Access method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of communications, and in particular, to an access method and apparatus, aiming to reduce power consumption overheads of a terminal device during access to an NTN, improve access efficiency and improve user experience. The method comprises: a first communication apparatus (e.g., a terminal device) receiving first information, wherein the first information indicates M positions, the M positions correspond to M beams or SSBs, and the M beams or SSBs are beams or SSBs under an NTN, M being an integer greater than or equal to 1; and initiating access on the basis of N beams or SSBs among the M beams or SSBs, wherein the positions corresponding to the N beams or SSBs and the position of the first communication apparatus satisfy a certain positional relationship, and the N beams or SSBs belong to the M beams or SSBs, N being an integer greater than or equal to 1, and N being less than or equal to M.

Description

Access method and device

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China on December 4, 2023, with application number 202311656229.6 and application name "A Method and Device for Access", the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to an access method and device. Background Art

[0004] Non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) offer advantages such as wide coverage, long communication distances, high reliability, flexibility, high throughput, and immunity to geographical factors, climate conditions, and natural disasters. They have been widely used in aviation, maritime, and military communications. Introducing NTNs into mobile communication systems, such as new radio (NR) systems, not only provides communication services in areas difficult to reach by terrestrial networks (TNs), such as deserts, oceans, and forests, but also enhances communication reliability, providing more stable and high-quality communication services for users on trains, airplanes, and other modes of transportation, and providing more data transmission resources, such as supporting the connection of a larger number of terminal devices.

[0005] In the NR system, the entire cell can be covered by beam sweeping. For example, the network equipment can send only one or a few beam directions at a certain time, and send beams in different directions at multiple times to cover the directions required by the entire cell. The terminal device can determine the signal strength of the SSB on each beam by searching for the synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (SSB) carried by each beam, select the optimal beam to serve itself, and initiate access. However, for non-ground network equipment such as NTN satellites and high-altitude platforms, their coverage range is large and the number of beams sent is large. If the existing beam search to initiate access is still used, the terminal device will have a high power consumption overhead for blind detection in all directions, and the access time will be long, which will affect the user experience. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides an access method and apparatus to reduce power consumption overhead when a terminal device accesses an NTN, improve access efficiency, and enhance user experience.

[0007] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an access method, which can be executed by a first communication device, the method including: receiving first information, the first information indicating M positions, the M positions corresponding to M beams, the M beams being beams under NTN, and M being an integer greater than or equal to 1; initiating access based on N beams of the M beams, wherein the positions corresponding to the N beams satisfy a certain positional relationship with the position of the first communication device, the N beams belong to the M beams, N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and N is less than or equal to M.

[0008] In the above access method, the first communication device may be a terminal device, a component of the terminal device (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.), or a device used in conjunction with the terminal device, etc.

[0009] Through the above method, when the first communication device accesses the NTN, it can select some beams in the NTN cell whose corresponding positions satisfy a certain positional relationship with the position of the first communication device according to the position corresponding to the beam of the NTN cell and the position of the first communication device for detection, and select the optimal beam to initiate access. This can avoid the terminal device from blindly detecting all beams in the NTN cell, enable the terminal device to quickly access the NTN, reduce the terminal blind detection overhead, save access power consumption and time, and improve user experience.

[0010] In one possible design, the position relationship is that the distance between the position corresponding to the beam and the position of the first communication device is less than or equal to a first distance threshold; or, the distance between the positions corresponding to the N beams and the position of the first communication device is the N distances with the smallest distances between the positions corresponding to the M beams and the position of the first communication device.

[0011] Through the above design, the first communication device can select the N beams that are closest to itself or that are less than a specific distance threshold from itself to initiate access, which is conducive to ensuring that the first communication device preferentially detects the N beams with the best signal quality among the M beams to initiate access, thereby ensuring the communication quality after the first communication device accesses the NTN.

[0012] In one possible design, the first information includes information of M positions; or, the first information includes the position of the reference point, information on the angles and distances of the M positions relative to the reference point; or, the first information includes information on the aperture angle and horizontal angle corresponding to the M positions; or, the first information includes the position of the reference point, P distances and M angles, any one of the P distances is associated with at least one of the M angles, an angle among the M angles and its associated distance are the angle and distance of one of the M positions relative to the reference point, P is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and P is less than or equal to M.

[0013] Optionally, the first information may also indicate the ephemeris of the NTN network device corresponding to the M beams, so as to be used by the first communication device to determine the position of the NTN network device.

[0014] Through the above design, multiple position indication methods are supported, which is conducive to meeting the indication requirements of the corresponding positions of beams under different cell modes (such as ground mobile cells or ground fixed cells, etc.). In addition, angles can be clustered according to distance. For example, P distances and M angles are used to indicate the angles and distances of M positions relative to a reference point, which can further reduce signaling overhead.

[0015] In one possible design, access is initiated based on N beams out of M beams, including: detecting one or more of the N beams to determine a target beam or SSB; and initiating access based on the target beam or SSB.

[0016] Optionally, the first information also indicates the mapping relationship between the SSB and the random access occasion (RACH occasion, RO), and initiating access based on the target beam may include: determining the target RO that has a mapping relationship with the SSB carried by the target beam based on the mapping relationship between the SSB and the RO; and initiating access to the target beam based on the target RO, where the above-mentioned RACH represents a random access channel (RACH).

[0017] Through the above design, the first communication device can select the optimal beam to serve itself and initiate access by detecting the signal strength of SSB on some or all of the selected N beams, which is conducive to reducing the number of beams detected when the first communication device accesses the NTN and improving access efficiency.

[0018] In one possible design, the first information also indicates the detection time of the M beams, detects one or more of the N beams, and determines the target beam, including: detecting one or more of the N beams according to the detection time of the N beams, and determining the target beam.

[0019] Through the above design, the first communication device can detect one or more of the N beams according to the detection time of the N beams, avoiding blind beam search, which is conducive to further reducing the time and power consumption overhead of accessing the NTN.

[0020] In one possible design, the first information further indicates the ephemeris of the NTN network device corresponding to the M beams, and the method further includes: adjusting the radiation direction of the antenna of the first communication device based on the ephemeris; and / or issuing a first prompt information based on the ephemeris, the first prompt information being used to prompt the adjustment of the posture of the first communication device. It will be understood that when the executor of the access method is a chip or processor, adjusting the radiation direction of the antenna of the first communication device may mean that the chip or processor sends an instruction to the antenna module, instructing the antenna module to adjust the radiation direction of the antenna.

[0021] Through the above design, before detecting the beam, the first communication device can also adjust the radiation direction of the antenna according to its own position and the ephemeris of the NTN network device, or send prompt information such as text or voice to prompt the user to adjust the posture of the first communication device so that the antenna of the first communication device can be aligned with the NTN network device, thereby maximizing the antenna reception gain of the first communication device.

[0022] In a possible design, the first information further indicates an update interval of the first information, and N is determined according to the update interval of the first information.

[0023] Through the above design, the selected number of beams N can be determined according to the mapping relationship between the update interval and the number of beams, wherein the mapping relationship can be expressed in the form of a formula or in the form of a table.

[0024] Optionally, the update interval is positively correlated with the size of N, or N is inversely proportional to the first information update time frequency, so as to ensure that the distance range between the selected N beams and the first communication device is within the beam distance accuracy error range.

[0025] In one possible design, receiving the first information includes receiving the first information from a second communication device, where the second communication device may be a TN network device or a TN server.

[0026] Through the above design, when the first communication device resides in a TN cell, the TN network device or TN server can indicate information such as the position corresponding to the beam of the NTN cell to the first communication device, which is beneficial to improving the access efficiency when the first communication device searches for the NTN cell for initial access when it is in or enters a geographical area without cellular network coverage.

[0027] In one possible design, the first information also indicates the cell mode of the NTN cell corresponding to the M beams.

[0028] The above design is helpful for the first communication device to obtain the cell mode of the NTN cell and select an NTN cell that meets the requirements of the first communication device to initiate access.

[0029] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an access method, which can be executed by a second communication device. The method includes: sending first information to a first communication device, the first information indicating M positions, the M positions corresponding to M beams, the M beams being beams under NTN, and M being an integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0030] In the above access method, the first communication device can be a terminal device, a component of a terminal device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system, etc.), or a device that is used in conjunction with the terminal device; the second communication device can be a TN network device or a TN server, a component of a TN network device or a TN server (such as a processor, chip, or chip system, etc.), or a device that is used in conjunction with the TN network device or the TN server.

[0031] In one possible design, the first information is used by the first communication device to initiate access based on N beams out of M beams, where the positions corresponding to the N beams satisfy a certain positional relationship with the position of the first communication device, the N beams belong to M beams, N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and N is less than or equal to M.

[0032] In one possible design, the position relationship is that the distance between the position corresponding to the beam and the position of the first communication device is less than or equal to a first distance threshold; or, the distance between the positions corresponding to the N beams and the position of the first communication device is the N distances with the smallest distances between the positions corresponding to the M beams and the position of the first communication device.

[0033] In one possible design, the first information includes information of M positions; or, the first information includes the position of the reference point, information on the angles and distances of the M positions relative to the reference point; or, the first information includes information on the aperture angle and horizontal angle corresponding to the M positions; or, the first information includes the position of the reference point, P distances and M angles, any one of the P distances is associated with at least one of the M angles, an angle among the M angles and its associated distance are the angle and distance of one of the M positions relative to the reference point, P is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and P is less than or equal to M.

[0034] In one possible design, the first information also indicates one or more of the detection time of the M beams, the ephemeris of the NTN network equipment corresponding to the M beams, the update interval of the first information, the mapping relationship between the SSB and the random access opportunity RO, and the cell mode of the NTN cell corresponding to the M beams.

[0035] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an access method, which can be executed by a first communication device, the method including: receiving first information, the first information indicating M positions, the M positions corresponding to M SSBs, the M SSBs being SSBs under NTN, and M being an integer greater than or equal to 1; initiating access based on N SSBs among the M SSBs, wherein the positions corresponding to the N SSBs satisfy a certain positional relationship with the position of the first communication device, the N SSBs belong to the M SSBs, N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and N is less than or equal to M.

[0036] In the above access method, the first communication device may be a terminal device, a component of the terminal device (such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.), or a device used in conjunction with the terminal device, etc.

[0037] In one possible design, the position relationship is that the distance between the position corresponding to the SSB and the position of the first communication device is less than or equal to a first distance threshold; or, the distance between the positions corresponding to N SSBs and the position of the first communication device is the N distances with the smallest distances between the positions corresponding to M SSBs and the position of the first communication device.

[0038] In one possible design, the first information includes information of M positions; or, the first information includes the position of the reference point, information on the angles and distances of the M positions relative to the reference point; or, the first information includes information on the aperture angle and horizontal angle corresponding to the M positions; or, the first information includes the position of the reference point, P distances and M angles, any one of the P distances is associated with at least one of the M angles, an angle among the M angles and its associated distance are the angle and distance of one of the M positions relative to the reference point, P is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and P is less than or equal to M.

[0039] In one possible design, access is initiated based on N SSBs out of M SSBs, including: detecting one or more of the N SSBs to determine a target SSB; and initiating access based on the target SSB.

[0040] In one possible design, the first information also indicates the detection time of M SSBs, detects one or more of the N SSBs, and determines the target SSB, including: detecting one or more of the N SSBs according to the detection time of the N SSBs, and determining the target SSB.

[0041] In one possible design, the first information also indicates the ephemeris of the NTN network device corresponding to the M SSBs, and the method also includes: adjusting the radiation direction of the antenna of the first communication device according to the ephemeris; and / or, issuing a first prompt information according to the ephemeris, and the first prompt information is used to prompt the adjustment of the posture of the first communication device.

[0042] In one possible design, the first information also indicates the mapping relationship between SSB and RO, and initiating access based on the target SSB includes: determining the target RO that has a mapping relationship with the target SSB based on the mapping relationship between SSB and RO; and initiating access to the target SSB based on the target RO.

[0043] In a possible design, the first information further indicates an update interval of the first information, and N is determined according to the update interval of the first information.

[0044] In one possible design, the update interval is positively correlated with the size of N.

[0045] In one possible design, the first information also indicates the cell mode of the NTN cell corresponding to the M SSBs.

[0046] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an access method, which can be executed by a second communication device. The method includes: sending first information to a first communication device, the first information indicating M positions, the M positions corresponding to M SSBs, the M SSBs being SSBs under NTN, and M being an integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0047] In the above access method, the first communication device can be a terminal device, a component of a terminal device (such as a processor, chip, or chip system, etc.), or a device that is used in conjunction with the terminal device; the second communication device can be a TN network device or a TN server, a component of a TN network device or a TN server (such as a processor, chip, or chip system, etc.), or a device that is used in conjunction with the TN network device or the TN server.

[0048] In one possible design, the first information is used by the first communication device to initiate access based on N SSBs out of M SSBs, where the positions corresponding to the N SSBs satisfy a certain positional relationship with the position of the first communication device, the N SSBs belong to the M SSBs, N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and N is less than or equal to M.

[0049] In one possible design, the position relationship is that the distance between the position corresponding to the SSB and the position of the first communication device is less than or equal to a first distance threshold; or, the distance between the positions corresponding to N SSBs and the position of the first communication device is the N distances with the smallest distances between the positions corresponding to M SSBs and the position of the first communication device.

[0050] In one possible design, the first information includes information of M positions; or, the first information includes the position of the reference point, information on the angles and distances of the M positions relative to the reference point; or, the first information includes information on the aperture angle and horizontal angle corresponding to the M positions; or, the first information includes the position of the reference point, P distances and M angles, any one of the P distances is associated with at least one of the M angles, an angle among the M angles and its associated distance are the angle and distance of one of the M positions relative to the reference point, P is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and P is less than or equal to M.

[0051] In one possible design, the first information also indicates one or more of the detection time of the M SSBs, the ephemeris of the NTN network equipment corresponding to the M SSBs, the update interval of the first information, the mapping relationship between the SSB and the RO, and the cell mode of the NTN cell corresponding to the M SSBs.

[0052] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device having the function of implementing the method of any one of the first to fourth aspects above, wherein the function can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules (or units) corresponding to the above functions, such as a transceiver unit and a processing unit.

[0053] In one possible design, the device may be a chip or an integrated circuit.

[0054] In one possible design, the device includes a processor, and when the processor executes a computer program or instruction, it can implement the method of any one of the first to fourth aspects above.

[0055] Optionally, the device further comprises a memory for storing computer programs or instructions executed by the processor.

[0056] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which includes an interface circuit and a processor, wherein the processor and the interface circuit are coupled to each other. The processor is used to implement the method of any one of the first to fourth aspects above through a logic circuit or by executing a computer program or instruction. The interface circuit is used to receive signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmit them to the processor or to send signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device. It is understandable that the interface circuit can be a transceiver or a transceiver or a transceiver or an input / output interface.

[0057] Optionally, the communication device may further include a memory for storing computer programs or instructions executed by the processor, or for storing input data required by the processor to execute the instructions, or for storing data generated by the processor after executing the computer program or instructions. The memory may be a physically independent unit, or may be coupled to the processor, or the processor may include the memory (i.e., the processor and memory are integrated together).

[0058] In a possible implementation, the communication device is a chip.

[0059] In the seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, which includes a first communication device and a second communication device, the first communication device is used to implement the method of the first aspect above, and the second communication device is used to implement the method of the second aspect above; or, the first communication device is used to implement the method of the third aspect above, and the second communication device is used to implement the method of the fourth aspect above.

[0060] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which a computer program or instruction is stored. When the computer program or instruction is executed by a processor, the method of any one of the above-mentioned first to fourth aspects can be implemented.

[0061] In the ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, including a computer program or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are executed by a processor, the method of any one of the first to fourth aspects above can be implemented.

[0062] In the tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application also provides a chip system, which includes a processor, which can be used to couple with a memory, and the memory is used to store computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are executed by the processor, the method of any one of the above-mentioned first to fourth aspects can be implemented.

[0063] The technical effects that can be achieved in the above-mentioned second to tenth aspects can refer to the technical effects that can be achieved in the above-mentioned first aspect, and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0064] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] Figures 2A, 2B, and 2C are schematic diagrams of communication scenarios provided in embodiments of the present application;

[0066] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of one of the access methods provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of cell distribution provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0068] FIG5A is a schematic diagram of positions corresponding to beams provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0069] FIG5B is a schematic diagram of the first communication device and the corresponding positions of the beams provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0070] FIG6 is a schematic diagram showing the distribution of SSB in a half frame according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0071] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of an SSB pattern provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0072] FIG8 is a second schematic diagram of an access method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0073] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of an example of an access process provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0074] FIG10 is one of the schematic diagrams of an example of an access process provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0075] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0076] FIG12 is a second schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0077] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: fifth-generation (5th generation, 5G) communication systems, NTN communication systems, beyond 5G (beyond 5G, B5G) communication systems, or communication systems evolved after 5G (such as sixth-generation (6G) communication systems), etc. As shown in Figure 1, an architectural schematic diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application is provided. The communication system includes network devices and terminal devices, wherein the number of network devices is 1, and the number of terminal devices is 2 (terminal device A and terminal device B) as an example. Terminal device A and terminal device B can communicate with the network device separately or simultaneously. It should be noted that the number of terminal devices and network devices in the communication system shown in Figure 1 is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0078] The terminal device, which can also be referred to as a terminal, user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), or mobile terminal, is a device or equipment with wireless communication capabilities. Terminal devices can be widely used in various scenarios, such as machine type communication (MTC), the Internet of Things (IoT), vehicle to everything (V2X), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, and smart cities. A terminal device can be a subscriber unit (SUU), a cellular phone, a smartphone, a wireless data card, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a computer, a tablet, a wireless modem, a handheld device, a laptop computer, customer-premises equipment (CPE), a smart point of sale (POS), a wearable device, a vehicle, a drone, a helicopter, an airplane, a ship, a robot, a robotic arm, smart home devices, MTC equipment, a ground station, and the like. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the terminal device.

[0079] The above-mentioned network equipment, which can also be referred to as access network (AN) equipment or radio access network (RAN) equipment, is a device or equipment that can be deployed in a radio access network to provide wireless communication functions for terminal devices. Network equipment can be base stations used for wireless communication, such as artificial earth satellites and high-altitude aircraft, such as medium earth orbit (MEO) satellites in non-geostationary earth orbit (NGEO), low earth orbit (LEO) satellites, high altitude platform stations (HAPS), evolved NodeBs (eNBs), and 5G base stations (gNBs). Optionally, the network devices in the embodiments of the present application may include various forms of base stations, such as: macro base stations, micro base stations (also known as small stations), relay stations, access points, devices that implement base station functions in communication systems evolved after 5G, transmission points (transmitting and receiving points, TRP), transmission points (transmitting points, TP), mobile switching centers, and devices that perform base station functions in device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), and machine-to-machine (M2M) communications, etc., and may also include centralized units (CU) and distributed units (DU) in cloud radio access network (C-RAN) systems, CUs and DUs in open access networks (open RAN, O-RAN or ORAN), etc. The embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0080] Taking the network device as a satellite as an example, the communication scenarios of the specific application of the embodiment of the present application can be shown in Figures 2A, 2B and 2C.

[0081] In the scenario shown in Figure 2A, a base station is deployed on the ground. The satellite is connected to the ground station via an air interface, and the ground station can be connected to the base station via a wireless or wired link. Terminal devices on the ground access the mobile communication network via an air interface (which can be any type of air interface, such as a 5G air interface). The satellite acts as a transmission node, forwarding information from the terminal devices.

[0082] In the scenario shown in Figure 2B, a base station is deployed on a satellite. The satellite connects to a ground station via an air interface, and the ground station can connect to the core network via wireless or wired links. Terminal devices on the ground communicate with the satellite base station via the air interface, thereby accessing the mobile communication network. The satellite, acting as a base station, connects to the ground station via an air interface NG interface, and the ground station connects to the core network via an NG interface, which can be either wireless or wired.

[0083] Compared with the scenario shown in FIG. 2B , the scenario shown in FIG. 2C adds a communication scenario between satellite base stations. Specifically, the satellite base stations can communicate with each other through an Xn interface.

[0084] In Figures 2A-2C, the terminal devices may include various types of terminal devices supporting the new air interface, such as the various types of terminals listed above. The terminal devices may access the satellite network through the air interface and initiate calls, access the Internet, and other services.

[0085] Base stations are mainly used to provide wireless access services, dispatch wireless resources to access terminal devices, and provide reliable wireless transmission protocols and data encryption protocols.

[0086] The core network is primarily responsible for providing functions such as user access control, mobility management, session management, user security authentication, and billing. The core network consists of multiple functional units, which can be divided into control plane and data plane functional entities.

[0087] The ground station is mainly responsible for forwarding signaling and business data between the satellite and the base station, or between the satellite and the core network.

[0088] Air interface: refers to the wireless link between the terminal device and the base station.

[0089] Xn interface: represents the interface between satellite base stations, mainly used for signaling interaction such as switching.

[0090] NG interface: refers to the interface between the base station and the core network, or the interface between the ground station and the core network, or the interface between the satellite base station and the ground station (in this case, the interface is a wireless link). It mainly exchanges signaling such as the non-access stratum (NAS) of the core network and user service data.

[0091] To facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art, some terms in this application are explained below.

[0092] 1) Ground fixed cells and ground mobile cells. The satellite's beam can be divided into staring beams and non-staring beams. A staring beam means that the satellite's beam always serves (or covers) a specific service area during the satellite's movement. The satellite continuously adjusts the direction of the beam according to the needs of movement to ensure that the specific area is covered by the satellite's beam during the period of time when the satellite is visible. A non-staring beam means that the direction of the satellite's beam hardly changes during the satellite's movement, and the area served by the beam moves with the movement of the satellite. A ground fixed cell may refer to a cell that provides service (or coverage) through the satellite's staring beam, and a ground mobile cell may refer to a cell that provides service (or coverage) through the satellite's non-staring beam. The coverage area of ​​a ground mobile cell will change with the movement of the satellite.

[0093] 2) Ephemeris. Ephemeris is a table of the precise position or trajectory of a celestial body over time, expressed as a function of time. For satellites, the satellite ephemeris is an expression describing the position and velocity of a space object (e.g., a satellite) (two lines of orbital data). Satellite ephemeris can accurately calculate, predict, depict, and track the time, position, velocity, and other operational states of satellites and other objects. It can express the precise parameters of celestial bodies, satellites, spacecraft, missiles, space debris, and other objects; it can place objects in three dimensions; and it can depict the past, present, and future of celestial objects in time.

[0094] 3) Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) location. GNSS is a space-based radio navigation and positioning system that provides users with all-weather 3D coordinates, velocity, and time information anywhere on the Earth's surface or in near-Earth space. Examples of GNSS include the Beidou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), the Global Positioning System (GPS), the Galileo Satellite Navigation System (GALILEO), and the Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS).

[0095] 4) Synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (SSB). The SSB may include a synchronization signal and / or a physical broadcast channel (PBCH). The synchronization signal may include two parts: the primary synchronization signal (PSS) and the secondary synchronization signal (SSS). In some implementations, the SSB may also be referred to as a synchronization signal block.

[0096] Since non-terrestrial network equipment such as satellites usually have a large coverage area and transmit a large number of beams, when terminal devices need to search for NTN cells to access the NTN, they usually need to blindly search a large number of beams to select the optimal beam to serve themselves. This results in high power consumption, long access time, and poor user experience.

[0097] Based on this, the present application provides an access method and apparatus to reduce power consumption when a terminal device accesses an NTN, improve access efficiency, and enhance user experience. The embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0098] Furthermore, it should be understood that ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" in the embodiments of this application are used to distinguish between multiple objects and are not used to define the size, content, sequence, timing, priority, or importance of the multiple objects. For example, "a first communication device" and "a second communication device" do not indicate a difference in priority or importance between the two communication devices.

[0099] In the embodiments of the present application, the number of nouns, unless otherwise specified, means "singular noun or plural noun", that is, "one or more". "At least one" means one or more, and "plural" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there may be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B means: A or B. "At least one of the following items" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c means: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a and b and c, where a, b, c can be single or multiple.

[0100] The access method provided in the embodiment of the present application can be executed by a first communication device and a second communication device. The first communication device here can refer to the terminal device itself, or it can refer to a processor, module, chip, or chip system in the terminal device that implements the method; the second communication device can refer to the network device or server itself, or it can refer to a processor, module, chip, or chip system in the network device or server that implements the method.

[0101] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of an access method provided in an embodiment of the present application, the method comprising:

[0102] S301: The second communication device sends first information to the first communication device, and correspondingly, the first communication device receives the first information.

[0103] The first information indicates M positions, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 1, the M positions correspond to M beams, and the M beams are beams under NTN.

[0104] In an embodiment of the present application, the beam under NTN may refer to a beam on a non-ground network device such as a satellite or a high-altitude platform (also referred to as an NTN network device), such as a beam sent by a non-ground network device through beam scanning or the like; it may also refer to a beam of an NTN cell, such as a beam sent by a non-ground network device in an NTN cell through beam scanning or the like, and so on.

[0105] In a communication system, a network device can include one or more cells, or in other words, a network device can serve one or more cells. Taking non-terrestrial network device Satellite 1 as an example, referring to the NTN cell distribution diagram shown in Figure 4, it can be seen that Satellite 1 includes NTN cell A and NTN cell B, and can provide services to terminal devices located in NTN cell A and NTN cell B.

[0106] In one possible implementation, the first information may indicate the position corresponding to the beam of one or more non-terrestrial network devices (such as a satellite or a high-altitude platform, etc.).

[0107] As an example: satellite 1 includes NTN cell A and NTN cell B, and satellite 2 includes NTN cell C. The first information may indicate the position corresponding to the beam of NTN cell A included in satellite 1, the position corresponding to the beam of NTN cell B included in satellite 1, and the position corresponding to the beam of NTN cell C included in satellite 2.

[0108] It can be understood that the one or more non-terrestrial network devices at the position corresponding to the beam indicated by the first information may be all or part of the non-terrestrial network devices that can provide services to the first communication device (such as a terminal device), or may be non-terrestrial network devices that meet certain conditions with the first communication device. For example, the one or more non-terrestrial network devices at the position corresponding to the beam indicated by the first information may be non-terrestrial network devices whose distance from the included NTN cell (such as a cell edge or a cell reference point) to the first communication device is less than or equal to a certain distance threshold (such as a second distance threshold), etc. This application does not limit the method for determining the one or more non-terrestrial network devices at the position corresponding to the beam indicated by the first information.

[0109] In another possible implementation, the first information may indicate the positions corresponding to the beams of one or more NTN cells. The one or more NTN cells corresponding to the positions of the beams indicated by the first information may be adjacent NTN cells of the cell currently housing the first communication device (i.e., the serving cell of the first communication device).

[0110] As an example: the service cell of the first communication device is terrestrial cell A, and the adjacent NTN cell of terrestrial cell A is NTN cell B. The first information can indicate the position corresponding to the beam of NTN cell B.

[0111] It can be understood that there may be one or more adjacent NTN cells of the serving cell. The adjacent NTN cells of the serving cell may refer to an NTN cell that overlaps with the coverage of the serving cell, an NTN cell whose cell coverage is adjacent to the coverage of the serving cell, an NTN cell whose cell edge (or cell reference point) and the cell edge (or cell reference point) of the serving cell are less than or equal to a certain distance threshold (such as a third distance threshold), etc. The present application does not limit the method for determining the adjacent NTN cells.

[0112] In some implementations, the first information may indicate, in addition to indicating the location corresponding to the beam of the NTN cell, the cell mode of the NTN cell, so that the first communication device receiving the first information may know the cell mode of the NTN cell. As an example, in addition to indicating the location corresponding to the beam of NTN cell B, the first information may also indicate whether NTN cell B is a terrestrial fixed cell or a terrestrial mobile cell.

[0113] For the position corresponding to the beam of the NTN cell, the first information can be indicated by information including the position of a reference point, or the angle and distance of the position relative to the reference point, etc., which is introduced below with reference to specific examples.

[0114] Example 1: The first information may include the reference point position of the NTN cell and corresponding beam pattern information. The beam pattern information may include information about the angle and distance of the position corresponding to each beam of the NTN cell relative to the reference point.

[0115] The position corresponding to the beam may be the position of any point in the beam coverage area, such as the position corresponding to an edge point in the beam coverage area (also referred to as the position corresponding to the beam edge point), the position corresponding to the center point of the beam coverage area (also referred to as the position corresponding to the beam center point), etc.; the reference point position of the NTN cell may be the position corresponding to any point in the NTN cell coverage area, such as the position corresponding to an edge point in the NTN cell coverage area, the position corresponding to the center point of the NTN cell coverage area, etc. For ease of understanding, in the subsequent description of this application, the reference point position of the NTN cell is taken as the position corresponding to the center point of the NTN cell coverage area, and the position corresponding to the beam is taken as the position corresponding to the center point of the beam coverage area.

[0116] Referring to the schematic diagram of positions corresponding to beams shown in FIG5A , each non-dashed circle in FIG5A represents the coverage area of ​​a beam, the dot in the non-dashed circle represents the position corresponding to the beam, and the number in the non-dashed circle represents the beam number. The reference point takes the position corresponding to beam 1 as an example. The NTN cell includes beams 1, 2, ..., 19, for a total of 19 beams. The first information may include the position of the reference point, information about the angle and distance of the position corresponding to beam 1 relative to the reference point, information about the angle and distance of the position corresponding to beam 2 relative to the reference point, ..., information about the angle and distance of the position corresponding to beam 19 relative to the reference point. The position of the reference point and the information about the angle and distance of the position corresponding to each beam in the NTN cell relative to the reference point can indicate (or determine) the position corresponding to each beam in the NTN cell.

[0117] In some implementations, the position of the reference point may refer to the coordinates of the reference point in a coordinate system such as a ground coordinate system, an earth-centered, earth-fixed (ECEF) coordinate system, or the longitude and latitude of the reference point. The angle of the position corresponding to the beam relative to the reference point may refer to, in a plane rectangular coordinate system with the reference point as the origin and the ground as the XoY plane, the angle between the line connecting the position corresponding to the beam and the origin and the positive direction of the horizontal (X) axis of the plane rectangular coordinate system, or the angle between the line connecting the position corresponding to the beam and the origin and the positive direction of the vertical (Y) axis of the plane rectangular coordinate system.

[0118] In some implementations, the position corresponding to the beam can also be classified according to the distance relative to a reference point, and the angle of the position corresponding to the beam relative to the reference point can be indicated at each distance category to save signaling overhead and computational overhead.

[0119] Still taking FIG. 5A as an example, the distance of the position corresponding to beam 1 relative to the reference point is distance 0, the distance of the positions corresponding to beams 2-7 relative to the reference point is distance 1, and the distance of the positions corresponding to beams 8-19 relative to the reference point is distance 2. The first information may include three (or three types of) distances and 19 angles, such as distance 0 and the angle of the position corresponding to beam 1 associated with distance 0 relative to the reference point, distance 1 and the angle of the positions corresponding to beams 2-7 associated with distance 1, respectively, relative to the reference point, and distance 2 and the angle of the positions corresponding to beams 8-19 associated with distance 2, respectively, relative to the reference point. The distance associated with any angle constitutes the angle and distance of a position relative to the reference point.

[0120] Example 2: For an NTN cell whose cell mode is a ground fixed cell, since its beam coverage range is relatively fixed, it usually does not change with the movement of non-ground network equipment such as satellites during the service time of the NTN cell. The first information may include information about the position corresponding to each beam of the NTN cell.

[0121] The position information corresponding to the beam may be the coordinates of the position corresponding to the beam in a ground coordinate system, an ECEF coordinate system, or the longitude and latitude of the position corresponding to the beam.

[0122] Example 3: For an NTN cell whose cell mode is a terrestrial mobile cell, since its beam coverage range will change with the movement of non-terrestrial network equipment such as satellites, the first information may include information on the pitch angle (PitchValue) and horizontal angle (HorizontalValue) corresponding to each beam of the NTN cell.

[0123] The first communication device that receives the first information can determine the current position and vertical height of the non-ground network device from the ground based on the ephemeris of the non-ground network device (such as a satellite) corresponding to the NTN cell, and determine the position corresponding to each beam in combination with the pitch angle (PitchValue) and horizontal angle (HorizontalValue) corresponding to each beam.

[0124] The ephemeris of the non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the NTN cell can be indicated or configured by the first information. For example, the first information can carry information indicating the ephemeris of the NTN cell corresponding to the beam position. The ephemeris of the non-terrestrial network devices corresponding to the NTN cell can also be obtained by the first communication device through other means. For example, the first communication device may pre-store the ephemeris of each non-terrestrial network device, or the first communication device may obtain the ephemeris by receiving the ephemeris broadcast by the non-terrestrial network device, etc. This application is not limited to this.

[0125] It will be understood that Examples 1-3 above are merely examples of the first information indicating the position corresponding to the NTN cell beam. The first information may also indicate the position corresponding to the NTN cell beam in other ways. For example, if an NTN cell includes M beams, the first information may also indicate the M positions corresponding to the M beams in a manner different from that in Examples 1-3 above. This application does not limit the specific manner in which the first information indicates the position.

[0126] In some implementations, the first information may further include an identifier of the beam corresponding to each indicated location. For example, if the first information indicates M locations corresponding to M beams of NTN cell B, the first information may further include identifiers of the M beams corresponding to the M locations (e.g., beam IDs, etc.), so that the first communication device receiving the first information can know the beam corresponding to each location.

[0127] Exemplarily, the second communication device may send the first information by broadcasting or multicasting, for example, the first information may be sent to the first communication device located in one or more TN cells by broadcasting or multicasting.

[0128] S302: The first communication device initiates access based on N beams among the M beams.

[0129] Among them, the positions corresponding to the N beams satisfy a certain positional relationship with the position of the first communication device, the N beams belong to M beams, N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and N is less than or equal to M.

[0130] Exemplary: When the first communication device needs to search for an NTN cell for initial access, for example, when the first communication device is in or enters a geographical area without cellular network coverage and needs to search for an NTN cell for initial access, if a certain NTN cell meets the access (or residence) requirements, the first communication device can obtain the positions corresponding to the beams of the NTN cell based on the first information (such as the M positions corresponding to the M beams of the NTN cell), select (or determine) N beams according to the positions corresponding to the M beams of the NTN cell, and initiate access based on some or all of the selected N beams.

[0131] In one possible implementation, the above-mentioned position relationship may be that the distance between the position corresponding to the beam and the position of the first communication device is less than or equal to a first distance threshold; or, the distance between the positions corresponding to the N beams and the position of the first communication device is the N distances with the smallest distances between the positions corresponding to the M beams and the position of the first communication device.

[0132] Taking M as 19 and N as 4 as an example, the positions corresponding to the M beams of the first communication device and the NTN are shown in Figure 5B. The first communication device can select 4 beams (such as beam 14, beam 5, beam 13 and beam 15) whose distance between the position corresponding to the beam and the position of the first communication device is less than or equal to the distance threshold based on its own position; or select 4 beams (such as beam 14, beam 5, beam 13 and beam 15) whose distance between the position corresponding to the beam and the position of the first communication device is the smallest.

[0133] The selected number of beams N can be pre-configured in the first communication device, or can be indicated to the first communication device by other devices (such as the second communication device, etc.), or determined by the first communication device through other means. This application does not limit this.

[0134] In some implementations, the first information may further indicate an update interval (or update period, or update time frequency) of the first information. Non-terrestrial network devices such as satellites typically move along a certain trajectory. The greater the update interval, the greater the distance between the positions corresponding to the NTN cell beams indicated by two adjacent transmissions of the first information. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present application, the number of selected beams N may also be determined based on the update interval.

[0135] Exemplarily, the first communication device may determine the first information based on an update interval and a mapping relationship between the update interval and the number of beams. The mapping relationship may be expressed in a formula or a table. The mapping relationship may be pre-configured in the first communication device or indicated to the first communication device by another device (such as a second communication device).

[0136] Optionally, the update interval is positively correlated with the size of N, or N is inversely proportional to the first information update time frequency, so as to ensure that the distance range between the selected N beams and the first communication device is within the beam distance accuracy error range.

[0137] Taking a LEO satellite with an orbital altitude of 600 km, a LEO satellite radius of 50 km, and a beam distance error of 2.857 s / h*xh*7.5 km / s as an example, where 2.857 s / h represents the satellite's ephemeris error per hour, and 7.5 km / s represents the satellite's movement speed, and the second communication device sends the first information once every x hours (h), then N corresponding to different update intervals can be as follows:

[0138] If the second communication device sends (or updates) the first information once every 2 hours, N is 1;

[0139] If the second communication device sends (or updates) the first information once every 4 hours, N is 4;

[0140] If the second communication device sends (or updates) the first information once every 8 hours, N is 8.

[0141] After the first communication device selects N beams from the M beams, it can detect one or more of the N beams, determine the target beam, and initiate access based on the target beam.

[0142] Taking N as 4, the positions corresponding to the M beams of the first communication device and the NTN are shown in Figure 5B. Taking the selected N beams as beam 5, beam 14, beam 13 and beam 15 as an example, the first communication device can respectively detect the SSBs carried by beams 5, beam 14, beam 13 and beam 15, obtain the signal strength or signal quality of the SSB on each detected beam, and select the beam corresponding to the SSB with high signal strength or signal quality as the target beam for initiating access to initiate access.

[0143] Taking the beam frequency below 3 GHz (in sub3 GHz), the subcarrier spacing (SCS) of 15 kHz (SCS = 15 kHz), and the beam-borne SSB adopting the case A transmission mode as an example, referring to the distribution diagram of SSB in the half frame shown in Figure 6, the index of the first symbol of the 8 candidate SSBs in their half frame can be {2, 8} + 14 × n, n = 0, 1, 2, 3.

[0144] With a beam transmission period of 20ms, 16 beam-carried SSBs need to be broadcast within 20ms. Referring to the SSB pattern for transmission mode Case A shown in Figure 6, the pattern for broadcasting 16 SSBs within 20ms can be shown in Figure 7. For optional configuration 1, a 20ms transmission period corresponds to two subframes (10ms), and 16 SSBs can be distributed within one subframe, with each half-frame in the subframe containing eight SSBs.

[0145] For optional configuration 2, the transmission period is 20ms corresponding to 2 subframes, 16 SSBs can be distributed in 2 subframes, and one half frame in each subframe includes 8 SSBs.

[0146] In some implementations, the first information may also indicate the detection time of the M beams (or SSBs carried by the beams) of the NTN cell to avoid blind detection of the beams (or SSBs carried by the beams) by the first communication device. For example, the first information may include the period of the satellite transmitting the beam, the system startup time of each beam (or SSB carried by the beam) (such as the offset relative to the start time of the period or the index of the starting symbol within the period, etc.). After the first communication device selects N beams, it can determine the time domain position of the SSB carried by each beam based on the detection time of the N beams, detect one or more of the N beams, determine the target beam, and avoid blind detection of the beam, thereby saving power consumption, time and other overheads.

[0147] Since non-terrestrial network devices such as satellites are far away from the ground and have limited link budgets, the first communication device (such as a terminal device) can also adjust the radiation direction of the antenna of the first communication device according to the ephemeris of the non-terrestrial network device, and / or send a first prompt message according to the ephemeris, where the first prompt message is used to prompt the user to adjust the posture of the first communication device so that the antenna of the first communication device is aligned with the non-terrestrial network device as much as possible, thereby improving the antenna gain of the first communication device.

[0148] Exemplarily: the first communication device can determine the current position of the non-ground network device (such as the GNSS position) based on the ephemeris, and in combination with the first communication device's own position (such as the GNSS position), can determine the orientation of the non-ground network device relative to the first communication device (such as the horizontal angle and the pitch angle), and can adjust the radiation direction of the antenna according to the orientation of the non-ground network device relative to the first communication device, or send prompt information such as text or voice to prompt the user to adjust the posture of the first communication device, so that the antenna of the first communication device is aligned with the non-ground network device as much as possible, thereby improving the antenna gain of the first communication device.

[0149] In one possible implementation, when the first communication device initiates access to the target beam, it can initiate random access to the target RO corresponding to the target beam, such as sending a random access preamble to the non-terrestrial network device that sends the target beam, attempting to establish a connection with the non-terrestrial network device, etc.

[0150] Optionally, the first information may also indicate a mapping relationship between the SSB and the random access opportunity RO, and the first communication device may also determine a target RO that has a mapping relationship with the SSB carried by the target beam based on the mapping relationship between the SSB and the RO.

[0151] For example, the network can divide the available preambles for random access into several groups, define a RO for each group, and map the ROs to SSB beams. The network can define the number of SSBs to which each RO is mapped, and the number of cell-broadcast (CB) preambles to which each SSB is mapped (ssb-perRACH-OccasionAndCB-preamblesPerSSB). For example, the number of SSBs mapped to each RO can be 1 / 8, 1 / 4, 1 / 2, 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16.

[0152] Exemplary: The mapping relationship between SSB and RO may include: (1) the CB preamble in each PRACH Occasion increases according to the preamble index (index) order; (2) when RACH frequency-division multiplexing (FDM) is configured (msg1-FDM, there are multiple ROs in the frequency domain), it increases according to the frequency domain index; (3) when multiple ROs are configured in a PRACH time slot, it increases according to the index in the PRACH time slot; (4) when multiple PRACH time slots are configured, it increases according to the PRACH time slot index.

[0153] It is understood that the above-mentioned mapping relationship between SSB and RO is only an example, and this application does not limit the mapping relationship between SSB and RO indicated by the first information. In addition, it is understood that the mapping relationship between SSB and RO can also be pre-configured in the first communication device, or configured (or indicated) to the first communication device through other messages sent by other devices.

[0154] The above is introduced as an example in which the first information can indicate M positions corresponding to M beams, and can also indicate one or more of the detection time of the M beams, the ephemeris of the NTN network equipment corresponding to the M beams, the update interval of the first information, the mapping relationship between SSB and RO, and the cell mode of the NTN cell corresponding to the M beams. It can be understood that the first information can be sent through one or more signaling (or messages), for example, the first information is used to indicate fields or indication fields of different contents, etc., which can be located in one or more signaling (or messages).

[0155] In some implementations, the second communication device may be a TN network device, a ground station, a TN server, a network element in a TN CN, etc., and may send the first information to the second communication device when the first communication device resides in a TN cell, so that the first communication device can search for the NTN cell for quick access when it is in or enters a geographical area without cellular network coverage.

[0156] In addition, it should be understood that the above-mentioned sending of the first information by the second communication device to the first communication device is only an example. For example, the first information may be sent to the first communication device by a satellite, etc. The first information may indicate the position corresponding to the beam of the adjacent NTN cell of the NTN cell where the first communication device resides, so that when the first communication device moves to the adjacent NTN cell, it can quickly access the NTN cell, etc.

[0157] Each beam in a cell carries one SSB, or in other words, each SSB in a cell can represent a beam in one direction. Therefore, in this application, the beam in the above method embodiment can also be replaced by SSB. For example, Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of another access method provided in an embodiment of the present application, which includes:

[0158] S801: The second communication device sends first information to the first communication device, and correspondingly, the first communication device receives the first information.

[0159] The first information indicates M positions, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and the M positions correspond to M SSBs, which are SSBs under NTN.

[0160] S802: The first communication device initiates access based on N SSBs out of M SSBs.

[0161] Among them, the positions corresponding to the N beams satisfy a certain positional relationship with the position of the first communication device, the N beams belong to M beams, N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and N is less than or equal to M.

[0162] Different from the access method shown in Figure 3, in which the first information indicates information such as the position related to the beam, the first communication device can initiate access based on N beams out of M beams, in the access method shown in Figure 8, the first information indicates information such as the position related to the SSB, and the first communication device can initiate access based on N SSBs out of M SSBs. The specific implementation of the access method in Figure 8 can refer to the implementation of the access method shown in Figure 3, and will not be repeated here.

[0163] The positioning method shown in FIG3 is described in detail below with reference to the specific examples shown in FIG9 and FIG10. In the following example, the first communication device is a UE, the second communication device is a TN base station (such as a TN gNB) or a TN CN network element (TN CN), and the non-terrestrial network device is an NTN base station (such as an NTN gNB).

[0164] Figure 9 illustrates an access process. As shown in Figure 9, the process includes:

[0165] S901: The TN gNB / TN CN may send first information to the UE according to a set update interval, and the UE may receive the first information accordingly. The first information may indicate a position corresponding to a beam of the NTN gNB.

[0166] Exemplarily, the NTN gNB includes NTN cell A and NTN cell B. The first information may include beam pattern information corresponding to NTN cell A and beam pattern information corresponding to NTN cell B, where the beam pattern information corresponding to each NTN cell may be used to indicate the position of each beam corresponding to the NTN cell. Exemplarily, the beam pattern information corresponding to each NTN cell may include a reference point of the NTN cell, and information about the angle and distance of the position corresponding to each beam of the NTN cell relative to the reference point, to indicate the position of each beam in the NTN cell.

[0167] In addition, the beam pattern information corresponding to each NTN cell can also be used to indicate the detection time of each beam corresponding to the NTN cell. For example, the beam pattern information can also include the system startup time and cycle information corresponding to each beam of the NTN cell, which is used to indicate the detection time of each beam in the NTN cell, etc.

[0168] In some implementations, the first information may also indicate one or more of the cell mode of each NTN cell of the NTN gNB, the ephemeris of the NTN gNB, the update interval of the first information, the mapping relationship between SSB and RO, etc.

[0169] S902: The UE initiates access based on N beams.

[0170] Exemplary: The UE can select N beams from the M beams of the NTN cell that meets the access (or residency) requirements based on its own GNSS position information and the first information, for example, select the N beams closest to itself. After selecting the N beams closest to itself, the UE can also determine the orientation of the NTN gNB relative to itself based on the ephemeris of the NTN gNB corresponding to the NTN cell that meets the access (or residency) requirements, adjust the radiation direction of its own antenna and / or issue a first prompt information instruction for adjusting its own posture so that its own antenna is aligned with the NTN gNB. After aligning with the NTN gNB, the UE can detect one or more of the N beams and determine the target beam to initiate access.

[0171] Figure 10 illustrates an access process. As shown in Figure 10, the process includes:

[0172] S1001: The TN gNB / TN CN may send first information to the UE according to a set update interval, and the UE may receive the first information accordingly. The first information may indicate a position corresponding to a beam of an adjacent NTN cell.

[0173] Exemplary: For a neighboring NTN cell in a terrestrial mobile cell mode, the first information may include a reference location (referenceLocation-r17) of the center point of the NTN cell, a beam ID (beamID), a beam angle (PitchValue), and a horizontal angle (HorizontalValue) of each beam, used to indicate (or determine) the position of each beam of the NTN cell. The first information may also include a mapping (or association) relationship between an SSB ID and an RO, and one or more of the following information: a cell radius (distanceThresh-r17) of the NTN cell, a beam radius (BeamThresh), etc., where r17 represents the standard content of 3GPP Release 17 (R17).

[0174] For a neighboring NTN cell in a terrestrial fixed cell mode, the first information may include the reference location of the center point of the NTN cell (referenceLocation-r17), the beam number (beamID) of each beam, and the ground beam point reference location (BeamreferenceLocation) for indicating (or determining) the location of each beam of the NTN cell. The first information may also include a mapping (or association) relationship between the SSB number (SSB ID) and the RO, as well as one or more of the following information: the cell radius (distanceThresh-r17) of the NTN cell, the beam radius (BeamThresh), and so on.

[0175] S1002: The UE initiates access based on N beams.

[0176] For example, when a UE is in or enters a geographical area without cellular network coverage and the neighboring NTN cell meets the access (or residency) requirements, the UE can select N beams from the M beams of the NTN cell based on its own GNSS position information and the first information, for example, selecting the N beams closest to itself. After selecting the N beams closest to itself, the UE can also determine the position of the NTN gNB relative to itself based on the ephemeris of the NTN gNB corresponding to the NTN cell, adjust the radiation direction of its own antenna and / or issue a first prompt information instruction to adjust its own posture so that its own antenna is aligned with the NTN gNB. After aligning with the NTN gNB, the UE can detect one or more of the N beams and determine the target beam to initiate access.

[0177] The following describes the communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Please refer to Figure 11, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device may include units or modules corresponding to all or part of the steps in the above-mentioned method embodiment, and may be used to execute the steps performed by the first communication device or the second communication device in the above-mentioned method embodiment. For details, please refer to the relevant description in the above-mentioned method embodiment.

[0178] As shown in Figure 11, communication device 1100 includes a processing unit 1110 and a transceiver unit 1120. Processing unit 1110 may be a processor or processing circuit, and transceiver unit 1120 may also be an interface unit or input / output interface. Communication device 1100 may be used to implement the steps performed by the first or second communication device in the above-described embodiments. Transceiver unit 1120 may be used to implement transmission-related operations and / or reception-related operations on the first or second communication device side in the above-described method embodiments.

[0179] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1120 may include a transmitting unit and / or a receiving unit. The transmitting unit is configured to perform the transmission-related operations on the first communication device or the second communication device side in the above method embodiment; and the receiving unit is configured to perform the reception-related operations on the first communication device or the second communication device side in the above method embodiment.

[0180] It should be noted that the communication device 1100 may include a sending unit but not a receiving unit. Alternatively, the communication device 1100 may include a receiving unit but not a sending unit. The specific decision may depend on whether the above solution executed by the communication device 1100 includes a sending action and a receiving action.

[0181] When the communication device 1100 is a chip, the chip includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit. The transceiver unit may be an input / output circuit, a communication interface, or an interface unit; and the processing unit may be a processor, a microprocessor, an integrated circuit, or a logic circuit integrated on the chip.

[0182] When the communication device 1100 is used to implement the steps performed by the first communication device (such as UE) in the above-mentioned embodiment, the transceiver unit 1120 can be used to implement the sending-related operations and / or receiving-related operations on the side of the first communication device, such as being used to implement the sending-related operations and / or receiving-related operations on the side of the first communication device in the above-mentioned Figures 3, 8, 9, or 10; the processing unit 1110 can be used to implement the processing-related operations on the side of the first communication device, such as being used to implement the processing-related operations on the side of the first communication device in the above-mentioned Figures 3, 8, 9, or 10.

[0183] Take the communication device 1100 for implementing the steps performed by the first communication device in Figure 3 above as an example: the transceiver unit 1120 can be used to receive first information, the first information indicates M positions, the M positions correspond to M beams, the M beams are beams under NTN, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 1; the processing unit 1110 can be used to initiate access based on N beams out of the M beams, where the positions corresponding to the N beams satisfy a certain positional relationship with the position of the first communication device, the N beams belong to the M beams, N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and N is less than or equal to M.

[0184] When the communication device 1100 is used to implement the steps performed by the second communication device (such as a TN gNB) in the above-mentioned embodiment, the transceiver unit 1120 can be used to implement the sending-related operations and / or receiving-related operations on the side of the second communication device (such as a TN gNB), such as being used to implement the sending-related operations and / or receiving-related operations on the side of the second communication device in the above-mentioned Figures 3, 8, 9, or 10; the processing unit 1110 can be used to implement the processing-related operations on the side of the second communication device, such as being used to implement the processing-related operations on the side of the second communication device in the above-mentioned Figures 3, 8, 9, or 10.

[0185] Take the communication device 1100 used to implement the steps performed by the second communication device in Figure 3 above as an example: the processing unit 1110 can be used to determine the first information, the first information indicates M positions, the M positions correspond to M beams, the M beams are beams under NTN, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 1; the transceiver unit 1120 can be used to send the first information to the first communication device.

[0186] For other steps that can be implemented by the communication device 1100, please refer to the relevant introduction of the first communication device or the second communication device in the aforementioned embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0187] As shown in Figure 12, the present application also provides a communication device 1200, which includes a processor 1210 and may also include a communication interface 1220. The processor 1210 and the communication interface 1220 are coupled to each other, and the communication interface 1220 may be a transceiver, an input / output interface, an input / output circuit, etc. When the communication device 1200 is used to implement the steps performed by the first communication device or the second communication device in the above embodiment, the processor 1210 can be used to implement the functions of the above processing unit 1110, and the communication interface 1220 can be used to implement the functions of the above transceiver unit 1120.

[0188] It is understandable that, similar to the above-mentioned transceiver unit 1120, the communication interface 1220 may include an input interface (or input circuit) and / or an output interface (or output circuit). The input interface can implement the reception-related operations in the above-mentioned method embodiment; the output interface can implement the transmission-related operations in the above-mentioned method embodiment. In addition, the communication device 1200 may include an output interface but not an input interface. Alternatively, the communication device 1200 may include an input interface but not an output interface. The specific decision may depend on whether the above-mentioned scheme executed by the communication device 1200 includes a sending action and a receiving action.

[0189] In addition, it should be noted that when the communication apparatus 1200 is a device, the communication interface 1220 may be a transceiver.

[0190] It will be understood that when the communication interface 1220 is a transceiver, the transceiver may include a transmitter and / or a receiver. The transmitter may be used to implement the transmission-related operations in the above-mentioned method embodiments, the receiver may be used to perform the reception-related operations in the above-mentioned method embodiments, and the processor 1210 may be used to implement other operations in the above-mentioned method embodiments. Furthermore, the communication device 1200 may include a transmitter but not a receiver. Alternatively, the communication device 1200 may include a receiver but not a transmitter. The specific decision may depend on whether the above-mentioned solution executed by the communication device 1200 includes transmission and reception operations.

[0191] Optionally, the communication device 1200 may further include a memory 1230 for storing instructions executed by the processor 1210, or storing input data required by the processor 1210 to execute instructions, or storing data generated after the processor 1210 executes instructions. The memory 1230 may be a physically independent unit, or may be coupled to the processor 1210, or the processor 1210 may include the memory 1230.

[0192] When communication device 1200 is a chip, the chip includes a processor, a communication interface, and may also include a memory. The communication interface may also be an input / output circuit. The processor may be a processing module, microprocessor, or integrated circuit integrated on the chip. In the above method embodiments, the sending operation of the first or second communication device may be understood as an output of the chip, and the receiving operation of the first or second communication device may be understood as an input of the chip.

[0193] It should be understood that the structure shown in FIG12 does not constitute a specific limitation on the communication device 1200. For example, in other embodiments of the present application, the communication device 1200 may include more or fewer components than shown, or may combine or separate certain components, or arrange the components differently. The components shown in the figure may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0194] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable medium having a computer program or instruction stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the access method of any of the above method embodiments.

[0195] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, including a computer program or instructions, which implements the access method of any of the above method embodiments when executed by a processor.

[0196] An embodiment of the present application also provides a chip system, including a processor, which can be used to execute computer programs or instructions to implement the access method of any of the above method embodiments.

[0197] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or may be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), logic circuits, field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0198] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by hardware or by a processor executing software instructions. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, and the software modules can be stored in a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, an erasable programmable read-only memory, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, a register, a hard disk, a mobile hard disk, a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or any other form of storage medium well known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in a network device or a terminal device. Of course, the processor and the storage medium can also be present in a network device or a terminal device as discrete components.

[0199] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are performed in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user device, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions can be transmitted from one network device, terminal, computer, server, or data center to another network device, terminal, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; it can also be an optical medium, such as a digital video disk; or it can be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or nonvolatile storage medium, or may include both volatile and nonvolatile types of storage media.

[0200] In the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0201] Furthermore, it should be understood that in the embodiments of this application, the word "exemplary" is used to indicate an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design described in this application as "exemplary" should not be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of the word "exemplary" is intended to present concepts in a concrete manner.

[0202] It is understood that the various numbers used in the embodiments of this application are merely for ease of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not necessarily imply a specific order of execution; the order of execution of the processes should be determined by their functions and inherent logic.

Claims

1. An access method, characterized in that: Applied to a first communication device, comprising: Receive first information, where the first information indicates M positions, where the M positions correspond to M beams or synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel blocks SSB, where the M beams or SSBs are beams or SSBs under a non-terrestrial network NTN, and where M is an integer greater than or equal to 1; Access is initiated based on N beams or SSBs among the M beams or SSBs, wherein positions corresponding to the N beams or SSBs satisfy a certain positional relationship with the position of the first communication device, the N beams or SSBs belong to the M beams or SSBs, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and N is less than or equal to M.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The position relationship is that the distance between the position corresponding to the beam or SSB and the position of the first communication device is less than or equal to a first distance threshold; or, The distances between the positions corresponding to the N beams or SSBs and the position of the first communication device are the N distances with the shortest distances between the positions corresponding to the M beams or SSBs and the position of the first communication device.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The first information includes information of the M positions; or, The first information includes the position of a reference point, and information about the angles and distances of the M positions relative to the reference point; or, The first information includes information of the opening angle and the horizontal angle corresponding to the M positions; or, The first information includes the position of a reference point, P distances and M angles, any distance of the P distances is associated with at least one of the M angles, an angle of the M angles and its associated distance are the angle and distance of one of the M positions relative to the reference point, and P is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and P is less than or equal to M.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The initiating access based on N beams or SSBs among the M beams or SSBs includes: Detecting one or more of the N beams or SSBs and determining a target beam or SSB; Access is initiated based on the target beam or SSB.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The first information further indicates a detection time of the M beams or SSBs, and the detecting one or more of the N beams or SSBs and determining a target beam or SSB includes: According to the detection time of the N beams or SSBs, one or more of the N beams or SSBs are detected to determine the target beam or SSB.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The first information further indicates the ephemeris of the NTN network device corresponding to the M beams or SSBs, and the method further includes: adjusting the radiation direction of the antenna of the first communication device according to the ephemeris; and / or, A first prompt message is sent according to the ephemeris, where the first prompt message is used to prompt the user to adjust the posture of the first communication device.

7. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that The first information further indicates a mapping relationship between an SSB and a random access opportunity RO, and the initiating access based on the target beam includes: According to the mapping relationship between the SSB and the RO, determine a target RO that has a mapping relationship with the SSB carried by the target beam; Initiate access to the target beam according to the target RO; The initiating access based on the target SSB includes: According to the mapping relationship between the SSB and the RO, determine the target RO that has a mapping relationship with the target SSB; According to the target RO, a connection is initiated to the target SSB.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The first information further indicates an update interval of the first information, and N is determined according to the update interval of the first information.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The update interval is positively correlated with the size of N.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that The first information also indicates the cell mode of the NTN cell corresponding to the M beams or SSBs.

11. An access method, characterized in that: Applied to a second communication device, comprising: First information is sent to a first communication device, wherein the first information indicates M positions, wherein the M positions correspond to M beams or synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel blocks SSB, wherein the M beams or SSBs are beams or SSBs under a non-terrestrial network NTN, and M is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The first information includes information of the M positions; or, The first information includes the position of a reference point, and information about the angles and distances of the M positions relative to the reference point; or, The first information includes information of the opening angle and the horizontal angle corresponding to the M positions; or, The first information includes the position of a reference point, P distances and M angles, any distance of the P distances is associated with at least one of the M angles, an angle of the M angles and its associated distance are the angle and distance of one of the M positions relative to the reference point, and P is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and P is less than or equal to M.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that: The first information also indicates one or more of the detection time of the M beams or SSBs, the ephemeris of the NTN network equipment corresponding to the M beams or SSBs, the update interval of the first information, the mapping relationship between SSB and random access opportunity RO, and the cell mode of the NTN cell corresponding to the M beams or SSBs.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that The second communication device is a terrestrial network TN network device or a TN server.

15. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 11 to 14.

16. A communication device, characterized in that: The device comprises a processor, wherein the processor is configured to execute a computer program or an instruction so that the communication device executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or executes the method according to any one of claims 11 to 14.

17. A communication system, characterized in that: The method comprises a first communication device and a second communication device, wherein the first communication device is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, and the second communication device is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 11 to 14.

18. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: A computer program or instruction is stored, and when the computer program or instruction is executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 is implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 11 to 14 is implemented.

19. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed on a processor, the processor is caused to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or execute the method according to any one of claims 11 to 14.

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