Communication method and corresponding apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a satellite base station in an NTN network. The method comprises: a first network device sends a handover request to at least one second network device, the handover request being used for requesting broadcasting of a synchronization signal block (SSB) within a first time period; the at least one second network device sends at least one handover acknowledgement, the handover acknowledgement being used for indicating that the second network device broadcasts the synchronization signal block within a second time period; and the first network device sends handover configuration information according to the at least one handover acknowledgement, so as to allow a user equipment (UE) to switch to a target network device. The first network device notifies the second network device of a handover time period of the UE, and then the target network device only broadcasts the SSB within the time period when the UE requires handover, and does not need to continuously broadcast the SSB, thus realizing flexible broadcasting of SSBs, saving SSB resources, and improving the success rate of UE handover.

Description

A communication method and corresponding device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on November 3, 2023, with application number 202311464419.8 and invention name “A communication method and corresponding device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and corresponding device. Background Art

[0003] Non-terrestrial networks (NTNs), encompassing nodes such as satellite networks, high-altitude platforms, and drones, offer significant advantages, including global coverage, long-distance transmission, flexible networking, easy deployment, and freedom from geographical constraints. They are widely used in a variety of fields, including maritime communications, positioning and navigation, disaster relief, scientific experiments, video broadcasting, and Earth observation. The integration of terrestrial networks (TNs) and NTNs, leveraging their strengths and complementing their weaknesses, will form a seamless, integrated global communications network covering land, sea, air, space, and ground, meeting the diverse service needs of users.

[0004] In NTN, for example, satellite motion can cause user equipment (UE) in one or more wavelengths within the coverage area to switch or reselect. Whether switching or reselecting, network equipment (e.g., base stations) broadcast synchronization signal blocks (SSBs). UEs then detect the SSBs and connect to the appropriate network equipment.

[0005] Current network devices broadcast SSB periodically, but in satellite network scenarios, user devices do not necessarily need to switch or reselect every cycle, which will undoubtedly cause a waste of SSB resources.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present application provides a communication method for improving the success rate of user equipment switching with fewer SSB resources. The present application also provides corresponding devices, systems, computer-readable storage media, and computer program products.

[0008] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a non-terrestrial communication network (NTN), the non-terrestrial communication network including a first network device and at least one second network device, the method including: the first network device sending a handover request (HO request) to the at least one second network device, the handover request including information of a first time period, the handover request being used to request the at least one second network device to broadcast a synchronization signal block (SSB) within the first time period; the first network device receiving at least one handover acknowledgement (HO ack) / (handover request acknowledgement, HO ack); wherein the first handover acknowledgement includes information of a second time period, the first handover acknowledgement being used to instruct the second network device that sent the first handover acknowledgement to broadcast a synchronization signal block within the second time period, the first handover acknowledgement being any one of the at least one handover acknowledgement; the first network device sending handover configuration information based on the at least one handover acknowledgement, the handover configuration information being used to switch one or more user devices connected to the first network device to a target network device, the target network device being included in the at least one second network device.

[0009] In the present application, the first network device and the second network device can both be satellite base stations or access network devices carried on high-altitude platforms or drones.

[0010] In this application, taking the first network device carried on a satellite as an example, as the satellite moves, the first network device may not be able to continue to provide services to some user devices. At this time, the first network device can send a switching request to one or more surrounding second network devices, and notify the one or more second network devices of the information of the first time period. Then, the one or more second network devices can inform the first network device of the second time period in which they can send synchronization signal blocks through a switching response. The first network device can then determine a suitable target network device for the user device to switch to. In this way, the target network device can only broadcast SSB during the time period when the user device needs to switch, and there is no need to broadcast SSB continuously. In this way, flexible broadcasting of SSB can be achieved, SSB resources can be saved, and the success rate of user device switching can be improved.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the switching request also includes a first timestamp (t1-path) of the target path, and the first switching response also includes a second timestamp (t2-path) of the target path. The first timestamp is used to indicate the time when the switching request is sent through the target path, and the second timestamp is used to indicate the time when the first switching response is sent through the target path. The target path is the path between the first network device and the second network device that sends the first switching request; the first timestamp and the second timestamp are used to determine the transmission delay of the target path, and the transmission delay of the target path is used to determine the target network device, as well as the switching configuration information.

[0012] In this possible implementation, the transmission delay of the target path between the first network device and the second network device can be more accurately determined by the first timestamp and the second timestamp, and the transmission delay of the target path is conducive to improving the accuracy of determining the target network device and switching configuration information.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the switching request also includes a first pattern, which is the pattern of the synchronization signal block of the first network device, and the first switching response also includes a second pattern, which is the pattern of the synchronization signal block of the second network device corresponding to the first switching response; the first pattern and the second pattern are used to determine the switching configuration information.

[0014] In this possible implementation, the synchronization signal block pattern (HO-SSB pattern) is used to indicate the mapping relationship of the synchronization signal blocks in at least one dimension, such as time, space, or frequency. Using the first and second patterns, the first network device can avoid interference and try to select a second network device as the target network device that does not conflict with the SSB sent by the first network device, thereby improving the success rate of user device handover.

[0015] In a possible implementation, the handover request further includes wave position information, where the wave position information is used to indicate an area where one or more user equipments whose connections need to be handed over are located.

[0016] In this possible implementation, the wave position information indicates the wave position, which is a sub-area within the coverage area of ​​the first network device. The wave position information may include information indicating one or more wave positions, and the wave position may be used to indicate the area where the user equipment is located. Including the wave position information in the handover request helps the second network device return a more accurate handover response.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the first switching response also includes a broadcast period of the synchronization signal block in the second time period.

[0018] In this possible implementation, the second network device configures the broadcast period of the synchronization signal block in the second time period in the switching response, which can be more conducive to the user equipment to accurately measure the SSB and improve the success rate of the user equipment switching.

[0019] In one possible implementation, the switching configuration information includes at least one of the following: a SSB-based measurement timing configuration (SMTC), used to indicate the time for measuring the synchronization signal block; a trigger condition, used for one or more user devices to perform switching evaluation; an index of the synchronization signal block, used to indicate that one or more user devices access the corresponding synchronization signal block; an index of an access opportunity (RO), used to indicate that one or more user devices access the corresponding RO; an RO resource configuration, used to indicate the RO resources used by one or more user devices for switching; or a downlink scheduling stop timer, used to indicate the time when one or more user devices stop receiving data from the first network device.

[0020] In this possible implementation, the at least one item of information included in the handover configuration information can be more conducive to the user equipment successfully switching to the target network device on appropriate time domain resources and frequency domain resources, thereby reducing mobile interruption delay and handover overhead.

[0021] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: if the difference between the second timestamp and the first timestamp is greater than the switching threshold, the first network device sends an early path switching request to the third network device, the early path switching request including information of the third time period and information of the target network device, the information of the third time period being used by the third network device to switch the first connection to the second connection within the third time period, the first connection being the connection between the third network device and the first network device, and the second connection being the connection between the third network device and the target network device.

[0022] In this possible implementation, the third network device may be a core network device. If the difference between (t2-path) and (t1-path) is greater than the switching threshold, it indicates that the user device will switch to the target network device. At this time, the first network device notifies the third network device in advance of switching the network connection through an advance path switching request. This can reduce the mobile interruption delay and switching overhead, thereby improving the efficiency of the network connection switching from the user device to the core network device.

[0023] In one possible implementation, the RO resource configuration includes multiple physical random access channel (PRACH)-root sequence indexes (PRACH-root sequence indexes), where the root sequence index is used to indicate the physical random access channel accessed by one or more user equipments; wherein the PRACH-root sequence indexes corresponding to the indexes of different synchronization signal blocks are different.

[0024] In this possible implementation, the RO resource configuration includes one or more prach-root sequence indexes, which can be specifically used for user equipment switching, so as not to conflict with traditional access resources, thereby reducing the interference of other SSBs on user equipment switching.

[0025] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: the first network device broadcasting a cell type of a serving cell where one or more user equipments are located; the cell type is used to indicate whether the serving cell is an ascending cell or a descending cell.

[0026] In this possible implementation, when the first network device broadcasts the SSB, the cell type (cellType) may be included in the SSB. The cell type may indicate whether the serving cell is an ascending cell or a descending cell. In this way, the user device may select a cell of the corresponding type for switching, which may reduce the probability of the user device switching to an inappropriate cell, thereby improving the switching success rate.

[0027] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: the first network device interacting with the second network device to determine the air interface transmission delay between the first network device and the second network device; the air interface transmission delay between the first network device and the second network device is used to determine the second pattern.

[0028] In this possible implementation, the first network device and the second network device can exchange the delay required for Xn / NG in advance (such as Xn path hop, NG path hop, etc.). These air interface transmission delays can be used to adjust the time domain position and frequency domain position of SSB, thereby optimizing the SSB pattern.

[0029] A second aspect of the present application provides a communication method, a non-terrestrial communication network includes a first network device and at least one second network device, the method including: a target network device receives a switching request sent by the first network device, the switching request includes information of a first time period, the switching request is used to request at least one second network device to broadcast a synchronization signal block within the first time period, and the target network device is included in the at least one second network device; the target network device sends a first switching response, the first switching response includes information of a second time period, the first switching response is used to instruct the target network device to broadcast a synchronization signal block within the second time period, and the first switching response is used by the first network device to determine the switching configuration information; the target network device broadcasts a synchronization signal block within the time indicated by the second time period, and the synchronization signal block is used to switch one or more user devices connected to the first network device to the target network device.

[0030] In this application, the second network device can send SSB during the time period when the user device needs to switch according to the request sent by the first network device, without the need to continuously broadcast SSB. This can save SSB resources and improve the success rate of user device switching.

[0031] In one possible implementation, the switching request also includes a first timestamp (t1-path) of the target path, and the first switching response also includes a second timestamp (t2-path) of the target path. The first timestamp is used to indicate the time when the switching request is sent through the target path, and the second timestamp is used to indicate the time when the first switching response is sent through the target path. The target path is the path between the first network device and the second network device that sends the first switching request; the first timestamp and the second timestamp are used to determine the transmission delay of the target path, and the transmission delay of the target path is used to determine the target network device, as well as the switching configuration information.

[0032] In this possible implementation, the transmission delay of the target path between the first network device and the second network device can be more accurately determined by the first timestamp and the second timestamp, and the transmission delay of the target path is conducive to improving the accuracy of determining the target network device and switching configuration information.

[0033] In one possible implementation, the switching request also includes a first pattern, which is the pattern of the synchronization signal block of the first network device, and the first switching response also includes a second pattern, which is the pattern of the synchronization signal block of the second network device corresponding to the first switching response; the first pattern and the second pattern are used to determine the switching configuration information.

[0034] In this possible implementation, through the first pattern and the second pattern, the first network device can avoid interference and try to select the second network device that does not conflict with the SSB sent by the first network device as the target network device, which is conducive to improving the success rate of user device switching.

[0035] In a possible implementation, the handover request further includes wave position information, where the wave position information is used to indicate an area where one or more user equipments whose connections need to be handed over are located.

[0036] In this possible implementation, sending the wave position information in the handover request is conducive to the second network device returning a more accurate handover response.

[0037] In one possible implementation, the first switching response also includes a broadcast period of the synchronization signal block in the second time period.

[0038] In this possible implementation, the second network device configures the broadcast period of the synchronization signal block in the second time period in the switching response, which can be more conducive to the user equipment to accurately measure the SSB and improve the success rate of the user equipment switching.

[0039] In one possible implementation, the synchronization signal block also includes the cell type of the cell, and the cell type is used to indicate whether the cell corresponding to the synchronization signal block is an ascending cell or a descending cell.

[0040] In this possible implementation, the user equipment can select a suitable cell for handover based on the cell type, which can reduce the probability of the user equipment handing over to an unsuitable cell, thereby improving the handover success rate.

[0041] A third aspect of the present application provides a communication method, including: a user device receives switching configuration information sent by a first network device, the switching configuration information is determined by the first network device based on a switching request sent and at least one switching response received; wherein the switching request includes information of a first time period, and the switching request is used to request at least one second network device to broadcast a synchronization signal block within the first time period; the first switching response includes information of a second time period, and the first switching response is used to instruct the second network device that sent the first switching response to broadcast a synchronization signal block within the second time period, and the first switching response is any one of the at least one switching response; the user device measures the synchronization signal block of the target network device according to the switching configuration information, and switches from the first network device to the target network device, and the target network device is included in the at least one second network device.

[0042] In the present application, the user equipment can measure the SSB again during switching, and there is no need to measure the SSB periodically, which can reduce the switching overhead of the user equipment.

[0043] In one possible implementation, the switching configuration information includes at least one of the following: a measurement timing configuration SMTC based on the synchronization signal block, which is used to indicate the time for measuring the synchronization signal block; a trigger condition, which is used for one or more user devices to perform switching evaluation; an index of the synchronization signal block, which is used to indicate that one or more user devices access the corresponding synchronization signal block; an index of the access timing RO, which is used to indicate that one or more user devices access the corresponding RO; an RO resource configuration, which is used to indicate the RO resources used for switching of one or more user devices; or a downlink scheduling stop timer, which is used to indicate the time when one or more user devices stop receiving data from the first network device.

[0044] In this possible implementation, the at least one item of information included in the handover configuration information can be more conducive to the user equipment successfully switching to the target network device on appropriate time domain resources and frequency domain resources, thereby reducing mobile interruption delay and handover overhead.

[0045] In one possible implementation, the method also includes: the user equipment measures the synchronization signal block sent by the second network device; the user equipment reports the measurement results of the synchronization signal block of the second network device and the cell type corresponding to the synchronization signal block of the second network device to the first network device.

[0046] In this possible implementation, the user equipment may also measure the SSB sent by the second network device in advance when switching is not required. This helps the first network device select a more suitable target network device when the user equipment needs to switch.

[0047] A fourth aspect of the present application provides a communication method, including: a user device receives a first synchronization signal block broadcast by a first network device, and a second synchronization signal block broadcast by a second network device, the first synchronization signal block includes a first cell type of a cell covered by the first network device, and the second synchronization signal block includes a second cell type of a cell covered by the second network device, the first cell type is used to indicate whether the cell covered by the first network device is an ascending cell or a descending cell, and the second cell type is used to indicate whether the cell covered by the second network device is an ascending cell or a descending cell; if the second cell type is the same as the first cell type, the user device reselects to the second network device.

[0048] In this application, when the user equipment reselects, it can reselect according to the cell type. The user equipment will preferentially reselect to a network device with the same cell type, which is conducive to improving the success rate of user equipment reselection.

[0049] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: if the second cell type is different from the first cell type, the user equipment searches for a third synchronization signal block, where the third synchronization signal block is a synchronization signal block that has not been measured by the user equipment.

[0050] In this possible implementation, if the two cells are of different types, the user equipment searches for a new SSB to find other network devices suitable for reselection.

[0051] The fifth aspect of the present application provides a communication device, which includes a transceiver module and a processing module; wherein the transceiver module is used to execute the receiving or sending related steps in the above-mentioned first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect; the processing module is used to execute the processing related steps in the above-mentioned first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0052] In a sixth aspect of the present application, a communication device is provided, which includes a transceiver module and a processing module; wherein the transceiver module is used to execute the receiving or sending related steps in the above-mentioned second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect; the processing module is used to execute the processing related steps in the above-mentioned second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0053] In the seventh aspect of the present application, a communication device is provided, which includes a transceiver module and a processing module; wherein the transceiver module is used to execute the receiving or sending related steps in the above-mentioned third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect; the processing module is used to execute the processing related steps in the above-mentioned third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect.

[0054] In an eighth aspect of the present application, a communication device is provided, which includes a transceiver module and a processing module; wherein the transceiver module is used to execute the receiving or sending related steps in the above-mentioned fourth aspect or any possible implementation of the fourth aspect; the processing module is used to execute the processing related steps in the above-mentioned fourth aspect or any possible implementation of the fourth aspect.

[0055] In a ninth aspect of the present application, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor, a memory, and a transceiver. The memory stores a computer program or computer instructions, the processor is configured to call and execute the computer program or computer instructions stored in the memory, so that the processor implements the operations processed in the first aspect and any one of the implementations, and the transceiver is configured to transmit and receive signals, such as implementing the reception operations in the first aspect and any one of the implementations.

[0056] In a tenth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising: a processor, a memory, and a transceiver. The memory stores a computer program or computer instructions, the processor is configured to call and execute the computer program or computer instructions stored in the memory, so that the processor implements the operations described in the second aspect and any one of the implementations, and the transceiver is configured to transmit and receive signals, such as implementing the receiving operations described in the second aspect and any one of the implementations.

[0057] In an eleventh aspect of the present application, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor, a memory, and a transceiver. The memory stores a computer program or computer instructions, the processor is configured to call and execute the computer program or computer instructions stored in the memory, causing the processor to implement the operations described in the third aspect and any one of the implementations, and the transceiver is configured to transmit and receive signals, such as implementing the receiving operations described in the third aspect and any one of the implementations.

[0058] In a twelfth aspect of the present application, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor, a memory, and a transceiver. The memory stores a computer program or computer instructions, the processor is configured to call and execute the computer program or computer instructions stored in the memory, so that the processor implements the operations processed in the fourth aspect and any one of the implementations, and the transceiver is configured to transmit and receive signals, such as implementing the receiving operations in the fourth aspect and any one of the implementations.

[0059] A thirteenth aspect of the present application provides a communication device, which includes a processor, and the processor is used to execute the first aspect and any implementation method of the first aspect.

[0060] In a fourteenth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which includes a processor, and the processor is used to execute the second aspect and any implementation method of the second aspect.

[0061] In a fifteenth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which includes a processor, and the processor is used to execute the third aspect and any implementation method of the third aspect.

[0062] In a sixteenth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which includes a processor, and the processor is used to execute the fourth aspect and any implementation method of the fourth aspect.

[0063] In a seventeenth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium comprising computer instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enable the computer to execute the implementation method of the first aspect and any one of the aspects.

[0064] In an eighteenth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium comprising computer instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enable the computer to execute the implementation method of the second aspect and any one of the aspects.

[0065] The nineteenth aspect of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium comprising computer instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the third aspect and any one of its implementation methods.

[0066] The twentieth aspect of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium comprising computer instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the fourth aspect and any one of the implementation methods.

[0067] The twenty-first aspect of the present application provides a computer program product comprising instructions, characterized in that when the computer program product is run on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the implementation method of the first aspect and any one of the instructions.

[0068] In aspect 22 of the present application, a computer program product is provided comprising instructions, characterized in that when the computer program product is run on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the implementation method of aspect 2 and any one of the aspects.

[0069] In the twenty-third aspect of the present application, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided, characterized in that when the computer program product is run on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the implementation method of the third aspect and any one of the aspects.

[0070] In the twenty-fourth aspect of the present application, a computer program product is provided comprising instructions, characterized in that when the computer program product is run on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the implementation method of the fourth aspect and any one of the instructions.

[0071] The twenty-fifth aspect of the present application provides a chip device, including a processor, for calling a computer program or computer instruction in the memory so that the processor executes the above-mentioned first aspect and any one of the implementation methods.

[0072] Optionally, the processor is coupled to the memory via an interface.

[0073] The twenty-sixth aspect of the present application provides a chip device, including a processor, for calling a computer program or computer instruction in the memory so that the processor executes the above-mentioned second aspect and any one of the implementation methods.

[0074] Optionally, the processor is coupled to the memory via an interface.

[0075] The twenty-seventh aspect of the present application provides a chip device, including a processor, for calling a computer program or computer instruction in the memory so that the processor executes the above-mentioned third aspect and any one of the implementation methods.

[0076] Optionally, the processor is coupled to the memory via an interface.

[0077] The twenty-eighth aspect of the present application provides a chip device, including a processor, for calling a computer program or computer instruction in the memory so that the processor executes the above-mentioned fourth aspect and any one of the implementation methods.

[0078] Optionally, the processor is coupled to the memory via an interface.

[0079] The twenty-ninth aspect of the present application provides a communication system, which includes a first network device, at least one second network device and a user device, wherein the first network device and the at least one second network device are included in a non-terrestrial communication network, and the user device is connected to the first network device; the first network device is used to execute the above-mentioned first aspect and any one of the implementation methods; the second network device is used to execute the above-mentioned second aspect and any one of the implementation methods; the user device is used to execute the above-mentioned third aspect and any one of the implementation methods.

[0080] The thirtieth aspect of the present application provides a communication system, which includes a first network device, at least one second network device and a user device, wherein the first network device and the at least one second network device are included in a non-terrestrial communication network; the user device executes the above-mentioned fourth aspect and any one of the implementation methods during the reselection process.

[0081] The technical effects of the fifth, ninth, thirteenth, seventeenth, twenty-first, twenty-fifth and twenty-ninth aspects of this application can be understood by referring to the first aspect and the technical effects of any possible implementation method of the first aspect.

[0082] The technical effects of the sixth, tenth, fourteenth, eighteenth, twenty-second and twenty-sixth aspects of this application can be understood by referring to the second aspect and the technical effects of any possible implementation method of the second aspect.

[0083] The technical effects of the seventh, eleventh, fifteenth, nineteenth, twenty-third and twenty-seventh aspects of this application can be understood by referring to the third aspect and the technical effects of any possible implementation method of the third aspect.

[0084] The technical effects of the eighth, twelfth, sixteenth, twentieth, twenty-fourth, twenty-eighth and thirtieth aspects of this application can be understood by referring to the fourth aspect and the technical effects of any possible implementation method of the fourth aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0085] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0086] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0087] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of an example of wave positions provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0088] FIG4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a satellite staring principle provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0089] FIG5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example scenario of user equipment switching provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0090] FIG6A is a schematic diagram of a NTN scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0091] FIG6B is a schematic diagram of an example of an RO configuration provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0092] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0093] FIG8 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0094] FIG9 is another schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0095] FIG10 is another schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0096] FIG11 is another schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0097] The following describes the embodiments of the present application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that with the development of technology and the emergence of new scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0098] The terms "first," "second," and the like in the specification and claims of this application and in the accompanying drawings are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a particular order or precedence. It should be understood that the terms used in this manner are interchangeable where appropriate so that the embodiments described herein can be implemented in an order other than that illustrated or described herein. In addition, the terms "including" and "having," as well as any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, e.g., a process, method, system, product, or apparatus comprising a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not explicitly listed or that are inherent to these processes, methods, products, or apparatus.

[0099] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method for improving the success rate of user equipment handovers using fewer SSB resources. The present application also provides corresponding apparatus, systems, computer-readable storage media, and computer program products. These are described in detail below.

[0100] The technical solution of the present application can be applied to non-terrestrial network (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) and ultra-dense low-orbit satellite communication systems. Satellite communication 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 worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, a fifth-generation (5G) communication system (for example, a new radio (NR) system), and future mobile communication systems.

[0101] Satellite communication systems include user equipment (UE) and network equipment. User equipment can also be referred to as a user terminal, mobile station, etc. Network equipment can include one or more satellites and ground station equipment, which can also be referred to as core network equipment. Satellites can be low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, non-geostationary Earth orbit (NGEO) satellites, etc.

[0102] As shown in Figure 1, a schematic diagram of a communication system is provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication system includes multiple satellites. In Figure 1, satellite 101, satellite 102 and satellite 103 are taken as examples. The satellites can provide communication services, navigation services, positioning services, etc. to user devices through multiple beams. The satellite in the scenario shown in Figure 1 is a LEO satellite, and satellite 103 is connected to ground station equipment. The satellite uses multiple beams to cover the service area, and different beams can communicate through one or more of time division, frequency division and space division. The satellite communicates wirelessly with the user equipment by broadcasting communication signals and navigation signals, and the satellite can communicate wirelessly with the ground station equipment. The satellite mentioned in the embodiment of the present application may be a satellite base station, and may also include an orbital receiver or repeater for relaying information, or a network-side device carried on the satellite.

[0103] Satellite communication systems include transparent and non-transparent satellite architectures. Transparent transmission, also known as bent-pipe transmission, involves signals undergoing only frequency conversion and amplification on the satellite, making the satellite transparent to the signal. Non-transparent transmission, also known as regenerative (on-board access / processing) transmission, involves satellites performing some or all of the base station functions. For example, satellites 101 and 102 in the figure have non-transparent satellite architectures, while satellite 103 has a transparent satellite architecture. Furthermore, satellites can operate in earth-fixed, quasi-earth-fixed, or earth-moving modes.

[0104] The user equipment mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may include various handheld devices, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, computing devices or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem with wireless communication functions, and may specifically refer to an access terminal, a user unit, a user station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent or a user device. The terminal device may also be a satellite phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a wireless data card, a wireless modem, a machine type communication device, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device or a wearable device, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home, a terminal device in a 5G network or a future communication network, etc.

[0105] The ground station equipment is, for example, equipment in the core network (CN) of an existing mobile communication architecture (such as the 3GPP access architecture of a 5G network) or equipment in the core network of a future mobile communication architecture. The core network, as a bearer network, provides an interface to the data network, provides communication connection, authentication, management, policy control, and data service bearing for user equipment (UE). Among them, the CN may further include: access and mobility management function (AMF), session management function (SMF), authentication server function (AUSF), policy control function (PCF), user plane function (UPF) and other network elements. Among them, the AMF network element is used to manage the access and mobility of the UE, and is mainly responsible for UE authentication, UE mobility management, UE paging and other functions.

[0106] The above-mentioned network equipment includes but is not limited to: access network devices carried on satellites, high-altitude platforms or drones, and the access network devices include but are not limited to: evolved Node B (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), Node B (NB), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home base station (for example, home evolved NodeB, or home Node B, HNB), baseband unit (BBU), access point (AP) in wireless fidelity (WIFI) system, wireless relay node, wireless backhaul node, transmission point (TP) or transmission and reception point (TRP), etc., and can also be access network devices in 5G mobile communication systems. For example, a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a transmission reception point (TRP), or a transmission point (TP) in a new radio (NR) system; or one or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) of a base station in a 5G mobile communication system; or an access network device can also be a network node constituting a gNB or a transmission point, such as a baseband unit (BBU) or a distributed unit (DU).

[0107] In some deployments, a gNB may include a centralized unit (CU) and a DU. The gNB may also include an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU implements some gNB functions, while the DU implements some gNB functions. For example, the CU is responsible for processing non-real-time protocols and services, implementing the functions of the radio resource control (RRC) and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layers. The DU is responsible for processing physical layer protocols and real-time services, implementing the functions of the radio link control (RLC), media access control (MAC), and physical (PHY) layers. The AAU implements some physical layer processing functions, RF processing, and active antenna-related functions. RRC layer information ultimately becomes PHY layer information, or is converted from PHY layer information. Therefore, in this architecture, higher-layer signaling (such as RRC layer signaling) can also be considered to be sent by the DU, or by both the DU and the AAU. It is understood that the access network device can be a device including one or more of a CU node, a DU node, or an AAU node. In addition, the CU may be divided into an access network device in an access network (radio access network, RAN), or the CU may be divided into an access network device in a core network (core network, CN), which is not limited in this application.

[0108] The network device may also be a device that performs network-side functions in a device-to-device (D2D) communication system, a machine-to-machine (M2M) communication system, an Internet of Things (IoT), an Internet of Vehicles communication system, or other communication systems.

[0109] The communication system provided by the embodiment of the present application is introduced above. The communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application is introduced below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0110] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0111] As shown in FIG2 , an embodiment of the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application includes:

[0112] 201. A first network device sends a handover request to at least one second network device, and the second network device receives the handover request in response.

[0113] In the present application, the first network device and the second network device can both be satellite base stations or access network devices carried on high-altitude platforms or drones.

[0114] In this application, the user equipment is connected to the first network device, and the uplink transmission or downlink transmission of user data is completed through the first network device and the third network device in the core network.

[0115] The user equipment in the present application may be a user equipment cluster, which includes multiple user equipments. The user equipment clusters are usually divided according to wavebands, and the user equipments in one waveband can be classified into one user equipment cluster.

[0116] For more information about beam positions, refer to Figure 3. As shown in Figure 3, the satellite's coverage area can be divided into multiple beam positions. In Figure 3, a polygon (e.g., a regular hexagon) represents a beam position. At different times, the satellite's beam serves different beam positions. For example, at time 1, the satellite uses two beams to serve beam positions x1, x2, and x3; at time 2, the satellite uses three beams to serve beam positions y1, y2, y3, and y4. It should be noted that the coverage area of ​​a beam may vary at different tilt angles (antenna angles), so the mapping between beams and beam positions can be one-to-one or one-to-many.

[0117] Furthermore, due to satellite mobility, a satellite may only serve a certain area for a limited time. To extend a satellite's coverage of a certain area, dynamic beam pointing adjustments can be made to extend the satellite's service time. As shown in Figure 4, over a period of time (e.g., times T1, T2, and T3), the satellite dynamically adjusts its beam pointing so that it covers approximately the same area on the ground.

[0118] Although beam adjustment can be used to extend the coverage time of the same area, the satellite may still be unable to continue serving the area after moving a certain distance, and UEs will still need to switch or reselect. As shown in Figure 5, the area covered by satellite SAT-1 at time T1 is Zone-1, and the area covered by satellite SAT-2 at time T1 is Zone-2. UE-G1 is a user equipment cluster within a waveband within Zone-2. At time T1, UE-G1 is served by one or more beams of satellite SAT-2. As satellites SAT-1 and SAT-2 move, at time T2, no matter how satellite SAT-2 adjusts its beam angle, it can no longer serve UE-G1. In this case, one or more UEs in UE-G1 need to perform a group handover. After the group handover, UE-G1 can be served by satellite SAT-1.

[0119] In the present application, a handover request (HO request) may include information of a first time period, and the handover request is used to request at least one second network device to broadcast a synchronization signal block (SSB) within the first time period.

[0120] Optionally, the handover request may further include one or more of the first timestamp (t1-path), first pattern, and wave position information of the target path, wherein the target path is the path between the first network device and the second network device that sends the first handover request, and the first timestamp (t1-path) of the target path is used to indicate the time when the handover request is sent through the target path; the first pattern is the pattern of the synchronization signal block of the first network device; the pattern of the synchronization signal block (HO-SSB pattern) is used to indicate the mapping relationship of the synchronization signal block in at least one dimension such as time, space, or frequency. Wave position information The wave position information may include indication information of one or more wave positions, which is used to indicate the area where one or more user devices that need to switch connections are located.

[0121] In the embodiment of the present application, the handover request may be triggered based on a UE cluster, wave position information, or a geographical area.

[0122] 202. The second network device sends a handover response to the first network device. Correspondingly, the first network device receives at least one handover response sent by at least one second network device.

[0123] The first handover acknowledgement (HO ack) includes information of the second time period. The first handover acknowledgement is used to instruct the second network device sending the first handover acknowledgement to broadcast a synchronization signal block within the second time period. The first handover acknowledgement is any one of the at least one handover acknowledgement.

[0124] It should be noted that the information of the second time period in the switching response sent by different second network devices may be different. The second network device uses the information of the second time period to inform the first network device of the time period in which it can broadcast HO-SSB, so as to facilitate the first network device to select a suitable target network device.

[0125] The first handover response may also include one or more of the following: a second timestamp (t2-path) of the target path, a second pattern, or a synchronization signal block broadcast period within the second time period. The second timestamp of the target path indicates the time when the first handover response was sent via the target path; the second pattern is the pattern of the synchronization signal block of the second network device corresponding to the first handover response; and the synchronization signal block broadcast period within the second time period indicates the interval at which the HO-SSB is broadcast within the second time period.

[0126] It should be noted that the synchronization signal block in the embodiment of the present application may also be included in other reference signals (reference signal, RS), such as channel state information reference signal (channel state information reference signal, CSI-RS), tracking reference signal (tracking reference signal, TRS), etc. The second network device broadcasts the reference signal, and the user equipment completes the corresponding measurement, synchronization and other operations by detecting the reference signal, and accesses the second network device.

[0127] In the embodiment of the present application, the transmission delay of the target path of the first network device and the second network device can be more accurately determined through the first timestamp and the second timestamp, and the transmission delay of the target path is conducive to improving the accuracy of determining the target network device and switching configuration information.

[0128] In the embodiment of the present application, through the first pattern and the second pattern, the first network device can avoid interference and try to select the second network device that does not conflict with the SSB sent by the first network device as the target network device, which is conducive to improving the success rate of user device switching.

[0129] In the embodiment of the present application, the wave position may be used to indicate the area where the user equipment is located. Sending the wave position information in the handover request is conducive to the second network device returning a more accurate handover response.

[0130] In an embodiment of the present application, the second network device configures the broadcast period of the synchronization signal block in the second time period in the switching response, which can be more conducive to the user device to accurately measure the SSB and improve the success rate of the user device switching.

[0131] 203. The first network device generates handover configuration information according to at least one handover response.

[0132] The handover configuration information may be radio resource connection reconfiguration (RRC reconfiguration).

[0133] The first network device may determine the parameters in the handover configuration information in combination with corresponding parameters in at least one handover response.

[0134] In this embodiment of the present application, the switching configuration information may include at least one of the following:

[0135] The SSB-based measurement timing configuration (SMTC) indicates the time to measure the synchronization signal block. The SMTC can be determined by the first network device based on the second time period information in the handover response sent by the selected target network device, or in combination with the broadcast period of the synchronization signal block in the second time period. The target network device is included in at least one second network device.

[0136] A trigger condition for one or more user equipment to perform a handover evaluation; the trigger condition may be a conditional handover (CHO) trigger condition, which may include the time and location at which the UE needs to switch, the reference signal received power (RSRP) threshold of SSB L1 / L3, the reference signal received quality (RSRQ) threshold, and the signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) threshold. The UE can evaluate whether a handover is required based on these parameters. If a handover is required, the UE can select an appropriate time and location from multiple SSBs broadcast by the target network device to access the target network device based on its own parameters.

[0137] The index of the synchronization signal block (HO-SSB index) is used to indicate that one or more user equipment access the corresponding synchronization signal block; the index of the synchronization signal block can indicate the time domain position and frequency domain position of the SSB. The UE can use the index of the synchronization signal block suitable for the UE to search for the corresponding SSB according to its own needs.

[0138] The index (Mask index) of the random access channel occasion (RO) is used to instruct one or more user equipment to access the corresponding RO; the RO can be a resource in the HO-SSB, and an SSB can include multiple ROs. The UE can find the appropriate RO for access based on the Mask index.

[0139] RO resource configuration is used to indicate the RO resources used for handover of one or more user equipments; RO resources refer to time domain resources and frequency domain resources used for UE access.

[0140] The downlink scheduling stop timer (DL_timer) is used to indicate the time when one or more user equipments stop receiving data from the first network equipment.

[0141] The handover configuration information may also include information for indicating the target network device, such as notifying the UE of which network device to switch to by using an identifier of the target network device. Of course, the handover configuration information may also not include the information for indicating the target network device, and the UE may be notified of which network device to switch to by other means.

[0142] In an embodiment of the present application, the at least one item of information included in the switching configuration information can be more conducive to the user equipment successfully switching to the target network device on appropriate time domain resources and frequency domain resources, thereby reducing mobile interruption delay and switching overhead.

[0143] 204. The first network device sends handover configuration information to the user equipment. Correspondingly, the user equipment receives the handover configuration information.

[0144] 205. The user equipment switches to the target network equipment according to the switching configuration information.

[0145] When determining that the CHO trigger condition is met, the UE can detect the synchronization signal block (HO-SSB) in the reference signal broadcast by the target network device according to the HO-SSB index and the mask index, and access the target network device on the HO-SSB indicated by the HO-SSB index and the RO resource indicated by the mask index. When the DL_timer ends, the UE no longer receives downlink data from the first network device.

[0146] After the handover, the UE will leave the serving cell of the original first network device and access the cell covered by the target network device.

[0147] In an embodiment of the present application, taking the first network device mounted on a satellite as an example, as the satellite moves, the first network device may not be able to continue to provide services to some user devices. At this time, the first network device can send a switching request to one or more second network devices in the surrounding area, and notify the one or more second network devices of the information of the first time period. Then, the one or more second network devices can inform the first network device of the second time period in which they can send synchronization signal blocks through a switching response. The first network device can then determine a suitable target network device for the user device to switch to. In this way, the target network device can broadcast the SSB in the time period when the user device needs to switch, and there is no need to continuously broadcast the SSB. In this way, it is possible to achieve flexible broadcasting of the SSB, save SSB resources, and improve the success rate of UE switching.

[0148] Optionally, after step 203 , if the difference between the second timestamp and the first timestamp is greater than the switching threshold, the communication process may further include steps 206 and 207 .

[0149] 206. The first network device sends an early path switching request to the third network device.

[0150] That is, if t2-path–t1-path>threshold, the first network device sends an early path switch request to the third network device.

[0151] The advance path switching request includes information of a third time period and information of a target network device. The information of the third time period is used by the third network device to switch a first connection to a second connection within the third time period. The first connection is a connection between the third network device and the first network device, and the second connection is a connection between the third network device and the target network device.

[0152] 207. The third network device establishes a connection with the target network device in advance.

[0153] In this way, after the UE switches to the target network device, it can communicate directly with the target network device, which can reduce the mobile interruption delay and switching overhead, thereby improving the efficiency of network connection switching from the user equipment to the core network device.

[0154] As can be seen from the above description, the embodiments of the present application provide a flexible broadcast reference signal (synchronization signal block) solution. The reference signal (synchronization signal block) is broadcast only when the UE needs to switch. Compared with the existing periodic broadcast reference signal (synchronization signal block), it can save reference signal (synchronization signal block) resources. In fact, the flexible broadcast reference signal (synchronization signal block) solution provided by the present application can be compatible with the existing periodic broadcast reference signal (synchronization signal block) in the same network device. Of course, it can also be used by an independent network device specifically for flexible broadcast reference signals (synchronization signal blocks).

[0155] As shown in Figure 6A, satellites SAT-L, SAT-M, and SAT-K, wherein satellites SAT-L and SAT-K can periodically broadcast synchronization signal blocks or flexibly broadcast reference signals (synchronization signal blocks) through different beams. For example, UEs in wave positions bw#2, bw#3, and bw#8 covered by satellite SAT-L can measure the reference signals (synchronization signal blocks) periodically broadcast by satellite SAT-L, and UEs in wave position bw#b covered by satellite SAT-L can measure the reference signals (synchronization signal blocks) flexibly broadcast by satellite SAT-L. Similarly, UEs in wave position bw#b covered by satellite SAT-K can measure the reference signals (synchronization signal blocks) periodically broadcast by satellite SAT-K, and UEs in wave position bw#B-1 covered by satellite SAT-K can measure the reference signals (synchronization signal blocks) periodically broadcast by satellite SAT-K. In addition, the satellite SAT-M can be a network device specifically used for flexible broadcasting of reference signals (synchronization signal blocks), and the UE in the wave position bw#b-1 covered by the satellite SAT-M can measure the reference signal (synchronization signal block) flexibly broadcast by the satellite SAT-M.

[0156] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, when a network device broadcasts a reference signal (synchronization signal block), it may also include an RO resource configuration (HO-RO-config) in a handover main information block (HO-MIB). The HO-RO-config may include a physical random access channel (PRACH)-root sequence index (PRACH-root sequence index), a physical random access channel configuration index (PRACH configuration index), and a physical random access channel duration (PRACH duration). The HO-RO configuration under different HO-SSB indices may be different, for example, different beams / different wave positions. The location of the HO-RO-config in the HO-MIB can be understood by referring to the following content.

[0157] From the above HO-MIB, it can be seen that the parameters in HO-RO-config can be parsed from HO-MIB. The RO resource configuration includes one or more prach-root sequence indexes. These prach-root sequence indexes can be specifically used for user equipment switching, so that they will not conflict with traditional access resources, thereby reducing the interference of other SSBs on user equipment switching.

[0158] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, the RO configurations in different HO-SSBs sent at the same time can be the same or different. As shown in Figure 6B, at time T1, the RO included in HO-SSB1 is HO-RO1, and the RO included in HO-SSB2 is HO-RO2. As can be seen from Figure 6B, the number and size of HO-RO1 and HO-RO2 are different. Similarly, at time T2, the RO included in HO-SSB1 is HO-RO1, the RO included in HO-SSB2 is HO-RO2, the RO included in HO-SSB3 is HO-RO3, and the RO included in HO-SSB4 is HO-RO4. ​​The number and size of HO-RO1 and HO-RO2 are the same, and the number and size of HO-RO3 and HO-RO4 are the same, but the size of HO-RO1 and HO-RO2 is different from that of HO-RO3 and HO-RO4. ​​In this way, the diverse needs of UEs can be met, and different UEs can select the appropriate RO to access the target network device.

[0159] In addition, in an embodiment of the present application, whether it is the first network device or the second network device, when broadcasting the HO-SSB, the HO-MIB of the HO-SSB may include the cell type (celltype) of the cell covered by the network device. The celltype may indicate whether the cell is an ascending cell or a descending cell, wherein an ascending cell indicates that the satellite corresponding to the cell moves from south to north, such as the velocity component Vz of the satellite on the z-axis in the earth-centered earth fixed (ECEF) coordinate system>0; a descending cell indicates that the satellite corresponding to the cell moves from north to south, such as the velocity component Vz of the satellite on the z-axis in the earth-centered earth fixed (ECEF) coordinate system<0.

[0160] The location of celltype in HO-MIB can be understood by referring to the following content.

[0161] By parsing the HO-MIB, the UE can obtain the cell type. The UE can report the cell type and measurement results parsed from the SSB of the second network device to the first network device, facilitating the first network device to more accurately select or replace the target network device. Furthermore, the user equipment can select a cell of the corresponding type for handover, reducing the probability of the user equipment handing over to an inappropriate cell, thereby improving the handover success rate.

[0162] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, before the user device switches, the first network device may also interact with the second network device, such as exchanging the delay information required for Xn / NG (such as Xn path hop, NG path hop, etc.) to determine the air interface transmission delay between the first network device and the second network device; these air interface transmission delays can be used to adjust the time domain position and frequency domain position of the HO-SSB sent by the second network device, thereby optimizing the second pattern, that is, optimizing the pattern of the HO-SSB sent by the second network device.

[0163] The first network device or the second network device may also adjust HO-SSB configuration information, such as HO-SSB SMTC, HO-SSB SINR measurement event, etc., according to the air interface transmission delay.

[0164] Based on the configuration information of HO-SSB, the UE can report the cell ID, HO-SSB index / SSB index and SINR result, and report the mobile interruption delay to the first network device or the second network device, such as the delay from disconnection of the first network device to synchronization with the second network device or the time of access to HO-RO.

[0165] The present application also provides another communication method, which can implement cell reselection. The communication method can be understood with reference to FIG8 . As shown in FIG7 , the process includes:

[0166] 701. A first network device broadcasts a first synchronization signal block. Correspondingly, a user equipment receives the first synchronization signal block.

[0167] The first synchronization signal block includes a first cell type of the cell covered by the first network device, and the first cell type is used to indicate whether the cell covered by the first network device is an ascending cell or a descending cell.

[0168] 702. The second network device broadcasts a second synchronization signal block. Correspondingly, the user equipment receives the second synchronization signal block.

[0169] After receiving the first synchronization signal block, the user equipment may receive the second synchronization signal block according to the configuration of the first synchronization signal block.

[0170] The second synchronization signal block includes a second cell type of the cell covered by the second network device, and the second cell type is used to indicate whether the cell covered by the second network device is an ascending cell or a descending cell.

[0171] 703. If the second cell type is the same as the first cell type, the user equipment reselects to the second network device.

[0172] 704. If the second cell type is different from the first cell type, the user equipment searches for a third synchronization signal block.

[0173] The third synchronization signal block is a synchronization signal block that has not been measured by the user equipment.

[0174] In this application, when a user device reselects, it can reselect based on the cell type. The user device will preferentially reselect to a network device with the same cell type, which helps improve the user device reselection success rate. If the two cell types are different, the user device searches for other suitable network devices for reselection by searching for a new SSB.

[0175] It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present application, the synchronization signal block is marked as SSB in some places and HO-SSB in some places. In fact, it can all be expressed as HO-SSB, which is a flexible SSB used for UE switching or reselection in this application.

[0176] The communication system and communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application are introduced above. The communication device provided in the embodiments of the present application is introduced below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0177] The above describes the communication method and communication system provided by the embodiments of the present application. The following describes the communication device provided by the embodiments of the present application. Please refer to Figure 8, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device according to the embodiments of the present application. Communication device 800 can be used to execute the steps performed by the first network device in the embodiments shown in Figures 2 to 7. For details, please refer to the relevant description of the above method embodiments.

[0178] The communication device 800 includes a transceiver module 801 and a processing module 802. The transceiver module 801 can implement corresponding communication functions, and the processing module 802 is used to process data. The transceiver module 801 can also be called a communication interface or a communication unit.

[0179] Optionally, the communication device 800 may further include a storage unit, which may be used to store instructions and / or data. The processing module 802 may read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit so that the communication device implements the aforementioned method embodiment.

[0180] The communication device 800 can be used to perform the actions performed by the first network device in the above method embodiment. The communication device 800 can be a component of the first network device, a host, or a component that can be configured with a host. The transceiver module 801 is used to perform the reception-related operations on the first network device side of the above method embodiment, and the processing module 802 is used to perform the processing-related operations on the first network device side of the above method embodiment.

[0181] Optionally, the transceiver module 801 may include a sending module and a receiving module. The sending module is used to perform the sending operation in the above method embodiment. The receiving module is used to perform the receiving operation in the above method embodiment.

[0182] As an example, the communication device 800 is used to execute the actions executed by the first network device in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 above.

[0183] The transceiver module 801 is used to send a switching request to at least one second network device, where the switching request includes information of a first time period, and the switching request is used to request at least one second network device to broadcast a synchronization signal block within the first time period.

[0184] The transceiver module 801 is also used to receive at least one switching response; wherein, the first switching response includes information of the second time period, and the first switching response is used to instruct the second network device that sends the first switching response to broadcast a synchronization signal block within the second time period, and the first switching response is any one of the at least one switching response.

[0185] The processing module 802 is configured to generate handover configuration information, where the handover configuration information is used to handover one or more user equipment connected to the first network device to a target network device, where the target network device is included in at least one second network device.

[0186] The transceiver module 801 is further configured to send handover configuration information according to at least one handover response.

[0187] Optionally, the switching request also includes a first timestamp (t1-path) of the target path, and the first switching response also includes a second timestamp (t2-path) of the target path, the first timestamp is used to indicate the time when the switching request is sent through the target path, and the second timestamp is used to indicate the time when the first switching response is sent through the target path, and the target path is the path between the first network device and the second network device that sends the first switching request; the first timestamp and the second timestamp are used to determine the transmission delay of the target path, and the transmission delay of the target path is used to determine the target network device, as well as the switching configuration information.

[0188] Optionally, the switching request also includes a first pattern, which is the pattern of the synchronization signal block of the first network device, and the first switching response also includes a second pattern, which is the pattern of the synchronization signal block of the second network device corresponding to the first switching response; the first pattern and the second pattern are used to determine the switching configuration information.

[0189] Optionally, the handover request further includes wave position information, where the wave position information is used to indicate an area where one or more user equipments whose connections need to be handed over are located.

[0190] Optionally, the first switching response also includes a broadcast period of the synchronization signal block in the second time period.

[0191] Optionally, the switching configuration information includes at least one of the following: an SSB-based measurement timing configuration (SMTC), used to indicate the time for measuring the synchronization signal block; a trigger condition, used for one or more user devices to perform switching evaluation; an index of the synchronization signal block, used to indicate one or more user devices to access the corresponding synchronization signal block; an index of an access opportunity (RO), used to indicate one or more user devices to access the corresponding RO; an RO resource configuration, used to indicate the RO resources used for switching of one or more user devices; or a downlink scheduling stop timer, used to indicate the time when one or more user devices stop receiving data from the first network device.

[0192] Optionally, the transceiver module 801 is further configured to, if the difference between the second timestamp and the first timestamp is greater than the switching threshold, cause the first network device to send an advance path switching request to the third network device, where the advance path switching request includes information of the third time period and information of the target network device. The information of the third time period is used by the third network device to switch the first connection to the second connection within the third time period, where the first connection is the connection between the third network device and the first network device, and the second connection is the connection between the third network device and the target network device.

[0193] Optionally, the RO resource configuration includes multiple prach-root sequence indexes, where the root sequence index is used to indicate a physical random access channel accessed by one or more user equipments; and where the PRACH-root sequence indexes corresponding to the indexes of different synchronization signal blocks are different.

[0194] Optionally, the transceiver module 801 is further configured to broadcast the cell type of the serving cell where one or more user equipments are located; the cell type is used to indicate whether the serving cell is an ascending cell or a descending cell.

[0195] Optionally, the transceiver module 801 is further configured to interact with the second network device to determine an air interface transmission delay between the first network device and the second network device; the air interface transmission delay between the first network device and the second network device is used to determine the second pattern.

[0196] In addition, the communication device 800 can be used to execute the steps performed by the second network device / target network device in the embodiments shown in Figures 2 to 7. For details, please refer to the relevant introduction in the above method embodiments.

[0197] The transceiver module 801 is used to receive a switching request sent by a first network device, the switching request includes information of a first time period, and the switching request is used to request at least one second network device to broadcast a synchronization signal block within the first time period, and the target network device is included in at least one second network device.

[0198] The transceiver module 801 is also used to send a first switching response, which includes information of the second time period. The first switching response is used to instruct the target network device to broadcast a synchronization signal block within the second time period. The first switching response is used by the first network device to determine the switching configuration information; the target network device broadcasts the synchronization signal block within the time indicated by the second time period, and the synchronization signal block is used to switch one or more user devices connected to the first network device to the target network device.

[0199] Optionally, the transceiver module 801 is also used to broadcast synchronization signal blocks.

[0200] Optionally, the synchronization signal block also includes the cell type of the cell, and the cell type is used to indicate whether the cell corresponding to the synchronization signal block is an ascending cell or a descending cell.

[0201] It should be understood that the specific process of each module executing the above corresponding steps has been described in detail in the above method embodiment, and for the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0202] The processing module 802 in the above embodiment can be implemented by at least one processor or processor-related circuit. The transceiver module 801 can be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuit. The transceiver module 801 can also be referred to as a communication unit or communication interface. The storage unit can be implemented by at least one memory.

[0203] The following describes a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Refer to Figure 9, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device in an embodiment of the present application. Communication device 900 can be used to execute the steps performed by the user equipment in the embodiments shown in Figures 2 or 7. For details, please refer to the relevant description of the above method embodiments.

[0204] The communication device 900 includes a transceiver module 901. Optionally, the communication device 900 also includes a processing module 902. The transceiver module 901 can implement corresponding communication functions, and the processing module 902 is used to process data. The transceiver module 901 can also be called a communication interface or a communication unit.

[0205] The communication device 900 can be used to perform the actions performed by the user equipment in the above method embodiment. The communication device 900 can be a user equipment or a component that can be configured in the user equipment. The transceiver module 901 is used to perform the reception-related operations on the user equipment side in the above method embodiment.

[0206] Optionally, the transceiver module 901 may include a sending module and a receiving module. The sending module is used to perform the sending operation in the above method embodiment. The receiving module is used to perform the receiving operation in the above method embodiment.

[0207] As an example, the communication device 900 is used to execute the actions executed by the user equipment in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 above.

[0208] The transceiver module 901 is used to receive switching configuration information sent by the first network device, where the switching configuration information is determined by the first network device based on the switching request sent and the at least one switching response received; wherein the switching request includes information of the first time period, and the switching request is used to request at least one second network device to broadcast a synchronization signal block within the first time period; the first switching response includes information of the second time period, and the first switching response is used to instruct the second network device that sends the first switching response to broadcast a synchronization signal block within the second time period, and the first switching response is any one of the at least one switching response.

[0209] The processing module 902 is configured to measure a synchronization signal block of a target network device according to the switching configuration information, and switch from a first network device to a target network device, where the target network device is included in at least one second network device.

[0210] Optionally, the switching configuration information includes at least one of the following: a measurement timing configuration SMTC based on the synchronization signal block, used to indicate the time for measuring the synchronization signal block; a trigger condition, used for one or more user devices to perform switching evaluation; an index of the synchronization signal block, used to indicate that one or more user devices access the corresponding synchronization signal block; an index of the access timing RO, used to indicate that one or more user devices access the corresponding RO; an RO resource configuration, used to indicate the RO resources used for switching of one or more user devices; or a downlink scheduling stop timer, used to indicate the time when one or more user devices stop receiving data from the first network device.

[0211] Optionally, the processing module 902 is configured to measure a synchronization signal block sent by the second network device.

[0212] The transceiver module 901 is also used to report the measurement results of the synchronization signal block of the second network device and the cell type corresponding to the synchronization signal block of the second network device to the first network device.

[0213] When the UE reselects:

[0214] The transceiver module 901 is configured to receive a first synchronization signal block broadcast by a first network device and a second synchronization signal block broadcast by a second network device, where the first synchronization signal block includes a first cell type of a cell covered by the first network device, and the second synchronization signal block includes a second cell type of a cell covered by the second network device. The first cell type is used to indicate whether the cell covered by the first network device is an ascending cell or a descending cell, and the second cell type is used to indicate whether the cell covered by the second network device is an ascending cell or a descending cell.

[0215] The processing module 902 is configured to determine whether the second cell type is the same as the first cell type.

[0216] The transceiver module 901 is further configured to reselect the second network device if the second cell type is the same as the first cell type.

[0217] Optionally, the transceiver module 901 is further configured to search for a third synchronization signal block if the second cell type is different from the first cell type, where the third synchronization signal block is a synchronization signal block that has not been measured by the user equipment.

[0218] It should be understood that the specific process of each module executing the above corresponding steps has been described in detail in the above method embodiment, and for the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0219] The processing module 902 in the above embodiment can be implemented by at least one processor or processor-related circuits. The transceiver module 901 can be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuits. The transceiver module 901 can also be referred to as a communication unit or communication interface. The storage unit can be implemented by at least one memory.

[0220] The present application also provides a communication device 1000. The communication device 1000 includes a processor 1010, which is coupled to a memory 1020. The memory 1020 is configured to store computer programs, instructions, and / or data. The processor 1010 is configured to execute the computer programs, instructions, and / or data stored in the memory 1020, so that the method in the above method embodiment is executed.

[0221] Optionally, the communication device 1000 includes one or more processors 1010.

[0222] Optionally, as shown in FIG10 , the communication device 1000 may further include a memory 1020 .

[0223] Optionally, the communication device 1000 may include one or more memories 1020 .

[0224] Optionally, the memory 1020 may be integrated with the processor 1010 or provided separately.

[0225] 10 , the communication device 1000 may further include a transceiver 1030 , which is configured to receive and / or transmit signals. For example, the processor 1010 is configured to control the transceiver 1030 to receive and / or transmit signals.

[0226] As a solution, the communication device 1000 is used to implement the operations performed by the first network device / the second network device (target network device) / the user equipment in the above method embodiment.

[0227] For example, the processor 1010 is used to implement the processing-related operations performed by the first network device / second network device (target network device) / user device in the above method embodiment, and the transceiver 1030 is used to implement the transceiver-related operations performed by the first network device / second network device (target network device) / user device in the above method embodiment.

[0228] The present application also provides a communication device 1100, which can be a network device / user equipment or a chip. The communication device 1100 can be used to perform the operations performed in the above method embodiment.

[0229] When the communication device 1100 is a network device / user device, Figure 11 shows a simplified schematic diagram of the structure of the network device / user device. As shown in Figure 11, the network device / user device includes a processor, memory, and a transceiver. The memory can store computer program code, and the transceiver includes a transmitter 1131, a receiver 1132, a radio frequency circuit (not shown), an antenna 1133, and input / output devices (not shown). The processor is primarily used to process communication protocols and communication data, control the network device / user device, execute software programs, and process software program data. The memory is primarily used to store software programs and data. 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 / output devices, such as a touch screen, display, and keyboard, are primarily used to receive user input and output data to the user. It should be noted that some types of network devices / user devices may not have input / output devices.

[0230] When data needs to be sent, the processor performs baseband processing on the data to be sent, and then outputs the baseband signal to the RF circuit. The RF circuit performs RF processing on the baseband signal and then sends the RF signal outward in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the network device / user device, the RF circuit receives the RF signal through the antenna, converts the RF signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor. The processor converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data. For ease of explanation, Figure 11 only shows one memory, processor, and transceiver. In actual network devices / user equipment products, there may be one or more processors and one or more memories. The memory may also be referred to as a storage medium or a storage device, etc. The memory may be set independently of the processor or integrated with the processor, and this is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0231] In the embodiment of the present application, the antenna and radio frequency circuit with transceiver functions can be regarded as the transceiver unit of the network device / user equipment, and the processor with processing function can be regarded as the processing unit of the network device / user equipment.

[0232] As shown in Figure 11, the network device / user equipment includes a processor 1110, a memory 1120, and a transceiver 1130. The processor 1110 may also be referred to as a processing unit, a processing board, a processing module, a processing device, etc., and the transceiver 1130 may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, a transceiver, a transceiver device, etc.

[0233] Alternatively, the device implementing the receiving function in transceiver 1130 may be considered a receiving unit, and the device implementing the transmitting function in transceiver 1130 may be considered a transmitting unit. That is, transceiver 1130 includes a receiver and a transmitter. A transceiver may also be sometimes referred to as a transceiver, a transceiver unit, or a transceiver circuit. A receiver may also be sometimes referred to as a receiver, a receiving unit, or a receiving circuit. A transmitter may also be sometimes referred to as a transmitter, a transmitting unit, or a transmitting circuit.

[0234] For example, in one implementation, the processor 1110 is configured to execute the processing actions on the first network device / second network device (target network device) / user device side in the embodiments shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 7 , and the transceiver 1130 is configured to execute the transceiver actions on the first network device / second network device (target network device) / user device side in FIG. 2 or FIG. 7 . For example, the transceiver 1130 is configured to execute the transceiver operations of steps 201, 202, and 204 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 . The processor 1110 is configured to execute the processing operations of steps 203 and 205 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 . Alternatively, the transceiver 1130 is configured to execute the transceiver operations of steps 701 and 702 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7 . The processor 1110 is configured to execute the processing operations of steps 703 and 705 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7 .

[0235] It should be understood that FIG11 is merely an example and not a limitation, and the network device / user equipment including the transceiver unit and the processing unit may not rely on the structure shown in FIG11 .

[0236] When the communication device 1100 is a chip, the chip includes a processor, memory, and a transceiver. The transceiver can be an input / output circuit or a communication interface; the processor can be a processing unit, microprocessor, or integrated circuit integrated on the chip. The sending operation of the network device / user equipment in the above method embodiment can be understood as the chip's output, and the receiving operation of the network device / user equipment in the above method embodiment can be understood as the chip's input.

[0237] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions for implementing the method executed by the first network device in the above method embodiment, or the method executed by the second network device (target network device) or user equipment.

[0238] For example, when the computer program is executed by a computer, the computer can implement the computer instructions of the method executed by the first network device in the above method embodiment, or the method executed by the second network device (target network device) or user equipment.

[0239] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed by a computer, enable the computer to implement the method executed by the first network device in the above method embodiment, or the computer instructions of the method executed by the second network device (target network device) or the user device.

[0240] An embodiment of the present application further provides a chip device, including a processor, configured to call a computer program or computer instruction stored in the memory so that the processor executes the communication method of the embodiments shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 7 .

[0241] In a possible implementation, the input of the chip device corresponds to the receiving operation in the embodiments shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 7 , and the output of the chip device corresponds to the sending operation in the embodiments shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 7 .

[0242] Optionally, the processor is coupled to the memory via an interface.

[0243] Optionally, the chip device further includes a memory, in which computer programs or computer instructions are stored.

[0244] The processor mentioned in any of the above may be a general-purpose central processing unit, a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of the program of the communication method of the embodiments shown in Figures 2 to 7. The memory mentioned in any of the above may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM), etc.

[0245] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity of description, the explanation and beneficial effects of the relevant contents in any of the communication devices provided above can refer to the corresponding method embodiments provided above, and will not be repeated here.

[0246] In an embodiment of the present application, the first network device, the second network device (target network device), or the user device may include a hardware layer, an operating system layer running on the hardware layer, and an application layer running on the operating system layer. The hardware layer may include hardware such as a central processing unit (CPU), a memory management unit (MMU), and memory (also known as main memory). The operating system of the operating system layer may be any one or more computer operating systems that implement business processing through processes, such as a Linux operating system, a Unix operating system, an Android operating system, an iOS operating system, or a Windows operating system. The application layer may include applications such as a browser, an address book, a word processing software, and an instant messaging software.

[0247] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0248] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. 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. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0249] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0250] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of the present application may be integrated into a single processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into a single unit. The aforementioned integrated units may be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional units.

[0251] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the part that essentially contributes to the technical solution of the present application or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including a number of instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory, a random access memory, a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a non-terrestrial communication network, the non-terrestrial communication network comprising a first network device and at least one second network device, and the method comprises: The first network device sends a switching request to the at least one second network device, where the switching request includes information of a first time period, and the switching request is used to request the at least one second network device to broadcast a synchronization signal block within the first time period; The first network device receives at least one switching response; wherein the first switching response includes information of a second time period, the first switching response is used to instruct the second network device that sends the first switching response to broadcast a synchronization signal block within the second time period, and the first switching response is any one of the at least one switching response; The first network device sends switching configuration information according to the at least one switching response, where the switching configuration information is used to switch one or more user devices connected to the first network device to a target network device, where the target network device is included in the at least one second network device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The handover request further includes a first timestamp of a target path, and the first handover response further includes a second timestamp of the target path, the first timestamp is used to indicate a time when the handover request is sent through the target path, and the second timestamp is used to indicate a time when the first handover response is sent through the target path, and the target path is a path between the first network device and the second network device that sends the first handover request; The first timestamp and the second timestamp are used to determine the transmission delay of the target path, and the transmission delay of the target path is used to determine the target network device and the switching configuration information.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The handover request further includes a first pattern, which is a pattern of a synchronization signal block of the first network device; the first handover response further includes a second pattern, which is a pattern of a synchronization signal block of a second network device corresponding to the first handover response; The first pattern and the second pattern are used to determine the switching configuration information.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The handover request further includes wave position information, where the wave position information is used to indicate an area where the one or more user equipments to which the connection needs to be handed over are located.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The first switching response also includes a broadcast period of the synchronization signal block in the second time period.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The switching configuration information includes at least one of the following: A measurement timing configuration SMTC based on a synchronization signal block is used to indicate a time for measuring a synchronization signal block; a trigger condition, used for the one or more user equipments to perform a handover evaluation; An index of a synchronization signal block, used to indicate that the one or more user equipments access a corresponding synchronization signal block; An index of an access opportunity RO, used to indicate that the one or more user equipments access a corresponding RO; RO resource configuration, used to indicate the RO resources used for switching of the one or more user equipments; or, The downlink scheduling stop timer is used to indicate the time when the one or more user equipments stop receiving data from the first network equipment.

7. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The method further comprises: If the difference between the second timestamp and the first timestamp is greater than the switching threshold, the first network device sends an advance path switching request to the third network device, the advance path switching request includes information of a third time period and information of the target network device, the information of the third time period is used by the third network device to switch the first connection to a second connection within the third time period, the first connection is a connection between the third network device and the first network device, and the second connection is a connection between the third network device and the target network device.

8. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The RO resource configuration includes a plurality of physical random access channel PRACH-root sequence indexes, wherein the root sequence index is used to indicate a physical random access channel accessed by the one or more user equipments; Among them, the PRACH-root sequence indexes corresponding to the indexes of different synchronization signal blocks are different.

9. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The method further comprises: The first network device broadcasts the cell type of the serving cell where the one or more user equipments are located; the cell type is used to indicate whether the serving cell is an ascending cell or a descending cell.

10. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The method further comprises: The first network device interacts with the second network device to determine an air interface transmission delay between the first network device and the second network device; The air interface transmission delay between the first network device and the second network device is used to determine the second pattern.

11. A communication method, characterized in that: The non-terrestrial communication network includes a first network device and at least one second network device, and the method includes: The target network device receives a switching request sent by the first network device, the switching request includes information of a first time period, the switching request is used to request the at least one second network device to broadcast a synchronization signal block within the first time period, and the target network device is included in the at least one second network device; The target network device sends a first switching response, the first switching response includes information of a second time period, the first switching response is used to instruct the target network device to broadcast a synchronization signal block within the second time period, and the first switching response is used by the first network device to determine the switching configuration information; The target network device broadcasts a synchronization signal block within the time indicated by the second time period, and the synchronization signal block is used for one or more user devices connected to the first network device to switch to the target network device.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The handover request further includes a first timestamp of a target path, and the first handover response further includes a second timestamp of the target path, the first timestamp is used to indicate a time when the handover request is sent through the target path, and the second timestamp is used to indicate a time when the first handover response is sent through the target path, and the target path is a path between the first network device and the second network device that sends the first handover request; The first timestamp and the second timestamp are used to determine the transmission delay of the target path, and the transmission delay of the target path is used to determine the target network device and the switching configuration information.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that: The handover request further includes a first pattern, which is a pattern of a synchronization signal block of the first network device; the first handover response further includes a second pattern, which is a pattern of a synchronization signal block of a second network device corresponding to the first handover response; The first pattern and the second pattern are used to determine the switching configuration information.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that: The handover request further includes wave position information, where the wave position information is used to indicate an area where the one or more user equipments to which the connection needs to be handed over are located.

15. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, characterized in that: The first switching response also includes a broadcast period of the synchronization signal block in the second time period.

16. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, characterized in that: The synchronization signal block also includes the cell type of the cell, and the cell type is used to indicate whether the cell corresponding to the synchronization signal block is an ascending cell or a descending cell.

17. A communication method, characterized in that: include: The user equipment receives the switching configuration information sent by the first network equipment, where the switching configuration information is determined by the first network equipment according to the sent switching request and the received at least one switching response; wherein the switching request includes information of the first time period, and the switching request is used to request the at least one second network equipment to broadcast the synchronization signal block within the first time period; the first switching response includes information of the second time period, and the first switching response is used to instruct the second network equipment that sends the first switching response to broadcast the synchronization signal block within the second time period, and the first switching response is any one of the at least one switching response; The user equipment measures the synchronization signal block of the target network device according to the switching configuration information, and switches from the first network device to the target network device, where the target network device is included in the at least one second network device.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The switching configuration information includes at least one of the following: A measurement timing configuration SMTC based on a synchronization signal block is used to indicate a time for measuring a synchronization signal block; a trigger condition, used for the one or more user equipments to perform a handover evaluation; An index of a synchronization signal block, used to indicate that the one or more user equipments access a corresponding synchronization signal block; An index of an access opportunity RO, used to indicate that the one or more user equipments access a corresponding RO; RO resource configuration, used to indicate the RO resources used for switching of the one or more user equipments; or, The downlink scheduling stop timer is used to indicate the time when the one or more user equipments stop receiving data from the first network equipment.

19. The method according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that The method further comprises: Measuring, by the user equipment, a synchronization signal block sent by the second network equipment; The user equipment reports to the first network equipment a measurement result of a synchronization signal block of the second network equipment and a cell type corresponding to the synchronization signal block of the second network equipment.

20. A communication method, characterized in that: include: The user equipment receives a first synchronization signal block broadcasted by a first network device, and a second synchronization signal block broadcasted by a second network device, wherein the first synchronization signal block includes a first cell type of a cell covered by the first network device, and the second synchronization signal block includes a second cell type of a cell covered by the second network device, wherein the first cell type is used to indicate that the cell covered by the first network device is an ascending cell or a descending cell, and the second cell type is used to indicate that the cell covered by the second network device is an ascending cell or a descending cell; If the second cell type is the same as the first cell type, the user equipment reselects to the second network equipment.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that The method further comprises: If the second cell type is different from the first cell type, the user equipment searches for a third synchronization signal block, where the third synchronization signal block is a synchronization signal block that has not been measured by the user equipment.

22. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device comprises: a transceiver module and a processing module; The transceiver module is used to perform the transceiver operations of the method described in any one of claims 1 to 10, 11 to 16, 17 to 19, or 20 to 21, and the processing module is used to perform the processing operations of the method described in any one of claims 1 to 10, 11 to 16, 17 to 19, or 20 to 21.

23. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device comprises: Memory, for storing computer instructions; A processor, configured to execute a computer program or computer instructions stored in the memory, so that the communication device performs the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10, 11 to 16, 17 to 19, or 20 to 21.

24. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device comprises a processor configured to execute the method of any one of claims 1 to 10, 11 to 16, 17 to 19, or 20 to 21.

25. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: A computer program is stored thereon, and when the computer program is executed by a communication device, the communication device executes the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, 11 to 16, 17 to 19, or 20 to 21.

26. A computer program product comprising instructions, characterized in that When it is run on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, 11 to 16, 17 to 19, or 20 to 21.

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