Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

Disclosed in the embodiments of the present application are a communication method and apparatus. The method comprises: receiving first ephemeris information of a service satellite that is sent by a network device, wherein the first ephemeris information comprises first indication information, which is used for indicating a threshold value for a coverage edge beam position of the service satellite; and on the basis of the first ephemeris information, determining whether to start the acquisition of other system information (OSI) broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge beam position, wherein the OSI is related to mobility management. By using the embodiments of the present application, the network device broadcasts the OSI related to mobility management only at the coverage edge beam position of the service satellite, thereby reducing broadcast resource overheads; and after it is determined that a coverage edge is reached, an OSI acquisition process is started, and it is not necessary for the network device to page a terminal to receive the OSI, thereby reducing paging overheads.

Description

Communication method and device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application with application number 202311511873.4 filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on November 13, 2023, and priority to the Chinese patent application with the invention name “A Communication Method and Device”, all contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

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

[0003] A non-terrestrial network (NTN) refers to a network that utilizes radio frequency resources from satellites, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) platforms, and high-altitude platform stations (HAPS). Compared to fifth-generation (5G) terrestrial cellular networks, NTNs offer wide coverage, low latency, broadband, and low cost. As a supplement and extension of terrestrial networks, NTNs can achieve wide-area, seamless coverage that neither wired telephone networks nor terrestrial mobile communication networks can achieve, effectively addressing internet access challenges in areas lacking communication infrastructure. With a large number of satellites deployed in low-Earth orbit, the round-trip data transmission latency between satellites and ground terminals is significantly reduced, reaching a low latency of tens of milliseconds. The use of high-frequency bands, multi-spot beams, and frequency reuse technologies has significantly enhanced satellite communication capabilities, reducing unit bandwidth costs and meeting the needs of high-information-rate services. Compared to communication infrastructure such as terrestrial 5G base stations and submarine fiber optic cables, NTNs offer significant cost advantages. Modern small satellites are inexpensive to develop and manufacture, and software-defined technologies can further extend the service life of in-orbit satellites. NTN networks can be used in scenarios such as global coverage (such as remote areas and ocean-going ships), emergency rescue (such as disaster monitoring and emergency communications), the Internet of Everything, and high-speed mobility (such as high-speed rail and airplanes).

[0004] New radio (NR) system information broadcasting is similar to long-term evolution (LTE). The master information block (MIB) is transmitted at an 80ms interval, while the system information block 1 (SIB1) is transmitted at a variable interval, not exceeding 160ms. Other SIBs are combined to form an other system information (OSI) for broadcast. However, in a single-satellite, single-cell scenario, the number of wavelets within the satellite's coverage area is large. Broadcasting the OSI for all wavelets within the satellite's coverage area results in significant resource overhead.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus that can reduce broadcast resource overhead and paging overhead.

[0007] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a power line communication method, which is applied to a terminal device, or a chip or circuit configured in the terminal device, including:

[0008] Receive first ephemeris information of a service satellite sent by a network device, where the first ephemeris information includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate a threshold value of a coverage edge wave position of the service satellite; based on the first ephemeris information, determine whether to start obtaining other system information OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position, where the OSI is related to mobility management.

[0009] The network device broadcasts mobility management-related OSIs only in the coverage-edge beamwidth of the serving satellite, thereby reducing broadcast resource overhead and not affecting the terminal device's ability to perform cell reselection or conditional handover. The terminal device determines whether it is in the coverage-edge beamwidth of the serving satellite based on the threshold for being in the coverage-edge beamwidth indicated by the first indication information. If the terminal device is in the coverage-edge beamwidth, the OSI acquisition process is initiated. The network device does not need to page the terminal to receive the OSI, reducing paging overhead. If the terminal device is not in the coverage-edge beamwidth, the OSI acquisition process is not initiated, reducing terminal device power consumption.

[0010] In one possible design, the first ephemeris information also includes the ephemeris of the serving satellite. Based on the terminal device's own position information and the ephemeris of the serving satellite, the horizontal and vertical distance components between the terminal device and the reference position of the serving satellite are determined. Based on the horizontal and vertical distance components and the first indication information, a determination is made as to whether to initiate acquisition of the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wavelength. In scenarios where the serving satellite's ground coverage area is rectangular, determining whether the terminal device is at the coverage edge wavelength is performed by determining the horizontal and vertical distance components between the terminal device and the reference position of the serving satellite, thereby improving the accuracy of determining whether to initiate the OSI process.

[0011] In one possible design, the first indication information includes a horizontal distance threshold value and a vertical distance threshold value. When the horizontal distance component is greater than or equal to the horizontal distance threshold value, or the vertical distance threshold value is greater than or equal to the vertical distance threshold value, it is determined that the terminal device is at the coverage edge waveband of the service satellite, and acquisition of the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge waveband is initiated. When the horizontal distance component is less than the horizontal distance threshold value, and the vertical distance threshold value is less than the vertical distance threshold value, it is determined that the terminal device is not at the coverage edge waveband of the service satellite, and acquisition of the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge waveband is not initiated. Since the OSI acquisition process is initiated only when the terminal device is at the coverage edge waveband, the network device does not need to page the terminal device to receive the OSI, thereby reducing paging overhead.

[0012] In one possible design, the reference position of the service satellite is the sub-satellite point of the service satellite or the center point of the ground coverage area of ​​the service satellite.

[0013] In one possible design, the first ephemeris information also includes the ephemeris of the serving satellite. Based on the terminal device's own position information and the ephemeris of the serving satellite, a first distance between the terminal device and the serving satellite is determined. Based on the first distance and the first indication information, a determination is made as to whether to initiate acquisition of the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wavelength. In scenarios where the serving satellite's ground coverage area is circular, determining whether the terminal device is at the coverage edge wavelength by determining the first distance between the terminal device and the serving satellite improves the accuracy of determining whether to initiate the OSI process.

[0014] In one possible design, the first indication information includes a first distance threshold value. When the first distance is greater than or equal to the first distance threshold value, the terminal device is determined to be at the coverage edge waveband of the serving satellite, and acquisition of the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge waveband is initiated. When the first distance is less than the first distance threshold value, the terminal device is determined not to be at the coverage edge waveband of the serving satellite, and acquisition of the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge waveband is not initiated. Because the OSI acquisition process is initiated only when the terminal device is at the coverage edge waveband, the network device does not need to page the terminal device to receive the OSI, thereby reducing paging overhead.

[0015] In one possible design, the first ephemeris information also includes the ephemeris of the serving satellite. Based on the terminal device's own position information and the ephemeris of the serving satellite, a first angle between a line connecting the terminal device to the serving satellite and a tangent to the Earth's surface is determined. Based on the first angle and the first indication information, a determination is made as to whether to initiate acquisition of the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge waveband. In scenarios where the serving satellite's ground coverage area is circular, the first angle between the line connecting the terminal device to the serving satellite and a tangent to the Earth's surface is used to determine whether the terminal device is at the coverage edge waveband, thereby improving the accuracy of determining whether to initiate the OSI process.

[0016] In one possible design, the first indication information includes an elevation angle threshold value. When the first angle is less than or equal to the elevation angle threshold value, the terminal device is determined to be at the coverage edge waveband of the serving satellite, and acquisition of the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge waveband is initiated. When the first angle is greater than the elevation angle threshold value, the terminal device is determined not to be at the coverage edge waveband of the serving satellite, and acquisition of the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge waveband is not initiated. Because the OSI acquisition process is initiated only when the terminal device is at the coverage edge waveband, the network device does not need to page the terminal device to receive the OSI, thereby reducing paging overhead.

[0017] In one possible design, the first ephemeris information also includes the ephemeris and coverage information of the serving satellite. The ground coverage area of ​​the serving satellite is determined based on the ephemeris and coverage information of the serving satellite. The minimum distance between the terminal device and the edge of the ground coverage area is determined based on the terminal device's own position information and the ground coverage area. Based on the minimum distance and the first indication information, it is determined whether to initiate acquisition of other system information (OSI) broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wavelength. In scenarios where the ground coverage area of ​​the serving satellite is non-circular, whether the terminal device is at the coverage edge wavelength is determined by determining the minimum distance between the terminal device and the edge of the ground coverage area, thereby improving the accuracy of determining whether to initiate the OSI process.

[0018] In one possible design, the first indication information includes a second distance threshold value; when the minimum distance is less than or equal to the second distance threshold value, the terminal device is determined to be at the coverage edge waveband of the serving satellite, and acquisition of the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge waveband is initiated; when the minimum distance is greater than the second distance threshold value, the terminal device is determined not to be at the coverage edge waveband of the serving satellite, and acquisition of the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge waveband is not initiated. Because the OSI acquisition process is initiated only when the terminal device is at the coverage edge waveband, the network device does not need to page the terminal device to receive the OSI, thereby reducing paging overhead.

[0019] In one possible design, the coverage range information includes at least one of the following information: a maximum scanning angle, a coverage radius, a maximum horizontal scanning angle, a maximum vertical scanning angle, a horizontal coverage width, or a vertical coverage width.

[0020] In one possible design, cell reselection parameters and / or second ephemeris information of a neighboring satellite are obtained from the OSI; and cell reselection or cell handover is performed based on the cell reselection parameters and / or the second ephemeris information. This allows for reselection or handover to a cell of the neighboring satellite, thereby ensuring communication quality between the terminal device and the satellite.

[0021] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a power line communication method, which is applied to a network device, or a chip or circuit configured in the network device, including:

[0022] The first ephemeris information of the serving satellite is transmitted, the first ephemeris information including first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate a threshold value of a coverage edge beamwidth of the serving satellite; and other system information (OSI) related to mobility management is broadcasted at the coverage edge beamwidth. The network device broadcasts the mobility management-related OSI only at the coverage edge beamwidth of the serving satellite, thereby reducing broadcast resource overhead and not affecting cell reselection / conditional handover execution by terminal devices.

[0023] In one possible design, the first ephemeris information also includes at least one of the following information: the ephemeris of the service satellite, or the coverage information of the service satellite.

[0024] In one possible design, the first indication information includes at least one of the following information:

[0025] The horizontal distance threshold value and vertical distance threshold value between the terminal device and the reference position of the service satellite, the elevation angle threshold value of the line between the terminal device and the service satellite and the tangent line of the earth's surface, the first distance threshold value between the terminal device and the service satellite, and the second distance threshold value between the terminal device and the edge of the ground coverage area of ​​the service satellite.

[0026] In one possible design, the reference position of the service satellite is the sub-satellite point of the service satellite or the center point of the ground coverage area of ​​the service satellite.

[0027] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, including:

[0028] a receiving module, configured to receive first ephemeris information of a serving satellite sent by a network device, wherein the first ephemeris information includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate a threshold value of a coverage edge wave position of the serving satellite;

[0029] The processing module is configured to determine whether to start acquiring other system information OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wavelength based on the first ephemeris information, where the OSI is related to mobility management.

[0030] In one possible design, the first ephemeris information also includes the ephemeris of the service satellite, and the processing module is further used to determine the horizontal distance component and the vertical distance component between the terminal device and the reference position of the service satellite based on its own position information and the ephemeris of the service satellite; and determine whether to start obtaining the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position based on the horizontal distance component, the vertical distance component and the first indication information.

[0031] In one possible design, the first indication information includes a horizontal distance threshold and a vertical distance threshold;

[0032] The processing module is further configured to, when the horizontal distance component is greater than or equal to the horizontal distance threshold value, or the vertical distance threshold value is greater than or equal to the vertical distance threshold value, determine that the terminal device is located at the coverage edge wave position of the service satellite, and initiate acquisition of the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position; and when the horizontal distance component is less than the horizontal distance threshold value, and the vertical distance threshold value is less than the vertical distance threshold value, determine that the terminal device is not located at the coverage edge wave position of the service satellite, and do not initiate acquisition of the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position.

[0033] In one possible design, the reference position of the service satellite is the sub-satellite point of the service satellite or the center point of the ground coverage area of ​​the service satellite.

[0034] In one possible design, the first ephemeris information further includes the ephemeris of the serving satellite.

[0035] The processing module is further configured to determine a first distance between the terminal device and the service satellite based on its own location information and the ephemeris of the service satellite; and determine whether to start acquiring the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position based on the first distance and the first indication information.

[0036] In one possible design, the first indication information includes a first distance threshold;

[0037] The processing module is further configured to, when the first distance is greater than or equal to the first distance threshold value, determine that the terminal device is located at the coverage edge wave position of the service satellite, and initiate acquisition of the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position; and when the first distance is less than the first distance threshold value, determine that the terminal device is not located at the coverage edge wave position of the service satellite, and not initiate acquisition of the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position.

[0038] In one possible design, the first ephemeris information further includes the ephemeris of the serving satellite.

[0039] The processing module is further used to determine a first angle between a line connecting the terminal device and the service satellite and a tangent to the earth's surface based on its own position information and the ephemeris of the service satellite; and determine whether to start acquiring the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position based on the first angle and the first indication information.

[0040] In one possible design, the first indication information includes an elevation angle threshold;

[0041] The processing module is further used to determine that the terminal device is at the coverage edge wave position of the service satellite when the first angle is less than or equal to the elevation angle threshold value, and start obtaining the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position; when the first angle is greater than the elevation angle threshold value, determine that the terminal device is not at the coverage edge wave position of the service satellite, and do not start obtaining the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position.

[0042] In one possible design, the first ephemeris information further includes ephemeris and coverage information of the serving satellite.

[0043] The processing module is further used to determine the ground coverage area of ​​the service satellite based on the ephemeris of the service satellite and the coverage range information; determine the minimum distance between the terminal device and the edge of the ground coverage area based on its own position information and the ground coverage area; and determine whether to start obtaining other system information OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position based on the minimum distance and the first indication information.

[0044] In one possible design, the first indication information includes a second distance threshold value;

[0045] The processing module is further configured to, when the minimum distance is less than or equal to the second distance threshold value, determine that the terminal device is located at the coverage edge wave position of the service satellite, and initiate acquisition of the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position; and when the minimum distance is greater than the second distance threshold value, determine that the terminal device is not located at the coverage edge wave position of the service satellite, and not initiate acquisition of the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position.

[0046] In one possible design, the coverage range information includes at least one of the following information: a maximum scanning angle, a coverage radius, a maximum horizontal scanning angle, a maximum vertical scanning angle, a horizontal coverage width, or a vertical coverage width.

[0047] In one possible design, the processing module is also used to obtain cell reselection parameters and / or second ephemeris information of neighboring satellites from the OSI; and perform cell reselection or cell switching based on the cell reselection parameters and / or the second ephemeris information.

[0048] The operations and beneficial effects performed by the communication device can refer to the method and beneficial effects described in the first aspect above, and the repeated parts will be omitted.

[0049] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, including:

[0050] a sending module, configured to send first ephemeris information of a serving satellite, where the first ephemeris information includes first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate a threshold value of a coverage edge position of the serving satellite;

[0051] The sending module is further configured to broadcast other system information OSI at the coverage edge wave position, where the OSI is related to mobility management.

[0052] In one possible design, the first ephemeris information also includes at least one of the following information: the ephemeris of the service satellite, or the coverage information of the service satellite.

[0053] In one possible design, the first indication information includes at least one item of the following information: a horizontal distance threshold value and a vertical distance threshold value between the terminal device and the reference position of the service satellite, an elevation angle threshold value between the line between the terminal device and the service satellite and the tangent line of the earth's surface, a first distance threshold value between the terminal device and the service satellite, and a second distance threshold value between the terminal device and the edge of the ground coverage area of ​​the service satellite.

[0054] In one possible design, the reference position of the service satellite is the sub-satellite point of the service satellite or the center point of the ground coverage area of ​​the service satellite.

[0055] The operations and beneficial effects performed by the communication device can refer to the method and beneficial effects described in the second aspect above, and the repeated parts will be omitted.

[0056] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which includes a processor and a memory, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program; the processor is used to execute the computer program stored in the memory, so that the communication device performs the method as described in any one of the first aspects.

[0057] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program; the processor is used to execute the computer program stored in the memory so that the communication device performs a method as described in any one of the second aspects.

[0058] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which may be a terminal device, a device in a terminal device, or a device that can be used in conjunction with a terminal device. The communication device may also be a chip system. The communication device may execute the method described in the first aspect. The functions of the communication device may be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software implementations. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions. The module may be software and / or hardware. The operations and beneficial effects performed by the communication device may refer to the method and beneficial effects described in the first aspect above, and any repetitions will not be repeated.

[0059] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which may be a network device, a device in a network device, or a device that can be used in conjunction with a network device. The communication device may also be a chip system. The communication device may execute the method described in the second aspect. The functions of the communication device may be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software implementations. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions. The module may be software and / or hardware. The operations and beneficial effects performed by the communication device may refer to the method and beneficial effects described in the second aspect above, and any repetitions will not be repeated.

[0060] In a ninth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program. When the computer program is executed, the method described in any one of the first and second aspects is implemented.

[0061] In a tenth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product comprising a computer program, which, when executed, enables the method described in any one of the first and second aspects to be implemented.

[0062] In the eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, which includes at least one terminal device and at least one network device, the terminal device is used to execute the steps in the above-mentioned first aspect, and the network device is used to execute the steps in the above-mentioned second aspect.

[0063] In a twelfth aspect, a chip is provided, which includes a processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is used to communicate with an external device or an internal device, and the processor is used to implement the methods in the above aspects.

[0064] In one possible design, the chip may further include a memory storing a computer program or instructions, and the processor is configured to execute the computer program or instructions stored in the memory, or other programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are executed, the processor is configured to implement the aforementioned various aspects of the method.

[0065] In one possible design, the chip can be integrated into a terminal device or a network device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0066] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system 100 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] FIG2A is a schematic diagram of an NTN scenario based on a transparent payload;

[0068] FIG2B is a schematic diagram of an NTN scenario based on a regenerative payload;

[0069] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of satellite coverage;

[0070] FIG4 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0071] FIG5A is a schematic diagram of a rectangular coverage scene;

[0072] FIG5B is a schematic diagram of another rectangular coverage scenario;

[0073] FIG6A is a schematic diagram of a circular coverage scene;

[0074] FIG6B is a schematic diagram of another circular coverage scenario;

[0075] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a non-circular coverage scenario;

[0076] FIG8 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0077] FIG9 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0078] FIG10 is a schematic structural diagram of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0079] FIG11 is a schematic structural diagram of a network device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0080] As shown in Figure 1, Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system 100 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication system 100 may include at least one network device (110a, 110b, 110c) and may also include at least one terminal device (120a-120g). The network device and the terminal device may be connected to each other via wired or wireless means. Figure 1 is only a schematic diagram, and the communication system may also include other network devices, such as wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices.

[0081] The network device provided in the embodiments of the present application may be an access network device, such as a base station, a Node B, an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation Node B (gNB) in a fifth generation (5G) mobile communication system, an access network device in an open radio access network (O-RAN or open RAN), a next generation base station in a sixth generation (6G) mobile communication system, or a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. Alternatively, the network device may be a module or unit that performs part of the functions of a base station, for example, a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a centralized unit control plane (CU-CP) module, or a centralized unit user plane (CU-UP) module. The network device may be a satellite (such as a satellite base station in FIG1 ) or a macro base station (such as 110 b in FIG1 ). The access network device may also be a micro base station or an indoor station (such as 110 c in FIG1 ), or a relay node or a donor node. This application does not limit the specific technology and specific device form used by the access network device.

[0082] The terminal device provided in the embodiments of the present application may also be referred to as a terminal, including but not limited to user equipment (UE), mobile station, or mobile terminal. The terminal device can be widely used in various communication scenarios. The scenarios include, but are not limited to, at least one of the following: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), massive machine-type communications (mMTC), device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearable, smart transportation, or smart city. The terminal device may be a mobile phone (such as mobile phones 120a, 120d, and 120f in FIG1 ), a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver capabilities (such as computer 120g in FIG1 ), a wearable device, a vehicle (such as 120b in FIG1 ), a drone, a helicopter, an airplane (such as 120c in FIG1 ), a ship, a robot, a robotic arm, or a smart home device (such as printer 120e in FIG1 ). This application does not limit the specific technology and specific device form used by the terminal device.

[0083] The base station and / or terminal device can be fixed or movable. The base station and / or terminal device can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; or can be deployed on the water surface; or can be deployed on aircraft, balloons and artificial satellites in the air. This application does not limit the environment / scenario in which the base station and terminal device are located. The base station and terminal device can be deployed in the same or different environments / scenarios, for example, the base station and terminal device are deployed on land at the same time; or the base station is deployed on land and the terminal device is deployed on water surface, etc., and no further examples are given.

[0084] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as long term evolution (LTE) systems, 5G systems or new radio (NR), non-terrestrial networks (NTN), and future communication systems such as the sixth generation mobile communication system. This application is not limited to this.

[0085] NR system messages can be divided into three types: master information block (MIB), system information block 1 (SIB1), and other system information (OSI).

[0086] The MIB is system information that the UE must obtain immediately after completing cell search and frequency / time synchronization. The MIB is broadcast via the broadcast channel (BCH). The BCH and synchronization channels (primary synchronization signal (PSS) / secondary synchronization signal (SSS)) are combined into a single block called the SS Block (SSB). The MIB is mandatory system information broadcast by each cell.

[0087] After obtaining the MIB, the UE must obtain the next system message SIB1. The information contained in SIB1 does not need to be repeated with the information contained in the MIB. SIB1 is broadcast on the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) and mainly contains the following types of information: (1) Cell selection parameters: necessary information for the UE to determine whether the signal of this cell meets the cell residence conditions; (2) Access control parameters: necessary information for the UE to determine whether a certain type of access service is allowed to be initiated; (3) Channel configuration information related to initial access: channel configuration information required for the random access process; (4) System message request configuration information; (5) Scheduling information for other system messages; (6) Other information, such as whether Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services are supported.

[0088] OSI includes SIB2 to SIB21, among which OSI related to mobility management includes: (1) SIB2: common parameters for cell reselection; (2) SIB3: neighboring cell parameters for intra-frequency cell reselection; (3) SIB4: neighboring cell parameters for inter-frequency cell reselection; (4) SIB5: neighboring cell parameters for inter-radio access technology (RAT) cell reselection; (5) SIB19: ephemeris information, including local star ephemeris and neighboring star ephemeris.

[0089] The UE obtains the MIB, SIB1, and OSI in chronological order. The MIB is broadcast along with the SSB. After the UE obtains the SSB through blind detection, it can obtain the MIB. The MIB contains the search space parameter configuration for the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) of SIB1. After obtaining the MIB, the UE detects the PDCCH based on the search space parameter configuration of SIB1's PDCCH to obtain SIB1. SIB1 contains the scheduling information for the OSI. Finally, the UE obtains the scheduling information for the OSI from SIB1 and receives the OSI based on the scheduling information.

[0090] If the content of the system message is updated, the network device needs to notify the UE to update the system message. The system message update mechanism of NR is carried out through paging. UEs in the radio resource control (RRC) idle state and RRC inactive state always monitor their own paging opportunities. UEs in the RRC connected state will monitor all paging opportunities. If the network device needs to update system information related to public safety, the paging notification will also include a public warning system (PWS) flag. This flag will enable the UE to immediately perform the system information acquisition process when it receives the system message update notification. Other system information is generally obtained in the next system message update period to maintain time synchronization with the network equipment. The system message update period is generally an integer multiple of the discontinuous reception (DRX) period.

[0091] Typical scenarios for NTN networks providing user equipment access include transparent payload and regenerative payload scenarios. Figure 2A illustrates a transparent payload-based NTN scenario. A transparent payload modifies the frequency carrier of the uplink radio frequency (RF) signal, filtering and amplifying it before downlink transmission. This payload only has an RF processing unit and does not perform baseband demodulation, decoding, or other processing. Therefore, the signal waveform remains unchanged and is repeated. Figure 2B illustrates a regenerative payload-based NTN scenario. A regenerative payload transforms and amplifies the uplink RF signal before downlink transmission. Signal transformation refers to digital processing, which can include demodulation, decoding, re-encoding, remodulation, and / or filtering. This effectively corresponds to a satellite (or UAS platform) with all or some base station functions (such as a gNB).

[0092] Among them, the NTN network usually has the following elements: 1. There are one or more gateways connecting the NTN network and the public data network. 2. Feeder link: The wireless link between the gateway and the satellite (or UAS platform). 3. Service link: The wireless link between the user equipment and the satellite (or UAS platform). 4. Satellite (or UAS platform), to realize transparent payload and regenerative payload. 5. Whether the satellite constellation has an inter-satellite link (ISL) is optional. The inter-satellite link requires that the satellite is a regenerative payload, that is, if there is an inter-satellite link, the satellite must be a regenerative payload. ISL can operate in RF frequency or optical band. 6. The UE is served by the satellite (or UAS platform) within the target service area.

[0093] Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of satellite coverage. One of the most notable features of satellite communications is its large coverage area. Referring to the system parameters in TR 38.821, assuming a satellite orbit altitude of 600 km and a scan angle of 52.3° (the terminal device's elevation angle is 30°), the coverage radius is approximately 850 km, and the coverage area is approximately 227,000 square kilometers. The coverage radius of a single satellite beam is 25 km (S-band, sub-satellite point), covering an area of ​​approximately 2,000 square kilometers. A maximum of 1,135 beams are required to achieve full coverage.

[0094] NR's system information broadcasting method is similar to LTE. The MIB transmission period is 80ms, and the SIB1 transmission period is variable, with a maximum of no more than 160ms. Other SIBs are combined to form an OSI for broadcast. OSI is broadcast in a fixed-length window in the time domain at a certain period and does not overlap with each other. A specific UE identifier, the system information radio network temporary identity (SI-RNTI), is convolved on the PDCCH that schedules SIB1 and OSI. However, in a single-satellite single-cell scenario, the number of wavelets within the satellite coverage is large (up to 1135), and OSI is broadcast on all wavelets within the satellite coverage, resulting in large resource overhead.

[0095] In order to solve the above technical problems, the embodiments of the present application provide the following solutions.

[0096] As shown in FIG4 , FIG4 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method mainly includes the following steps:

[0097] S401: A network device sends first ephemeris information of a serving satellite, where the first ephemeris information includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate a threshold value of a coverage edge wave position of the serving satellite.

[0098] Specifically, the network device can broadcast the first ephemeris information of the service satellite in all wave positions within the ground coverage area of ​​the service satellite, and the terminal device can receive the first ephemeris information after selecting, reselecting or switching to the cell of the network device. Among them, the first ephemeris information can be included in SIB19, and the first ephemeris information can also include the ephemeris of the service satellite. The ephemeris of the service satellite can be used to determine the position of the service satellite. The ephemeris can be an orbital parameter ephemeris or a position and velocity state vector ephemeris. The orbital parameter ephemeris includes parameters such as the semi-major axis, eccentricity, argument of periapsis, longitude of ascending node, inclination, and mean anomaly of the reference time (epoch time). The velocity state vector ephemeris includes the 3D position vector and 3D velocity vector of the satellite at the reference time. Optionally, the first ephemeris information can also include coverage information of the service satellite, or timing advance adjustment amount, etc. The coverage range information includes at least one of the following information: maximum scanning angle, coverage radius, maximum horizontal scanning angle, maximum vertical scanning angle, horizontal coverage width, or vertical coverage width.

[0099] The ground coverage area of ​​the service satellite may be in the shape of a circle, a rectangle or other irregular shapes. Correspondingly, the coverage edge wave position may be in the shape of a circle, a rectangle or other irregular shapes.

[0100] Optionally, the network device can broadcast the MIB and SIB1 on all wavebands within the ground coverage area of ​​the serving satellite. After selecting, reselecting, or switching to the cell of the network device, the terminal device can receive the MIB and SIB1. The MIB is broadcast along with the SSB. The terminal device can obtain the MIB after obtaining the SSB through blind detection. Then, the search space parameter configuration of the PDCCH of SIB1 is obtained from the MIB. Based on the search space parameter configuration of the PDCCH of SIB1, SIB1 is obtained by detecting the PDCCH. Finally, the scheduling information of the OSI is obtained from SIB1 so that the OSI can be received later through the scheduling information.

[0101] S402: The network device broadcasts other system information OSI at the coverage edge wavelength, where the OSI is related to mobility management.

[0102] It should be noted that the network device does not need to broadcast OSI in all wavelengths within the ground coverage area of ​​the service satellite, but only broadcasts OSI in wavelengths at the coverage edge of the service satellite, thereby reducing the overhead of broadcast resources.

[0103] S403: The terminal device determines whether to start acquiring other system information OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wavelength based on the first ephemeris information.

[0104] In one implementation, in a scenario where the ground coverage area of ​​the serving satellite is rectangular, the first indication information includes a horizontal distance threshold and a vertical distance threshold. The horizontal distance threshold is the minimum horizontal distance between the serving satellite's reference position and the coverage edge of the broadcast OSI, and the vertical distance threshold is the minimum vertical distance between the serving satellite's reference position and the coverage edge of the broadcast OSI. The serving satellite's reference position is the sub-satellite point of the serving satellite (in an earth-moving scenario) or the center of the serving satellite's ground coverage area (in an earth-fixed scenario).

[0105] Specifically, the terminal device can determine the horizontal distance component and vertical distance component between the terminal device and the reference position of the service satellite based on its own position information and the ephemeris of the service satellite; and then determine whether to start obtaining the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position based on the horizontal distance component, the vertical distance component and the first indication information.

[0106] Furthermore, when the horizontal distance component is greater than or equal to a horizontal distance threshold, or the vertical distance threshold is greater than or equal to a vertical distance threshold, the terminal device is determined to be in the coverage edge beamform of the serving satellite. If the terminal device is in the coverage edge beamform of the serving satellite and does not have a valid OSI, the process of acquiring the OSI broadcast by the network device in the coverage edge beamform is initiated. When the horizontal distance component is less than the horizontal distance threshold, and the vertical distance threshold is less than the vertical distance threshold, the terminal device is determined to be not in the coverage edge beamform of the serving satellite. If the terminal device is not in the coverage edge beamform of the serving satellite or has a valid OSI, the process of acquiring the OSI broadcast by the network device in the coverage edge beamform is not initiated. The absence of a valid OSI indicates that the OSI has not been acquired, has changed, or the ephemeris of the neighboring satellite has expired. The presence of a valid OSI indicates that the OSI has been acquired, has not changed, or the ephemeris of the neighboring satellite has not expired. Since the OSI acquisition process is initiated only when the terminal device is in the coverage edge beamform, the network device does not need to page the terminal device to receive the OSI, thereby reducing paging overhead.

[0107] For example, as shown in Figure 5A, Figure 5A is a schematic diagram of a rectangular coverage scene. Area 1 is the ground coverage area of ​​the service satellite, Area 2 is the coverage center area within the ground coverage area, the coverage edge wave position is the wave position of (Area 1-Area 2), and the four sides of the rectangle are all coverage edge wave positions. As shown in Figure 5B, Figure 5B is a schematic diagram of another rectangular coverage scene. Area 1 is the ground coverage area of ​​the service satellite, Area 2 is the coverage center area within the ground coverage area, the coverage edge wave position is the wave position of (Area 1-Area 2), the three sides of the rectangle are coverage edge wave positions, and there is no coverage edge wave position at one of the sides of the rectangle. Of course, there can also be coverage edge wave positions at two of the sides of the rectangle, and there is no coverage edge wave at the other two sides of the rectangle. The coverage edge wave position can also be in other forms, and this application is not limited thereto.

[0108] The network device can broadcast the first ephemeris information at all wavebands within Region 1 and broadcast the OSI at the coverage edge waveband (Region 1-Region 2). The horizontal distance threshold is the minimum horizontal distance d_th1 from the center point of the ground coverage area to the coverage edge waveband, and the vertical distance threshold is the minimum vertical distance d_th2 from the center point of the ground coverage area to the coverage edge waveband. The distance between the terminal device and the center point of the ground coverage area is d, where the horizontal distance component is d1 and the vertical distance component is d2. For the coverage edge waveband shown in Figure 5A, the vertical component d2 calculated by the terminal device is parallel to the direction of satellite motion and is a scalar. For the coverage edge waveband shown in Figure 5B, the positive direction of the vertical component d2 calculated by the terminal device is opposite to the direction of satellite motion and is a vector. As can be seen from the figure, the horizontal distance component d1 is less than the horizontal distance threshold d_th1, and the vertical distance component d2 is less than the vertical distance threshold d_th2, which means that the terminal device is not at the coverage edge waveband of the serving satellite and does not initiate acquisition of the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge waveband.

[0109] In another implementation, in a scenario where the ground coverage area of ​​the service satellite is circular, the first indication information includes a first distance threshold value or an elevation threshold value. The first distance threshold value may be a distance threshold value between the terminal device and the service satellite, or a distance threshold value between the terminal device and the reference position of the service satellite, or a distance threshold value between the terminal device and the edge of the ground coverage area of ​​the service satellite. The elevation threshold value may be an angle threshold value between a line connecting the terminal device to the service satellite and a tangent line to the earth's surface, and the range of the elevation threshold value is [0°, 90°]. The reference position of the service satellite is the sub-satellite point of the service satellite (earth-moving scenario) or the center point of the ground coverage area of ​​the service satellite (earth-fixed scenario).

[0110] When the first distance threshold is the distance threshold between the terminal device and the serving satellite, the terminal device can determine the first distance between the terminal device and the serving satellite based on its own location information and the ephemeris of the serving satellite. Then, based on the first distance and the first indication information, it is determined whether to initiate acquisition of the OSI broadcast by the network device at the edge-of-coverage waveband. Furthermore, when the first distance is greater than or equal to the first distance threshold, the terminal device is determined to be at the edge-of-coverage waveband of the serving satellite. If the terminal device is at the edge-of-coverage waveband of the serving satellite and does not have a valid OSI, acquisition of the OSI broadcast by the network device at the edge-of-coverage waveband is initiated. When the first distance is less than the first distance threshold, the terminal device is determined not to be at the edge-of-coverage waveband of the serving satellite. If the terminal device is not at the edge-of-coverage waveband of the serving satellite or has a valid OSI, acquisition of the OSI broadcast by the network device at the edge-of-coverage waveband is not initiated. Since the OSI acquisition process is initiated only when the terminal device is at the edge-of-coverage waveband, the network device does not need to page the terminal device to receive the OSI, thereby reducing paging overhead.

[0111] For example, as shown in FIG6A , FIG6A is a schematic diagram of a circular coverage scenario. Area 1 is the ground coverage area of ​​the service satellite, area 2 is the coverage center area within the ground coverage area, the coverage edge wave position is the (area 1-area 2) wave position, and the periphery of the circular edge is the coverage edge wave position. The network device can broadcast the first ephemeris information at all wave positions within area 1 and broadcast the OSI at the coverage edge (area 1-area 2) wave position. The first distance threshold value is the distance threshold value d_thr between the terminal device and the service satellite, that is, if the first distance d between the terminal device and the service satellite is greater than or equal to d_thr, the terminal device is considered to be at the coverage edge wave position, and the OSI acquisition process can be initiated. If the first distance d between the terminal device and the service satellite is less than d_thr, the terminal device is considered to be at the coverage center wave position, and the OSI acquisition process is not initiated.

[0112] When the first distance threshold is the distance threshold between the terminal device and the reference position of the serving satellite, the terminal device can determine a second distance between the terminal device and the reference position of the serving satellite based on its own location information and the ephemeris of the serving satellite. Then, based on the second distance and the first indication information, it is determined whether to initiate acquisition of the OSI broadcast by the network device at the edge of coverage. Furthermore, when the second distance is greater than or equal to the first distance threshold, it is determined that the terminal device is at the edge of coverage of the serving satellite. If the terminal device is at the edge of coverage of the serving satellite and does not have a valid OSI, acquisition of the OSI broadcast by the network device at the edge of coverage is initiated. When the second distance is less than the first distance threshold, it is determined that the terminal device is not at the edge of coverage of the serving satellite. If the terminal device is not at the edge of coverage of the serving satellite or has a valid OSI, acquisition of the OSI broadcast by the network device at the edge of coverage is not initiated. Since the OSI acquisition process is only initiated when the terminal device is at the edge of coverage, the network device does not need to page the terminal device to receive the OSI, thereby reducing paging overhead.

[0113] When the first distance threshold is the distance threshold for the edge of the ground coverage area between the terminal device and the serving satellite, the terminal device can determine the ground coverage area of ​​the serving satellite based on the ephemeris and coverage information of the serving satellite, and then determine a third distance between the terminal device and the edge of the ground coverage area based on its own location information and the ground coverage area. The coverage information may include the maximum scanning angle of the serving satellite, and the third distance is the minimum distance from the terminal device to the edge of the ground coverage area. Based on the third distance and the first indication information, a determination is made as to whether to initiate acquisition of other system information (OSI) broadcast by network devices at the edge of coverage. Furthermore, when the third distance is less than or equal to the first distance threshold, the terminal device is determined to be at the edge of coverage of the serving satellite. If the terminal device is at the edge of coverage of the serving satellite and does not have a valid OSI, acquisition of the OSI broadcast by the network device at the edge of coverage is initiated. When the second distance is greater than the first distance threshold, the terminal device is determined not to be at the edge of coverage of the serving satellite. If the terminal device is not at the edge of coverage of the serving satellite or has a valid OSI, acquisition of the OSI broadcast by the network device at the edge of coverage is not initiated. Since the terminal device starts the OSI acquisition process only when it is at the coverage edge, the network device does not need to page the terminal device to receive the OSI, which reduces the paging overhead.

[0114] In addition, the terminal device can determine a first angle between the line connecting the terminal device and the service satellite and a tangent to the earth's surface based on its own location information and the ephemeris of the service satellite; and determine whether to initiate acquisition of the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge waveband based on the first angle and the first indication information. Further, when the first angle is less than or equal to the elevation angle threshold value, it is determined that the terminal device is at the coverage edge waveband of the service satellite. If the terminal device is at the coverage edge waveband of the service satellite and there is no valid OSI, acquisition of the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge waveband is initiated. When the first angle is greater than the elevation angle threshold value, it is determined that the terminal device is not at the coverage edge waveband of the service satellite. If the terminal device is not at the coverage edge waveband of the service satellite or there is no valid OSI, acquisition of the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge waveband is not initiated.

[0115] For example, as shown in FIG6B , FIG6B is a schematic diagram of another circular coverage scenario. Area 1 is the ground coverage area of ​​the service satellite, and Area 2 is the coverage center area within the ground coverage area. The coverage edge wave position is the (area 1-area 2) wave position, and there are coverage edge wave positions at the periphery of the circle. The network device can broadcast the first ephemeris information at all wave positions within Area 1 and broadcast the OSI at the coverage edge (area 1-area 2) wave position. The elevation angle threshold value is the angle threshold value q_thr between the line between the terminal device and the service satellite and the tangent of the earth's surface. That is, if the first angle q between the line between the terminal device and the service satellite and the tangent of the earth's surface is less than or equal to q_thr, the terminal device is considered to be at the coverage edge wave position, and the OSI acquisition process can be initiated. If the first angle q between the line between the terminal device and the service satellite and the tangent of the earth's surface is greater than or equal to q_thr, the terminal device is considered to be at the coverage center wave position, and the OSI acquisition process is not initiated.

[0116] In another implementation, if the ground coverage area of ​​the serving satellite is non-circular, the first indication information includes a second distance threshold value, which is the distance threshold value between the terminal device and the edge of the ground coverage area of ​​the serving satellite. The first ephemeris information also includes ephemeris and coverage information of the serving satellite. For example, if the ground coverage area is rectangular, the coverage information may include a maximum horizontal scan angle and a maximum vertical scan angle.

[0117] Specifically, the terminal device can determine the ground coverage area of ​​the serving satellite based on the serving satellite's ephemeris and coverage information; then, based on its own location information and the ground coverage area, determine the minimum distance between the terminal device and the edge of the ground coverage area; and, based on the minimum distance and the first indication information, determine whether to initiate acquisition of other system information (OSI) broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge waveband. Furthermore, when the minimum distance is less than or equal to a second distance threshold, the terminal device is determined to be at the coverage edge waveband of the serving satellite. If the terminal device is at the coverage edge waveband of the serving satellite and does not have a valid OSI, acquisition of the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge waveband is initiated. When the minimum distance is greater than the second distance threshold, the terminal device is determined not to be at the coverage edge waveband of the serving satellite. If the terminal device is not at the coverage edge waveband of the serving satellite or has a valid OSI, acquisition of the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge waveband is not initiated. Since the OSI acquisition process is only initiated when the terminal device is at the coverage edge waveband, the network device does not need to page the terminal device to receive the OSI, thereby reducing paging overhead.

[0118] For example, as shown in Figure 7, Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a non-circular coverage scenario. Area 1 is the ground coverage area of ​​the service satellite, Area 2 is the coverage center area within the ground coverage area, the coverage edge wave position is the (area 1-area 2) wave position, and the edge positions around the rectangle are all coverage edge wave positions. The network device can broadcast the first ephemeris information at all wave positions within Area 1 and broadcast the OSI at the coverage edge wave position (area 1-area 2). The second distance threshold value is the distance threshold value d_thr between the terminal device and the edge of the ground coverage area of ​​the service satellite. That is, if the minimum distance d between the terminal device and the edge of the ground coverage area of ​​the service satellite is less than or equal to d_thr, the terminal device is considered to be at the coverage edge wave position, and the OSI acquisition process is initiated. If the minimum distance d between the terminal device and the edge of the ground coverage area of ​​the service satellite is greater than d_thr, the terminal device is considered to be at the coverage center wave position, and the OSI acquisition process is not initiated.

[0119] Optionally, the terminal device may receive an OSI based on the scheduling information obtained from the SIB1, and then obtain cell reselection parameters and / or second ephemeris information of the neighboring satellite from the OSI. Based on the cell reselection parameters or the second ephemeris information, the terminal device may perform cell reselection or cell handover to reselect or handover to the cell of the neighboring satellite, thereby ensuring the communication quality between the terminal device and the satellite. The cell reselection parameters may include common parameters for cell reselection, neighboring cell parameters for intra-frequency cell reselection, neighboring cell parameters for frequency cell reselection, or neighboring cell parameters for inter-RAT cell reselection.

[0120] In this embodiment of the present application, the network device broadcasts mobility management-related OSIs only in the coverage-edge wavelengths of the serving satellite, thereby reducing broadcast resource overhead and not affecting the terminal device's ability to perform cell reselection or conditional handover. The terminal device determines whether it is in the coverage-edge wavelength based on the threshold for being in the coverage-edge wavelength of the serving satellite, as indicated by the first indication information. If the terminal device is in the coverage-edge wavelength, the OSI acquisition process is initiated. The network device does not need to page the terminal to receive the OSI, thus reducing paging overhead. If the terminal device is not in the coverage-edge wavelength, the OSI acquisition process is not initiated, thus reducing the terminal device's power consumption.

[0121] It can be understood that in the above-mentioned method embodiments, the methods and operations implemented by the terminal device can also be implemented by components that can be used for the terminal device (such as chips or circuits), and the methods and operations implemented by the network device can also be implemented by components that can be used for the network device (such as chips or circuits).

[0122] In the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device or network device can be divided into functional modules according to the above method example. For example, each functional module can be divided corresponding to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above-mentioned integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It should be noted that the division of modules in the embodiment of the present application is schematic and is only a logical functional division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. The following is an example of dividing each functional module corresponding to each function.

[0123] The method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail above in conjunction with FIG4 . Below, the communication device provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail in conjunction with FIG8 and FIG9 . It should be understood that the description of the device embodiment corresponds to the description of the method embodiment. Therefore, for matters not described in detail, reference can be made to the method embodiment above. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0124] 8 , which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device may include a receiving module 801 and a processing module 802 .

[0125] The communication device can implement the steps or processes corresponding to those performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments, and can be, for example, a terminal device, or a chip or circuit configured in the terminal device. The receiving module 801 is used to perform the transmission and reception related operations on the terminal device side of the above method embodiments, and the processing module 802 is used to perform the processing related operations of the terminal device in the above method embodiments.

[0126] A receiving module 801 is configured to receive first ephemeris information of a serving satellite sent by a network device, where the first ephemeris information includes first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate a threshold value of a coverage edge position of the serving satellite;

[0127] The processing module 802 is configured to determine whether to start acquiring other system information OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wavelength based on the first ephemeris information, where the OSI is related to mobility management.

[0128] Optionally, the first ephemeris information also includes the ephemeris of the service satellite, and the processing module 802 is further used to determine the horizontal distance component and the vertical distance component between the terminal device and the reference position of the service satellite based on its own position information and the ephemeris of the service satellite; and determine whether to start obtaining the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position based on the horizontal distance component, the vertical distance component and the first indication information.

[0129] Optionally, the first indication information includes a horizontal distance threshold value and a vertical distance threshold value; the processing module 802 is further used to determine that the terminal device is at the coverage edge wave position of the service satellite when the horizontal distance component is greater than or equal to the horizontal distance threshold value, or the vertical distance threshold value is greater than or equal to the vertical distance threshold value, and start obtaining the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position; when the horizontal distance component is less than the horizontal distance threshold value and the vertical distance threshold value is less than the vertical distance threshold value, determine that the terminal device is not at the coverage edge wave position of the service satellite, and do not start obtaining the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position.

[0130] Optionally, the reference position of the service satellite is the sub-satellite point of the service satellite, or the center point of the ground coverage area of ​​the service satellite.

[0131] Optionally, the first ephemeris information also includes the ephemeris of the service satellite, and the processing module 802 is further used to determine the first distance between the terminal device and the service satellite based on its own position information and the ephemeris of the service satellite; and determine whether to start obtaining the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position based on the first distance and the first indication information.

[0132] Optionally, the first indication information includes a first distance threshold value; the processing module is further used to determine that the terminal device is at the coverage edge wave position of the service satellite when the first distance is greater than or equal to the first distance threshold value, and start obtaining the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position; when the first distance is less than the first distance threshold value, determine that the terminal device is not at the coverage edge wave position of the service satellite, and do not start obtaining the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position.

[0133] Optionally, the first ephemeris information also includes the ephemeris of the service satellite, and the processing module 802 is further used to determine the first angle between the line between the terminal device and the service satellite and the tangent of the earth's surface based on its own position information and the ephemeris of the service satellite; and determine whether to start obtaining the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position based on the first angle and the first indication information.

[0134] Optionally, the first indication information includes an elevation angle threshold value; the processing module 802 is further used to determine that the terminal device is at the coverage edge wave position of the service satellite when the first angle is less than or equal to the elevation angle threshold value, and start obtaining the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position; when the first angle is greater than the elevation angle threshold value, determine that the terminal device is not at the coverage edge wave position of the service satellite, and do not start obtaining the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position.

[0135] Optionally, the first ephemeris information also includes the ephemeris and coverage information of the service satellite. The processing module 802 is further used to determine the ground coverage area of ​​the service satellite based on the ephemeris and coverage information of the service satellite; determine the minimum distance between the terminal device and the edge of the ground coverage area based on its own position information and the ground coverage area; and determine whether to start obtaining other system information OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position based on the minimum distance and the first indication information.

[0136] Optionally, the first indication information includes a second distance threshold value; the processing module 802 is further used to determine that the terminal device is at the coverage edge wave position of the service satellite when the minimum distance is less than or equal to the second distance threshold value, and start obtaining the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position; when the minimum distance is greater than the second distance threshold value, determine that the terminal device is not at the coverage edge wave position of the service satellite, and do not start obtaining the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position.

[0137] Optionally, the coverage range information includes at least one of the following information: maximum scanning angle, coverage radius, maximum horizontal scanning angle, maximum vertical scanning angle, horizontal coverage width, or vertical coverage width.

[0138] Optionally, the processing module 802 is further configured to obtain cell reselection parameters and / or second ephemeris information of a neighboring satellite from the OSI; and perform cell reselection or cell switching according to the cell reselection parameters and / or the second ephemeris information.

[0139] It should be noted that the implementation of each module may also correspond to the corresponding description of the method embodiment shown in FIG4 , and execute the method and functions executed by the terminal device in the above embodiment.

[0140] Please refer to Figure 9, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device may include a sending module 901. The communication device can implement the steps or processes performed by the network device in the above method embodiments. For example, it can be a network device, or a chip or circuit configured in the network device. The sending module 901 is used to perform the sending and receiving related operations on the network device side in the above method embodiments.

[0141] A sending module 901 is configured to send first ephemeris information of a serving satellite, where the first ephemeris information includes first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate a threshold value of a coverage edge position of the serving satellite;

[0142] The sending module 901 is further configured to broadcast other system information OSI at the coverage edge wave position, where the OSI is related to mobility management.

[0143] Optionally, the first ephemeris information further includes at least one of the following information: ephemeris of the service satellite, or coverage information of the service satellite.

[0144] Optionally, the first indication information includes at least one item of the following information: a horizontal distance threshold value and a vertical distance threshold value between the terminal device and the reference position of the service satellite, an elevation angle threshold value between the line between the terminal device and the service satellite and the tangent line of the earth's surface, a first distance threshold value between the terminal device and the service satellite, and a second distance threshold value between the terminal device and the edge of the ground coverage area of ​​the service satellite.

[0145] Optionally, the reference position of the service satellite is the sub-satellite point of the service satellite, or the center point of the ground coverage area of ​​the service satellite.

[0146] It should be noted that the implementation of each module may also correspond to the corresponding description of the method embodiment shown in FIG4 , and execute the method and functions executed by the network device in the above embodiment.

[0147] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The terminal device can be applied to the system shown in Figures 1, 2A and 2B to perform the functions of the terminal device in the above method embodiment, or to implement the steps or processes performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiment.

[0148] As shown in Figure 10, the terminal device includes a processor 1001 and a transceiver 1002. Optionally, the terminal device also includes a memory 1003. The processor 1001, transceiver 1002, and memory 1003 can communicate with each other via internal connection paths to transmit control and / or data signals. The memory 1003 is used to store computer programs, and the processor 1001 is used to call and execute the computer programs from the memory 1003 to control the transceiver 1002 to transmit and receive signals. Optionally, the terminal device may also include an antenna for transmitting uplink data or uplink control signaling output by the transceiver 1002 via wireless signals.

[0149] The processor 1001 and the memory 1003 may be combined into a processing device, and the processor 1001 is configured to execute program code stored in the memory 1003 to implement the aforementioned functions. In a specific implementation, the memory 1003 may also be integrated into the processor 1001 or independent of the processor 1001. The processor 1001 may correspond to the processing module in FIG8 .

[0150] The transceiver 1002 may correspond to the receiving module in FIG8 and may also be referred to as a transceiver unit or transceiver module. The transceiver 1002 may include a receiver (or receiver, receiving circuit) and a transmitter (or transmitter, transmitting circuit). The receiver is used to receive signals, and the transmitter is used to transmit signals.

[0151] It should be understood that the terminal device shown in FIG10 is capable of implementing the various processes involved in the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in FIG4 . The operations and / or functions of the various modules in the terminal device are respectively for implementing the corresponding processes in the above method embodiment. For details, please refer to the description of the above method embodiment. To avoid repetition, detailed description is omitted here.

[0152] The processor 1001 can be used to execute the actions implemented within the terminal device described in the previous method embodiments, while the transceiver 1002 can be used to execute the actions of the terminal device sending to or receiving from the terminal device described in the previous method embodiments. For details, please refer to the description of the previous method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0153] Processor 1001 may be a central processing unit (CPU), a general-purpose processor (GPOR), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic device (PLD), a transistor logic device (TLD), a hardware component, or any combination thereof. It may implement or execute the various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure of this application. Processor 1001 may also be a combination that implements computing functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, and so on. Communication bus 1004 may be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus or an Extended Industrial Standard Architecture (EISA) bus. These buses may be categorized as address buses, data buses, control buses, and so on. For ease of illustration, FIG10 shows only one bold line, but this does not imply that there is only one bus or type of bus. Communication bus 1004 is used to enable communication between these components. In the embodiment of this application, transceiver 1002 is used to communicate signaling or data with other node devices. The memory 1003 may include a volatile memory, such as nonvolatile dynamic random access memory (NVRAM), phase change random access memory (PRAM), magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), etc. It may also include a non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a flash memory device, such as NOR flash memory or NAND flash memory, a semiconductor device, such as a solid state disk (SSD), etc. The memory 1003 may optionally be at least one storage device located away from the aforementioned processor 1001. The memory 1003 may optionally also store a set of computer program codes or configuration information. Optionally, the processor 1001 may also execute the program stored in the memory 1003. The processor may cooperate with the memory and the transceiver to execute any one of the methods and functions of the terminal device in the above-mentioned application embodiment.

[0154] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The network device can be applied to the system shown in Figures 1, 2A and 2B to perform the functions of the network device in the above method embodiment, or to implement the steps or processes performed by the network device in the above method embodiment.

[0155] As shown in Figure 11, the network device includes a processor 1101 and a transceiver 1102. Optionally, the network device also includes a memory 1103. The processor 1101, transceiver 1102, and memory 1103 can communicate with each other via internal connection paths to transmit control and / or data signals. The memory 1103 is used to store computer programs, and the processor 1101 is used to call and execute the computer programs from the memory 1103 to control the transceiver 1102 to transmit and receive signals. Optionally, the network device may also include an antenna for transmitting uplink data or uplink control signaling output by the transceiver 1102 via wireless signals.

[0156] The processor 1101 and the memory 1103 may be combined into a processing device, and the processor 1101 is used to execute the program code stored in the memory 1103 to implement the above functions. In specific implementation, the memory 1103 may also be integrated into the processor 1101 or independent of the processor 1101.

[0157] The transceiver 1102 may correspond to the transmitting module in FIG9 and may also be referred to as a transceiver unit or a transceiver module. The transceiver 1102 may include a receiver (or receiver, receiving circuit) and a transmitter (or transmitter, transmitting circuit). The receiver is used to receive signals, and the transmitter is used to transmit signals.

[0158] It should be understood that the network device shown in FIG11 is capable of implementing each process related to the network device in the method embodiment shown in FIG4 . The operations and / or functions of each module in the network device are respectively for implementing the corresponding processes in the above method embodiment. For details, please refer to the description of the above method embodiment. To avoid repetition, detailed description is omitted here.

[0159] The processor 1101 can be used to execute the actions implemented within the network device described in the previous method embodiments, while the transceiver 1102 can be used to execute the actions of the network device sending to or receiving from the network device described in the previous method embodiments. For details, please refer to the description of the previous method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0160] The processor 1101 may be any of the aforementioned types of processors. The communication bus 1104 may be a PCI bus or an EISA bus. These buses may be classified as address buses, data buses, and control buses. For ease of illustration, FIG11 uses only one thick line, but this does not imply that there is only one bus or type of bus. The communication bus 1104 is used to enable communication between these components. The transceiver 1102 of the device in the embodiments of the present application is used to communicate signaling or data with other devices. The memory 1103 may be any of the aforementioned types of memory. The memory 1103 may optionally be at least one storage device located remotely from the processor 1101. The memory 1103 stores a set of computer program code or configuration information, and the processor 1101 executes the program in the memory 1103. The processor may cooperate with the memory and transceiver to perform any of the methods and functions of the network device in the aforementioned embodiments.

[0161] An embodiment of the present application also provides a chip system, which includes a processor for supporting a terminal device or a network device to implement the functions involved in any of the above embodiments, such as generating or processing the first ephemeris information involved in the above method.

[0162] In one possible design, the chip system may also include a memory for storing computer programs and data necessary for the terminal device or network device. The chip system may consist of a single chip or may include a chip and other discrete components. The inputs and outputs of the chip system correspond to the receive and transmit operations of the terminal device or network device in the method embodiment, respectively.

[0163] According to the method provided in the embodiments of the present application, the present application also provides a computer program product, which includes: a computer program, which, when running on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method of any one of the embodiments shown in Figure 4.

[0164] According to the method provided in the embodiments of the present application, the present application also provides a computer-readable medium, which stores a computer program. When the computer program runs on a computer, the computer executes the method of any one of the embodiments shown in Figure 4.

[0165] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the present application also provides a communication system, which includes one or more terminal devices and one or more network devices as mentioned above.

[0166] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) method. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrated therein. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a high-density digital video disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state disc (SSD)).

[0167] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Receiving first ephemeris information of a service satellite sent by a network device, where the first ephemeris information includes first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate a threshold value of a coverage edge wave position of the service satellite; Based on the first ephemeris information, it is determined whether to start acquiring other system information OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wavelength, where the OSI is related to mobility management.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first ephemeris information also includes the ephemeris of the service satellite, and the determining whether to start acquiring other system information OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position based on the first ephemeris information includes: Determine the horizontal distance component and the vertical distance component between the terminal device and the reference position of the service satellite according to its own position information and the ephemeris of the service satellite; Determine whether to start acquiring the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position according to the horizontal distance component, the vertical distance component and the first indication information.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The first indication information includes a horizontal distance threshold value and a vertical distance threshold value; and the determining whether to start acquiring the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position according to the horizontal distance component, the vertical distance component and the first indication information includes: When the horizontal distance component is greater than or equal to the horizontal distance threshold value, or the vertical distance threshold value is greater than or equal to the vertical distance threshold value, it is determined that the terminal device is located at the coverage edge wave position of the service satellite, and the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position is acquired; When the horizontal distance component is less than the horizontal distance threshold value and the vertical distance threshold value is less than the vertical distance threshold value, it is determined that the terminal device is not in the coverage edge wave position of the service satellite, and the acquisition of the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position is not started.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that The reference position of the service satellite is the sub-satellite point of the service satellite or the center point of the ground coverage area of ​​the service satellite.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first ephemeris information also includes the ephemeris of the service satellite, and the determining whether to start acquiring other system information OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position based on the first ephemeris information includes: Determine a first distance between the terminal device and the service satellite according to the terminal device's own position information and the ephemeris of the service satellite; Determine whether to start acquiring the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wavelength according to the first distance and the first indication information.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The first indication information includes a first distance threshold value; and determining whether to start acquiring the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position according to the first distance and the first indication information includes: When the first distance is greater than or equal to the first distance threshold, determining that the terminal device is at the coverage edge wave position of the service satellite, and starting to obtain the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position; When the first distance is less than the first distance threshold, it is determined that the terminal device is not in the coverage edge wave position of the service satellite, and acquisition of the OSI broadcast by the network device in the coverage edge wave position is not initiated.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first ephemeris information also includes the ephemeris of the service satellite, and the determining whether to start acquiring other system information OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position based on the first ephemeris information includes: Determine a first angle between a line between the terminal device and the service satellite and a tangent line to the earth's surface based on its own position information and the ephemeris of the service satellite; Determine whether to start acquiring the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position according to the first angle and the first indication information.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The first indication information includes an elevation angle threshold value; and determining whether to start acquiring the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position according to the first angle and the first indication information includes: When the first angle is less than or equal to the elevation angle threshold value, determining that the terminal device is at the coverage edge wave position of the service satellite, and starting to obtain the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position; When the first angle is greater than the elevation angle threshold, it is determined that the terminal device is not in the coverage edge wave position of the service satellite, and acquisition of the OSI broadcast by the network device in the coverage edge wave position is not started.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first ephemeris information also includes ephemeris and coverage information of the service satellite. The determining whether to start acquiring other system information OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position based on the first ephemeris information includes: Determining a ground coverage area of ​​the service satellite according to the ephemeris of the service satellite and the coverage range information; Determine the minimum distance between the terminal device and the edge of the ground coverage area according to the terminal device's own location information and the ground coverage area; According to the minimum distance and the first indication information, it is determined whether to start obtaining other system information OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wavelength.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The first indication information includes a second distance threshold value; and the determining whether to start acquiring other system information OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position according to the minimum distance and the first indication information includes: When the minimum distance is less than or equal to the second distance threshold, determining that the terminal device is at the coverage edge wave position of the service satellite, and starting to obtain the OSI broadcast by the network device at the coverage edge wave position; When the minimum distance is greater than the second distance threshold, it is determined that the terminal device is not in the coverage edge wave position of the service satellite, and acquisition of the OSI broadcast by the network device in the coverage edge wave position is not initiated.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that The coverage range information includes at least one of the following information: a maximum scanning angle, a coverage radius, a maximum horizontal scanning angle, a maximum vertical scanning angle, a horizontal coverage width, or a vertical coverage width.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Acquire cell reselection parameters and / or second ephemeris information of neighboring satellites from the OSI; Cell reselection or cell switching is performed according to the cell reselection parameter and / or the second ephemeris information.

13. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Sending first ephemeris information of a service satellite, where the first ephemeris information includes first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate a threshold value of a coverage edge wave position of the service satellite; Other system information OSI is broadcasted in the coverage edge wave, and the OSI is related to mobility management.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The first ephemeris information further includes at least one of the following information: the ephemeris of the service satellite, or the coverage information of the service satellite.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that The first indication information includes at least one of the following information: The horizontal distance threshold and vertical distance threshold of the reference position of the terminal device and the service satellite, the elevation angle threshold of the line between the terminal device and the service satellite and the tangent of the earth's surface, the first distance threshold between the terminal device and the service satellite, and the second distance threshold between the terminal device and the edge of the ground coverage area of ​​the service satellite.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The reference position of the service satellite is the sub-satellite point of the service satellite or the center point of the ground coverage area of ​​the service satellite.

17. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device comprises a memory and a processor, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor runs the computer program to enable the communication device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

18. A communication device, characterized in that: The device comprises a memory and a processor, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor runs the computer program to enable the communication device to perform the method according to any one of claims 13 to 16.

19. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium comprises a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 16 is implemented.

20. A chip, characterized in that: The chip includes a processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is used to communicate with an external device or an internal device, and the processor is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 1-16.

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