Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus. The method can be applied to non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication. The method comprises: a first network device determines first information, and sends the first information to a second network device. The first information indicates at least one region corresponding to the first network device. The region is fixed relative to the earth, and the geographical location of the region is determined by means of an identifier of the region. On the basis of the solution, regions are fixed relative to the earth, and the geographical locations of the regions can be determined by means of identifiers of the regions. Therefore, network devices can exchange information on the basis of identifiers of regions, so as to indicate coverage regions, service regions and the like of the devices. Compared with directly exchanging information such as the geographical locations and contours of regions, the signaling overhead can be reduced.

Description

Communication method and device Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communications, and in particular to communication methods and devices. Background Art

[0002] Non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) offer significant advantages, including global coverage, long-distance transmission, flexible networking, easy deployment, and freedom from geographical constraints. They have been widely used in a variety of fields, including maritime communications, positioning and navigation, disaster relief, scientific experiments, video broadcasting, and Earth observation. NTNs can be integrated with terrestrial networks, leveraging their strengths and complementing their weaknesses to form a seamless, integrated global communications network spanning land, sea, air, space, and space, meeting the diverse service needs of users everywhere.

[0003] As a key component of the NTN, the next-generation satellite network is generally showing an ultra-dense and heterogeneous trend. First, the scale of satellites has grown from 66 in the Iridium constellation to 720 in the OneWeb constellation, and ultimately extended to the Starlink ultra-dense low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation of over 12,000. Second, the satellite network is heterogeneous, evolving from traditional single-layer communication networks to multi-layer communication networks. The functions of communication satellite networks are also becoming more complex and diversified, gradually becoming compatible with and supporting functions such as navigation enhancement, Earth observation, and multi-dimensional information processing on-orbit.

[0004] With the dense deployment of satellites, interference between satellites has gradually become a problem. Therefore, how to exchange relevant information about the satellite coverage area to assist in interference management is an urgent problem that needs to be solved.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus that can reduce signaling overhead when exchanging area-related information between network devices.

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be performed by a first network device, or by a component of the first network device, such as a processor, chip, or system-on-chip of the first network device, or by a logic module or software that implements all or part of the functionality of the first network device. The method includes determining first information and sending the first information to a second network device. The first information indicates at least one region corresponding to the first network device. The region is fixed relative to the Earth, and the geographic location of the region is determined by an identifier of the region.

[0008] Based on this solution, the ground can be discretized into a number of fixed areas relative to the Earth, and the geographic locations of these areas can be determined by area identifiers. Therefore, network devices can exchange information based on area identifiers to indicate their own coverage areas, service areas, and other conditions. After a network device receives information from another network device, since the area identifier can determine the area's geographic location, it can learn the coverage areas and service areas of other network devices based on the area identifier, and then perform interference management based on this information. Compared to directly exchanging information such as area outlines for interference management, this can significantly reduce signaling overhead.

[0009] In a possible design, the geographical location of the region is further determined according to at least one of the following: a radius of the region, a radius of the earth, and a total number of regions.

[0010] Based on this possible design, the total number of regions, the radius of the region, and the radius of the earth can be the same for each region, that is, the total number of regions, the radius of the region, and the radius of the earth can be considered constants. In this case, the variable affecting the geographical location of the region can be considered as the identifier of the region.

[0011] In one possible design, the region includes a reference position, and the three-dimensional coordinates of the reference position and the identifier of the region satisfy the following relationship:

[0012] Where i represents the region identifier, RL(i) represents the three-dimensional coordinates of the reference position, and R e represents the radius of the earth, [x] represents the decimal part of x, M spot Indicates the total number of regions.

[0013] In one possible design, the projection RL(x i ,y i ) and the region identity satisfy the following relationship: RL(x i )=(1-cosθ i ) / 2

[0014] Here, the unit square is the square in the Cartesian plane with vertices at (0,0), (1,0), (0,1), and (1,1). i ) represents the projection measurement of the reference position on the x-axis of the unit square, RL(y i ) represents the projection metric of the reference position onto the y-axis of the unit square.

[0015] In one possible design, the Cartesian coordinates RL (xi ,y i ) and the region identity satisfy the following relationship: RL(x i )=i / N spot

[0016] Among them, RL(x i ) represents the projection measurement of the reference position of the region in the x-axis direction of the Cartesian coordinate system, RL(y i ) represents the projection measurement of the reference position of the region in the y-axis direction of the Cartesian coordinate system.

[0017] In one possible design, the region includes a reference position, and the three-dimensional coordinates of the reference position and the identifier of the region satisfy the following relationship:

[0018] Where i represents the region identifier, RL(i) represents the three-dimensional coordinates of the reference position, and R e Represents the radius of the Earth, N spot Indicates the total number of regions.

[0019] In one possible design, the region includes a reference position, and the latitude and longitude coordinates of the reference position and the region identifier satisfy the following relationship: RL(i) = (lon(i), lat(i))

[0020] Where lon(i) represents the longitude of the reference location, lat(i) represents the latitude of the reference location, and N spot Indicates the total number of regions.

[0021] In one possible design, the radius of the region and the total number of regions satisfy the following relationship:

[0022] Among them, R e Represents the radius of the Earth, N spot Indicates the total number of regions, R spot Indicates the radius of the area.

[0023] Based on the above possible designs, on the one hand, the coordinates of the reference position in the area can be quickly and accurately determined according to the identification of the area, so that the outline, geographical location, etc. of the area can be quickly and accurately determined. On the other hand, the radius of the area can be flexibly adjusted to adapt to different load capacities, such as adapting to different beam radii. On the other hand, since the geographical location of the area can be determined by the identification of the area, network devices can exchange information based on the identification of the area to indicate their own coverage area, service area, etc. Compared with direct beam reference points, beam coverage area outlines and other information for interference management, signaling overhead can be significantly reduced; compared with the division method based on the H3 geographic grid, since the total number of areas is relatively small, the number of bits required to indicate the area identification is also small, which can also reduce signaling overhead.

[0024] In one possible design, the first information includes an identifier of each of the at least one area. Based on this possible design, since the geographic location information of the area can be obtained based on the identifier of the area, the first information includes the identifier of each area, that is, information indicating the geographic location of the area, etc., which can reduce signaling overhead compared to directly sending the geographic location information of the area.

[0025] In one possible design, the first information includes an identifier of the first area and a first threshold. A distance between a reference position in each of the at least one area and a reference position in the first area is less than or equal to the first threshold; or a difference between the identifier of each of the at least one area and an identifier of the first area is less than or equal to the first threshold.

[0026] Based on this possible design, at least one area corresponding to the first network device can be indicated by the identifier of the first area and the first threshold value, which can reduce signaling overhead compared to directly sending information such as the geographical location and outline of the area.

[0027] In one possible design, the first information includes a first elevation angle, and the elevation angle at the reference position in each of the at least one area is greater than or equal to the first elevation angle.

[0028] Based on this possible design, at least one area corresponding to the first network device can be indicated by the first elevation angle, which can reduce signaling overhead compared to directly sending information such as the geographic location and outline of the area.

[0029] In one possible design, at least one area corresponding to the first network device is an area within the coverage area of ​​the first network device. Based on this possible design, the second network device can be informed of the coverage area of ​​the first network device, thereby performing interference management based on the coverage area of ​​the first network device.

[0030] In one possible design, the first information is a bitmap, where the bitmap includes M bits, where M is the total number of areas included in the coverage area of ​​the first network device, and M is a positive integer. The M bits correspond one-to-one to the M areas included in the coverage area. When the mth bit is set to a preset value, the area corresponding to the mth bit is the area served by the beam of the first network device, where m = 1, 2, …, M.

[0031] Based on this possible design, the second network device can obtain the identifier of at least one area corresponding to the first network device, and thus obtain the geographical location, outline and other information of the area based on the identifier of the area. Compared with directly sending the geographical location, outline and other information of the area, the signaling overhead can be reduced.

[0032] In one possible design, the first information includes an index of at least one area in an area set, where the area set consists of areas included in a coverage area of ​​the first network device.

[0033] In one possible design, the method further includes: sending at least one of the following information of at least one area corresponding to the first network device to the second network device: service cycle, service duration, frequency, polarization information, or service time.

[0034] Based on this possible design, the second network device can obtain information such as the service period, time, frequency, etc. of at least one area corresponding to the first network device, so that the second network device can obtain more detailed area-related information, thereby facilitating the second network device to perform more detailed interference management and improve interference management performance.

[0035] In one possible design, at least one area corresponding to the first network device is an area served by the beam of the first network device. Based on this possible design, the second network device can be informed of the area served by the beam of the first network device, thereby performing interference management based on the area served by the beam of the first network device.

[0036] In one possible design, the first information includes a second elevation angle; and the elevation angle at the reference position in each of the at least one area is less than or equal to the second elevation angle.

[0037] Based on this possible design, at least one area corresponding to the first network device can be indicated by the first elevation angle, which can reduce signaling overhead compared to directly sending information such as the geographic location and outline of the area.

[0038] In one possible design, the method further includes: sending resource information and / or time information associated with at least one area corresponding to the first network device to the second network device. The resource information includes at least one of the following: a service period, a service duration, a frequency, or polarization information. The time information is used to indicate the time when the target network device begins to cover the at least one area and / or the latest time when the target network device covers the at least one area.

[0039] Based on this possible design, the second network device can obtain resource information and / or time information associated with at least one area, so that the second network device can cover or serve the area according to the resource information and / or time information, thereby improving the coverage or service continuity of the area, thereby improving the service quality of terminal devices in the area.

[0040] In one possible design, at least one area corresponding to the first network device is an area that will no longer be covered by the first network device. Based on this possible design, the second network device can be informed of the areas that will no longer be covered by the first network device, so that the second network device can take over the coverage or service of these areas from the first network device, thereby improving the coverage or service continuity of these areas and thus improving the service quality of terminal devices in these areas.

[0041] In a second aspect, a communication device is provided for implementing various methods. The communication device may be the first network device in the first aspect, or a device included in the first network device, such as a chip or a chip system. The communication device includes a module, unit, or means corresponding to the implementation method, which may be implemented by hardware, software, or by executing the corresponding software implementation by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the functions.

[0042] In some possible designs, the communication device may include a processing module and a transceiver module. The processing module may be configured to implement the processing functionality of any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof. The transceiver module may include a receiving module and a transmitting module, respectively configured to implement the receiving functionality and the transmitting functionality of any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof.

[0043] In some possible designs, the transceiver module may be composed of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver or a communication interface.

[0044] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and a memory; the memory is configured to store computer instructions, and when the processor executes the instructions, the communication device performs the method described in any aspect. The communication device may be the first network device described in the first aspect, or a device included in the first network device, such as a chip or a chip system.

[0045] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and a communication interface; the communication interface is configured to communicate with a module external to the communication device; and the processor is configured to execute a computer program or instruction to cause the communication device to perform the method described in any one of the aspects. The communication device may be the first network device described in the first aspect, or a device included in the first network device, such as a chip or chip system.

[0046] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: at least one processor; the processor is configured to execute a computer program or instruction stored in a memory, so that the communication device performs the method described in any aspect. The memory may be coupled to the processor, or may be independent of the processor. The communication device may be the first network device described in the first aspect, or a device included in the first network device, such as a chip or chip system.

[0047] In a sixth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program or instruction, and when the computer program or instruction is run on a communication device, the communication device can execute the method described in the first aspect and any possible design thereof.

[0048] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided, which, when run on a communication device, enables the communication device to execute the method described in the first aspect and any possible design thereof.

[0049] In an eighth aspect, a communication device is provided (for example, the communication device may be a chip or a chip system), which includes a processor for implementing the functions involved in the first aspect and any possible design thereof.

[0050] In some possible designs, the communication device includes a memory for storing necessary program instructions and data.

[0051] In some possible designs, when the device is a chip system, it can be composed of a chip or include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0052] It can be understood that when the communication device provided in any one of the second to eighth aspects is a chip, the sending action / function of the communication device can be understood as output information, and the receiving action / function of the communication device can be understood as input information.

[0053] Among them, the technical effects brought about by any design method in the second to eighth aspects can refer to the technical effects brought about by different design methods in the first aspect, and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0054] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of beam coverage in a non-staring mode and a staring mode in an NTN provided by the present application;

[0055] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a projection of a beam on the ground provided by the present application;

[0056] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a regional description method based on an H3 geographic grid provided by the present application;

[0057] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a group handover scenario provided by the present application;

[0058] FIG5 is a diagram of a satellite network architecture in a transparent transmission mode provided by the present application;

[0059] FIG6 is a diagram of a satellite network architecture in a regeneration mode provided by the present application;

[0060] FIG7 is a diagram of a satellite network architecture in another regeneration mode provided by the present application;

[0061] FIG8 is a diagram of a satellite network architecture in another regeneration mode provided by the present application;

[0062] FIG9 is a network architecture diagram of an NTN and terrestrial network integration provided by the present application;

[0063] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of a mapping relationship between beams and regions of a network device provided by the present application;

[0064] FIG11 is a flow chart of a communication method provided by the present application;

[0065] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of an area that cannot be covered by a first network device provided by the present application;

[0066] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of coverage areas of a first network device and a second network device provided by the present application;

[0067] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of an elevation angle provided by the present application;

[0068] FIG15 is a schematic diagram of a mapping relationship between beams and areas of a network device provided by the present application;

[0069] FIG16 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided by the present application;

[0070] FIG17 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided by the present application;

[0071] FIG18 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided in this application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0072] In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, " / " indicates that the objects associated before and after are in an "or" relationship, for example, A / B can represent A or B; "and / or" in this application is merely a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist, for example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural.

[0073] In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more than two. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or plural.

[0074] In addition, to facilitate the clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, the words "first" and "second" are used to distinguish between identical or similar items with substantially the same functions and effects. Those skilled in the art will understand that the words "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and the words "first" and "second" do not necessarily mean different.

[0075] In the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner to facilitate understanding.

[0076] It will be understood that the “embodiment” mentioned throughout the specification means that the specific features, structures or characteristics related to the embodiment are included in at least one embodiment of the present application. Therefore, the various embodiments throughout the specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, these specific features, structures or characteristics can be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner. It will be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the sequence number of each process does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiment of the present application.

[0077] It can be understood that in this application, "when" and "if" both mean that corresponding processing will be taken under certain objective circumstances, and do not limit the time, nor do they require any judgment action when implementing, nor do they mean that there are other limitations.

[0078] It is understood that some optional features in the embodiments of the present application may, in certain scenarios, be implemented independently of other features, such as the solution on which they are currently based, to solve corresponding technical problems and achieve corresponding effects. They may also be combined with other features in certain scenarios as needed. Accordingly, the devices provided in the embodiments of the present application may also implement these features or functions accordingly, which will not be described in detail here.

[0079] In this application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between the various embodiments can refer to each other. In the various embodiments in this application, and the various implementation methods / implementation methods / implementation methods in each embodiment, if there is no special explanation and logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments and the various implementation methods / implementation methods / implementation methods in each embodiment are consistent and can be referenced to each other. The technical features in different embodiments and the various implementation methods / implementation methods / implementation methods in each embodiment can be combined to form new embodiments, implementation methods, implementation methods, or implementation methods according to their inherent logical relationships. The implementation methods of this application described below do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

[0080] In order to facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, a brief introduction to the relevant technologies of the present application is first given as follows.

[0081] 1. Non-terrestrial networks (NTN):

[0082] Currently, the fifth-generation (5G) New Radio (NR) has moved from standardization to commercial deployment. The NR standard is primarily designed to address the unique characteristics of terrestrial communications, which provide high-speed, high-reliability, and low-latency communications for user terminals.

[0083] Compared to terrestrial communications, NTN communications offer significant advantages, including global coverage, long-distance transmission, flexible networking, easy deployment, and freedom from geographical constraints. They have been widely used in a variety of fields, including maritime communications, positioning and navigation, disaster relief, scientific experiments, video broadcasting, and Earth observation. NTN networks can be integrated with terrestrial networks, leveraging their strengths and complementing their weaknesses to form a seamless, integrated global communications network covering land, sea, air, space, and ground, meeting the diverse service needs of users everywhere.

[0084] According to the altitude of the flight platform above the ground, the NTN may include a low altitude platform (LAP) subnetwork, a high altitude platform (HAP) subnetwork, and a satellite communication subnetwork (SATCOM subnetwork).

[0085] For example, in the LAP subnetwork, base stations or base station functions are deployed on low-altitude flying platforms (such as drones) at an altitude of 0.1 km to 1 km from the ground to provide coverage for terminals; in the HAP subnetwork, base stations or base station functions are deployed on high-altitude flying platforms (such as airplanes) at an altitude of 8 km to 50 km from the ground to provide coverage for terminals; in the SATCOM subnetwork, base stations or base station functions are deployed on satellites at an altitude of more than 50 km from the ground to provide coverage for terminals.

[0086] Furthermore, according to the orbital altitude of the satellite, the satellite communication system can be divided into geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite communication system, medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite communication system and low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite communication system.

[0087] The GEO satellite communication system is also known as the geostationary orbit satellite system. GEO satellites orbit at an altitude of 35,786 km and move at the same speed as the Earth's rotation, meaning that GEO satellites can remain stationary relative to the Earth. GEO satellite communication systems can provide large cell coverage, typically with a cell diameter of 500 km. However, GEO satellite communication also has significant disadvantages: 1) GEO satellite orbits are far from the Earth, resulting in high free-space propagation losses, which leads to tight communication link budgets. To increase transmit / receive gain, satellites must be equipped with larger antennas; 2) Communication transmission latency is high, such as a round-trip delay of around 500 milliseconds, which cannot meet the needs of real-time services; 3) GEO orbital resources are relatively scarce, launch costs are high, and coverage of the Earth's polar regions is inadequate.

[0088] MEO satellites orbit at altitudes between 2,000 and 35,786 km, enabling global coverage with a relatively small number of satellites. However, MEO satellites orbit at higher altitudes than LEO satellites, resulting in higher transmission latency compared to LEO satellite communications. Therefore, considering the advantages and disadvantages of MEO satellite communications, MEO satellites are primarily used for positioning and navigation.

[0089] The orbital altitude of LEO satellites is between 300 and 2000 km, which is lower than that of MEO satellites. They have the advantages of low transmission delay, low transmission loss, and relatively low launch cost.

[0090] The next generation of satellite communication systems is generally showing a trend towards ultra-dense and heterogeneous systems. First, the scale of satellites has grown from 66 in the Iridium constellation to 720 in the OneWeb constellation, and ultimately to the Starlink ultra-dense LEO satellite constellation of over 12,000. Second, satellite networks are becoming heterogeneous, evolving from traditional single-layer communication networks to multi-layer ones. The functionality of communication satellite networks is also becoming increasingly complex and diverse, gradually becoming compatible with and supporting functions such as navigation augmentation, Earth observation, and multi-dimensional information processing on-orbit.

[0091] 2. Non-gazing mode (earth-moving) and gazing (earth-fixed or quasi-earth fixed) mode:

[0092] In satellite communication systems, beam operating modes can generally be divided into non-staring mode and staring mode. As shown in Figure 1 (a), in non-staring mode, the coverage area of ​​the satellite beam moves with the satellite over a period of time (e.g., between time t0 and time t2). As shown in Figure 1 (b), in staring mode, the satellite dynamically adjusts the beam pointing over a period of time (e.g., between time t0 and time t2) so that the beam covers approximately the same area on the ground. However, in actual applications, due to issues with beam pointing accuracy and the distortion of beam projections on the ground at different incident angles, the coverage area of ​​the beam in staring mode still experiences a certain degree of jitter over time.

[0093] Exemplarily, the embodiment of the beam in the protocol can be a spatial domain filter, or a spatial filter, or a spatial domain parameter, a spatial parameter, a spatial domain setting, a spatial setting, or Quasi-colocation (QCL) information, a QCL assumption, a QCL indication, etc. The beam can be indicated by a transmission configuration indication (TCI) state (TCI-state) parameter, or by a spatial relation parameter. Therefore, in this application, the beam can be replaced by a spatial domain filter, a spatial filter, a spatial parameter, a spatial parameter, a spatial setting, a spatial setting, QCL information, a QCL assumption, a QCL indication, TCI-state, a spatial relationship, etc. The above terms are also equivalent to each other. The beam in this application can also be replaced by other terms representing the beam, and this application is not limited thereto.

[0094] 3. Description of NTN's service area:

[0095] As a first possible implementation, the antenna pattern, such as a given antenna model, can be used to calculate the corresponding contours of antenna gain or received power in different areas of the ground (which can be understood as the projection of the beam on the ground) to characterize the service area of ​​the satellite / cell. This contour can also be understood as the beam position.

[0096] For example, Figure 2(a) shows the antenna gain pattern for a single GEO satellite 72-beam reference system. The ellipse represents the projection of the beam on the ground, or the beam position. Figure 2(b) shows the profile of the LEO satellite's beam in the latitude and longitude plane in non-staring mode.

[0097] In the first possible implementation, since the projection of the beam on the ground is understood as the beam position, the beam position can be considered statically bound to the beam. Therefore, this solution is commonly used in GEO satellite networks or satellite networks operating in non-staring mode. However, in staring mode, the inclination angle between the satellite and a certain area on the ground changes dynamically, and the beam projection also changes accordingly. This static binding of the beam position to the beam may no longer be applicable. Furthermore, since the projection of the beam on the ground is used as the beam position, parameters such as the beam reference point, the beam coverage area outline, and the satellite motion vector are usually required to determine the specific location of the beam position, resulting in significant signaling overhead.

[0098] As a second possible implementation, the Earth's surface can be divided into regular pentagonal or hexagonal grids based on the H3 geographic grid. This grid can be used to represent the service area of ​​a satellite / cell. For example, the service area of ​​a satellite / cell can include one or more grids. Each grid can be understood as a wave position. For example, when dividing the Earth based on the H3 geographic grid, each face of the icosahedron is a spherical triangle with 12 vertices, known as a spherical icosahedron. Each face of the spherical icosahedron has hexagons arranged in the same manner.

[0099] This second possible implementation supports hierarchical addressing of wave positions. For example, as shown in Figure 3, there are three types of regular hexagons: small, medium, and large. The regular hexagon with the smallest area represents the wave position, and the regular hexagons with the remaining two areas can be used for hierarchical addressing of wave positions. For ease of description, the following embodiments refer to the regular hexagons with the largest and second largest areas as the first and second regular hexagons, respectively.

[0100] Based on the example shown in Figure 3, when performing hierarchical addressing of wave positions, the index of the first regular hexagon can be understood as the first-level index of the wave position, the index of the second regular hexagon can be understood as the second-level index of the wave position, and the index of the regular hexagon with the smallest area can be understood as the third-level index of the wave position. When indexing a wave position, the first regular hexagon to which the wave position belongs can be first determined based on the first-level index, then the second regular hexagon to which the wave position in the first regular hexagon belongs can be determined based on the second-level index, and finally the wave position in the second regular hexagon can be determined based on the third-level index.

[0101] In the second possible implementation, only 16 different precisions of the beam radius are currently supported, which makes it difficult to adapt to different payload capacities (such as beam radius). For example, when the precision of the beam radius is an integer and the beam radius is not an integer, it may not be possible to accurately use the beam to represent the service area of ​​the satellite / cell. In addition, when determining the specific geographical location of the beam based on the index value of the beam in this solution, it is usually necessary to determine it through an iterative loop, which cannot quickly calculate the exact location of the beam. Moreover, the index value of the beam is usually indicated by 64 bits, and the signaling overhead is also large.

[0102] 4. Group switching and group reselection:

[0103] The movement of the satellite may cause group handover of connected terminal devices in a certain area, or group reselection of idle terminal devices in the area.

[0104] Taking group handover as an example, as shown in Figure 4, assume that a UE cluster (denoted as UE-G1, which includes multiple UEs) exists within sub-area 1 of area 2. At time T1, sub-area 1 is served by one or more beams of satellite 2. At time T2, the movement of satellite 2 causes it to no longer be able to serve sub-area 1. Instead, one or more beams of satellite 1 take over serving sub-area 1. During this process, because the satellite covering sub-area 1 changes, the multiple UEs in UE-G1 undergo group handover, switching from satellite 2 to satellite 1.

[0105] Since the satellite moves at a relatively high speed, for example, the speed of a LEO satellite is about 7.5 km / s, the frequency of group switching is relatively high, about once every few seconds to tens of seconds.

[0106] 5. NR cell interference management and inter-cell coordination:

[0107] The NR system mainly addresses inter-beam interference from the following two dimensions: On the one hand, when deploying NR cells, NR adopts principles such as mode 3 and mode 30 to solve the physical cell identifier (PCI) conflict and confusion problems; on the other hand, there are interference coordination mechanisms, such as configuring almost blank subframes (ABS), enhanced interference coordination, and channel state information (CSI) interference measurement (CSI-IM) feedback mechanism. In addition, cells can coordinate resources at a finer time granularity through the inter-cell interface to ensure service continuity and service quality requirements in the overlapping cell area.

[0108] With the dense deployment of satellites, interference between satellites is becoming increasingly problematic. However, the aforementioned NR cell interference management solutions may no longer be applicable to NTN networks. For example, NTN networks add the dimension of airspace, making interference more complex. Furthermore, satellites have a larger coverage area, potentially covering hundreds to thousands of smaller areas. Exchanging information about the location and outline of these areas between satellites would incur significant signaling overhead. Therefore, how to exchange information about satellite coverage areas, especially in highly dynamic scenarios, to assist in interference management, is a pressing issue.

[0109] Based on this, the present application provides a communication method. In this method, the ground can be discretized into fixed regions relative to the Earth, and the geographic locations of these regions can be determined using region identifiers. Therefore, satellites can exchange identifiers of their respective regions. After receiving the identifiers of the regions of other satellites, a satellite can determine their geographic location using the region identifiers. This allows the satellite to determine the coverage and service status of other satellites based on the region identifiers, enabling interference management. Compared to directly exchanging information such as region outlines, this method can reduce signaling overhead.

[0110] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be used in NTN systems such as satellite communication systems, high altitude platform station (HAPS) communications, and drones. For example, integrated communication and navigation (IcaN) systems, global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), etc. NTN systems can be integrated with traditional mobile communication systems. 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 5G communication system (for example, a NR system), a device-to-device (D2D) communication system, a machine-to-machine (M2M) communication system, an Internet of Things (IoT) communication system, an Internet of Vehicles communication system, and future mobile communication systems.

[0111] Among them, the above-mentioned communication system applicable to this application is only an example, and the communication system and communication scenarios applicable to this application are not limited to this. The communication system and communication scenarios provided in this application do not impose any limitations on the solution of this application. They are uniformly explained here and will not be repeated below.

[0112] As a possible implementation, a communication system applicable to the solution of the present application may include at least one terminal device and at least one network device. For example, terminal devices may communicate with each other, with each other, and with each other via wired or wireless means.

[0113] Optionally, the terminal device may be a user-side device with wireless transceiver functions, or may be a chip or chip system provided in the device. The terminal device may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), terminal, access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station (MS), remote station, remote terminal, mobile terminal (MT), user terminal, wireless communication device, user agent or user device, etc. The terminal device may be, for example, a terminal device in IoT, V2X, D2D, M2M, 5G network, or a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN). The terminal device may be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; it may also be deployed on water (such as ships, etc.); it may also be deployed in the air (such as airplanes, balloons and satellites, etc.).

[0114] Exemplarily, the terminal device may be a drone, an IoT device (e.g., a sensor, an electricity meter, a water meter, etc.), a V2X device, a station (ST) in a wireless local area network (WLAN), a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA) device, a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device (also referred to as a wearable smart device), a tablet computer or a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical care, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a smart home, or a similar device. The terminal device can be a mobile or fixed device, which is not specifically limited in this application.

[0115] Optionally, the network device may be a network-side device with wireless transceiver functions, or may be a chip or chip system or module provided in the device. The network device is located in the radio access network (RAN) of the mobile communication system and is used to provide access services for terminal devices.

[0116] As a possible implementation, the network device can be a wireless relay node or a wireless backhaul node. For example, the network device can function as a layer 1 relay device to regenerate physical layer signals (i.e., wireless frequency filtering, frequency conversion, and amplification) without any higher protocol layers.

[0117] As another possible implementation, the network device may implement some or all of the functions of a base station. For example, the network device may be an evolutionary Node B (eNB or eNodeB) in an LTE or evolved LTE system (LTE-Advanced, LTE-A), such as a traditional macro eNB and a micro eNB in ​​a heterogeneous network scenario; or a next-generation node B (gNodeB or gNB) in a 5G system; or a transmission reception point (TRP); or a base station in a future evolved PLMN; or a device that implements base station functions in IoT, V2X, D2D, or M2M.

[0118] Alternatively, the network device may be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU and a DU, a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). The CU and DU may be configured separately or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU may be included in a radio frequency device or radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0119] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, the network device may be a network device or a module of a network device in an open radio access network (open RAN, ORAN) system. In the ORAN system, CU may also be referred to as open (open, O)-CU, DU may also be referred to as O-DU, CU-CP may also be referred to as O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be referred to as O-CU-UP, and RU may also be referred to as O-RU. Any of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application may be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0120] Exemplarily, the base stations in the embodiments of the present application may include various forms of base stations, such as: macro base stations, micro base stations (also called small stations), relay stations, access points, etc., and the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0121] Optionally, the network devices in the embodiments of the present application can be deployed on non-ground platforms, such as low-altitude platforms (such as drones), high-altitude platforms (such as airplanes), or satellites. Therefore, the network devices in the embodiments of the present application can also be referred to as non-ground network devices.

[0122] For example, in the case where the network device is deployed on a satellite, or the network device is a satellite, the communication system may further include an NTN gateway (also known as a gateway station). Typically, the NTN gateway is deployed on the ground. The NTN gateway can communicate with the satellite, and the link between the satellite and the NTN gateway can be called a feeder link.

[0123] As shown in Figure 5, when a satellite serves as a wireless relay node, or in other words, a satellite has relay and forwarding capabilities, the NTN gateway has base station functions or partial base station functions. In this case, the NTN gateway can function as a base station. Alternatively, the NTN gateway can be deployed separately from the base station. In other words, in addition to the NTN gateway, the communication system also includes a satellite base station deployed on the ground. Figure 5 illustrates the example of separate deployment of the NTN gateway and base station.

[0124] As shown in Figure 6, when a satellite can perform some or all of the functions of a base station, the satellite has data processing capabilities and can be used as a base station. In this case, the NTN gateway and the satellite can transmit user-plane data of the terminal device through the satellite radio interface (SRI).

[0125] In addition, satellites can perform some or all of the functions of a base station. As shown in Figure 7, inter-satellite links (ISLs) exist between different satellites, allowing satellites to communicate via ISLs. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 8, a satellite can have the DU processing functions of a base station, or in other words, the satellite can act as a DU. In this scenario, the CU processing functions of the base station can be deployed on the ground, and the CU and DU communicate using the F1 interface through the NTN gateway.

[0126] In the architectures shown in Figures 5 to 8, NG refers to the interface between the base station and the core network. Uu refers to the interface between the base station and the terminal device. Xn refers to the interface between base stations. It is understood that as communication systems evolve, the names of the interfaces between the base station and the core network, between the base station and the terminal device, and between base stations may also change, and this application does not specifically limit this.

[0127] Optionally, when a satellite functions as a wireless relay node and has relay forwarding capabilities, it can be considered to be operating in transparent mode. When a satellite has data processing capabilities and can perform some or all of the functions of a base station, it can be considered to be operating in regenerative mode. A satellite may support only transparent mode, only regenerative mode, or both, and be able to switch between these two modes.

[0128] In some implementation scenarios, NTN and terrestrial networks can be integrated. For example, FIG9 shows the integrated network architecture of NTN and terrestrial networks provided by an embodiment of the present application. In the architecture shown in FIG9, satellites 1 and 2 operate in regeneration mode, and satellites can serve as NTN base stations, or NTN base stations can be deployed on satellites. Satellite 3 operates in transparent transmission mode, so an additional NTN base station needs to be deployed. Among them, NTN base stations refer to base stations in NTN. In addition,

[0129] In addition, the architecture may also include ground base stations, which refer to base stations in the ground network. NTN base stations and ground base stations can be interconnected through a common core network. As a bearer network, the core network provides an interface to the data network, providing terminal equipment with communication connection, authentication, management, policy control, and data service carrying. Exemplarily, the core network may include access and mobility management function (AMF) network elements, session management function (SMF) network elements, authentication server function (AUSF) network elements, policy control function (PCF) network elements, user plane function (UPF) network elements, and other network elements.

[0130] Alternatively, NTN base stations and terrestrial base stations can also achieve more timely assistance and interconnection through interfaces defined between base stations. For example, the interface between base stations can be an Xn interface, and the interface between a base station and the core network can be an NG interface. Of course, other implementations of the interface between base stations and the interface between a base station and the core network are also possible, and this application does not specifically limit this.

[0131] Optionally, in embodiments of the present application, satellites can provide services to terminal devices via beams. For example, different beams can provide services to terminal devices via one or more of time division, frequency division, and space division. On the one hand, satellites can operate in either regenerative mode or transparent mode. On the other hand, satellites can operate in either non-staring mode or staring mode. Satellites can be LEO satellites, MEO satellites, GEO satellites, etc., without limitation.

[0132] It is understandable that the satellites in the architectures described in Figures 5 to 9 can be replaced by non-ground payloads on other flying platforms such as drones and airplanes.

[0133] It should be noted that the communication system described in the embodiment of the present application is intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application. Ordinary technicians in this field can know that with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application is also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0134] The following describes the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application by taking the interaction between network devices as an example in combination with the communication systems shown in Figures 5 to 9.

[0135] It should be noted that in the following embodiments of the present application, the message names, parameter names, or information names between devices are only examples. In other embodiments, they may also be other names, and the method provided in this application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0136] It is understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the execution subject may perform some or all of the steps in the embodiments of the present application. These steps or operations are merely examples, and the embodiments of the present application may also perform other operations or variations of various operations. In addition, the various steps may be performed in a different order than those presented in the embodiments of the present application, and it is possible that not all operations in the embodiments of the present application need to be performed.

[0137] As an example, the following embodiments assume that the aforementioned flight platform is a satellite, that is, satellite communications in an NTN are used as an example. Of course, the method can also be applied to other scenarios in the NTN, such as LAP subnetworks or HAP subnetworks, without specific limitation.

[0138] In order to facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, a brief introduction to the relevant terms in the present application is first given as follows.

[0139] 1. Region:

[0140] Unless otherwise specified, the term "region" in the following embodiments of this application refers to a geographic region. A region is fixed relative to the Earth, or it can be understood that a region refers to a fixed geographic area relative to the Earth. For example, a region can have at least one of the following attributes: shape, outline, size, radius, area, geographic location, etc.

[0141] "Region" can also have an altitude attribute, that is, a region can be understood as a geographical area of ​​a given altitude or altitude range. By default, a region can refer to a geographical area with an altitude of 0 kilometers (km) above sea level or an altitude of about 0 km (such as in the range of [-2, 2] km), or a geographical area with an average altitude. In addition, it can also refer to geographical areas of other specific altitudes or specific altitude ranges, such as a geographical area with an altitude of 10 km above sea level, or a geographical area with an altitude of about 10 km (such as in the range of [7, 13] km).

[0142] In a possible implementation, the above-mentioned region fixed relative to the earth may also be referred to as a "wave position", "geographical region", etc. Of course, other names are also possible, and this application does not specifically limit the name of the region fixed relative to the earth.

[0143] The shapes, outlines, sizes, radii, and areas of different regions may or may not be the same. Different regions may have different geographical locations. Different regions may or may not overlap.

[0144] In one possible implementation, the region is fixed relative to the Earth, which can be understood as: the outline, size, or geographical location of the region remains unchanged, for example, the outline, size, or geographical location of the region does not change over time. Alternatively, the region is fixed relative to the Earth, which can be understood as: the outline of the region and points in the region can be described by a three-dimensional coordinate system such as earth-centered earth-fixed (ECEF) coordinates, a geodetic coordinate system, or an earth-centered inertial (ECI) coordinate system, or the coordinates of each point on the outline of the region in a three-dimensional coordinate system such as the ECEF, geodetic, or ECI coordinate system are fixed and unchanged.

[0145] In a possible embodiment, the shape of the region may be a regular hexagon, or other shapes such as a regular pentagon, a circle, an ellipse, etc. Alternatively, the shape of the region may be an irregular shape, which is not limited.

[0146] For example, the shape of a region can be defined by a protocol or by a network device. The region shapes defined by different network devices can be the same or different. The same network device can also define multiple region shapes. Similarly, the size, radius, and area of ​​a region can be defined by a protocol or by a network device. The size, radius, and area of ​​a region defined by different network devices can be the same or different. The same network device can also define multiple region sizes, multiple region radii, or multiple region areas.

[0147] In a possible implementation, the earth may be divided into multiple regions, and the multiple regions may be indexed (eg, numbered).

[0148] As one possible division method, the geographic location of a region is determined by the region's identifier. That is, the geographic location of a region can be obtained based on the region's identifier, or in other words, there is a correlation between the region's identifier and the region's geographic location. For example, multiple regions can be discretized on the earth, each corresponding to an identifier, and the geographic location of the region can be obtained based on the region's identifier.

[0149] Furthermore, the geographical location of the region can also be determined based on at least one of the following: the total number of regions N spot , the radius of the area R spot , or the Earth's radius R e .

[0150] For example, the total number of regions can be understood as the total number of regions discretely located on the earth. spot The N regions can completely cover the Earth, such that any location on the Earth belongs to a certain region; or spot A region can also cover a part of the geographical location on the earth, for example, spot This region may not cover the South Pole and / or the North Pole of the Earth, that is, the South Pole and / or the North Pole may not have this region. spot is a positive integer, such as N spot =78702.

[0151] For example, the N spot The radius of each region can be the same, that is, the radius of each region is R spot When the shape of the region is a regular hexagon, the radius of the region may be the radius of the circumscribed circle of the regular hexagon; when the shape of the region is a circle, the radius of the region may be the radius of the circle; when the shape of the region is an ellipse, the radius of the region may include a long radius or a short radius. spot The unit can be kilometers (km), for example, R spot =50 kilometers, or other length units such as meters (m) without limitation.

[0152] For example, in an embodiment of the present application, the radius of the earth can be a constant, such as 6378 km; or, the radius of the earth can be different for different time and space positions, for example, the radius of the earth can include the equatorial radius or the polar radius. For example, when dividing regions at the South Pole and / or the North Pole, the polar radius can be used; when dividing regions in non-polar regions, the equatorial radius can be used. Alternatively, when the earth is described by an ellipsoid (i.e., the shape of the earth is considered to be an ellipsoid), the radius of the earth may include a major axis and a minor axis, and the values ​​of the major axis and the minor axis are different.

[0153] As a possible implementation, the total number of regions, the radius of the region, and the radius of the earth can be the same for each region, that is, the total number of regions, the radius of the region, and the radius of the earth can be considered constants. In this case, the variable affecting the geographical location of the region can be considered as the identifier of the region.

[0154] In one possible implementation, each region includes (or has) a reference location, which may be, for example, the center of the region. For example, the geographic location of a region may refer to the geographic location of the reference location in the region. In this case, the geographic location of the region is determined by the region's identifier, which can be understood as follows: the reference location in the region is determined by the region's identifier. Alternatively, the geographic location of the region may represent the outline of the region or the range of the region. In this case, the geographic location of the reference location in the region may be determined based on the region's identifier, and the range or outline of the region may be determined based on the geographic location of the reference location and the radius of the region.

[0155] As a possible implementation, the association relationship between the reference position in the region and the identifier of the region is determined based on the Fibonacci criterion, or in other words, the association relationship between the reference position in the region and the identifier of the region satisfies the Fibonacci criterion. Exemplarily, there are three implementations of this association relationship:

[0156] Method 1: The three-dimensional coordinates of the reference position in the region and the identifier of the region satisfy the following relationship (1):

[0157] Where i represents the region ID. e Indicates the radius of the Earth. [x] indicates the decimal part of x, such as x = 2.3, then [x] = 0.3. N spotRepresents the total number of regions. RL(i) represents the three-dimensional coordinates of the reference position in the region, which refers to the coordinates in a three-dimensional coordinate system. For example, the three-dimensional coordinate system can be a spherical coordinate system, such as the ECEF coordinate system. Of course, other three-dimensional coordinate systems can also be used, such as the geodetic coordinate system, the earth-centered inertial (ECI) coordinate system, etc.

[0158] For example, the projection Rl(x i ,y i ) and the region identifier satisfy the following relationship: Rl(x i )=(1-cosθ i ) / 2

[0159] Among them, θ i and Please refer to the above explanation. The unit square refers to the square in the Cartesian plane with vertices at (0,0), (1,0), (0,1) and (1,1). RL(x i ) represents the projection measurement of the reference position in the x-axis direction of the unit square, RL(y i ) represents the projection measurement of the reference position in the y-axis direction of the unit square.

[0160] For example, the reference position is in the Cartesian coordinates RL(x i ,y i ) and the region identity satisfy the following relationship: RL(x i )=i / N spot

[0161] Where [x] represents the fractional part of x. RL(x i ) represents the projection measurement of the reference position of the region in the x-axis direction in the Cartesian coordinate system, RL(y i ) represents the projection measurement of the reference position of the region in the y-axis direction in a Cartesian coordinate system. For example, the Cartesian coordinate system refers to a Cartesian rectangular coordinate system.

[0162] Method 2: The three-dimensional coordinates of the reference position in the region and the identifier of the region satisfy the following relationship (2):

[0163] The physical meaning of each parameter can be found in the relevant description in the above relationship (1), which will not be repeated here.

[0164] It can be understood that the three-dimensional coordinates of the reference positions shown in the above relationship (1) and relationship (2) can be equivalently converted into longitude and latitude positions, and this application does not limit the specific form of expression of the reference position.

[0165] Method 3: The latitude and longitude coordinates of the reference position in the region and the identifier of the region satisfy the following relationship (3): RL(i) = (lon(i), lat(i)) (3)

[0166] Where RL(i) represents the latitude and longitude coordinates of the reference location, such as lon(i) represents the longitude of the reference location, and lat(i) represents the latitude of the reference location. spot Indicates the total number of regions.

[0167] It can be understood that the latitude and longitude coordinates of the reference position shown in the above relationship (3) can be equivalently converted into three-dimensional coordinates, and this application does not limit the specific form of expression of the reference position.

[0168] As a possible implementation, the radius of the region and the total number of regions satisfy the following relationship (4):

[0169] Among them, R e Represents the radius of the Earth, N spot Indicates the total number of regions, R spot Indicates the radius of the area. The explanation of each parameter can be found in the previous description and will not be repeated here.

[0170] Based on the above-mentioned area division method, on the one hand, the coordinates of the reference position in the area can be quickly and accurately determined according to the identification of the area, so that the outline, geographical location, etc. of the area can be quickly and accurately determined. On the other hand, the radius of the area can be flexibly adjusted to adapt to different load capacities, such as adapting to different beam radii. On the other hand, since the geographical location of the area can be determined by the identification of the area, network devices can exchange information based on the identification of the area to indicate their own coverage area, service area, etc. Compared with direct beam reference points, beam coverage area outlines and other information for interference management, signaling overhead can be significantly reduced; compared with the division method based on the H3 geographic grid, since the total number of areas is relatively small, the number of bits required to indicate the area identification is also small, which can also reduce signaling overhead.

[0171] 2. Coverage area of ​​network equipment:

[0172] The coverage area of ​​the network device may refer to the maximum area that the network device can cover, or in other words, the coverage area of ​​the network device indicates (or reflects) the maximum coverage capability of the first network device.

[0173] The coverage area of ​​the network device changes with the movement of the network device, that is, the coverage area of ​​the network device may be different at different times. The coverage area of ​​the network device includes at least one of the above areas (ie, wave positions).

[0174] Since the coverage area of ​​a network device changes with the movement of the network device, and the area (wave position) is fixed relative to the earth, the wave positions included in the coverage area of ​​the network device may be different at different times.

[0175] For example, taking the area as a regular hexagon, as shown in Figure 10, the elliptical solid line can represent the coverage area of ​​the network device. The areas represented by all regular hexagons in the elliptical solid line are the areas included in the coverage area of ​​the network device.

[0176] 3. Service area of ​​network equipment:

[0177] The service area of ​​the network device may refer to the maximum area that the beam of the network device can serve (or cover), or in other words, the service area of ​​the network device indicates (or reflects) the maximum service capability of the first network device.

[0178] The service area of ​​a network device is smaller than or equal to the coverage area of ​​the network device. For example, based on the example shown in FIG10 , the service area of ​​a first network device may be the range indicated by the solid ellipse. In this case, the service area of ​​the first network device is equal to the coverage area of ​​the first network device. Alternatively, the service area of ​​the first network device may be smaller than the range indicated by the solid ellipse.

[0179] The service area of ​​a network device changes with the movement of the network device, that is, the service area of ​​the network device may be different at different times. The service area of ​​the network device includes at least one of the above areas (ie, wave positions).

[0180] Since the service area of ​​a network device changes with the movement of the network device, and the area (wavelength) is fixed relative to the earth, the wavelengths included in the service area of ​​the network device may be different at different times.

[0181] In addition, at a certain moment, the beam of the network device may actually serve (or cover) part of the service area, and at different moments, the beam of the network device may serve (or cover) different areas in the service area. For example, as shown in (a) of FIG10 , at time T1, the beam of the network device serves areas x1, x2, and x3 in the service area; as shown in (b) of FIG10 , at time T2, the beam of the network device serves areas y1, y2, y3, and y4 in the service area.

[0182] 4. Activation area of ​​network equipment:

[0183] The area currently being served (or covered) by the beam of the network device can be called an active area or an activated area. The area currently not being served (or covered) by the beam of the network device can be called an inactive area or an inactive area.

[0184] The following describes a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Referring to FIG11 , which is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application, the communication method may include the following steps:

[0185] S1101. A first network device determines first information.

[0186] The first information indicates at least one region corresponding to the first network device. The region is fixed relative to the Earth. The geographic location of the region is determined by a region identifier. For details about regions, please refer to the above description and will not be repeated here.

[0187] In some implementations, the at least one zone corresponding to the first network device may fall into the following three situations:

[0188] Case 1: The at least one area corresponding to the first network device is an area within the coverage area of ​​the first network device. Alternatively, the at least one area corresponding to the first network device is an area within the service area of ​​the first network device.

[0189] Exemplarily, the at least one area may refer to all areas within the coverage area of ​​the first network device, and the at least one area may constitute a coverage wavelet set. Alternatively, the at least one area may refer to all areas within the service area of ​​the first network device, and the at least one area may constitute a service wavelet set.

[0190] Optionally, since the coverage area or service area of ​​the first network device may vary at different times, the areas included in the coverage area or service area may also vary at different times. Therefore, the first information indicating the areas within the coverage area or service area of ​​the first network device can be understood as indicating the areas within the coverage area or service area of ​​the first network device at the current moment. When the coverage area or service area of ​​the first network device changes, the first network device may indicate the changed or updated areas within the coverage area or service area to the second network device.

[0191] Exemplarily, the first network device may provide instructions using a full update or an incremental update. For example, when using a full update, the first network device may indicate to the second network device all areas in the updated coverage area or service area; when using an incremental update, the first network device may indicate to the second network device the areas that have been newly added or deleted in the coverage area or service area after the update compared to before the update.

[0192] Alternatively, the first information may indicate areas within the coverage area or service area of ​​the first network device within multiple time periods. For example, the first information may include {time period 1, waveband set 1}, {time period 2, waveband set 2}, and {time period 3, waveband set 3}, indicating that within time period 1, the coverage area or service area of ​​the first network device includes waveband set 1; within time period 2, the coverage area or service area of ​​the first network device includes waveband set 2; and within time period 3, the coverage area or service area of ​​the first network device includes waveband set 3.

[0193] Case 2: The at least one area corresponding to the first network device is an area served (or covered) by the beam of the first network device. Exemplarily, the at least one area may refer to all areas served by the beam of the first network device.

[0194] Optionally, the area served (or covered) by the beam of the first network device can be understood as: the area that the beam of the first network device is serving (or covering) or will serve (or cover).

[0195] Exemplarily, based on the example shown in FIG10 , at time T1 , the areas served by the beam of the first network device are areas x1 , x2 , and x3 ; at time T2 , the areas served by the beam of the first network device are areas y1 , y2 , y3 , and y4 .

[0196] Optionally, the first information indicates the area served by the beam of the first network device. This can be understood as indicating the area currently served by the beam of the first network device. That is, the first information indicates the currently activated area. When the area served by the beam of the first network device changes, the first network device may send the changed area served by the beam of the first network device to the second network device. The first network device may indicate this using a full update or an incremental update. For details, refer to Form 1 and are not repeated here.

[0197] Alternatively, the first information may indicate the area served by the beam of the first network device during multiple time periods. For example, the first information may include {time period 1, service wavelet set 1}, {time period 2, service wavelet set 2}, and {time period 3, service wavelet set 3}, indicating that during time period 1, the area served by the beam of the first network device includes service wavelet set 1; during time period 2, the area served by the beam of the first network device includes service wavelet set 2; and during time period 3, the area served by the beam of the first network device includes service wavelet set 3.

[0198] Case 3: at least one area corresponding to the first network device is an area that cannot be covered by the first network device.

[0199] In one possible implementation, the area that will not be covered by the first network device can be understood as an area where the remaining time covered or served by the first network device is less than a first threshold, or an area that will not fall within the coverage area or service area of ​​the first network device, or an area that needs to be replaced by another network device. The area that cannot be covered by the first network device can also be referred to as an area to be handed over.

[0200] For example, as shown in FIG12 , taking the first network device moving to the left as an example, assuming that the coverage area of ​​the first network device at time T1 is shown as the elliptical solid line in FIG12 , then as the first network device moves, areas z1, z2 and z3 will not be covered by the first network device.

[0201] S1102: The first network device sends first information to the second network device. Correspondingly, the second network device receives the first information from the first network device.

[0202] As a possible implementation, the first network device and the second network device are both deployed on a satellite and have some or all base station functions. In this scenario, an inter-satellite link may exist between the first network device and the second network device, and the first network device can send the first information to the second network device via the inter-satellite link and / or a satellite-to-ground link (such as a link between a satellite and a ground station (such as a core network element)).

[0203] As another possible implementation, the first network device can be a device deployed on a satellite and having some or all base station functions, and the second network device can be a device deployed on a satellite and operating in transparent transmission mode. In this scenario, the first network device can send the first information to the second network device via a feeder link, or send the first information to the core network via an NG interface, and the core network then sends the first information to the satellite base station corresponding to the second network device.

[0204] As another possible implementation, the first network device may be a ground-based satellite base station. In this case, the coverage area / service area of ​​the first network device can be understood as the coverage area / service area of ​​a satellite connected to the first network device and operating in transparent transmission mode. The second network device may also be a ground-based satellite base station. In this scenario, the first network device can send the first information to the second network device by multiplexing the Xn or X2 interface.

[0205] As another possible implementation, the first network device may be a satellite base station deployed on the ground, and the second network device may be a device deployed on a satellite and having some or all base station functions. In this scenario, the first network device may send the first information to the core network via the NG interface, and the core network may then send the first information to the second network device.

[0206] In a possible implementation, after receiving the first information, the second network device may determine the coverage area, service area, or beam service area of ​​the first network device based on the first information, thereby performing interference management according to the obtained area information.

[0207] In some implementations, the second network device may send second information to the first network device, where the second information indicates at least one zone corresponding to the second network device. The at least one zone corresponding to the second network device may refer to the description of the at least one zone corresponding to the first network device. The implementation of the second information may refer to the implementation of the first information, and is not further described here.

[0208] Based on the above scheme, the ground can be discretized into fixed regions relative to the Earth, and the geographic locations of these regions can be determined using region identifiers. Therefore, network devices can exchange information based on region identifiers to indicate their coverage areas, service areas, and other information. When a network device receives information from another network device, it can determine the region's geographic location based on the region identifier. This information can then be used to perform interference management. Compared to directly exchanging information such as region outlines for interference management, this reduces signaling overhead.

[0209] The above describes the overall process of the communication method provided in this application. The following is a detailed introduction to the corresponding first information in the above three situations.

[0210] Case 1: When the at least one area corresponding to the first network device is an area within the coverage area or service area of ​​the first network device, the first information can be implemented in the following three forms:

[0211] Form 1: The first information includes the identifier of each area in the at least one area corresponding to the first network device. That is, the first information includes the identifier of each area in the coverage area or service area of ​​the first network device.

[0212] For example, assuming the coverage area and service area of ​​a first network device are the same, as shown in Figure 13, the solid ellipse represents the coverage area or service area of ​​the first network device, and the at least one area corresponding to the first network device is the area represented by all regular hexagons within the solid ellipse. Furthermore, the dashed ellipse may represent the coverage area or service area of ​​a second network device, and the at least one area corresponding to the second network device may be the area represented by all regular hexagons within the dashed ellipse. As can be seen, the coverage areas or service areas of the first and second network devices may overlap.

[0213] For example, taking the example that the coverage area or service area of ​​the first network device includes areas identified as 1 to 100, and the coverage area or service area of ​​the second network device includes areas identified as 80 to 150, the first information may include {1, 2,…, 100}, and the second information may include {80, 81,…, 150}.

[0214] Optionally, after receiving the first information implemented in form 1, the second network device can determine the reference position in each area based on one or more of the above relationships (1) to (3) according to the area identifier, the total number of areas (or area radius) and the earth radius, thereby determining the outline or range of the area according to the area radius and the reference position.

[0215] Optionally, the first network device further transmits the total number of zones and / or zone radii to the second network device. The total number of zones and / or zone radii transmitted by the first network device can be understood as the total number of zones and / or zone radii valid or used by the first network device. The total number of zones and / or zone radii valid or used by the first network device and the second network device can be the same or different, without limitation.

[0216] If the total number of valid regions and / or the radius of the regions differ between the first network device and the second network device, this indicates that the first network device and the second network device have divided the regions differently. However, both the region identifiers and the region's geographic locations satisfy the relationship described in step S1101 above. Based on this form 1, the first network device sends the identifiers of the regions in the coverage wavelet set or the service wavelet set to the second network device. This reduces signaling overhead compared to sending the outline information or location coordinate information of the regions in the coverage wavelet set or the service wavelet set.

[0217] Form 2: The first information includes an identifier of the first area and a first threshold value.

[0218] As a first possible implementation, a distance between a reference position in each area in the coverage area or service area of ​​the first network device and a reference position in the first area is less than or equal to a first threshold value.

[0219] Optionally, after receiving the first information, the second network device may determine a reference location in the first area based on the identifier of the first area (e.g., 50). The second network device may then traverse the area identifiers, calculate the reference location corresponding to each identifier, and determine the identifier for which the distance between the corresponding reference location and the reference location in the first area is less than or equal to a first threshold value (e.g., 2000 km) as the area identifier in the coverage area or service area of ​​the first network device.

[0220] In a second possible implementation, a difference between an identifier of each area in the coverage area or service area of ​​the first network device and an identifier of the first area is less than or equal to a first threshold. It is understood that the first threshold in the second possible implementation differs from that in the first possible implementation. For example, the first threshold in the first possible implementation is 2000 km, while the first threshold in the second possible implementation is 50.

[0221] Optionally, after receiving the first information, the second network device can traverse the area identifiers, calculate the difference between each identifier and the identifier of the first area, and determine the identifier whose difference with the identifier of the first area is less than or equal to the first threshold value as the area identifier in the coverage area or service area of ​​the first network device.

[0222] For example, in the above two possible implementations, the second network device may be from 1 to N spot , or from 0 to N spot Alternatively, the second network device may traverse identifiers within a certain range, such as the range [aC, a+C]. Where a represents the identifier of the first area, and 2C may represent the maximum number of areas within the coverage area or service area of ​​the network device.

[0223] Form 3: The first information includes a first elevation angle.

[0224] As a possible implementation, the first elevation angle may be understood as the minimum elevation angle corresponding to the first network device. The elevation angle at the reference position in each area of ​​the coverage area or service area of ​​the first network device is greater than or equal to the first elevation angle.

[0225] For example, for a location on Earth, when the line of sight is above the horizon, the angle between the line of sight and the horizon within the vertical plane in which the line of sight lies can be understood as the elevation angle. In this Form 3, the elevation angle at the reference location can be understood as the angle between the line connecting the reference location and the location of the first network device and the horizon at the reference location. The elevation angle at the reference location can be used to describe the position of the first network device passing above the reference location. For example, an elevation angle of 90° at the reference location indicates that the first network device is located directly above the reference location.

[0226] As shown in (a) of FIG. 14 , the elevation angle when the reference position is at point P is shown; and as shown in (b) of FIG. 14 , the elevation angle when the reference position is at point Q is shown.

[0227] Optionally, after receiving the first information, the second network device may traverse the area identifiers, calculate the reference position corresponding to each identifier and the elevation angle at the reference position (the angle between the line connecting the reference position and the position of the first network device and the horizon at the reference position), and determine the identifier whose elevation angle at the corresponding reference position is greater than or equal to the first elevation angle as the area identifier within the coverage area or service area of ​​the first network device. The implementation of the second network device traversing the area identifiers can refer to the relevant description in the above form 2 and will not be repeated here.

[0228] Exemplarily, the location of the first network device is determined based on the ephemeris information of the first network device. The first network device may transmit the ephemeris information of the first network device to the second network device. The first network device may also transmit the total number of zones and / or the radius of the zones to the second network device. For details, please refer to the relevant description in the above-mentioned form 1 and will not be repeated here.

[0229] As a possible implementation, the first information may also include angular information such as antenna angle and azimuth, that is, the angular information such as antenna angle and azimuth indicates the area within the coverage area or service area of ​​the first network device.

[0230] The three aforementioned forms can be considered to indicate at least one region corresponding to the first network device at the network device granularity. Generally, a network device may include one or more cells, and at least one region corresponding to the first network device may also be indicated at the cell granularity. Regions corresponding to different cells may or may not overlap. Furthermore, region identifiers corresponding to different cells may be continuous or discontinuous.

[0231] For example, taking the case where the first network device includes three cells, the first information in the above form 1 may include PCI_1{i}={1,2,…,47}, PCI_2{i}={44,45,…,75}, and PCI_3{i}={70,74,76…,100}, respectively indicating that the identifier of at least one area corresponding to cell 1 is {1,2,…,47}, the identifier of at least one area corresponding to cell 2 is {44,45,…,75}, and the identifier of at least one area corresponding to cell 3 is {70,74,76…,100}. Alternatively, in the above form 2, the first information may include identifiers of multiple first areas and multiple first threshold values, corresponding to the multiple cells of the first network device respectively. Alternatively, in the above form 3, the first information may include information on the minimum elevation angles corresponding to the multiple cells of the first network device respectively.

[0232] Case 2: When at least one area corresponding to the first network device is an area served (or covered) by the beam of the first network device, that is, when at least one area corresponding to the first network device is an activated area of ​​the first network device, the first information can be implemented in the following three forms:

[0233] In form A, the first information includes the identifier of each of the at least one area corresponding to the first network device. That is, the first information includes the identifier of the area served by the beam of the first network device, or the identifier of each activated area of ​​the first network device.

[0234] For example, taking the case where the coverage area and service area of ​​the first network device are the same, as shown in FIG15 , the solid ellipse represents the coverage area or service area of ​​the first network device, including the area identifiers {1, 2, ..., 40}, and the dotted ellipse represents the coverage area or service area of ​​the second network device, including the area identifiers {35, 36, ..., 90}. If the areas served by the beam of the first network device are areas 3, 7, 11, 15, and 34, the first information may include {3, 7, 11, 15, 43}. If the areas served by the beam of the second network device are areas 59, 70, 81, and 88, the second information sent by the second network device to the first network device may include {59, 70, 81, 88}.

[0235] Optionally, after receiving the first information implemented in form A, the second network device can determine the reference position in each area based on one or more of the above relationships (1) to (3) according to the area identifier, the total number of areas (or area radius) and the earth radius, thereby determining the outline or range of the area according to the area radius and the reference position.

[0236] Optionally, the first network device further sends the total number of areas and / or the radius of the areas to the second network device.

[0237] Form B: The first information is a bitmap, which includes M bits, where M is the total number of areas included in the coverage area or service area of ​​the first network device, and M is a positive integer.

[0238] The M bits correspond one-to-one to the M areas included in the coverage area or service area of ​​the first network device. When the mth bit is set to a preset value, the area corresponding to the mth bit is the area served by the beam of the first network device, or the area corresponding to the mth bit is the activated area. When the mth bit is not set to a preset value, the area corresponding to the mth bit is not the area served by the beam of the first network device, or the area corresponding to the mth bit is not the activated area. m = 1, 2, …, M.

[0239] In this form B, the first network device can indicate to the second network device the area included in the coverage area or service area of ​​the first network device through the above-mentioned form 1, and then combine the first information implemented through form B to indicate the area of ​​the beam service of the first network device.

[0240] Exemplarily, the preset value may be 1, and correspondingly, the non-preset value may be 0; or, the preset value may be 0, and correspondingly, the non-preset value may be 1.

[0241] Taking the preset value equal to 1 as an example, based on the example shown in Figure 15, M is equal to 40, and the 40 bits in the bitmap correspond to areas 1 to 40, respectively. When the areas served by the beam of the first network device are areas 3, 7, 11, 15, and 34, the bits corresponding to areas 3, 7, 11, 15, and 34 are set to 1, and the bits corresponding to the remaining areas are set to 0.

[0242] For the second network device, based on the example shown in FIG15 , M is equal to 55, and the 55 bits in the bitmap correspond to areas 35 to 90, respectively. When the areas served by the beam of the second network device are areas 59, 70, 81, and 88, the bits corresponding to areas 59, 70, 81, and 88 are set to 1, and the bits corresponding to the remaining areas are set to 0. Of course, the second network device also needs to indicate to the first network device the areas included in its coverage area or service area using the above-described form 1.

[0243] Optionally, after receiving the first information implemented in form B, the second network device can first determine the identifier of the area served by the beam of the first network device, and then determine the reference position in each area based on one or more of the above relationships (1) to (3) according to the identifier of the area, the total number of areas (or area radius) and the radius of the earth, thereby determining the outline or range of the area according to the area radius and the reference position.

[0244] Optionally, the first network device further sends the total number of areas and / or the radius of the areas to the second network device.

[0245] Form C: The first information includes an index of an area served by a beam of the first network device in an area set, where the area set consists of areas included in a coverage area or a service area of ​​the first network device.

[0246] For example, the regions in the region set may be numbered starting from 1 or 0. For example, if the region identifiers in the region set are {20, 21, ..., 50}, the regions in the region set may be numbered {1, 2, ..., 30}. If the first information includes {1, 2}, this indicates that the regions served by the beam of the first network device are regions 20 and 21.

[0247] Based on the example shown in Figure 15, for a first network device, the identifiers of the regions in the region set are {1, 2, ..., 40}, and the regions in the region set can be numbered {1, 2, ..., 40}. If the first information includes {1, 2}, it indicates that the regions served by the beam of the first network device are regions 1 and 2.

[0248] For the second network device, the region identifiers in the region set are {35, 36, ..., 90}, and the regions in the region set can be numbered {1, 2, ..., 55}. If the second information sent by the second network device to the first network device includes {1, 2}, it indicates that the beam service areas of the second network device are areas 35 and 36.

[0249] In this form C, the first network device can indicate to the second network device the area included in the coverage area or service area of ​​the first network device through the above form 1, and then indicate the area served by the beam of the first network device in combination with the first information implemented through form C. The second network device also needs to indicate to the first network device the area included in the coverage area or service area of ​​the second network device through the above form 1.

[0250] Optionally, after receiving the first information implemented in form C, the second network device can first determine the identifier of the area served by the beam of the first network device, and then determine the reference position in each area based on one or more of the above relationships (1) to (3) according to the identifier of the area, the total number of areas (or area radius) and the radius of the earth, thereby determining the outline or range of the area according to the area radius and the reference position.

[0251] Optionally, the first network device further sends the total number of areas and / or the radius of the areas to the second network device.

[0252] In the above situation 2, in addition to the first information, the first network device may also send at least one of the following information about the area served by the beam of the first network device to the second network device: service period, service duration, frequency, polarization information, or service time.

[0253] Exemplarily, the service period of a region refers to the period during which the region is served by a beam of a network device. For example, if the service period is 20 seconds (s), it means that the region is served once every 20 seconds.

[0254] The service duration refers to the duration that a region is continuously served by a network device's beam within a service cycle. For example, if the service cycle is 20 seconds and the continuous service duration is 10 seconds, the region is served once every 20 seconds, and each service interval lasts 10 seconds.

[0255] Frequency refers to the frequency used for communication within the area served by the network device's beam. Polarization information indicates, for example, the antenna polarization direction used when the network device's beam serves a certain area.

[0256] Service time refers to the specific time when a network device's beam serves a certain area. For example, if a certain area is served every 20 seconds, with each service interval lasting 10 seconds, the service time indicates which 10 seconds within the service period are served. For example, the service time can be the first 10 seconds, the last 10 seconds, or discrete 10 seconds within the service period (e.g., the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 17th, 19th second).

[0257] Based on the above information, the second network device can obtain information such as the period, time, frequency, etc. of the activation area served by the first network device, so that the second network device can obtain more detailed information related to the activation area, thereby facilitating the second network device to perform more detailed interference management and improve interference management performance.

[0258] Case 3: When at least one area corresponding to the first network device is an area that will not be covered by the first network device, the first information can be implemented in the following four forms:

[0259] Form a: The first information includes an identification of each area that will not be covered by the first network device.

[0260] For example, taking the case where the coverage area or service area of ​​the first network device includes areas identified as {1, 2, ..., 100}, if at the current moment, areas 95 to 100 will not be accessible to the first network device, the first information may include {95, 96 ..., 100}.

[0261] Form b: the first information includes an identifier of the first area and a first threshold value.

[0262] The implementation of Form B is similar to that of Form 2 in the first scenario, except that the first area in Form B and Form 2 may not be the same area, and the first threshold value may also be different. For details, please refer to the relevant description of Form 2 above and will not be repeated here.

[0263] Form c: The first information is a bitmap, which includes M bits, where M is the total number of areas included in the coverage area or service area of ​​the first network device, and M is a positive integer.

[0264] The M bits correspond one-to-one to the M areas included in the coverage area or service area of ​​the first network device. When the mth bit is set to a preset value, the area corresponding to the mth bit is an area that will not be covered by the first network device. For details, refer to Form B in the above-mentioned second scenario and will not be repeated here.

[0265] In form d, the first information includes an index of an area that will not be served by the beam of the first network device in a set of areas, where the set of areas is comprised of areas included in the coverage area or service area of ​​the first network device. For details regarding form C in case 2 above, please refer to the description and will not be repeated here.

[0266] Form e: the first information includes a second elevation angle.

[0267] In one possible implementation, the second elevation angle is greater than the first elevation angle, and the difference between the second elevation angle and the first elevation angle is less than or equal to a second threshold. The first elevation angle is the minimum elevation angle corresponding to the first network device, and the elevation angle at the reference position in each area within the coverage area or service area of ​​the first network device is greater than or equal to the first elevation angle. The second threshold can be a smaller value, such as 2° or 5°.

[0268] The elevation angle at the reference position in the area that will not be covered by the first network device is less than or equal to the second elevation angle. Furthermore, the elevation angle at the reference position in the area is greater than or equal to the first elevation angle. In other words, the elevation angle of the area that will not be covered by the first network device is slightly greater than the minimum elevation angle corresponding to the first network device.

[0269] Optionally, after receiving the first information, the second network device may traverse the area identifiers, calculate the reference position corresponding to each identifier and the elevation angle at the reference position (the angle between the line connecting the reference position and the position of the first network device and the horizon at the reference position), and determine the identifier whose elevation angle at the corresponding reference position is less than or equal to the second elevation angle as the area identifier that will not be covered by the first network device. The implementation of the second network device traversing the area identifiers can refer to the relevant description in the above form 2 and is not repeated here.

[0270] Exemplarily, the position of the first network device is determined based on the ephemeris information of the first network device. The first network device may send the ephemeris information of the first network device to the second network device.

[0271] In another possible implementation, the second elevation angle is the same as the first elevation angle. In this case, the difference between the elevation angle at the reference position in the area that cannot be covered by the first network device and the second elevation angle is less than or equal to the second threshold.

[0272] Optionally, after receiving the first information, the second network device may traverse the area identifiers, calculate the reference position corresponding to each identifier and the elevation angle at the reference position (the angle between the line connecting the reference position and the position of the first network device and the horizon at the reference position), and determine the identifier for which the difference between the elevation angle at the corresponding reference position and the second elevation angle is less than or equal to the second threshold as an area identifier that will not be covered by the first network device. The implementation of the second network device traversing the area identifiers can refer to the relevant description in the above form 2 and will not be repeated here.

[0273] In a possible implementation, the first information may also include angular information such as antenna angle and azimuth, that is, the angular information such as antenna angle and azimuth indicates the area that will not be covered by the first network device.

[0274] In the above forms a to e, the first network device further sends the total number of areas and / or area radius to the second network device. For details, please refer to the relevant description in the above form 1 and will not be repeated here.

[0275] Optionally, in the above forms a to e, after receiving the first information, the second network device may determine, based on the first information, an identifier of an area that will not be covered by the first network device, thereby determining the geographic location of the area based on one or more of the above relationships (1) to (3). Subsequently, the beam direction of the second network device may be adjusted based on the geographic location of the area to take over coverage or service of the area from the first network device.

[0276] In the third case above, in addition to the first information, the first network device may also send resource information and / or time information associated with the area that cannot be covered by the first network device to the second network device.

[0277] As a possible implementation, the resource information includes at least one of the following: service period, service duration, frequency or polarization information. Please refer to the relevant description in the above situation 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0278] As a possible implementation, the time information is used to indicate the time when the target network device starts to cover the area to be switched (ie, the area that will not be covered by the first network device) and / or the latest time when the target network device covers the area to be switched.

[0279] Optionally, the target network device may be the second network device or other network device. If the second network device determines the geographical location of the area to be switched based on the first information and determines that it can cover the area to be switched, the second network device may be used as the target network device.

[0280] Optionally, the time at which the target network device begins to cover the area to be switched may indicate the time at which the target network device needs to begin covering the area to be switched. The latest time at which the target network device covers the area to be switched may be understood as the latest time at which the target network device completely covers the area to be switched, i.e., the latest time by which the target network device needs to completely cover the area to be switched.

[0281] As a first example, the time information may include a start time and an end time. The start time is the time when the target network device starts to cover the area to be switched, and the end time is the latest time when the target network device covers the area to be switched.

[0282] As a second example, the time information may include a start time and a time offset. The time offset is the duration between the start time and the end time. That is, the end time can be determined based on the start time and the time offset.

[0283] As a third example, the time information may indicate the time when the target network device starts covering the area to be switched, and the time information may be the first information. In this case, if the target network device is the second network device, the time when the target network device starts covering the area to be switched may be the time when the second network device receives the first information.

[0284] As a fourth example, the time information may be the magnitude of the third elevation angle. In this case, the time information indicates the time when the target network device begins to cover the area to be switched, and the time when the target network device begins to cover the area to be switched is the time when the elevation angle at the reference position in the area to be switched (e.g., the angle between the line connecting the reference position and the position of the first network device and the horizon at the reference position) equals the third elevation angle.

[0285] Optionally, after the second network device receives the resource information associated with the area to be switched, if the second network device is eligible to serve as the target network device, the second network device may cover or serve the area based on the time or frequency domain resources indicated by the resource information associated with the area to be switched. For example, the second network device may continue to cover or serve the area according to the service period, service duration, service time, etc. of the area to be switched; and / or the second network device may cover or serve the area using the frequency and / or polarization direction indicated by the resource information.

[0286] After receiving the time information associated with the area to be switched, the second network device can cover or serve the area to be switched according to the start time and / or end time indicated by the time information. For example, coverage of the area to be switched begins at the start time and full coverage of the area to be switched is completed at the end time.

[0287] In addition, the second network device may also request context information, data, etc. of the terminal device in the area to be switched from the first network device, so as to communicate with the terminal device after the terminal device switches to the second network device. The second network device may also reserve resources for the terminal device in the area to be switched, so as to communicate with the terminal device.

[0288] Based on the above information, the second network device can obtain the resource information and / or time information associated with the area to be switched, so that the second network device can cover or serve the area to be switched according to the resource information and / or time information, thereby improving the coverage or service continuity of the area to be switched, thereby improving the service quality of the terminal devices in the area to be switched.

[0289] It is understood that in each of the above embodiments, the methods and / or steps implemented by the network device may also be implemented by components (e.g., processors, chips, chip systems, circuits, logic modules, or software) that can be used in the network device. The chip system may be composed of a chip, or the chip system may include a chip and other discrete components.

[0290] It is understandable that, in order to realize the above functions, the communication device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. It should be easily appreciated by those skilled in the art that, in combination with the units and algorithm steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0291] The embodiment of the present application can divide the functional modules of the communication device according to the above method embodiment. For example, each functional module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It should be noted that the division of modules in the embodiment of the present application is schematic and is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods.

[0292] Communication Device Figure 16 shows a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 160. The communication device 160 includes a processing module 1601 and a transceiver module 1602. The communication device 160 can be used to implement the functions of the above-mentioned network device.

[0293] In some embodiments, the communication device 160 may further include a storage module (not shown in FIG. 16 ) for storing program instructions and data.

[0294] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1602, which may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, is configured to implement a transmitting and / or receiving function. The transceiver module 1602 may be composed of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0295] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1602 may include a receiving module and a sending module, which are respectively used to execute the receiving and sending steps performed by the network device in the above method embodiments, and / or used to support other processes of the technology described herein; the processing module 1601 may be used to execute the processing steps (such as determination, etc.) performed by the network device in the above method embodiments, and / or used to support other processes of the technology described herein.

[0296] Exemplarily, when the communication device 160 is used to implement the function of the first network device:

[0297] The processing module 1601 is used to determine the first information, where the first information indicates at least one area corresponding to the first network device, the area is fixed relative to the earth, and the geographical location of the area is determined by the area identifier; the transceiver module 1602 is used to send the first information to the second network device.

[0298] Optionally, the geographical location of the region is further determined based on at least one of the following: the radius of the region, the radius of the earth, and the total number of regions.

[0299] Optionally, the transceiver module 1602 is further configured to send at least one of the following information of at least one area corresponding to the first network device to the second network device: service period, service duration, frequency, polarization information, or service time.

[0300] Optionally, the transceiver module 1602 is further configured to send resource information and / or time information associated with at least one area corresponding to the first network device to the second network device. The resource information includes at least one of the following: a service period, a service duration, a frequency, or polarization information; the time information is used to indicate the time when the target network device begins to cover the at least one area and / or the latest time when the target network device covers the at least one area.

[0301] Among them, all relevant contents of each step involved in the above method embodiment can be referred to the functional description of the corresponding functional module and will not be repeated here.

[0302] In the present application, the communication device 160 may be presented in the form of various functional modules divided in an integrated manner. The "module" here may refer to a specific application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a circuit, a processor and memory that executes one or more software or firmware programs, an integrated logic circuit, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions.

[0303] In some embodiments, when the communication device 160 in Figure 16 is a chip or a chip system, the function / implementation process of the transceiver module 1602 can be implemented through the input and output interface (or communication interface) of the chip or chip system, and the function / implementation process of the processing module 1601 can be implemented through the processor (or processing circuit) of the chip or chip system.

[0304] Since the communication device 160 provided in this embodiment can execute the above method, the technical effects that can be obtained can refer to the above method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0305] As a possible product form, the network device described in the embodiments of the present application can also be implemented using the following: one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), controllers, state machines, gate logic, discrete hardware components, any other suitable circuits, or any combination of circuits capable of performing the various functions described throughout this application.

[0306] As another possible product form, the network device described in the embodiment of the present application can be implemented by a general bus architecture. For ease of explanation, refer to Figure 17, which is a structural diagram of a communication device 1700 provided in an embodiment of the present application, wherein the communication device 1700 includes a processor 1701 and a transceiver 1702. The communication device 1700 can be a network device, or a chip or chip system therein. Figure 17 only shows the main components of the communication device 1700. In addition to the processor 1701 and the transceiver 1702, the communication device may further include a memory 1703, and an input and output device (not shown).

[0307] Optionally, processor 1701 is primarily used to process communication protocols and communication data, as well as control the entire communication device, execute software programs, and process software program data. Memory 1703 is primarily used to store software programs and data. Transceiver 1702 may include a radio frequency circuit and an antenna. The radio frequency circuit is primarily used to convert baseband signals into radio frequency signals and process radio frequency signals. The antenna is primarily used to transmit and receive radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input and output devices, such as a touch screen, display, and keyboard, are primarily used to receive user input and output data to the user.

[0308] Optionally, the processor 1701 , the transceiver 1702 , and the memory 1703 may be connected via a communication bus.

[0309] When the communication device is powered on, the processor 1701 can read the software program in the memory 1703, interpret and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be sent wirelessly, the processor 1701 performs baseband processing on the data to be sent and outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency circuit. The radio frequency circuit performs radio frequency processing on the baseband signal and then transmits the radio frequency signal to the outside in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the communication device, the radio frequency circuit receives the radio frequency signal through the antenna, converts the radio frequency signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 1701. The processor 1701 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0310] In another implementation, the RF circuit and antenna may be provided independently of the processor performing baseband processing. For example, in a distributed scenario, the RF circuit and antenna may be remotely arranged independent of the communication device.

[0311] In some embodiments, in terms of hardware implementation, those skilled in the art may conceive that the communication device 160 may take the form of the communication device 1700 shown in FIG. 17 .

[0312] As an example, the functions / implementation process of the processing module 1601 in FIG16 can be implemented by the processor 1701 in the communication device 1700 shown in FIG17 calling the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 1703. The functions / implementation process of the transceiver module 1602 in FIG16 can be implemented by the transceiver 1702 in the communication device 1700 shown in FIG17.

[0313] As another possible product form, the network device in this application may adopt the structure shown in Figure 18, or include the components shown in Figure 18. Figure 18 is a schematic diagram of the composition of a communication device 1800 provided in this application, and the communication device 1800 may be a network device or a module, chip, or system-on-chip in the network device.

[0314] As shown in FIG18 , the communication device 1800 includes at least one processor 1801 and at least one communication interface ( FIG18 is merely an example of one communication interface 1804 and one processor 1801). Optionally, the communication device 1800 may further include a communication bus 1802 and a memory 1803.

[0315] Processor 1801 can be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a general-purpose processor, a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a programmable logic device (PLD), or any combination thereof. Processor 1801 can also be other devices with processing capabilities, such as circuits, devices, or software modules, without limitation.

[0316] Communication bus 1802 is used to connect the various components in communication device 1800, enabling communication between them. Communication bus 1802 may be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, for example. This bus can be categorized as an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, and so on. For ease of illustration, FIG18 shows a single bold line, but this does not imply that there is only one bus or type of bus.

[0317] Communication interface 1804 is used to communicate with other devices or communication networks. Exemplarily, communication interface 1804 can be a module, circuit, transceiver, or any other device capable of communication. Optionally, communication interface 1804 can also be an input / output interface within processor 1801, used to implement signal input and output to the processor.

[0318] The memory 1803 may be a device with a storage function, used to store instructions and / or data, wherein the instructions may be computer programs.

[0319] Exemplarily, the memory 1803 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and / or instructions, or a random access memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices that can store information and / or instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compact discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, etc., without limitation.

[0320] It should be noted that the memory 1803 can exist independently of the processor 1801 or can be integrated with the processor 1801. The memory 1803 can be located within the communication device 1800 or outside the communication device 1800, without limitation. The processor 1801 can be used to execute instructions stored in the memory 1803 to implement the methods provided in the following embodiments of the present application.

[0321] As an optional implementation, the communication device 1800 may further include an output device 1805 and an input device 1806. The output device 1805 communicates with the processor 1801 and can display information in a variety of ways. For example, the output device 1805 can be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or a projector. The input device 1806 communicates with the processor 1801 and can receive user input in a variety of ways. For example, the input device 1806 can be a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen device, or a sensor device.

[0322] In some embodiments, in terms of hardware implementation, those skilled in the art may conceive that the communication device 160 shown in FIG. 16 may take the form of the communication device 1800 shown in FIG. 18 .

[0323] As an example, the functions / implementation process of the processing module 1601 in FIG16 can be implemented by the processor 1801 in the communication device 1800 shown in FIG18 calling the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 1803. The functions / implementation process of the transceiver module 1602 in FIG16 can be implemented by the communication interface 1804 in the communication device 1800 shown in FIG18.

[0324] It should be noted that the structure shown in FIG18 does not constitute a specific limitation on the network device. For example, in other embodiments of the present application, the network device may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine or split some components, or arrange the components differently. The components shown in the figure may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0325] In some embodiments, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device, which includes a processor for implementing the method in any of the above method embodiments.

[0326] As a possible implementation, the communication device further includes a memory. The memory is used to store necessary computer programs and data. The computer program may include instructions, and the processor may invoke the instructions in the computer program stored in the memory to instruct the communication device to execute any of the above-described method embodiments. Of course, the memory may not be located in the communication device.

[0327] As another possible implementation, the communication device also includes an interface circuit, which is a code / data read / write interface circuit, and the interface circuit is used to receive computer execution instructions (computer execution instructions are stored in a memory, may be read directly from the memory, or may pass through other devices) and transmit them to the processor.

[0328] As another possible implementation, the communication device further includes a communication interface, where the communication interface is used to communicate with a module outside the communication device.

[0329] It can be understood that the communication device can be a chip or a chip system. When the communication device is a chip system, it can be composed of chips or include chips and other discrete devices. The embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0330] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program or instruction stored thereon, which implements the functions of any of the above method embodiments when executed by a computer.

[0331] The present application also provides a computer program product, which implements the functions of any of the above method embodiments when executed by a computer.

[0332] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, for the sake of convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above may refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0333] It is understood that the systems, devices, and methods described in this application may also be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interface, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, and may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0334] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, i.e., they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Components shown as units may or may not be physical units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the objectives of this embodiment as needed.

[0335] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0336] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using a software program, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) method. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more media integrated therein. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state drive (SSD)). In the embodiment of the present application, the computer may include the aforementioned device.

[0337] Although the present application is described herein in conjunction with various embodiments, in the process of implementing the claimed application, those skilled in the art can understand and implement other changes to the disclosed embodiments by reviewing the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps, and "a" or "an" does not exclude multiple situations. A single processor or other unit can implement several functions listed in the claims. Certain measures are recorded in different dependent claims, but this does not mean that these measures cannot be combined to produce good results.

[0338] Although the present application has been described with reference to specific features and embodiments thereof, it is apparent that various modifications and combinations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Accordingly, this specification and the drawings are merely illustrative of the present application as defined by the appended claims and are deemed to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations or equivalents within the scope of the present application. Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations to the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Thus, the present application is intended to include such modifications and variations as fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Determine first information, where the first information indicates at least one area corresponding to the first network device, the area is fixed relative to the earth, and the geographical location of the area is determined by an identifier of the area; The first information is sent to the second network device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The geographic location of the region is further determined based on at least one of the following: a radius of the region, a radius of the earth, and a total number of regions.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The region includes a reference position, and the three-dimensional coordinates of the reference position and the identifier of the region satisfy the following relationship: Where i represents the identifier of the region, RL(i) represents the three-dimensional coordinates of the reference position, and R e represents the radius of the earth, [x] represents the decimal part of x, N spot Indicates the total number of regions.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The projection RL(x) of the reference position on the unit square i ,y i ) and the identification of the region satisfy the following relationship: RL(x i )=(1-cosθ i ) / 2 The unit square is the square with vertices at (0,0), (1,0), (0,1), and (1,1) in the Cartesian plane. i ) represents the projection measurement of the reference position on the x-axis of the unit square, RL(y i ) represents the projection measurement of the reference position on the y-axis of the unit square.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that: The Cartesian coordinates RL(x i ,y i ) and the identification of the region satisfy the following relationship: RL(x i )=i / N spot Among them, RL(x i ) represents the projection measurement of the reference position in the x-axis direction of the Cartesian coordinate system, RL(y i ) represents the projection measurement of the reference position in the y-axis direction of the Cartesian coordinate system.

6. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The region includes a reference position, and the three-dimensional coordinates of the reference position and the identifier of the region satisfy the following relationship: Where i represents the identifier of the region, RL(i) represents the three-dimensional coordinates of the reference position, and R e represents the radius of the earth, N spot Indicates the total number of regions.

7. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The region includes a reference position, and the latitude and longitude coordinates of the reference position and the identifier of the region satisfy the following relationship: RL(i) = (lon(i), lat(i)) Wherein, lon(i) represents the longitude of the reference position, lat(i) represents the latitude of the reference position, and N spot Indicates the total number of regions.

8. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that: The radius of the area and the total number of areas satisfy the following relationship: Among them, R e represents the radius of the earth, N spot represents the total number of regions, R spot Represents the radius of the area.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The first information includes an identification of each area of ​​the at least one area.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The first information includes an identifier of a first area and a first threshold value; The distance between the reference position in each of the at least one area and the reference position in the first area is less than or equal to the first threshold value; Alternatively, a difference between an identifier of each area in the at least one area and an identifier of the first area is less than or equal to the first threshold value.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The first information includes a first elevation angle; the elevation angle at the reference position in each of the at least one area is greater than or equal to the first elevation angle.

12. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that: The at least one area corresponding to the first network device is the area in the coverage area of ​​the first network device.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The first information is a bitmap, the bitmap includes M bits, M is the total number of areas included in the coverage area of ​​the first network device, and M is a positive integer; The M bits correspond one-to-one to the M areas included in the coverage area. When the mth bit is set to a preset value, the area corresponding to the mth bit is the area served by the beam of the first network device, m=1, 2,…,M.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The first information includes an index of the at least one area in an area set, and the area set consists of the areas included in the coverage area of ​​the first network device.

15. The method according to any one of claims 9, 13-14, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Sending at least one of the following information of at least one area corresponding to the first network device to the second network device: service period, service duration, frequency, polarization information, or service time.

16. The method according to any one of claims 9, 13-15, characterized in that: The at least one area corresponding to the first network device is the area served by the beam of the first network device.

17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The first information includes a second elevation angle; the elevation angle at the reference position in each of the at least one area is less than or equal to the second elevation angle.

18. The method according to any one of claims 9-10, 13-14, and 17, characterized in that: The method further comprises: sending resource information and / or time information associated with at least one area corresponding to the first network device to the second network device; The resource information includes at least one of the following: service cycle, service duration, frequency or polarization information; the time information is used to indicate the time when the target network device starts to cover the at least one area and / or the latest time when the target network device covers the at least one area.

19. The method according to any one of claims 9-10, 13-14, 17-18, characterized in that: The at least one area corresponding to the first network device is the area that cannot be covered by the first network device.

20. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device comprises a processor; the processor is configured to run a computer program or instruction so that the communication device executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 19.

21. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions or programs. When the computer instructions or programs are executed on a computer, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 19 is executed.

22. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product includes computer instructions; when part or all of the computer instructions are run on a computer, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 19 is executed.

23. A chip, characterized in that: include: a memory for storing computer program instructions; A processor, configured to execute the computer program instructions so that a communication device including the chip executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 19.

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