a second spatial region. As shown in the second column of Table 1, the second spatial region #21 is a spatial region constructed with an azimuth range of [200°, 230°] and an elevation range of [33°, 60°]. The contents of other columns are similar and will not be repeated. In the example of the angle range in the embodiment of the present application, [200°, 230°] can also be replaced with 200°~230°, or replaced with (200°, 230°). The other examples are similar and will not be repeated. The angle range values ​​in Table 1 are several examples. In the embodiment of the present application, the azimuth ranges of the two second spatial regions may be the same or different, and the elevation ranges may be the same or different.

[0169] Table 1 Examples of azimuth angle ranges and elevation angle ranges for the second spatial region

[0170] In the case where the first information includes indication information of at least one second spatial area, the network device can identify the spatial area (i.e., the second spatial area) where there is obstruction to the terminal device's signal based on the first information, and then regard other areas as spatial areas (i.e., the first spatial area) where there is no obstruction to the terminal device's signal, and search for a suitable satellite device as the satellite device to be switched (such as the second satellite device) in these spatial areas where there is no obstruction (i.e., the first spatial area). The network device can also instruct the terminal device to switch from the first satellite device to the second satellite device before the first satellite device enters the spatial area where there is obstruction (i.e., the second spatial area), so as to avoid the signal being affected by the obstruction.

[0171] For example, in order to avoid communication interruption caused by buildings or trees around the terminal device blocking the signal of the satellite device, the network device uses the first information reported by the terminal device to determine the spatial area where there is obstruction (i.e., the second spatial area), and instructs the terminal device to switch to other satellites that will not be obstructed, such as the second satellite device, before the first satellite device moves to the spatial area where there is obstruction (i.e., the second spatial area), so that the second satellite device can continue to provide communication services to the terminal device, thereby reducing the degree of obstruction of the communication signal, improving the communication quality, and avoiding communication interruption.

[0172] If the terminal device reports indication information for the second spatial region, the network device can identify the spatial region with poor communication quality, and then, based on the movement pattern of the first satellite device, identify when the first satellite device enters the second spatial region. The network device can also search for a satellite device to be switched from a spatial region different from the second spatial region, and then instruct the terminal device to switch to a satellite device in a spatial region different from the second spatial region, thereby improving communication quality. In another possible implementation, the network device can instruct the terminal device to switch to the second satellite device before the first satellite device enters the second spatial region. In this way, the duration of poor communication quality of the terminal device can be reduced, thereby improving the communication quality of the terminal device.

[0173] Information A2: indication information of at least one first spatial area.

[0174] The first spatial region does not include any obstacles. And / or the quality of the signal transmitted between the terminal device and the satellite device moving into the first spatial region is greater than a first quality threshold. The first quality threshold and the second quality threshold may be equal or different. The quality of the signal transmitted between the terminal device and the satellite device moving into the first spatial region may also be equal to the first quality threshold. The manner in which the terminal device divides the first spatial region can be found in the aforementioned description and will not be further elaborated upon.

[0175] The first information may include indication information for one or more first spatial regions. The indication information for one first spatial region is described below. The indication information for other first spatial regions is similar and is not further described. The indication information for the first spatial region may include the following information A2.1 (indication information for the elevation range) and / or information A2.2 (indication information for the azimuth range).

[0176] Information A2.1, indication of elevation range.

[0177] The indication information of the first spatial area may include indication information of the elevation angle range, and the indication information of the elevation angle range may be used to indicate the elevation angle range, and the spatial area constructed by the elevation angle range may include the first spatial area. The indication information of the elevation angle range may include indication information for indicating the elevation angle range, and the indication information of the elevation angle range may be information of the elevation angle value, or an index value associated with the elevation angle range. For example, the indication information of the elevation angle range may include two boundary values ​​of the elevation angle range. For another example, the indication information of the elevation angle range may include an elevation angle value, and the calculation result between the elevation angle value and the preset angle value may be regarded as the two boundary values ​​of the elevation angle range. For another example, the indication information of the elevation angle range may include an index value, and the network device may find the elevation angle range associated with the index value based on the index value. The relevant content about the elevation angle range, elevation angle, indication information of the elevation angle range, etc. is similar to the relevant description in the aforementioned information A1.1 and will not be repeated here.

[0178] Figure 8 exemplarily shows a schematic diagram of the elevation angle range of a possible first spatial area provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 8, the location of the terminal device is the origin of the coordinate system. Line #31 and line #33 are respectively lines shot into the air with the terminal device as the starting point. Line #32 represents the projection of line #33 on the horizontal plane. In the example of Figure 8, line #31 is a line coinciding with the z-axis, and the projection of line #31 on the horizontal plane is the origin of the coordinate system. θ3 is the angle between line #33 and the projection of line #33 on the horizontal plane (i.e., line #32). θ4 is the angle between line #31 and the projection of line #31 on the horizontal plane.

[0179] For example, the elevation angle range includes [θ3, θ4]. The spatial region constructed by the elevation angle range may include: the spatial region constructed by rotating the area between line #31 and line #33 around the z-axis, and the first spatial region belongs to part or all of this spatial region. The first spatial region does not include obstacles. After identifying the obstacle, the terminal device can select the area that does not include obstacles as the first spatial region. For other contents of Figure 8, please refer to the relevant description of Figure 4 and will not be repeated here.

[0180] Information A2.2, indication of azimuth range.

[0181] The indication information of the first spatial area may include indication information of the azimuth range, and the indication information of the azimuth range may be used to indicate the azimuth range, and the spatial area constructed by the azimuth range may include the first spatial area. The indication information of the azimuth range may include indication information for indicating the azimuth range, and the indication information of the azimuth range may be information of the azimuth value, or an index value associated with the azimuth range. For example, the indication information of the azimuth range may include two boundary values ​​of the azimuth range. For another example, the indication information of the azimuth range may include an azimuth value, and the calculation result between the azimuth value and the preset angle value may be regarded as the two boundary values ​​of the azimuth range. For another example, the indication information of the azimuth range may include an index value, and the network device may find the azimuth range associated with the index value based on the index value. The relevant content about the azimuth range, azimuth, indication information of the azimuth range, etc. is similar to the relevant description in the aforementioned information A1.2 and will not be repeated here.

[0182] FIG9 exemplarily illustrates a schematic diagram of an azimuth angle range of a possible first spatial region provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG9 , the location of the terminal device is the origin of the coordinate system. Line #41 and line #43 are lines extending into the air starting from the terminal device. Line #42 is the projection of line #41 on the horizontal plane. Line #45 is the projection of a preset line on the horizontal plane. FIG9 illustrates line #45 as the x-axis. In actual applications, the projection of the preset line on the horizontal plane may not be a coordinate axis. is the angle between the projections of line #45 and line #42 on the horizontal plane, is an azimuth within the azimuth range, or a boundary of the azimuth range. Line #44 is the projection of line #43 on the horizontal plane. is the angle between the projections of line #45 and line #44 on the horizontal plane, It is an azimuth angle within the azimuth angle range, or a boundary of the azimuth angle range. The azimuth angle examples in the figure are all determined in the counterclockwise direction, and the angle can also be determined in the clockwise direction, such as It can also be expressed as a direction starting from line #42 and pointing to line #45.

[0183] For example, the azimuth range includes The spatial region constructed by this azimuth angle range may include: a spatial region constructed by extending the area between line #44 and line #42 in a direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane, and the first spatial region belongs to part or all of this spatial region. This first spatial region does not include obstacles. After identifying obstacles, the terminal device can select the area that does not include obstacles as the first spatial region. For other details of Figure 9, please refer to the relevant description of Figure 4 and will not be repeated here.

[0184] In a possible implementation, the spatial region constructed by the azimuth angle range and the spatial region constructed by the elevation angle range have an intersection, and the first spatial region may be part or all of the spatial region in the intersection.

[0185] If the terminal device reports the indication information of the first spatial area, the network device can identify the spatial area with better communication quality, and then find the satellite device to be switched from the first spatial area, and then instruct the terminal device to switch to the satellite device with better communication quality, thereby improving the communication quality.

[0186] Information A3: location information of the terminal device.

[0187] The azimuth range and elevation range determined by the terminal device are calculated based on the current location of the terminal device. Therefore, the network device can combine the location information of the terminal device and the above-mentioned azimuth range and / or elevation range to determine the spatial area divided by the terminal device (such as the second spatial area and / or the first spatial area).

[0188] Information A4: information on the priority level associated with the spatial area in at least one spatial area.

[0189] The priority of a space zone is associated with the quality of signals transmitted between satellite devices operating in the space zone and terminal devices. For another example, the priority of a space zone is associated with the presence of obstacles in the space zone (e.g., whether there are any obstacles). The priority of a space zone can include a priority level, such as high priority, medium priority, or low priority.

[0190] The terminal device may obtain the judgment criteria or threshold of the priority of the spatial area through protocol agreement or by receiving it from other devices (such as network devices).

[0191] For example, a spatial region with a channel quality of SNR>=7dB may have a high priority. A spatial region with a channel quality of 7>SNR>=3dB may have a medium priority. A spatial region with a channel quality of 3>SNR>=0dB may have a low priority.

[0192] For example, a spatial area without obstacles (or where the terminal device's signal is not blocked) is a high-priority angle. A spatial area with obstacles such as trees and plants (or where the terminal device's signal is blocked by trees and plants) is a medium-priority angle. A spatial area with obstacles such as buildings (or where the terminal device's signal is blocked by buildings) is a low-priority angle.

[0193] Table 2 below illustrates an example of information reported by a terminal device to indicate the elevation range, azimuth range, and priority of a first spatial area. As shown in the second column of Table 2, the first spatial area #31 is a spatial area constructed with an azimuth range of [240°, 280°] and an elevation range of [60°, 90°], and the priority information of the first spatial area #31 is a high priority. The contents of other columns are similar and will not be repeated here. In the embodiment of the present application, the azimuth ranges of the two first spatial areas may be the same or different, and the elevation ranges may be the same or different.

[0194] Table 2 Example of information on the elevation angle range, azimuth angle range, and priority of the first spatial region

[0195] When the first information reported by the terminal device includes priority information of one or more first spatial regions, the network device can select the region where the satellite device to be switched is located based on the priority information. The priority information can also indicate the order in which the network device should consider selecting the spatial regions to which the satellite devices to be switched belong. For example, the network device can give priority to selecting satellite devices in the first spatial region with high priority as the satellite devices to be switched. If the satellite device to be switched is not found in the spatial region with high priority, the network device can search for the satellite device to be switched in the first spatial region with medium priority. If it is still not found, the network device can search for the satellite device to be switched in the first spatial region with low priority. This solution enables the network device to find a satellite device with better communication quality for the terminal device, thereby further improving the communication quality of the terminal device.

[0196] For example, the first information reported by the terminal device indicates to the terminal device a high-priority spatial region, such as indicating that the first spatial region has a higher priority. The network device can use the first information reported by the terminal device to indicate to the terminal device a satellite device in a higher-priority spatial region, such as the second satellite device, so that the terminal device can access the second satellite device. Because the first satellite device is about to enter the second spatial region, while the second satellite device will take a longer time to enter the second spatial region, providing communication service to the terminal device for a longer period of time, the terminal device's early access to the second satellite device can reduce the degree of obstruction of the communication signal and improve communication quality.

[0197] In implementation mode B, the first information includes indication information of at least one track interval.

[0198] The indication information of at least one orbital interval is used to determine the first orbital interval. Because the terminal device can report the first information, which includes the indication information of at least one orbital interval, the network device can determine the first orbital interval based on the first information, and then determine the satellite device to be switched (such as the second satellite device) for the terminal device from the first orbital interval, thereby improving the communication quality of the terminal device. On the other hand, because the network device can directly search for the satellite device to be switched from the determined first orbital interval, this solution can reduce the workload of the network device in selecting the satellite device to be switched, thereby reducing the complexity of the work.

[0199] The second orbital interval in the embodiment of the present application can be understood as an orbital interval in which the terminal device is not expected to communicate with the satellite device on the orbital interval. For example, the second orbital interval is an orbital interval within a space region (such as a second space region) that blocks the signal of the terminal device or has poor signal quality of the terminal device. For example, a second orbital interval can be a partial orbit on the orbit of the first satellite device. Based on the indication information of the second orbital interval, the network device can set a satellite device (such as a second satellite device) operating in an orbital interval different from the second orbital interval as a satellite device to be switched by the terminal device.

[0200] The indication information of at least one track section may include the following information B1 and / or information B2. The first information may also include at least one of the following information B3, information B4, information B5 or information B6.

[0201] Information B1, indication information of the first track interval.

[0202] The indication information of at least one orbital interval may include indication information of at least one first orbital interval. In this solution, the terminal device may report the indication information of the first orbital interval. In this way, the network device may search for a satellite device to be switched from the first orbital interval. This solution can reduce the workload of the network device in selecting the satellite device to be switched, thereby reducing the complexity of the work.

[0203] In the embodiment of the present application, a first track interval is taken as an example for introduction, and the related schemes of the other first track intervals are similar and will not be repeated here.

[0204] The first orbital interval in the embodiment of the present application can be understood as an orbital interval in which the terminal device is expected to communicate with the satellite device on the orbital interval. For example, the first orbital interval is an orbital interval within a spatial region (such as the first spatial region) where there is no obstruction or less obstruction to the signal of the terminal device, or the signal quality of the terminal device is good. Based on the indication information of at least one first orbital interval, the network device can search for a satellite device to be switched (such as a second satellite device) for the terminal device from the satellite devices operating on at least one first orbital interval. For example, a first orbital interval can be a partial orbit on the orbit of the second satellite device.

[0205] The indication information of the first orbital interval can be used to indicate the first orbital interval. For example, the indication information of the first orbital interval includes indication information of a first angle range. The indication information of the first angle range can be used to indicate a first angle range, and the spatial area constructed by the first angle range may include the first orbital interval. The network device can determine the first orbital interval based on the spatial area constructed by the first angle range.

[0206] The indication information of the first angle range may include indication information for indicating the first angle range, and the indication information of the first angle range may be information of the angle value, or an index value associated with the first angle range. For example, the indication information of the first angle range may include two boundary values ​​of the first angle range. For another example, the indication information of the first angle range may include the value of an angle, and the calculation result between the value of the angle and the preset angle value may be regarded as the two boundary values ​​of the first angle range. For another example, the indication information of the first angle range may include an index value, and the network device may find the first angle range associated with the index value based on the index value. For related examples, please refer to the aforementioned examples and will not be repeated here.

[0207] In the embodiment of the present application, the angles in the angle range used to describe the orbital interval may include: the angle between a line connecting a point in the orbit of the satellite device and the orbital center of the second satellite device, and the angle between a reference point in the orbit of the satellite device and the orbital center of the second satellite device. The value range of the angle used to indicate the orbital interval in the embodiment of the present application may be [0°, 360°]. For example, the angle in the first angle range includes: the angle between a line connecting a first point and a reference point in the orbit of the second satellite device and the orbital center of the second satellite device, respectively, where the reference point is also in the orbit of the second satellite device. In the embodiment of the present application, the reference points of the orbits of different satellite devices may be different. The reference point in the embodiment of the present application may include the intersection of the ascending orbit and the orbital plane of the satellite device, or the intersection of the ascending orbit and the ecliptic plane. The ecliptic plane may refer to the orbital plane of the Earth's revolution around the Sun. An ascending orbit may refer to a direction of satellite movement from the South Pole to the North Pole of the Earth, while the opposite direction may be referred to as a descending orbit.

[0208] Figure 10 illustrates a possible first orbital interval according to an embodiment of the present application. Referring to Figure 10 , Figure 10 illustrates the orbital planes of a first satellite assembly and a second satellite assembly. Figure 10 illustrates the orbital centers of the two orbits as the same point. In practice, the orbital centers of different satellite assemblies may differ. Figure 10 also illustrates reference point #12 on the orbit of the first satellite assembly and reference point #11 on the orbit of the second satellite assembly.

[0209] As shown in Figure 10, the angle between the line connecting reference point #11 and the orbital center of the second satellite apparatus and the line connecting point #13 and the orbital center of the second satellite apparatus is r1. The angle between the line connecting reference point #11 and the orbital center of the second satellite apparatus and the line connecting point #14 and the orbital center of the second satellite apparatus is r2. The first angle range may include [r1, r2], and the intersection of the spatial region defined by the first angle range and the orbit of the second satellite apparatus may be the first orbital interval.

[0210] In one possible implementation, the orbital interval indicated by the first information may be determined based on the space region determined by the terminal device. For example, the first orbital interval may be used for the first angle range indication. The first angle range is the angle between the first point of the second satellite device and the line connecting the reference point and the orbital center of the second satellite device. The first point may include the intersection of the first space region and the orbit of the second satellite device. For the relevant introduction to the first space region, please refer to the above content and will not be repeated here. It can be seen that the terminal device can identify the first space region based on obstacles or signal quality (such as historical signal quality), and then use part or all of the orbital interval within the first space region as the first orbital interval. Since the quality of the first space region is good, the communication quality between the satellite device to be switched searched in the first orbital interval and the terminal device is also good.

[0211] Figure 11 illustrates a possible first orbital interval according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 11 can be considered a combination of Figure 10 and Figure 8 . As shown in Figure 11 , point #13 can be considered an intersection of the first spatial region and the orbit of the second satellite apparatus, and point #14 can be considered another intersection of the first spatial region and the orbit of the second satellite apparatus.

[0212] After the terminal device obtains information about the first spatial region, it can determine the orbital interval of the satellite devices within the first spatial region in combination with the satellite ephemeris information, and then send the orbital interval to the network device, so that the network device uses the satellite device that has moved to the orbital interval as the satellite device to be switched by the terminal device. The satellite ephemeris information in the embodiments of the present application may include orbital information of the satellite device, as well as information such as the location of the satellite device at specific times.

[0213] Information B2, indication information of the second track interval.

[0214] The indication information of at least one orbital interval may include indication information of at least one second orbital interval. In this solution, the terminal device may report the indication information of the second orbital interval. In this way, the network device can search for a satellite device to be switched from an orbital interval different from the second orbital interval. This solution can reduce the workload of the network device in selecting the satellite device to be switched, thereby reducing the complexity of the work.

[0215] In the embodiment of the present application, one second track interval is used as an example for introduction, and the related schemes of the other second track intervals are similar and will not be repeated here.

[0216] The second orbital interval in the embodiment of the present application can be understood as an orbital interval in which the terminal device is not expected to communicate with the satellite device on the orbital interval, such as an orbital interval within a spatial region (such as a second spatial region) that blocks the signal of the terminal device or has poor signal quality for the terminal device. Based on the indication information of at least one second orbital interval, the network device can search for a satellite device to be switched (such as a second satellite device) for the terminal device from satellite devices operating on an orbital interval different from the second orbital interval. For example, a second orbital interval can be a partial orbit on the orbit of the first satellite device.

[0217] The indicative information of the second orbital interval can be used to indicate the second orbital interval. For example, the indicative information of the second orbital interval includes indicative information of the second angle range. The spatial area constructed by the second angle range may include the second orbital interval. For relevant examples of the indicative information of the second angle range, please refer to the examples of the indicative information of the first angle range mentioned above, and will not be repeated here. The definition of the angle in the angle range used to describe the orbital interval in the embodiment of the present application can be referred to the above description, and will not be repeated here.

[0218] Figure 12 illustrates a schematic diagram of a possible second orbital interval provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 12, the angle between the line connecting reference point #12 and the orbital center of the first satellite device and the line connecting point #23 and the orbital center of the first satellite device is r3. The angle between the line connecting reference point #12 and the orbital center of the first satellite device and the line connecting point #24 and the orbital center of the first satellite device is r4. The second angular range may include [r3, r4], and the intersection of the spatial region constructed by the second angular range and the orbit of the first satellite device may be the second orbital interval.

[0219] In one possible implementation, the orbital interval indicated by the first information may be determined based on the space region determined by the terminal device. For example, the second orbital interval may be used for a second angle range indication. The second angle range is the angle between the second point of the first satellite device and the line connecting the reference point and the orbital center of the first satellite device. The second point may include the intersection of the second space region and the orbit of the first satellite device. For the relevant introduction to the second space region, please refer to the above content and will not be repeated here. It can be seen that the terminal device can identify the second space region based on obstacles or signal quality (such as historical signal quality), and then use part or all of the orbital interval in the second space region as the second orbital interval. Since the quality of the second space region is poor, the communication quality between the satellite device in the second orbital interval and the terminal device is also poor. The network device can search for a satellite device to be switched from an orbital interval different from the second orbital interval to improve the communication quality of the terminal device.

[0220] Figure 13 illustrates a possible second orbital interval according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 13 can be considered a combination of Figure 12 and Figure 6 . As shown in Figure 13 , point #23 can be considered an intersection of the second spatial region and the orbit of the first satellite, and point #24 can be considered another intersection of the second spatial region and the orbit of the first satellite.

[0221] After the terminal device obtains the information of the second space region, it can determine the orbital interval of the satellite device in the second space region in combination with the satellite ephemeris information, and then send the orbital interval to the network device, so that the network device will use the satellite devices in the orbital interval other than the orbital interval as the satellite devices to be switched by the terminal device.

[0222] Information B3, information about the track plane where the track interval in at least one track interval is located.

[0223] The information of the track plane may include information for indicating the track plane, such as the identification of the track plane, the index of the track plane, and the like.

[0224] The orbital plane information may include information about the orbital plane of a first orbital interval, enabling the network device to search for a satellite device that has moved to the first orbital interval of the orbital plane as the satellite device to be switched to by the terminal device. The orbital plane information may also include information about the orbital plane of a second orbital interval, enabling the network device to search for a satellite device that has moved to an orbital interval different from the second orbital interval of the orbital plane as the satellite device to be switched to by the terminal device. This solution allows the network device to further narrow the search range for the satellite device to be switched to, reducing the workload of the network device.

[0225] Information B4: information on the priority associated with the track interval in at least one track interval.

[0226] For example, the priority of an orbital interval may be associated with the quality of signals transmitted between a satellite device operating in the orbital interval and a terminal device. Another example may be associated with the presence of obstacles (e.g., the presence of obstacles) in the path of signals transmitted between a satellite device operating in the orbital interval and a terminal device. The priority of an orbital interval may include a priority level, such as high priority, medium priority, or low priority.

[0227] The terminal device can obtain the judgment criteria or threshold of the priority of the track interval through protocol agreement or receiving it from other devices (such as network devices). For example, the priority of the track interval whose channel quality meets SNR>=7dB can be high priority. The priority of the track interval whose channel quality meets 7>SNR>=3dB can be medium priority. The priority of the track interval whose channel quality meets 3>SNR>=0dB can be low priority.

[0228] For example, a track section where the signal transmission path does not include obstacles (or the terminal device's signal is not blocked) is a high-priority angle. A track section where the signal transmission path includes obstacles such as trees and plants (or the terminal device's signal is blocked by trees and plants) is a medium-priority angle. A track section where the signal transmission path includes obstacles such as buildings (or the terminal device's signal is blocked by buildings) is a low-priority angle.

[0229] In one possible implementation, the terminal device may determine the priority of the orbital interval based on the priority of the spatial region. For example, the priorities of the two may be equal. For example, if a spatial region is assigned a high priority, the orbital interval determined by the intersection of the spatial region and the orbit of the satellite device may also be assigned a high priority. The priorities of the spatial regions can be found in the previous description and will not be further elaborated.

[0230] Table 3 below illustrates an example of information reported by a terminal device for indicating the angle range and priority of an orbital interval. The orbital interval shown in the second row of the second column of Table 3 is: the intersection of the spatial area constructed by the angle range indicated by [angle #1, angle #2] and orbital plane #1. The priority information of this orbital interval is high priority. Other contents are similar and will not be repeated here.

[0231] Table 3 Example of information indicating the angle range and priority of track sections

[0232] When the first information reported by the terminal device includes priority information of one or more orbital intervals, the network device can select the satellite device to be switched based on the priority information. The priority information can also indicate the order in which the network device should consider selecting the orbital intervals to which the satellite devices to be switched belong. For example, the network device can give priority to selecting satellite devices in high-priority orbital intervals as satellite devices to be switched. If the satellite device to be switched is not found in the high-priority orbital interval, the network device can search for the satellite device to be switched in the medium-priority orbital interval. If it is still not found, the network device can search for the satellite device to be switched in the low-priority orbital interval. This solution enables the network device to find a satellite device with better communication quality for the terminal device, thereby further improving the communication quality of the terminal device.

[0233] Information B5: identification information of a satellite device operating in an orbital interval in at least one orbital interval.

[0234] The identification information of the satellite device may include information for indicating the satellite device, such as an identification of the satellite device, an index of the satellite device, and the like.

[0235] The satellite device identification information may include identification information of a satellite device in a first orbital interval, so that the network device selects the satellite device as the satellite device to be switched to by the terminal device. The satellite device identification information may also include identification information of a satellite device in a second orbital interval, so that the network device selects a satellite device different from the satellite device as the satellite device to be switched to by the terminal device.

[0236] This solution enables the network device to search for the satellite device to be switched from the satellite devices indicated by the identification information of these satellite devices, thereby further narrowing the search range of the satellite device to be switched and reducing the workload of the network device.

[0237] Information B6, time range information for establishing a communication connection between a satellite device operating in an orbital interval in at least one orbital interval and a terminal device.

[0238] The network device can select a satellite device within the corresponding time range as the satellite device for communication with the terminal device. This solution allows the network device to instruct the terminal device to establish communication with each satellite device within the communication time range of each satellite device based on the time range information, further reducing the workload of the network device.

[0239] Table 4 below illustrates an example of time range information for establishing a communication connection between a satellite device and a terminal device. The second row of the second column in Table 4 shows [Time #1, Time #2], which represents the time range for establishing a communication connection between the second satellite device and the terminal device. Other details are similar and are not further described. As shown in Table 5, the network device can instruct the terminal device to switch to the second satellite device before Time #1, so that the terminal device can communicate with the second satellite device within [Time #1, Time #2]. The network device can instruct the terminal device to switch to a third satellite device before Time #3, so that the terminal device can communicate with the third satellite device within [Time #3, Time #4].

[0240] Table 4 Example of time range information for establishing communication connection between satellite device and terminal device

[0241] In information B6, the first information can report information about at least one orbital interval, and the network device can select the satellite device to switch based on this orbital interval information. This solution can reduce the workload of the network device in determining the satellite orbital interval, thereby reducing the workload of the network device and the complexity of implementing the solution on the network side.

[0242] Implementation A and Implementation B can be executed separately or in combination. For example, the first information may include at least one of the parameters involved in the two implementations, such as the first information includes at least one indication information of at least one second spatial area, at least one indication information of at least one first spatial area, or at least one indication information of at least one orbital interval.

[0243] After the above-mentioned step 302, the terminal device sends the updated first information. For example, when the position of the terminal device moves, or the position of the obstacle around the terminal device changes, the range of each spatial area previously identified by the terminal device may also change. For example, the second spatial area including the obstacle may change, and the range of the first spatial area that originally did not include the obstacle may also change. In this way, the terminal device reports the updated first information to indicate the range of each changed spatial area, so that the network device re-determines whether it is necessary to switch the satellite device for the terminal device based on the updated first information. For example, when it is identified that the communication quality between the terminal device and the second satellite device is about to deteriorate, the terminal device can be instructed to switch to other satellite devices, thereby further improving the communication quality.

[0244] In another possible implementation, the terminal device may further send information to the network device for requesting resources (such as at least one of time domain resources, frequency domain resources, or spatial domain resources) for obtaining the updated first information.

[0245] Several possible implementations for the terminal device to send the updated first information are introduced below through implementation C1, implementation C2 and implementation C3.

[0246] In implementation mode C1, when the terminal device determines that at least one of the following conditions C1.1, C1.2, or C1.3 is satisfied, the terminal device transmits the updated first information.

[0247] Content C1.1: The location of the terminal device changes, for example, the change in the location of the terminal device is greater than a first threshold. The first threshold may be a length value, such as 10 meters or 20 meters.

[0248] Content C1.2: The spatial area around the terminal device where obstacles exist changes.

[0249] For example, if the amount of change in the spatial area where obstacles exist around the terminal device is greater than the second threshold, it can be determined that the spatial area where obstacles exist around the terminal device has changed.

[0250] The terminal device determines that the amount of change in the spatial area around the terminal device where obstacles exist is greater than the second threshold value if at least one of the following information is satisfied: the amount of change in the elevation range corresponding to the spatial area around the terminal device where obstacles exist is greater than the third threshold value; and / or the amount of change in the azimuth range corresponding to the spatial area around the terminal device where obstacles exist is greater than the fourth threshold value. The third and fourth threshold values ​​can be angle values, such as 3 degrees or 10 degrees. This solution provides the terminal device with a specific solution for identifying that the amount of change in the spatial area around the terminal device where obstacles exist is greater than the second threshold value, and the solution is relatively simple and easy to implement, and is identified based on the elevation range and / or azimuth range.

[0251] Content C1.3: The amount of change in the spatial area around the terminal device where no obstacles exist is greater than the fifth threshold.

[0252] For example, when the terminal device determines that the following conditions are met, it determines that content C1.3 is satisfied:

[0253] The change in the elevation angle range of the first spatial area identified by the terminal device is greater than the sixth threshold (a preset angle value). For example, the change in the azimuth angle range of the first spatial area identified by the terminal device is greater than the seventh threshold (a preset angle value). The sixth threshold and the seventh threshold may be equal or different. For related content, please refer to the description of content C1.2 and will not be repeated here.

[0254] In implementation C1, since the updated first information is reported only when the position change of the terminal device or the range change of each spatial area reaches a certain level, the amount of reported first information can be reduced, thereby reducing resource overhead.

[0255] The thresholds in the embodiments of the present application (such as the first threshold, the second threshold, the third threshold, the fourth threshold, the fifth threshold, the sixth threshold or the seventh threshold) can be configured by the network device or agreed upon through a protocol.

[0256] In implementation C2, the network device may send a trigger signaling (media access control element (MAC CE), downlink control information (DCI)) to the terminal device, and the trigger signaling is used to trigger the terminal device to report the updated first information. After receiving the trigger signaling, the terminal device reports the updated first information. This implementation is more flexible and has less resource overhead.

[0257] In implementation C3, the terminal device may periodically send the first information.

[0258] The cycle duration can be agreed upon through a protocol or configured by the network device. After the terminal device reports a first message, a timer can be started. The timer duration is equal to the cycle duration. When the timer duration expires, the terminal device sends the updated first message. This embodiment can reduce the overhead caused by the network device scheduling resources.

[0259] In implementation mode C4, the terminal device semi-statically reports the first information.

[0260] The network device can configure resources for the terminal device. After the network device sends activation signaling (such as MAC CE signaling) to the terminal device, the terminal device periodically reports the first information. In this way, some resource overhead caused by reporting the first information can be saved.

[0261] For signaling sent by the network device to the terminal device, such as trigger signaling, activation signaling, or signaling for configuring parameters, such as signaling for configuring the cycle length, signaling for configuring various thresholds (such as the first threshold, the second threshold, the third threshold, or the fourth threshold), or signaling for configuring resources for the first information, etc., these signalings can be at least one of the broadcast information including the system information block (SIB) 1, other system information (OSI), and the master system information block (MIB). The network device can broadcast or multicast the above signaling to the terminal device. Broadcasting or multicasting the above signaling to the terminal device by the network device can avoid scheduling different resources for different terminal devices in order to send the above signaling, saving the signaling overhead of scheduling resources and reducing the complexity of system scheduling.

[0262] In another possible implementation, if the signaling sent by the above-mentioned network device to the terminal device is sent during the radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment phase and subsequent communication process, the network device may carry the above signaling in at least one of RRC signaling (for example, RRC setup message, RRC reconfiguration signaling, RRC resume signaling, etc.), downlink control information (DCI), group DCI, and medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), or indicate the above signaling / parameter values ​​to the terminal device in a table, or unicast or multicast it to the terminal device along with data transmission or in a separately allocated physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) bearer. The advantage of sending the above signaling to the terminal devices individually or in multicast is that the parameter values ​​of each / each group of terminal devices can be flexibly controlled. For example, the network device configures different periodic reporting / semi-static reporting / non-periodic reporting of obstruction information parameters to the terminal devices according to the different probabilities of changes in the obstruction environment at different locations or in different areas of the terminal devices, so as to achieve the purpose of optimizing reporting resource occupancy and optimizing UE communication performance / system communication spectrum efficiency. For example, the network device can determine the different probabilities of changes in the obstruction environment according to the different geographical locations of the terminal devices, and the frequency of updating the obstruction information will be different. Different terminal devices or different groups of terminal devices can be configured with different frequencies to update the obstruction information, so as to optimize the resource occupancy rate of updating the obstruction information of each / each group of terminal devices, avoid unnecessary spectrum efficiency loss and excessive energy consumption, and improve the overall communication performance of the terminal devices and the system.

[0263] It is understood that, in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the base station and the terminal include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should readily appreciate that, in conjunction with the units and method steps of the various examples described in the embodiments disclosed in this application, this application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or in a computer software-driven hardware manner depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0264] Figures 14 and 15 are schematic diagrams of the structures of possible communication devices provided by the embodiments of the present application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the terminal or base station in the above-mentioned method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects possessed by the above-mentioned method embodiments. In the embodiments of the present application, the communication device can be a terminal device or a network device. The terminal device can be a terminal or a module (such as a chip) in the terminal. The network device can be a network device or a module (such as a chip) in the network device.

[0265] As shown in Figure 14, the communication device 1300 includes a processing unit 1310 and a transceiver unit 1320. The communication device 1300 is used to implement the functions of the terminal device or network device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 3 above.

[0266] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in FIG3 : the processing unit 1310 is used to send the first information and receive the second information through the transceiver unit 1320 .

[0267] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement the functions of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in FIG3 , in one possible implementation: the processing unit 1310 is further used to send the updated first information through the transceiver unit 1320 ;

[0268] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 3, in one possible implementation: the processing unit 1310 is also used to determine before sending the updated first information through the transceiver unit 1320: the position change of the terminal device is greater than a first threshold; and / or the change in the spatial area where there are obstacles around the terminal device is greater than a second threshold.

[0269] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 3, in one possible implementation mode: the processing unit 1310 is also used to determine that if at least one of the following information is satisfied, then it is determined that the change in the spatial area where there are obstacles around the terminal device is greater than the second threshold: the change in the elevation angle range corresponding to the spatial area where there are obstacles around the terminal device is greater than the third threshold; or, the change in the azimuth angle range corresponding to the spatial area where there are obstacles around the terminal device is greater than the fourth threshold.

[0270] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the network device in the method embodiment shown in FIG3 : the processing unit 1310 is used to receive the first information and send the second information through the transceiver unit 1320 .

[0271] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the network device in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 3 , in a possible implementation manner: the processing unit 1310 is further used to receive the updated first information through the transceiver unit 1320 .

[0272] For a more detailed description of the processing unit 1310 and the transceiver unit 1320 , reference may be made to the relevant description in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 3 .

[0273] As shown in Figure 15, communication device 1400 includes a processor 1410 and an interface circuit 1420. Processor 1410 and interface circuit 1420 are coupled to each other. It is understood that interface circuit 1420 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, communication device 1400 may also include a memory 1430 for storing instructions executed by processor 1410, input data required by processor 1410 to execute instructions, or data generated after processor 1410 executes instructions.

[0274] When the communication device 1400 is used to implement the method shown in FIG. 3 , the processor 1410 is used to implement the functions of the processing unit 1310 , and the interface circuit 1420 is used to implement the functions of the transceiver unit 1320 .

[0275] When the above-mentioned communication device is a chip applied to a terminal, the terminal chip implements the functions of the terminal device in the above-mentioned method embodiment. When the terminal chip receives information from the base station, it can be understood that the information is first received by other modules in the terminal (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) and then sent to the terminal chip by these modules. When the terminal chip sends information to the base station, it can be understood that the information is first sent to other modules in the terminal (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) and then sent to the base station by these modules.

[0276] When the above-mentioned communication device is a chip applied to a base station, the base station chip implements the functions of the network device in the above-mentioned method embodiment. When the base station chip receives information from the terminal, it can be understood that the information is first received by other modules in the base station (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) and then sent to the base station chip by these modules. When the base station chip sends information to the terminal, it can be understood that the information is sent to other modules in the base station (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) and then sent to the terminal by these modules.

[0277] In this application, when entity A sends information to entity B, it can be done directly from A to B or indirectly through another entity. Similarly, when entity B receives information from entity A, it can be done directly from entity B or indirectly through another entity. Entities A and B herein can be RAN nodes or terminals, or modules within a RAN node or terminal. The sending and receiving of information can be information exchange between a RAN node and a terminal, for example, between a base station and a terminal; the sending and receiving of information can also be information exchange between two RAN nodes, for example, between a CU and a DU; the sending and receiving of information can also be information exchange between different modules within a device, for example, between a terminal chip and other modules in the terminal, or between a base station chip and other modules within the base station.

[0278] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or may be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0279] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in hardware or in software instructions that can be executed by a processor. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, and the software modules can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disk, mobile hard disk, CD-ROM or any other form of storage medium well known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. The storage medium can also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in a base station or a terminal. The processor and storage medium can also exist in a base station or a terminal as discrete components.

[0280] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented in the form of a computer program product. A computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions of the embodiments of the present application are performed. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user device, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions may be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media may be magnetic media, such as floppy disks, hard disks, or magnetic tapes; optical media, such as digital video disks; or semiconductor media, such as solid-state drives. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or nonvolatile storage medium, or may include both volatile and nonvolatile types of storage media.

[0281] In the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0282] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the text description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship; in the formula of this application, the character " / " indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in a "division" relationship. "Including at least one of A, B and C" can mean: including A; including B; including C; including A and B; including A and C; including B and C; including A, B and C.

[0283] It is understood that the various numbers involved in the embodiments of this application (such as the numerical numbers "first" and "second", and the letter numbers "Implementation A" and "Implementation B") are only for the convenience of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applicable to a terminal device, and the method comprises: Sending first information, the first information including indication information of at least one space region, the indication information of the at least one space region is used to determine a first space region, the first space region including an orbital interval of a second satellite device; Second information is received, where the second information instructs the terminal device to switch from the first satellite device to the second satellite device.

2. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applicable to a network device, and the method comprises: receiving first information, the first information comprising indication information of at least one space region, the indication information of the at least one space region being used to determine a first space region, the first space region comprising an orbital interval of a second satellite device; Second information is sent, wherein the second information instructs the terminal device to switch from the first satellite device to the second satellite device.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The indication information of the spatial region in the at least one spatial region includes: indication information of the elevation angle range; The elevation angle in the elevation angle range includes: the angle between a line projected into the air with the terminal device as the starting point and the projection of the line on the horizontal plane.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The indication information of the spatial region in the at least one spatial region includes: indication information of the azimuth range; The azimuth angle in the azimuth angle range includes: the angle between the projection of a line projected into the air starting from the terminal device on the horizontal plane and the projection of a preset line starting from the terminal device on the horizontal plane.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The at least one spatial region comprises a first spatial region and / or a second spatial region; The first space region does not include any obstacle, or the quality of a signal transmitted between the terminal device and a satellite device moving to the first space region is greater than a first quality threshold; The second space region includes an obstacle, or the quality of a signal transmitted between the terminal device and a satellite device moving to the second space region is less than a second quality threshold.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The first information further includes: information on the priority of the spatial region association in the at least one spatial region; The priority is associated with the quality of a signal transmitted between a satellite device operating in the space region and the terminal device, and / or the priority is associated with the presence of obstacles in the space region.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The at least one space region is determined based on: surrounding environment information of the terminal device, and / or quality of a signal transmitted between the terminal device and a satellite device moving to the at least one space region.

8. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applicable to a terminal device, and the method comprises: Sending first information, the first information comprising indication information of at least one orbital interval, the indication information of the at least one orbital interval being used to determine a first orbital interval, the first orbital interval belonging to an orbit of a second satellite device; Second information is received, wherein the second information instructs the terminal device to switch from the first satellite device to the second satellite device.

9. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applicable to a network device, and the method comprises: receiving first information, the first information comprising indication information of at least one orbital interval, the indication information of the at least one orbital interval being used to determine a first orbital interval, the first orbital interval belonging to an orbit of a second satellite device; Second information is sent, wherein the second information instructs the terminal device to switch from the first satellite device to the second satellite device.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that The indication information of the at least one orbital interval includes the indication information of the first orbital interval, and the indication information of the first orbital interval includes the indication information of the first angle range; The angles in the first angle range include: a first point and a reference point located in the orbit of the second satellite device and the second The angle between the lines connecting the orbital centers of satellite installations.

11. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that: The indication information of the at least one orbital interval includes indication information of the second orbital interval, and the second orbital interval belongs to the orbit of the first satellite device; The indication information of the second orbital interval includes indication information of a second angle range; The angles in the second angle range include: angles between a second point located on the orbit of the first satellite device and lines connecting a reference point and the center of the orbit of the first satellite device.

12. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that: The first information also includes at least one of the following: Information about the orbital plane where the orbital interval in the at least one orbital interval is located; identification information of a satellite device operating in an orbital interval of the at least one orbital interval; time range information for establishing a communication connection between a satellite device operating in an orbital interval of the at least one orbital interval and the terminal device; or, A priority associated with an orbital interval in at least one of the orbital intervals; the priority is associated with the quality of a signal transmitted between a satellite device operating in the orbital interval and the terminal device, and / or the priority is associated with the presence of an obstacle in a signal transmission path between the satellite device operating in the orbital interval and the terminal device.

13. A communication device, characterized in that: The device includes a processor and an interface circuit; The processor is used to execute, through the interface circuit: Sending first information, the first information including indication information of at least one space region, the indication information of the at least one space region is used to determine a first space region, the first space region including an orbital interval of a second satellite device; Second information is received, where the second information instructs the terminal device to switch from the first satellite device to the second satellite device.

14. A communication device, characterized in that: The device includes a processor and an interface circuit; The processor is used to execute, through the interface circuit: receiving first information, the first information comprising indication information of at least one space region, the indication information of the at least one space region being used to determine a first space region, the first space region comprising an orbital interval of a second satellite device; Second information is sent, wherein the second information instructs the terminal device to switch from the first satellite device to the second satellite device.

15. The device according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that The indication information of the spatial region in the at least one spatial region includes: indication information of the elevation angle range; The elevation angle in the elevation angle range includes: the angle between a line projected into the air with the terminal device as the starting point and the projection of the line on the horizontal plane.

16. The device according to any one of claims 13 to 15, characterized in that The indication information of the spatial region in the at least one spatial region includes: indication information of the azimuth range; The azimuth angle in the azimuth angle range includes: the angle between the projection of a line projected into the air starting from the terminal device on the horizontal plane and the projection of a preset line starting from the terminal device on the horizontal plane.

17. The device according to any one of claims 13 to 16, characterized in that: The at least one spatial region comprises a first spatial region and / or a second spatial region; The first space region does not include any obstacle, or the quality of a signal transmitted between the terminal device and a satellite device moving to the first space region is greater than a first quality threshold; The second space region includes an obstacle, or the quality of a signal transmitted between the terminal device and a satellite device moving to the second space region is less than a second quality threshold.

18. The device according to any one of claims 13 to 17, characterized in that: The first information further includes: information on the priority of the spatial region association in the at least one spatial region; The priority is associated with the quality of a signal transmitted between a satellite device operating in the space region and the terminal device, and / or the priority is associated with the presence of obstacles in the space region.

19. The device according to any one of claims 13 to 18, characterized in that: The at least one space region is determined based on: surrounding environment information of the terminal device, and / or quality of a signal transmitted between the terminal device and a satellite device moving to the at least one space region.

20. A communication device, characterized in that: The device is suitable for a terminal device, and comprises a processor and an interface circuit; The processor is used to execute, through the interface circuit: Sending first information, the first information comprising indication information of at least one orbital interval, the indication information of the at least one orbital interval being used to determine a first orbital interval, the first orbital interval belonging to an orbit of a second satellite device; Second information is received, wherein the second information instructs the terminal device to switch from the first satellite device to the second satellite device.

21. A communication device, characterized in that: The device is suitable for a network device, and comprises a processor and an interface circuit; The processor is used to execute, through the interface circuit: receiving first information, the first information comprising indication information of at least one orbital interval, the indication information of the at least one orbital interval being used to determine a first orbital interval, the first orbital interval belonging to an orbit of a second satellite device; Second information is sent, wherein the second information instructs the terminal device to switch from the first satellite device to the second satellite device.

22. The device according to claim 20 or 21, characterized in that The indication information of the at least one orbital interval includes the indication information of the first orbital interval, and the indication information of the first orbital interval includes the indication information of the first angle range; The angles in the first angle range include: angles between a first point located on the orbit of the second satellite device and lines connecting a reference point and the center of the orbit of the second satellite device.

23. The device according to any one of claims 20 to 22, characterized in that The indication information of the at least one orbital interval includes indication information of the second orbital interval, and the second orbital interval belongs to the orbit of the first satellite device; The indication information of the second orbital interval includes indication information of a second angle range; The angles in the second angle range include: angles between a second point located on the orbit of the first satellite device and lines connecting a reference point and the center of the orbit of the first satellite device.

24. The device according to any one of claims 20 to 23, characterized in that The first information also includes at least one of the following: Information about the orbital plane where the orbital interval in the at least one orbital interval is located; identification information of a satellite device operating in an orbital interval of the at least one orbital interval; time range information for establishing a communication connection between a satellite device operating in an orbital interval of the at least one orbital interval and the terminal device; or, A priority associated with an orbital interval in at least one of the orbital intervals; the priority is associated with the quality of a signal transmitted between a satellite device operating in the orbital interval and the terminal device, and / or the priority is associated with the presence of an obstacle in a signal transmission path between the satellite device operating in the orbital interval and the terminal device.

25. A communication device, characterized in that: Comprising modules for executing the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 12.

26. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a processor, wherein the processor is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12 through a logic circuit or executing a code instruction.

27. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The storage medium stores a computer program or an instruction. When the computer program or the instruction is executed by the communication device, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12 is implemented.

28. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product stores a computer program, wherein the computer program includes program instructions, and when the program instructions are executed by a computer, the computer is caused to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

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