Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

A communication method (400) and a communication apparatus (800), relating to the field of communications, which are conducive to reducing the data volume of auxiliary data received by a terminal device, reducing the complexity and power consumption of the terminal device, and saving signaling overhead. The communication method (400) comprises: a network device determines first auxiliary data, the first auxiliary data indicating information of at least one satellite corresponding to a first area, and the first area belonging to a cell of the network device (S401); the network device sends the first auxiliary data, and correspondingly, a first terminal device receives the first auxiliary data (S402); and on the basis of the first auxiliary data, the first terminal device receives a signal from one or more satellites among the at least one satellite (S403).

Description

Communication method and communication device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on December 8, 2023, with application number 202311693028.3 and application name “Communication Method and Communication Device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

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

[0003] The Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) is an airborne radio navigation and positioning system that can provide users with all-weather three-dimensional coordinates, velocity, and time information anywhere on the Earth's surface or in near-Earth space. GNSS satellites have a wide coverage area, and based on GNSS, terminal devices can achieve satellite communications worldwide. When a terminal device establishes communication with a GNSS satellite or during communication, the terminal device typically needs to obtain some auxiliary data related to the target GNSS satellite to achieve precise positioning or data communication. However, GNSS satellites are usually far away from users, and it usually takes a long time for the GNSS satellite to send auxiliary data to the terminal device via navigation messages, which seriously affects the user experience.

[0004] In the prior art, the terminal device obtains relevant auxiliary data from the network device. Since the distance between the network device and the terminal device is closer than the distance between the GNSS satellite and the terminal device, the delay for the terminal device to obtain data is shortened to a certain extent. However, the auxiliary data sent by the network device usually needs to meet the needs of a large number of terminal devices in the service cell of the network device, especially in the scenario of satellite communication (for example, some or all network device functions are located on the satellite). The excess amount of data in the auxiliary data will bring greater complexity and power consumption to the terminal device on the one hand, and on the other hand, it will also cause a greater signaling burden.

[0005] It can be seen that there is an urgent need for a method that can reduce the signaling overhead of terminal equipment. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a communication method and a communication device, which are conducive to reducing the amount of auxiliary data received by a terminal device and saving the signaling overhead of the terminal device.

[0007] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a first terminal device or an apparatus in the first terminal device. The apparatus in the first terminal device may be a component in the terminal device (such as a chip or chip system, etc.), or a component that implements part of the functions of the terminal device, without limitation. The method includes: receiving first auxiliary data, the first auxiliary data indicating information about at least one satellite corresponding to a first area, the first area belonging to a cell of a network device; and receiving signals from one or more of the at least one satellite based on the first auxiliary data.

[0008] In one possible implementation, a service cell of a network device may include multiple areas, a first area being a portion of the multiple areas, and first assistance data transmitted by the network device to the first area is information about at least one satellite covering or serving the first area. Optionally, a second area different from the first area exists within the multiple areas, and the assistance data transmitted by the network device to the second area is information about at least one satellite covering or serving the second area. That is, the assistance data received by a terminal device located in the first area and a terminal device located in the second area may be different.

[0009] Optionally, the above-mentioned "multiple areas" can be areas corresponding to one or more beams, or areas corresponding to one or more wave positions, or an administrative area or a custom geographical area, or other areas. This application does not specifically limit the definition of multiple areas in the service cell of the network device.

[0010] It should also be understood that the at least one satellite described herein refers to a satellite that can provide users with services such as communication, navigation, remote sensing, and meteorology. This satellite can be a GNSS satellite or a satellite with other functions. For example, depending on the orbital altitude, the at least one satellite can be a low-orbit satellite, a medium-orbit satellite, or a high-orbit satellite, etc. This application does not limit this.

[0011] Compared with the auxiliary data sent by network equipment to multiple areas in the prior art (which may include satellite information applicable to most terminal devices in the entire service cell), the method provided in the embodiment of the present application reduces the size of the auxiliary data. On the one hand, it reduces the complexity and power consumption of the terminal device (for example, the complexity and power consumption when searching for GNSS satellites and receiving auxiliary data), and on the other hand, it also saves signaling overhead.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first auxiliary data includes orbital parameters of at least one satellite corresponding to the first area, and / or clock parameters of at least one satellite corresponding to the first area.

[0013] In an embodiment of the present application, the first auxiliary data is only the orbital parameters and / or clock parameters of at least one satellite corresponding to the first area. In this way, the amount of data received by the first terminal device located in the first area can be further reduced, the complexity and power consumption of the terminal device can be further reduced, and the signaling overhead can be reduced.

[0014] In one possible scenario, when the first terminal device is in a cold start scenario, for example, the first terminal device is in the initial access (iInitial access) scenario. In this scenario, the first terminal device does not store satellite information, or loses connection with the network for a period of time. The first terminal device clears all historical information and needs to retry positioning and locking the satellite. In one possible implementation method, the first terminal device needs to lock the corresponding satellite signal based on the received auxiliary data. In the prior art, the auxiliary data received by the first terminal device is at the cell level. On the one hand, the huge amount of data may require the network device to send it in several segments, resulting in excessive delay; on the other hand, the content of the auxiliary data is excessive, resulting in the first terminal device taking a long time to lock the "appropriate" (for example, it can be a satellite that realizes the positioning function) satellite, which brings higher search complexity to the first terminal device, and also consumes higher power consumption and longer time during the search process. Based on the method provided in the present application, the amount of data received by the first terminal device in this scenario can be reduced, the power consumption and delay during the cold start of the first terminal device can be reduced, the cold start efficiency can be improved, and the user experience can be enhanced.

[0015] It is worth noting that "locking" can be understood as the process of the terminal device determining the target satellite to be accessed or determining at least one satellite participating in positioning or communication services based on the acquired auxiliary data, but this application is not limited to this.

[0016] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first auxiliary data includes an identifier of the first area.

[0017] In a possible implementation, in addition to the orbital parameters of at least one satellite corresponding to the first area, and / or the clock parameters of at least one satellite corresponding to the first area, the first assistance data may also include an identifier of the first area.

[0018] It should be understood that the satellites covering multiple areas in the service cell of a network device may be different, and therefore the auxiliary data corresponding to different areas may also be different. By carrying the area identifier in the auxiliary data, when the area identifier contained in the auxiliary data received by the first terminal device at the current moment is different from the area identifier contained in the auxiliary data received at the previous moment, the auxiliary data can be updated to the most recently received auxiliary data, so that the satellite signal can be received or searched through the new auxiliary data, for example, to determine the satellite signal corresponding to the signal with the best reception performance, which is conducive to improving the user experience.

[0019] In another possible implementation, the first auxiliary data may only include an identifier of the first area.

[0020] For example, the first terminal device has stored auxiliary data (the auxiliary data may include auxiliary data associated with all or part of the area of ​​the network device). The network device can indicate the identifier of the first area through the first auxiliary data to instruct the first terminal device to receive or search for satellite signals using the first auxiliary data corresponding to the identifier of the first area.

[0021] Optionally, the auxiliary data stored in the first terminal device may be pre-stored in the terminal at the factory, or received from the network side after the first terminal device is turned on for the first time, and this application does not impose any specific limitation on this.

[0022] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving second auxiliary data, the second auxiliary data indicating information of at least one satellite corresponding to the cell of the network device, and the sending period of the first auxiliary data is different from the sending period of the second auxiliary data.

[0023] It should be understood that the auxiliary data such as the first auxiliary data and the second auxiliary data involved in the embodiments of the present application can be used to assist the first terminal device in realizing functions such as positioning and data communication. The following description takes the use of the first auxiliary data and the second auxiliary data for positioning as an example. The first terminal device can receive signals from one or more satellites of at least one satellite corresponding to the first area based on the first auxiliary data to realize positioning. Optionally, the first terminal device can also receive second auxiliary data from the network device to realize finer-grained positioning based on the second auxiliary data. Among them, the first auxiliary data may only include the orbital parameters and clock parameters of the satellite, and the second auxiliary data may include existing positioning assistance data.

[0024] Taking GNSS satellites as an example, existing positioning assistance data may include the following satellite information: GNSS reference time, GNSS reference location, GNSS ionospheric model, GNSS earth orientation parameters, GNSS-RTK reference station info, GNSS-RTK common observation info, GNSS-RTK auxiliary station data, GNSS-SSR correction points, GNSS integrity service parameters, GNSS integrity service alert, GNSS time model list, GNSS differential corrections, GNSS navigation model, GNSS real time integrity, GNSS data bit assistance, GNSS acquisition assistance, GNSS almanac, etc. almanac), GNSS-UTC model, GNSS auxiliary information, BDS differential corrections, BDS grid model parameter, GNSS RTK observations, GLO-RTK bias information, GNSS-RTK-MAC correction differences, GNSS-RTK residuals,The following are the main parameters of the GNSS-SSR: residuals), GNSS-RTK-FKP gradients, GNSS-SSR orbit corrections, GNSS-SSR-clock corrections, GNSS-SSR code bias, GNSS-SSR user range accuracy (GNSS-SSR-URA), GNSS-SSR phase bias, GNSS-SSR-STEC correction, GNSS-SSR gridded correction, NavIC differential corrections, NavIC grid model parameter, tropospheric error information, etc.

[0025] Among them, GLO refers to Russia's GLONASS satellite navigation system, which is a type of GNSS and can also be abbreviated as GLONASS. Its full Russian name is GLObal'naya NAvigatsionnaya Sputnikovaya Sistema, and its full English name is Global Navigation Satellite System; NavIC refers to India's navigation satellite system, which is also a type of GNSS, and its full English name is NAVigation with Indian Constellation.

[0026] Exemplarily, the sending period of the first auxiliary data may be smaller than the sending period of the second auxiliary data. In this way, the first terminal device does not need to frequently update the second auxiliary data, which can effectively reduce the receiving power consumption and storage space of the first terminal device.

[0027] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first terminal device or the apparatus in the first terminal device is in a non-connected state.

[0028] In an embodiment of the present application, the first terminal device or the device of the first terminal device can receive the first auxiliary data and / or the second auxiliary data in the RRC non-connected state (for example, the initial access scenario mentioned above) without entering the RRC connected state, which is beneficial to reducing the complexity and power consumption of the first terminal device, reducing latency, and improving user experience.

[0029] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method also includes: sending first information, where the first information is one or more of the following: identification information of the first service satellite of the first terminal device; angle information between the first service satellite and the first terminal device; beam information between the first service satellite and the first terminal device; or location information of the first terminal device.

[0030] In an embodiment of the present application, the first terminal device reports the first information to indicate its own position, providing reference information for the network device or core network device, which is beneficial for the network device or core network device to determine or update the first auxiliary data, and helps to improve the accuracy of the first auxiliary data received by the terminal device located in the first area.

[0031] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first area is associated with one or more beams of the network device.

[0032] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first auxiliary data is sent via broadcast.

[0033] In the embodiment of the present application, the first assistance data is sent via broadcast, so that the first terminal device can receive the first assistance data in a timely manner regardless of whether it is in an RRC connected state or a non-connected state, which is conducive to improving the efficiency of the terminal device accessing the satellite. In addition, the broadcast method can also reduce the signaling overhead of network devices.

[0034] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first assistance data is positioning assistance data.

[0035] The method provided by the embodiment of the present application is conducive to reducing the positioning delay of the first-end device, improving positioning performance, and improving user experience.

[0036] In a second aspect, the present application further provides a communication method, which is applied to a network device or a device in a network device. The device in the network device may be a component in the network device (such as a chip or a chip system, etc.), or a component that implements part of the functions of the network device (such as a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU) or a radio unit (RU), etc.), without limitation. The method includes: determining first auxiliary data, the first auxiliary data indicating information of at least one satellite corresponding to a first area, the first area belonging to a cell of the network device; and sending the first auxiliary data.

[0037] In one possible implementation, the network device obtains the first assistance data from a core network device or other interface. For example, the core network device determines the first assistance data based on stored or acquired satellite operating parameter information and / or based on second information from the second terminal device. Optionally, the first assistance data may be transparent or invisible to the network device, or the network device may be unable to decode the specific content of the second information.

[0038] Optionally, the core network device may be an LMF network element, but this application does not limit this.

[0039] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the first auxiliary data includes orbital parameters of at least one satellite corresponding to the first area, and / or clock parameters of at least one satellite corresponding to the first area.

[0040] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first auxiliary data includes an identifier of the first area.

[0041] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: sending second auxiliary data, where the second auxiliary data indicates information of at least one satellite corresponding to the cell of the network device, and the sending period of the first auxiliary data is different from the sending period of the second auxiliary data.

[0042] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first terminal device or the apparatus in the first terminal device is in a non-connected state.

[0043] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method also includes: receiving second information, and determining the first auxiliary data includes: determining the first auxiliary data based on the second information; the second information is one or more of the following: identification information of the second service satellite of the second terminal device; angle information between the second service satellite and the second terminal device; beam information between the second service satellite and the second terminal device; or location information of the second terminal device.

[0044] Optionally, the network device may obtain the first auxiliary data from the LMF network element, or may determine the first auxiliary data based on the second information, which is not limited in this application.

[0045] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device determines the first auxiliary data through the information reported by the terminal device, which can reduce the signaling overhead between the network device and the core network device and reduce the power consumption of the network device and the core network device.

[0046] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the second terminal device belongs to the first area.

[0047] In one possible implementation, the second terminal device is in an RRC connected state or has established a connection with a network device. The network device can learn the area where the second terminal device is located and use information reported by the second terminal device in the first area to determine the first auxiliary data. Because the first auxiliary data is associated with the first area, determining the first auxiliary data based on the information reported by the second terminal device is beneficial for improving the accuracy of the first auxiliary data and reducing the complexity of the first terminal device.

[0048] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first area is associated with one or more beams of the network device.

[0049] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first auxiliary data is sent via broadcast.

[0050] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first assistance data is positioning assistance data.

[0051] In a third aspect, the present application further provides a communication method, which is applied to a terminal device or an apparatus in a terminal device. The apparatus in the terminal device may be a component in the terminal device (such as a chip or chip system, etc.), or a component that implements part of the functions of the terminal device, without limitation. The method includes: receiving third auxiliary data, the third auxiliary data indicating information of at least one satellite, the information of the at least one satellite being determined by a network device based on a signal from the at least one satellite and / or information reported by the terminal device; and receiving signals from one or more of the at least one satellite based on the third auxiliary data.

[0052] For example, "at least one satellite signal" can be a GNSS satellite signal that can be received by the network device in real time. The signal can be a carrier signal, a pseudo-random noise code, a ranging code, or a data code, etc. The network device can determine the satellite corresponding to the signal by decoding the received signal. This process can also be understood as the process of the network device searching for visible satellites in real time. Optionally, the network device can search for information corresponding to the satellite from local storage, or obtain information about the satellite through interaction with the satellite. This application is not limited to this.

[0053] It should be understood that the "terminal device" here refers to any terminal device that can report information to the network device, and the number can be one or more, which is not limited in this application.

[0054] It should also be understood that the information reported by the terminal device can be used to indicate a satellite that the terminal device has accessed or has previously accessed, and that the terminal device is in a connected state with the satellite (e.g., has accessed the satellite network or is being served by the satellite), or has previously established a connection with the satellite. In this way, the network device determining the third assistance data based on the information reported by the terminal device is conducive to improving the accuracy of the assistance data received by the terminal device and improving the efficiency of the terminal device accessing the target serving satellite.

[0055] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device sends down the information of the satellite corresponding to the satellite signal that it can receive as the third auxiliary data, which is equivalent to the network device performing part of the satellite search work on behalf of the terminal device. Compared with the existing technology (such as the way in which the network device obtains the relevant information of the third auxiliary data from the LMF), the method provided by the present application is conducive to reducing the proportion of satellites that are not visible to the terminal device in the auxiliary data sent by the network device, which is conducive to reducing the amount of auxiliary data received by the terminal device, and is also conducive to improving the efficiency of the terminal device in locking the target service satellite.

[0056] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the information reported by the terminal device is one or more of the following: identification information of the service satellite of the terminal device; angle information between the service satellite and the terminal device; beam information between the service satellite and the terminal device; or location information of the terminal device.

[0057] In combination with the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the information of at least one satellite is determined by the network device based on the signal of at least one satellite and the third area, and / or the position information reported by the terminal device and the third area, and the third area belongs to the cell of the network device.

[0058] In an embodiment of the present application, a service cell of a network device may include multiple areas, and the third area is a portion of the multiple areas. The auxiliary data sent by the network device to the third area is determined based on a signal from at least one satellite covering or serving the third area and / or information reported by a terminal device located in the third area. This can further reduce the amount of auxiliary data received by the terminal device in the third area, thereby reducing signaling overhead and power consumption of the terminal device.

[0059] In one possible implementation, the third assistance data may include all ephemeris information of at least one satellite associated with the third region, including: orbital parameters, clock parameters, GNSS reference time, GNSS reference position, GNSS ionospheric model, GNSS earth orientation parameters, GNSS-RTK reference station information, GNSS-RTK general observation information, GNSS-RTK auxiliary station data, GNSS space state correction points, GNSS integrity service parameters, GNSS integrity service alarms, time model list, GNSS differential correction information, GNSS navigation model, GNSS real-time integrity information, GNSS data bit assistance information, GNSS reception assistance information, and GNSS real-time information. Aid, GNSS almanac, GNSS-UTC model, GNSS assistance information, BeiDou system differential correction, BDS grid model parameters, GNSS reference station observations, GLO-RTK bias information, GNSS-RTK-MAC correction difference, GNSS-RTK residuals, GNSS-RTK-area correction parameter gradient, GNSS-SSR orbit correction, GNSS-SSR clock correction, GNSS-SSR code bias, GNSS-SSR user range accuracy, GNSS-SSR phase bias, GNSS-SSR oblique ionospheric total electron content correction, GNSS-SSR grid correction, NavIC differential correction, NavIC grid correction, tropospheric error information, etc.

[0060] In another possible implementation, the third assistance data only includes orbit parameters of at least one satellite corresponding to the third region, and / or clock parameters of at least one satellite corresponding to the third region.

[0061] In a fourth aspect, the present application also provides a communication method, which is applied to a network device or a device in a network device. The device in the network device can be a component in the network device (such as a chip or chip system, etc.), or a component that implements part of the functions of the network device (such as a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU) or a wireless unit (RU), etc.), without limitation. The method includes: determining third auxiliary data, wherein the third auxiliary data indicates information of at least one satellite, and the information of the at least one satellite is determined by the network device based on the signal of the at least one satellite and / or the information reported by the terminal device; and sending the third auxiliary data.

[0062] In combination with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the method further includes: receiving a signal from the at least one satellite.

[0063] In combination with the fourth aspect, in certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the information reported by the terminal device is one or more of the following: identification information of the service satellite of the terminal device; angle information between the service satellite and the terminal device; beam information between the service satellite and the terminal device; or location information of the terminal device.

[0064] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication device comprising a module for implementing the method in any possible implementation of the above-mentioned first aspect, second aspect, third aspect, or fourth aspect.

[0065] In a sixth aspect, another communication device is provided, comprising a processor configured to execute instructions to implement the method of any possible implementation of the first, second, third, or fourth aspects. Optionally, the device further comprises a memory, the processor being coupled to the memory. Optionally, the device further comprises a communication interface, the processor being coupled to the communication interface.

[0066] In a seventh aspect, a processor is provided, comprising: an input circuit, an output circuit, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive a signal through the input circuit and transmit a signal through the output circuit, so that the processor executes the method of any possible implementation of the first, second, third, or fourth aspects.

[0067] In a specific implementation, the processor may be a chip, the input circuit may be an input pin, the output circuit may be an output pin, and the processing circuit may be a transistor, a gate circuit, a trigger, or various logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit may be, for example, but not limited to, received and input by a receiver, and the signal output by the output circuit may be, for example, but not limited to, output to and transmitted by a transmitter. The input circuit and the output circuit may be the same circuit, which functions as an input circuit and an output circuit at different times. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0068] In an eighth aspect, a processing device is provided, comprising a processor and a memory. The processor is configured to read instructions stored in the memory and receive signals via a receiver and transmit signals via a transmitter to execute the method of any possible implementation of the first, second, third, or fourth aspects.

[0069] Optionally, there are one or more processors and one or more memories.

[0070] Optionally, the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory may be provided separately from the processor.

[0071] In the specific implementation process, the memory can be a non-transitory memory, such as a read-only memory (ROM), which can be integrated with the processor on the same chip or can be set on different chips. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the type of memory and the setting method of the memory and the processor.

[0072] It should be understood that related data interaction processes, such as sending indication information, can be the process of outputting indication information from the processor, and receiving capability information can be the process of receiving input capability information from the processor. Specifically, the output data of the processing can be output to the transmitter, and the input data received by the processor can come from the receiver. The transmitter and receiver can be collectively referred to as a transceiver.

[0073] The processing device in the above-mentioned eighth aspect can be a chip. The processor can be implemented by hardware or by software. When implemented by hardware, the processor can be a logic circuit, an integrated circuit, etc.; when implemented by software, the processor can be a general-purpose processor, which is implemented by reading the software code stored in the memory. The memory can be integrated in the processor or can be located outside the processor and exist independently.

[0074] In the ninth aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes: a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions), which, when run, enables the computer to execute the method in any possible implementation of the first, second, third, or fourth aspects above.

[0075] In the tenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions) which, when run on a computer, enables the computer to execute a method in any possible implementation of the first, second, third, or fourth aspects above.

[0076] In the eleventh aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising a first communication device and / or a second communication device, wherein the first communication device is used to execute the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect, and the second communication device is used to execute the method in any possible implementation of the third aspect, or the first communication device is used to execute the method in any possible implementation of the second aspect, and the second communication device is used to execute the method in any possible implementation of the fourth aspect.

[0077] The beneficial effects and possible implementation methods of the fifth to eleventh aspects can be referred to the description of the first to fourth aspects and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0078] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a communication architecture provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0079] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of another communication architecture provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0080] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of another communication architecture provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0081] FIG4 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0082] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of an association relationship between a region and a beam provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0083] FIG6 is a schematic flow chart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0084] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of the perspective of a terminal device and a low-orbit satellite according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0085] FIG8 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0086] FIG9 is a schematic block diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0087] The technical solution in this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0088] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: long term evolution (LTE) system, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (TDD), universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), fifth generation (5G) system or new radio (NR), satellite communication (non-terrestrial networks, NTN) system, future evolution system (such as 6G mobile communication system) or other evolved communication systems, as well as open access network (open RAN, ORAN or ORAN), cloud radio access network (cloud radio access network, CRAN), or virtualized radio access network (virtualized RAN, VRAN), or a communication system in which two or more of the above systems are integrated.

[0089] The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application may also be referred to as: user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication equipment, user agent or user device, etc.

[0090] The terminal device may be a device that provides voice / data connectivity to users, such as a handheld device or vehicle-mounted device with wireless connection function. At present, some examples of terminals are: mobile phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in remote medical surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, cellular phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices or other processing devices connected to wireless modems, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, terminal devices in 5G networks or future evolved public land mobile communication networks (PLMNs). The terminal equipment in the network (PLMN), etc., is not limited to this in the embodiments of the present application.

[0091] As an example and not a limitation, in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device may also be a wearable device. Wearable devices may also be called wearable smart devices, which are a general term for wearable devices that are intelligently designed and developed using wearable technology for daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. A wearable device is a portable device that is worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothes or accessories. Wearable devices are not only hardware devices, but also achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly speaking, wearable smart devices include those that are fully functional, large in size, and can achieve complete or partial functions without relying on smartphones, such as smart watches or smart glasses, as well as those that only focus on a certain type of application function and need to be used in conjunction with other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0092] In addition, in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can also be a terminal device in the Internet of Things (IoT) system. IoT is an important part of the future development of information technology. Its main technical feature is to connect objects to the network through communication technology, thereby realizing an intelligent network of human-machine interconnection and object-to-object interconnection. The terminal device of the present application can also be an on-board unit, on-board module, on-board component, on-board chip or on-board unit built into the vehicle as one or more components or units. The vehicle can implement the method of the present application through the built-in on-board unit, on-board module, on-board component, on-board chip or on-board unit. Therefore, the embodiment of the present application can be applied to the Internet of Vehicles, such as vehicle to everything (V2X), long-term evolution-vehicle (LTE-V), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), etc.

[0093] In addition, the network device in the embodiment of the present application can be an access network device in an access network (radio access network, RAN), which can also be called a wireless access network device, a transmission reception point (TRP), an evolved NodeB (eNB or eNodeB) in an LTE system, a home base station (for example, home evolved NodeB, or home Node B, HNB), a base band unit (BBU), or a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario, or the access network device can be a relay station, an access point, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, and an access network device in a 5G network or an access network device in a future evolved PLMN network, etc., can be an access point (AP) in a WLAN, can be a gNB in ​​a new radio (NR) system, can be a satellite base station in a satellite communication system, etc., and the embodiment of the present application is not limited.

[0094] The access network device in the embodiment of the present application can also be a module or unit that completes part of the functions of the base station, for example, it can be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), or a radio unit (RU). The CU here completes the functions of the radio resource control protocol and the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) of the base station, and can also complete the function of the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP); the DU completes the functions of the radio link control layer and the medium access control (MAC) layer of the base station, and can also complete the functions of part of the physical layer or all of the physical layer. For the specific description of the above-mentioned protocol layers, please refer to the relevant technical specifications of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). The CU and DU can be set separately, or they can be included in the same network element, such as the baseband unit (BBU). The RU may be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, for example, in a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU) or a remote radio head (RRH). In different systems, CU, DU or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, CU may also be called O-CU (open CU), DU may also be called O-DU, and RU may also be called O-RU. Any of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application may be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0095] The core network device in the embodiment of the present application refers to the device in the core network (CN) that provides service support for the terminal device. At present, the above-mentioned core network device can be: access and mobility management function (AMF) entity, session management function (SMF) entity, user plane function (UPF) entity, etc., which are not listed here one by one. Among them, the above-mentioned AMF entity can be responsible for access management and mobility management of terminal devices; the above-mentioned SMF entity can be responsible for session management, such as user session establishment, etc.; the above-mentioned UPF entity can be a functional entity of the user plane, mainly responsible for connecting to the external network. It should be noted that the entity in this application can also be referred to as a network element or a functional entity. For example, the AMF entity can also be referred to as an AMF network element or an AMF functional entity. For another example, the SMF entity can also be referred to as an SMF network element or an SMF functional entity, etc. This application does not limit this.

[0096] Communication systems can provide a wide range of horizontal and vertical services in different environments (e.g., rural, urban, and indoor). For example, communication systems can provide different positioning services based on the needs of users, operators, and third parties. For example, Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a system architecture 100 for providing positioning services to users in a mobile communication system.

[0097] As shown in Figure 1, the UE connects to the next generation radio access network (NG-RAN) device via the next-generation evolved NodeB (ng-eNB) through the LTE-Uu interface, or via the next-generation NodeB (gNB) through the NR-Uu interface. The NG-RAN connects to the core network (CN) via the access and mobility management function (AMF) network element through the NG-C interface. The core network CN includes the AMF network element and the location management function (LMF) network element. The AMF network element and the LMF network element are connected via the NL1 interface. It should be understood that the NG-RAN may include one or more ng-eNBs (Figure 1 uses one ng-eNB as an example) and / or one or more gNBs (Figure 1 uses one gNB as an example). Among them, the ng-eNB is an LTE base station that accesses the 5G core network, and the gNB is a 5G base station that accesses the 5G core network.

[0098] Among them, the AMF network element is used to implement functions such as access management. The AMF network element can receive location service requests related to UE from the 5G core network (5G core network, 5GC) mobile positioning service (LCS) entity, or initiate a location service request on behalf of a specific UE, forward the location service request to the LMF, and forward it to the 5GC LCS entity after receiving the location information returned by the UE. The LMF network element is responsible for supporting different types of location services related to the UE, including UE orientation and delivery of auxiliary data to the UE. Its control plane and user plane are the evolved serving mobile location center (E-SMLC) and service location protocol (SLP), respectively.

[0099] Through the system architecture shown in Figure 1, the LMF network element can interact with the ng-eNB / gNB through the NR positioning protocol annex (NRPPa) message, a signaling protocol between the LMF and the base station, to obtain positioning reference signal (PRS), sounding reference signal (SRS) configuration information, cell timing, cell location information, etc. It can also communicate capability information, assistance data, and measurement information to the UE through the LTE positioning protocol (LPP) message, a signaling protocol between the LMF and the UE. Through the interaction between the LMF, ng-eNB / gNB, and the UE, positioning technologies such as uplink / downlink time difference of arrival (UL / DL-TDOA), downlink angle of departure (DL-AOD), uplink angle of arrival (UL-AOA), multiple round trip time (Multi-RTT), and carrier phase positioning (CPP) are used to locate the UE.

[0100] With the development of satellite communication technology, satellites and ng-eNB / gNB can jointly or independently provide communication services to users. For example, there can be two satellite network architectures as shown in Figures 2 and 3.

[0101] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a system architecture 200 provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 2, during the communication between the UE and the base station (gNB), the satellite communicates with the non-terrestrial network (NTN) gateway via the NR Uu interface, the gNB communicates with the 5G core network (5G CN) via the next generation (NG) interface, and the 5G CN communicates with the data network via the N6 interface. The network communication segment between the UE and the gNB (which may also be the ng-eNB, not shown in the figure) is called the remote radio unit (RRU), and the NG-RAN node is used to ensure the normal communication between the UE and the 5G CN. Satellite 1 can act as an L1 relay for RF filtering, frequency conversion, and amplification, and regenerates the physical layer signal so that the physical layer signal is invisible to the protocol layers above the physical layer. This architecture can be called a "transparent transmission architecture." In this architecture, the satellite acts as an analog RF repeater, performing only analog RF filtering, frequency conversion, and amplification on signals from the UE or gNB without changing the signal waveform.

[0102] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of another system architecture 300 provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG3 , satellites 2 and 3 can function as base stations. For example, satellite 2 communicates with a UE via an NR Uu interface and with another satellite 3, which functions as a base station, via an Xn interface. The Xn interface can be deployed on an inter-satellite link (ISL). Meanwhile, satellites 2 and 3 communicate with the 5G CN via an NG interface, and the 5G CN communicates with the data network via an N6 interface. During interconnection and communication between the satellites and satellite 3 and the 5G CN, the NTN gateway connects network segments using different protocols to ensure normal communication. In the satellite-NTN gateway network segment, the NG interface is deployed in the satellite radio interface (SRI). The NG-RAN node ensures normal communication between the UE and the 5G CN. This architecture can be referred to as a "regenerative architecture." In this architecture, the satellite has all or part of the functions of a base station and can be considered a base station, directly processing signals from the UE or directly sending signals to the UE. Specifically, satellites in the regenerative architecture support RF filtering, frequency conversion and amplification, as well as demodulation / decoding, encoding / modulation, and perform error detection, correction and recovery on signals to improve signal quality.

[0103] It should be understood that satellites can be divided into the following three categories based on the altitude of their orbits: 1) Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites, also referred to as "LOW Earth Orbit satellites," have an orbital altitude of approximately 300 to 1500 km. Most Earth observation satellites, geodetic satellites, space stations, and some new communication satellite systems use LEO satellites; 2) Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellites, also referred to as "MEO satellites," have an orbital altitude of 7000 to 25000 km and are commonly used for television relay and navigation; 3) Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites, also referred to as "GEO satellites," have an orbital altitude of approximately 35786 km and are commonly used for remote sensing, satellite telephony, and other purposes. LEO satellites, with their low latency, low cost, and flexible networking, are the focus of satellite communication development. The satellites shown in Figures 2 and 3 above may be LEO satellites, but this is not a limitation in this application.

[0104] Optionally, the NG-RAN in Figure 1 above can also be replaced by the NG-RAN in Figure 2 or Figure 3, so that the satellite can be used as a relay between the UE and the ng-eNB / gNB or the satellite can be regarded as a base station to provide services for the terminal device, but this application is not limited to this.

[0105] As satellite communication technology matures, the advantages of satellite signals, such as high coverage and high signal quality, are gradually being studied and utilized. The Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) is an airborne radio navigation and positioning system that can provide users with all-weather three-dimensional coordinates, speed, and time information at any location on the Earth's surface or in near-Earth space. It includes China's Beidou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), the United States' Global Positioning System (GPS), Russia's GLONASS, and the European Union's Galileo Navigation Satellite System (GALILEO). GNSS satellites have a wide coverage area, and based on GNSS, terminal devices can achieve satellite communications worldwide. In some possible implementations, GNSS satellites are MEO or GEO. In the process of establishing communication between a terminal device and a GNSS satellite, or in the process of using a satellite for communication, the terminal device needs to obtain satellite-related assistance data to determine the target satellite that can be used for positioning or communication.

[0106] In some implementations, GNSS satellites send assistance data to UEs via navigation messages. For example, GPS satellites transmit navigation messages at a rate of 50 bits per second. A single navigation message frame contains 1,500 bits and takes 30 seconds to transmit. A complete navigation message consists of 25 frames (or pages), and transmitting a complete navigation message can take several minutes or even more than ten minutes. During this time, the user's terminal device cannot achieve positioning or access the communication network, severely impacting the user experience.

[0107] Therefore, in other implementations, the auxiliary data of the GNSS satellite is sent to the terminal device through network devices such as ng-eNB / gNB or core network devices such as core network LMF network elements. For example, the LMF network element receives the navigation message of the GNSS satellite, and the LMF network element determines the specific content of the auxiliary data and sends it to the ng-eNB / gNB, which is then sent to the terminal device by the ng-eNB / gNB. The sending method can be through the positioning system information block (posSIB) broadcast. Since the distance between the ng-eNB / gNB and the terminal device is closer than the distance between the GNSS satellite and the terminal device, the delay for the terminal device to obtain data is shortened to a certain extent. However, in existing designs, the auxiliary data broadcast by network devices usually needs to meet the needs of all terminal devices in the service cell of the network device. In particular, in the application scenario shown in Figure 3, when a satellite is used as a network device, the radius of the corresponding NTN cell can reach hundreds of kilometers. The auxiliary data set sent by the network device is huge. On the one hand, there are terminal devices in the huge auxiliary data set that may receive auxiliary data corresponding to satellites that are not within their own visual range, which increases the complexity and power consumption of the subsequent work of the terminal device. On the other hand, the huge amount of data also brings a large signaling burden to the terminal.

[0108] In view of this, the present application provides a communication method and a communication device, in which a network device sends information of at least one satellite corresponding to the first area within a first area, and the first area is a partial area in a service cell of the network device. In this way, the amount of auxiliary data received by a terminal device located in the first area can be reduced, the complexity and power consumption of the terminal device can be reduced, and the signaling overhead of the terminal device can be saved.

[0109] Furthermore, the amount of auxiliary data received by the terminal device is reduced, and the number of satellites that the terminal device needs to detect when receiving satellite signals based on the auxiliary data is reduced, which is conducive to improving the satellite search efficiency of the terminal device and also reduces the delay of the terminal device in achieving satellite-based positioning, communication or other measurement tasks to a certain extent.

[0110] Optionally, the complexity of the terminal device may be the complexity of the process of searching, calculating, and determining the target satellite based on the auxiliary data, or the complexity of a series of other operations performed by the terminal device based on the auxiliary data. This is not limited to the above.

[0111] In one possible implementation, the network equipment involved in the description of the embodiments of the present application may be any one or more of 4G and 5G base stations such as ng-eNB and gNB, future evolved 6G base stations, and satellites with some or all base station functions. The source of the auxiliary data required by the terminal device is a satellite that provides satellite positioning or other services to users, such as a GNSS satellite, but this application does not specifically limit this.

[0112] In order to make the purpose and technical solution of this application clearer and more intuitive, the communication method and communication device provided by the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain this application and are not intended to limit this application.

[0113] Below, the professional terms involved in this application are first explained.

[0114] 1. Radio resource control (RRC) status

[0115] The RRC states of user equipment (UE) (or terminal equipment) include connected state (RRC_CONNECTED), idle state (RRC_IDLE), and deactivated state (RRC_INACTIVE, or the third state).

[0116] When the UE is in the RRC_CONNECTED state, links have been established between the UE and the network device and the core network. When data arrives at the network, it can be directly transmitted to the UE.

[0117] When the UE is in the RRC_IDLE state, there is no link between the UE and the network device or the network. When data needs to be transmitted, a link needs to be established from the UE to the network device and the core network.

[0118] When the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, it means that the UE has previously established a link with the network device and the core network, but the link from the UE to the network device has been released. However, the network device will store the UE's context, and when data needs to be transmitted, the network device can quickly restore this link. The deactivated state is between the connected state and the idle state. In the deactivated state, there is no RRC connection between the terminal and the access network device, but the connection between the access network device and the core network device is maintained, and the terminal saves all or part of the information necessary to establish / restore the connection. Therefore, in the deactivated state, when the terminal needs to establish a connection, it can quickly establish / restore the RRC connection with the access network device based on the saved relevant information.

[0119] In the description of this application, the idle state (RRC_IDLE) and the deactivated state (RRC_INACTIVE) are collectively referred to as the RRC non-connected state. The method provided in the embodiment of this application does not specifically limit the RRC state of the terminal device.

[0120] 2. Satellite positioning method

[0121] Existing satellite positioning methods mainly include the following two categories:

[0122] The first type is based on single-satellite positioning. This involves using a single satellite as a reference station for positioning. Specifically, methods such as multi-round-trip time (Multi-RTT), time difference of arrival (TDOA) from a single satellite at multiple times, Doppler, and carrier phase positioning can be used. This type of positioning method has the advantage of requiring a low satellite density (theoretically, a single satellite is sufficient). However, due to its reliance on a single satellite for positioning, it also suffers from low accuracy and high latency.

[0123] The second category is multi-satellite positioning methods. These use multiple satellites (at least four) as positioning reference stations for positioning. Specific methods include Multi-RTT, TDOA (multiple satellites at a single moment), and carrier phase positioning. Due to the large number of positioning reference stations, this type of positioning method offers higher accuracy. However, it requires multiple satellites (at least four) to be within the visible range of the terminal device, placing high demands on satellite density and inter-satellite interaction and coordination.

[0124] In one possible implementation, the first auxiliary data and / or second auxiliary data involved in the embodiment of the present application may be positioning auxiliary data. The embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit which satellite positioning method is adopted by the terminal device, but it should be understood that the method provided by the embodiment of the present application, whether based on the positioning of a single satellite or the positioning of multiple satellites, is conducive to reducing the delay of the terminal device in realizing the positioning function and improving the user experience.

[0125] Before introducing the methods and devices provided in the embodiments of the present application, the following points are explained.

[0126] First, in the embodiments described below, various terms and abbreviations, such as baseline data and differential data, are provided for ease of description and should not be construed as limiting this application. This application does not exclude the possibility of defining other terms in existing or future protocols that can achieve the same or similar functions.

[0127] Second, the first, second and various numerical numbers in the embodiments shown below are only used for the convenience of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application.

[0128] Third, "at least one" means one or more, and "more" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "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 and c can mean: a, or b, or c, or a and b, or a and c, or b and c, or a, b and c, where a, b, c can be single or multiple.

[0129] The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail below with reference to Figures 4 to 7.

[0130] FIG4 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method 400 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method 400 is described in detail from the perspective of interaction between a network device and a terminal device. The method 400 can be applied to any of the system architectures shown in FIG1 , FIG2 , and FIG3 . The method includes:

[0131] S401: A network device determines first assistance data, where the first assistance data indicates information of at least one satellite corresponding to a first area, where the first area belongs to a cell of the network device.

[0132] S402: The network device sends first auxiliary data, and correspondingly, the first terminal device receives the first auxiliary data.

[0133] S403. The first terminal device receives signals from one or more satellites of at least one satellite based on the first auxiliary data.

[0134] Optionally, the first auxiliary data may be data used for auxiliary positioning, or may be auxiliary data used for power control, beam management or other communication purposes, which is not limited in this application.

[0135] In one possible implementation, a service cell of a network device may include multiple areas, a first area being a portion of the multiple areas, and first assistance data transmitted by the network device to the first area is information about at least one satellite covering or serving the first area. Optionally, a second area different from the first area exists within the multiple areas, and the assistance data transmitted by the network device to the second area is information about at least one satellite covering or serving the second area. The assistance data received by a terminal device located in the first area and a terminal device located in the second area are not identical.

[0136] Optionally, the above-mentioned "multiple areas" can be areas corresponding to one or more beams, or areas corresponding to one or more wave positions, or an administrative area or a custom geographical area, or based on any other area. This application does not specifically limit the definition of multiple areas in the service cell of the network device.

[0137] It should also be understood that the satellite can be a GNSS satellite or a satellite with other functions (including but not limited to communication satellites, navigation satellites, remote sensing satellites, and meteorological satellites). Depending on the orbital altitude, the satellite can be a low-orbit satellite, a medium-orbit satellite, a high-orbit satellite, etc., which is not limited in this application. The first terminal device can receive signals from one or more of the at least one satellite based on the information of the at least one satellite indicated by the first assistance data, or send signals to one or more of the at least one satellite.

[0138] Optionally, the signal may refer to a reference signal or a data signal. The reference signal may be a reference signal used for positioning, such as a sounding reference signal SRS for uplink positioning, a positioning reference signal PRS for downlink positioning, or a sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS). The reference signal may also be a reference signal for other non-positioning purposes, such as a synchronization signal block (SSB), etc. This application does not make any specific limitations on this.

[0139] Compared with the prior art in which the auxiliary data sent by the network device to multiple areas is information about satellites covering the entire service cell of the network device, the method provided in the embodiment of the present application reduces the amount of data received by the terminal device, which is beneficial to reducing the complexity and power consumption of the subsequent satellite search or calculation work performed by the terminal device, and is beneficial to saving the signaling overhead of the terminal device and the network device respectively.

[0140] As an optional embodiment, the network device may send the auxiliary data in the following two possible ways.

[0141] Method 1: The network device sends auxiliary data by area.

[0142] It should be understood that the sending of auxiliary data by region mentioned here may refer to the network device sending auxiliary data according to the granularity of the region. For example, when the region is a "beam" (which can be understood as different beams corresponding to different regions), the auxiliary data sent by the network device using different beams may be different. If the "partial area" is the first area, the network device sends the first auxiliary data to the first area. Optionally, the first auxiliary data is only applicable to users in the first area. If the "partial area" includes the first area and the second area, the first auxiliary data is sent to the first area, and information of at least one satellite covering the second area is sent to the second area, and so on, which will not be repeated. Optionally, the first auxiliary data is only applicable to users in the first area and not to users in the second area.

[0143] Method 2: The network device sends auxiliary data based on its serving cell, which may refer to the network device sending auxiliary data at the cell granularity. The auxiliary data may include auxiliary data for one or more areas, where each auxiliary data in the one or more areas is associated with one or more areas in the serving cell of the network device.

[0144] It should be understood that the network device sends auxiliary data according to its service cell, which may mean that the network device sends auxiliary data covering the entire cell at one time, and the auxiliary data sent is associated with multiple areas in the network device. In the prior art, the auxiliary data sent by the network device to all areas in the service cell are indiscriminate. The difference between this method 2 and the prior art is that the auxiliary data sent by the network device to multiple areas in its service cell may be different, that is, the auxiliary data sent by the network device to multiple areas is only related to the satellites covered by the respective areas, and the data received by the terminal device in different areas may be different. Optionally, the first auxiliary data associated with the first area is only applicable to users in the first area, and is not applicable to users in other areas (different from the first area).

[0145] In one possible implementation, the first area is associated with one or more beams of the network device. The first area can be associated with one or more beams of the network device, which can be understood as the first auxiliary data can be sent through one or more beams associated with the first area. For example, as shown in Figure 5, taking the cell served by the network device covering 32 GNSS satellites and the network device sending data through 24 beams as an example, the first area is associated with beams identified as 1 to 8, and the corresponding information of satellites identified as 1 to 5; the second area is associated with beams identified as 9, 10, 15, and 16, and the corresponding information of satellites identified as 5 to 9; the third area is associated with beams identified as 11, 12, 13, and 14, and the corresponding information of satellites identified as 10 to 20; the fourth area is associated with beams identified as 17 to 24, and the corresponding information of satellites identified as 21 to 32.

[0146] 5 , a possible implementation of the above-mentioned method 1 may be: the network device sends the first auxiliary data through a narrow beam (for example, one or more beams among the beams identified as 1 to 8), or sends the first auxiliary data through a wide beam (for example, a beam formed by combining multiple beams among the beams identified as 1 to 8), and the first auxiliary data is applicable to users in the first area. The fourth auxiliary data is sent to the second area through a narrow beam (for example, one or more beams among the beams identified as 9, 10, 15, and 16) (the fourth auxiliary data is information about at least one satellite covering or serving the second area), or the fourth auxiliary data is sent through a wide beam (for example, a beam formed by combining multiple beams among the beams identified as 9, 10, 15, and 16), and the fourth auxiliary data is applicable to users in the second area. Optionally, these auxiliary data cannot be used across regions. For example, the first auxiliary data is not applicable to users in the second area, and the fourth auxiliary data is not applicable to users in the first area. In one possible implementation, after a first terminal device undergoes a region update, the first terminal device releases previously stored auxiliary data and receives and stores auxiliary data for the new region. For example, at a first moment, the first terminal device is located in a first region and receives and stores auxiliary data associated with the first region. At a second moment after the first moment, the first terminal device undergoes a region update, i.e., is located in a second region. The first terminal device releases the first auxiliary data and receives and stores fourth auxiliary data. This reduces storage overhead on the terminal side.

[0147] A possible implementation of the above-mentioned method 2 may be: the network device sends the fifth auxiliary data through a narrow beam (for example, one or more beams identified as 24 beams), or sends the fifth auxiliary data through a wide beam, and the fifth auxiliary data includes auxiliary data associated with the first area, the second area, the third area, and the fourth area. Optionally, these auxiliary data cannot be used across regions. For example, the first auxiliary data is not applicable to users in other areas (the second area, the third area, or the fourth area). This application does not limit the specific implementation of the above-mentioned method 1 and method 2.

[0148] Optionally, the network device may send the first auxiliary data via a broadcast message or a unicast message. For example, the first auxiliary data may be broadcast via a positioning system information block (posSIB) or other SIB, or, when the first terminal device is in an RRC connected state, the first auxiliary data may be sent to the first terminal device via a unicast message such as an RRC message or a MAC CE message.

[0149] As an optional embodiment, the first auxiliary data may further include an identifier of the first area.

[0150] In one possible implementation, different regions may have different coverage areas for different satellites, meaning the corresponding assistance data for different regions may also be different. Therefore, by including the region identifier in the assistance data, if the region identifier included in the assistance data currently received by the first terminal device differs from the region identifier included in the assistance data received previously, the assistance data can be updated to the most recently received assistance data, allowing the terminal to lock onto the serving satellite using the new assistance data. This allows the terminal to search for satellites based on the latest (most accurate) assistance data, reducing search and computational complexity. Furthermore, the terminal can store less assistance data (e.g., always storing the latest assistance data), reducing storage overhead.

[0151] As a possible scenario, the first terminal device performs a cold start process, and the first terminal device or a device in the first terminal device is in a radio resource control (RRC) non-connected state.

[0152] Optionally, the cold start involved in this application may refer to the first time the first terminal device turns on the GNSS function or restarts the GNSS function after a period of time. For example, the cold start of the GNSS function may occur when the first terminal device is used for the first time and no satellite ephemeris information is stored, when the first terminal device is indoors or in an obstructed environment for a period of time (for example, more than 2 hours) resulting in GNSS ephemeris failure, or when the battery of the first terminal device is exhausted resulting in loss of GNSS ephemeris information, etc. This application does not limit this.

[0153] In this scenario, the first terminal device does not store satellite information (for example, in the initial access scenario), or the first terminal device loses connection with the network for a period of time, clearing all historical information, and needs to retry positioning and locking the satellite. In one possible implementation, the first terminal device needs to search for or lock the corresponding satellite signal based on the received auxiliary data (for example, a polling method can be used). In the prior art, the auxiliary data received by the first terminal device is at the cell level. On the one hand, the huge amount of data may require the network device to send it in several segments, resulting in excessive delay; on the other hand, the content of the received auxiliary data is excessive, resulting in the first terminal device taking a long time to lock the "appropriate" (for example, it may be a satellite that can assist the terminal device in positioning) satellite, which brings higher complexity and power consumption to the first terminal device. The entire cold start process will also take a long time and be inefficient.

[0154] It is worth noting that the terminal device "locking" a satellite can be understood as the process of the terminal device determining the target satellite to be accessed or determining at least one satellite participating in positioning or communication services based on the acquired auxiliary data, but this application is not limited to this.

[0155] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the first auxiliary data received by the first terminal device located in the first area only includes information of at least one satellite covering the first area. On the one hand, the amount of auxiliary data received by the first terminal device is reduced, and the time for the first terminal device to receive the auxiliary data is reduced. On the other hand, the number of satellites included in the first auxiliary data received by the first terminal device may be smaller than the number of satellites included in the auxiliary data issued based on the entire cell level in the prior art. The first terminal device subsequently needs to poll fewer satellites, and the efficiency of locking the target satellite is higher, which can further reduce the cold start time of the first terminal device.

[0156] As an optional embodiment, the first auxiliary data may only include an identifier of the first area.

[0157] In one possible implementation, the first terminal device has stored auxiliary data, which may include auxiliary data corresponding to all or part of the areas of the network device. The network device can indicate the identifier of the first area through the first auxiliary data to instruct the first terminal device to use the first auxiliary data corresponding to the identifier of the first area to receive the satellite signal.

[0158] Optionally, the auxiliary data stored in the first terminal device may be pre-stored in the terminal at the factory, or received from the network side or satellite after the first terminal device is turned on for the first time. This application does not impose specific limitations on this.

[0159] In one possible implementation, the first assistance data may include all ephemeris information of at least one satellite corresponding to the first area, including: orbit parameters, clock parameters, GNSS reference time, GNSS reference position, GNSS ionospheric model, GNSS earth orientation parameters, GNSS-RTK reference station information, GNSS-RTK general observation information, GNSS-RTK auxiliary station data, GNSS space state correction points, GNSS integrity service parameters, GNSS integrity service alarms, time model list, GNSS differential correction information, GNSS navigation model, GNSS real-time integrity information, GNSS data bit assistance information, GNSS reception assistance information, and GNSS real-time information. Aid, GNSS almanac, GNSS-UTC model, GNSS assistance information, BeiDou system differential correction, BDS grid model parameters, GNSS reference station observations, GLO-RTK bias information, GNSS-RTK-MAC correction difference, GNSS-RTK residuals, GNSS-RTK-area correction parameter gradient, GNSS-SSR orbit correction, GNSS-SSR clock correction, GNSS-SSR code bias, GNSS-SSR user range accuracy, GNSS-SSR phase bias, GNSS-SSR oblique ionospheric total electron content correction, GNSS-SSR grid correction, NavIC differential correction, NavIC grid correction, tropospheric error information, etc.

[0160] In another possible implementation, the first assistance data only includes orbit parameters of at least one satellite corresponding to the first area, and / or clock parameters of at least one satellite corresponding to the first area.

[0161] In one possible implementation, a first terminal device located in a first area receives basic ephemeris information, such as the orbital parameters of at least one satellite covering the first area and / or the clock parameters of at least one satellite. This information can then be used to receive signals from the corresponding satellites and achieve basic positioning of the first terminal device, thereby determining the service satellite corresponding to the location of the first terminal device and accessing the service satellite. Optionally, the orbital parameters and clock parameters can be IE NavModel-BDS-KeplerianSet2 and BDS-ClockModel2, respectively, which are not specifically limited in this application.

[0162] In an embodiment of the present application, the first auxiliary data may only include some auxiliary data that supports basic positioning functions, such as the orbital parameters and / or clock parameters of at least one satellite corresponding to the first area. In this way, the amount of data received by the first terminal device located in the first area can be further reduced, further reducing the signaling overhead and power consumption of the terminal device. In particular, when the first terminal device is in a GNSS function cold start scenario, the GNSS function cold start delay can be further reduced, the GNSS function cold start efficiency can be improved, and the user experience can be enhanced.

[0163] As an optional embodiment, the first assistance data and / or the second assistance data are assistance data related to a positioning function.

[0164] In one possible implementation, after the first terminal device receives signals from one or more satellites in at least one satellite corresponding to the first area based on the first auxiliary data to achieve positioning, establish communication with the target service satellite, and enter the RRC connection state, it can also receive second auxiliary data from the network device. The second auxiliary data indicates information about at least one satellite corresponding to the cell of the network device. The first terminal device can achieve more fine-grained positioning based on the second auxiliary data. In this way, when the first terminal device has not established a connection with the satellite, the efficiency of the first terminal device accessing the service satellite is improved through the first auxiliary data with a smaller number and shorter transmission delay. After the first terminal device establishes a connection with the satellite, the second auxiliary data can be used to meet the precise positioning needs of the first terminal device, which is conducive to improving the user experience.

[0165] In one possible implementation, the first auxiliary data and / or the second auxiliary data may be sent via a broadcast message, with the first auxiliary data being sent at a different period than the second auxiliary data. For example, the first auxiliary data may be sent at a shorter period than the second auxiliary data. This eliminates the need for the first terminal device to frequently update the second auxiliary data, effectively reducing receiving power consumption and storage space required by the first terminal device.

[0166] Through the method provided in the embodiments of the present application, in some scenarios, if the first terminal device does not have high requirements for positioning performance (for example, in the scenario of initially establishing satellite communication, in this scenario, only coarse positioning is required to confirm the range of the terminal device to lock the service satellite and establish communication), only the first auxiliary data can be received or updated to achieve coarse positioning, without the need to receive or update the second auxiliary data, which can reduce the complexity and power consumption of the first terminal device and improve the speed at which the first terminal device realizes the positioning function; in other scenarios, if the first terminal device has high requirements for positioning performance (for example, in the scenario where the user uses map software for navigation), the first auxiliary data and the second auxiliary data can be received or updated to further improve the positioning performance and accuracy, thereby enhancing the user experience.

[0167] Optionally, the first auxiliary data can be broadcast through a newly defined positioning system information block (posSIB), and the second auxiliary data can be broadcast through the existing posSiB type1-x (for example, one of type1-1 to type1-10) and / or posSiB type2-x (for example, one of type2-1 to type2-25), but this application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0168] Optionally, when the first terminal device is in an RRC connected state, the network device may also send auxiliary data to the first terminal device via a unicast message. Exemplarily, the unicast message may be an RRC message or a MAC CE message, which is not specifically limited in this application.

[0169] Possible implementations of the network device determining the first assistance data described in S401 of the above method 400 may include the following two:

[0170] A first possible implementation manner: the network device obtains the first auxiliary data from the core network device or other interface.

[0171] In one possible implementation, the core network device may determine the first assistance data based on stored or received satellite operating parameters and / or based on second information from the second terminal device, and then transparently transmit the first assistance data to the first terminal device via the network device. Alternatively, the first assistance data may be transparent or invisible to the network device, or the network device may be unable to decode the specific content of the second information.

[0172] Optionally, the second information can be sent directly from the second terminal device to the core network device, or can be sent from the second terminal device to the network device, and then sent from the network device to the core network device. This application does not limit this.

[0173] Optionally, the second information may include one or more of the following: identification information of the second service satellite of the second terminal device; angle information between the second service satellite and the second terminal device, such as elevation information and AOD information; beam information between the second service satellite and the second terminal device, such as a PRS resource identifier that can identify the beam direction, a PRS resource set identifier, an SSB index, or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) identifier, etc.; location information of the second terminal device; or an area identifier of the area where the second terminal device is located. Exemplarily, the second terminal device may report the second information together with the coarse position through IE MeasResults, which is not limited in this application.

[0174] Optionally, the core network device can be an LMF network element, and the terminal device and the LMF network element can interact through LPP messages, and the network device and the LMF network element can interact through NRPPa messages. This application does not limit this.

[0175] In one possible implementation, the LPP message may be an LPP request assistance data message or an LPP provide assistance data message; the NRPPa message may be a transmission-reception point information request (TRP information request) message, a transmission-reception node response (TRP information response) message or an assistance information control message, but this application does not limit this.

[0176] In one example, a terminal device may request positioning assistance data from an LMF network element via an LPP request assistance data message; in response to the request of the terminal device, the LMF network element may send positioning assistance data to the terminal device via an LPP provide assistance data message. The positioning assistance data may be, for example, the first assistance data and / or the second assistance data described above, but this application does not specifically limit this. For another example, the LMF network element may send positioning assistance data to the terminal device via an LPP provide assistance data message, i.e., it does not depend on whether the terminal device requests the positioning assistance data from the LMF network element.

[0177] In another example, the terminal device may report information to the LMF network element via an LPP request assistance data message. The information may be, for example, the first information (or the second information), but this application does not limit this.

[0178] In another example, the LMF network element can send auxiliary data (for example, the first auxiliary data and / or the second auxiliary data mentioned above) and / or information reported by the terminal device (for example, the first information and / or the second information) to the network device through an assistance information control message.

[0179] The network device may send information reported by the terminal device (for example, the first information and / or the second information) to the LMF network element via a TRP information response message, but this application does not limit this. Optionally, before the network device sends a TRP information response message to the LMF network element, it may receive a TRP information request message from the LMF network element, but this application does not limit this.

[0180] In one possible implementation, a core network device can collect information reported by multiple terminal devices. Using this information, the core network device can determine the terminal device's location. The core network device then uses information about the serving satellites of the multiple terminal devices located in a first region as first assistance data, which is then transmitted to the first region via the network device. This improves the accuracy of the first assistance data determined by the core network device for the first region, reducing the complexity and power consumption of the first terminal device in locking onto a target serving satellite.

[0181] A second possible implementation manner: the network device determines the first auxiliary data based on the second information reported by the second terminal device, and sends the first auxiliary data to the first terminal device in the first area via a broadcast message or a unicast message.

[0182] Optionally, the manner in which the network device determines the first auxiliary data based on the information reported by the terminal device can be the same as the manner in which the core network device determines the first auxiliary data based on the information reported by the terminal device, and details thereof will not be repeated here. The network device independently determining the first auxiliary data based on the information reported by the terminal device can reduce the signaling overhead between the network device and the core network device, which is beneficial to reducing the power consumption of the network device and the core network device.

[0183] Optionally, for a terminal device that has established a connection with the network device, the network device may also send the first auxiliary data to it via unicast (for example, via an RRC message or a MAC CE message), which is not specifically limited in this application.

[0184] As an optional embodiment, the second terminal device belongs to the first area.

[0185] In one possible implementation, the network device is in an RRC connected state or has established a connection with a second terminal device. The network device can learn the area where the second terminal device is located and use information reported by the second terminal device in the first area to determine the first auxiliary data. Because the first auxiliary data is associated with the first area, determining the first auxiliary data based on the information reported by the second terminal device is beneficial for improving the accuracy of the first auxiliary data and reducing the complexity of the first terminal device.

[0186] As an optional embodiment, the above method 400 also includes: the first terminal device sends first information, the first information is one or more of the following: identification information of the first service satellite of the first terminal device; angle information between the first service satellite and the first terminal device; beam information between the first service satellite and the first terminal device; or location information of the first terminal device.

[0187] In one possible implementation, the first terminal device may be in an RRC connected state when sending the first information.

[0188] Optionally, the first terminal device may report the first information via an RRC message or a MAC CE message, which is not limited in this application.

[0189] In another possible implementation, the first terminal device may be in an RRC non-connected state when sending the first information. Exemplarily, the first terminal device may also send the first information via a message (message, which may be abbreviated as msg) in a random access channel (RACH). Optionally, the first terminal device may report the first information via msg 1 or msg 3 in a 4-step RACH, or msg A in a 2-step RACH, which is not specifically limited in this application.

[0190] In an embodiment of the present application, the first terminal device reports the first information to indicate its own position, providing reference information for the network device or core network device, which is beneficial for the network device or core network device to determine or update the first auxiliary data, and helps to improve the accuracy of the first auxiliary data received by the terminal device located in the first area.

[0191] In a possible implementation, the network device may periodically update and broadcast the first auxiliary data. The first terminal device and the second terminal device may be the same terminal device or different terminal devices, but this application does not limit this.

[0192] FIG6 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method 600 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method 600 is described from the perspective of interaction between a network device and a terminal device. The method 600 can be applied to any of the system architectures shown in FIG1 , FIG2 , and FIG3 . The method includes:

[0193] S601: A network device determines third assistance data, where the third assistance data indicates information of at least one satellite. The information of the at least one satellite is determined by the network device based on a signal of the at least one satellite and / or information reported by a terminal device.

[0194] S602: The network device sends third auxiliary data, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives the third auxiliary data.

[0195] S603: The terminal device receives signals from one or more satellites in the at least one satellite based on the third assistance data.

[0196] It should be understood that the "terminal device" in the above S601 generally refers to any terminal device that can report information to the network device, and the number of the terminal device can be one or more, which is not limited in this application.

[0197] In one possible implementation, the "signal of at least one satellite" in S601 above may be a signal of a GNSS satellite that can be received by the network device in real time. The signal may be a carrier signal, a pseudo-random noise code, a ranging code, or a data code, etc. The network device may determine the satellite corresponding to the signal by decoding the received signal. This process can also be understood as the process of the network device searching for visible satellites in real time. Optionally, the network device may search for information corresponding to the satellite from local storage, or may obtain information about the satellite through interaction with the satellite, which is not limited in this application.

[0198] Figure 7 illustrates the perspectives of the network device and a terminal device within its service cell relative to the GNSS satellite, using a low-orbit satellite as an example and a GNSS satellite as a high-orbit satellite. As shown in Figure 7 , relative to the altitude of the GNSS satellite, the network device and the terminal device can be assumed to have the same perspective.

[0199] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device sends down information about satellites corresponding to satellite signals it can receive as third auxiliary data, which is equivalent to the network device performing the search for some visible satellites on behalf of the terminal device. Compared to the prior art method of obtaining currently available satellite information from LMF network elements, the method provided in this application helps reduce the proportion of satellites not visible to the terminal device in the auxiliary data sent by the network device, helps reduce the amount of auxiliary data received by the terminal device, and also helps improve the efficiency of the terminal device in locking onto the target service satellite.

[0200] It should also be understood that the information reported by the terminal device can be used to indicate the satellite that the terminal device has accessed or has accessed, that the terminal device is in a connected state (for example, has accessed the satellite network or is served by the satellite), or has established a connection with the satellite.

[0201] Optionally, the information reported by the terminal device may include one or more of the following: identification information of the service satellite of the terminal device; angle information between the service satellite and the terminal device; beam information between the service satellite and the terminal device; or location information of the terminal device.

[0202] As an embodiment, before the network device executes the above S601, the method 600 further includes: the network device receives a signal from at least one satellite.

[0203] It is worth noting that communication between network equipment and satellites, and between network equipment and terminal equipment can be achieved based on different protocols or different signal encoding and decoding methods.

[0204] In a possible implementation, the network device determines the third assistance data based on satellite information corresponding to satellite signals that the network device can receive in real time. For example, the union of the satellite information can be determined as the third assistance data.

[0205] In another possible implementation, the network device determines the third auxiliary data based on the information reported by the terminal device. For example, the union of the information may be determined as the third auxiliary data.

[0206] In another possible implementation, the network device determines the third auxiliary data based on the satellite information reported by the terminal device and the satellite information corresponding to the satellite signals that the network device itself can receive in real time. For example, the union of the satellite information can be determined as the third auxiliary data.

[0207] The method provided in the embodiments of the present application allows a network device to determine third auxiliary information based on real-time signals received from at least one satellite and / or information reported by a terminal device, eliminating the need for interaction with core network devices and saving signaling and power consumption. Furthermore, because the network device partially undertakes the satellite search process, the third auxiliary data determined using the method provided in the present application can reduce the complexity of the terminal device and improve the efficiency of the terminal device in accessing the target serving satellite.

[0208] Optionally, the terminal device that reports information to the network device in the above method 600 may include a terminal device that receives the third auxiliary data, or may not include the terminal device that receives the third auxiliary data, which is not limited in this application.

[0209] As an optional embodiment, another possible implementation of the above method S601 includes: the information of at least one satellite is determined by the network device based on the signal of at least one satellite and the third area, and / or, the position information reported by the terminal device and the third area, and the third area belongs to the cell of the network device.

[0210] In an embodiment of the present application, the service cell of the network device may include multiple areas, and the third area is a partial area among the multiple areas. The auxiliary data sent by the network device to the third area is based on the signal of at least one satellite covering or serving the third area, and / or, determined by the information reported by the terminal device located in the third area. In this way, the amount of auxiliary data received by the terminal device in the third area can be further reduced, which is conducive to reducing the signaling overhead and power consumption of the terminal device.

[0211] In one possible implementation, the third assistance data may include all ephemeris information of at least one satellite associated with the third region, including: orbital parameters, clock parameters, GNSS reference time, GNSS reference position, GNSS ionospheric model, GNSS earth orientation parameters, GNSS-RTK reference station information, GNSS-RTK general observation information, GNSS-RTK auxiliary station data, GNSS space state correction points, GNSS integrity service parameters, GNSS integrity service alarms, time model list, GNSS differential correction information, GNSS navigation model, GNSS real-time integrity information, GNSS data bit assistance information, GNSS reception assistance information, and GNSS real-time information. Aid, GNSS almanac, GNSS-UTC model, GNSS assistance information, BeiDou system differential correction, BDS grid model parameters, GNSS reference station observations, GLO-RTK bias information, GNSS-RTK-MAC correction difference, GNSS-RTK residuals, GNSS-RTK-area correction parameter gradient, GNSS-SSR orbit correction, GNSS-SSR clock correction, GNSS-SSR code bias, GNSS-SSR user range accuracy, GNSS-SSR phase bias, GNSS-SSR oblique ionospheric total electron content correction, GNSS-SSR grid correction, NavIC differential correction, NavIC grid correction, tropospheric error information, etc.

[0212] In another possible implementation, the third assistance data only includes orbital parameters of at least one satellite corresponding to the third region, and / or clock parameters of at least one satellite corresponding to the third region, so as to further reduce the data volume of the third assistance data.

[0213] It should be understood that the steps of the above embodiments may be coupled to each other, and this application does not limit this. Furthermore, the order of the sequence numbers of the above processes does not imply a specific order of execution. The order of execution of each process should be determined by its function and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0214] It should be noted that the information (including but not limited to user device information, user personal information, etc.) and data (including but not limited to data used for analysis, stored data, displayed data, etc.) reported by the terminal devices involved in this application are all information and data authorized by the user or fully authorized by all parties, and the collection, use and processing of relevant data must comply with the relevant laws, regulations and standards of the relevant countries and regions, and provide corresponding operation entrances for users to choose to authorize or refuse.

[0215] The communication method according to the embodiment of the present application is described in detail above in conjunction with Figures 4 to 7. The communication device according to the embodiment of the present application will be described in detail below in conjunction with Figures 8 and 9.

[0216] 8 shows a communication device 800 provided in an embodiment of the present application, which includes a processing module 801 and a transceiver module 802. The processing module 801 is used to execute the processing steps in the method embodiment, and the transceiver module 802 is used to execute the transceiver steps in the method embodiment.

[0217] In a first possible implementation manner, the communication device 800 is used to implement the steps and processes corresponding to the first terminal device in the above method 400.

[0218] Among them, the transceiver module 802 is used to receive first auxiliary data, the first auxiliary data indicates information of at least one satellite corresponding to a first area, and the first area belongs to a cell of the network device; and, based on the first auxiliary data, receive signals from one or more satellites of the at least one satellite.

[0219] Optionally, the first assistance data includes orbital parameters of at least one satellite corresponding to the first area, and / or clock parameters of at least one satellite corresponding to the first area.

[0220] Optionally, the first auxiliary data includes an identifier of the first area.

[0221] Optionally, second assistance data is received, where the second assistance data indicates information of at least one satellite corresponding to a cell of the network device, and a sending period of the first assistance data is different from a sending period of the second assistance data.

[0222] Optionally, the first terminal device or a device in the first terminal device is in a non-connected state.

[0223] Optionally, the transceiver module 802 is used to: send first information, where the first information is one or more of the following: identification information of the first service satellite of the first terminal device; angle information between the first service satellite and the first terminal device; beam information between the first service satellite and the first terminal device; or location information of the first terminal device.

[0224] Optionally, the first area is associated with one or more beams of the network device.

[0225] Optionally, the first auxiliary data is sent via broadcast.

[0226] Optionally, the first auxiliary data is positioning auxiliary data.

[0227] In a second possible implementation manner, the communication device 800 is used to implement the steps and processes corresponding to the network device in the above method 400.

[0228] The transceiver module 802 is used to determine first auxiliary data, where the first auxiliary data indicates information of at least one satellite corresponding to a first area, where the first area belongs to a cell of a network device; and the sending module 801 is used to send the first auxiliary data.

[0229] Optionally, the first assistance data includes orbital parameters of at least one satellite corresponding to the first area, and / or clock parameters of at least one satellite corresponding to the first area.

[0230] Optionally, the first auxiliary data includes an identifier of the first area.

[0231] Optionally, the transceiver module 802 is further configured to send second auxiliary data, where the second auxiliary data indicates information of at least one satellite corresponding to a cell of the network device, and a sending period of the first auxiliary data is different from a sending period of the second auxiliary data.

[0232] Optionally, the first terminal device or a device in the first terminal device is in a non-connected state.

[0233] Optionally, the transceiver module 802 is also used to: receive second information, the second information being one or more of the following: identification information of the second service satellite of the second terminal device; angle information between the second service satellite and the second terminal device; beam information between the second service satellite and the second terminal device; or location information of the second terminal device.

[0234] Optionally, the second terminal device belongs to the first area.

[0235] Optionally, the first area is associated with one or more beams of the network device.

[0236] Optionally, the first auxiliary data is sent via broadcast.

[0237] Optionally, the first auxiliary data is positioning auxiliary data.

[0238] In a third possible implementation, the communication device 800 is used to implement the steps and processes corresponding to the terminal device in the above method 600.

[0239] The transceiver module 802 is configured to: receive third auxiliary data, where the third auxiliary data indicates information about at least one satellite, where the information about the at least one satellite is determined by a network device based on a signal from the at least one satellite and / or information reported by a terminal device; and receive signals from one or more of the at least one satellite based on the third auxiliary data.

[0240] Optionally, the information reported by the terminal device is one or more of the following: identification information of the service satellite of the terminal device; angle information between the service satellite and the terminal device; beam information between the service satellite and the terminal device; or location information of the terminal device.

[0241] In a fourth possible implementation, the communication device 800 is used to implement the steps and processes corresponding to the network device in the above method 600.

[0242] The processing module 801 is used to determine third auxiliary data, where the third auxiliary data indicates information about at least one satellite, where the information about the at least one satellite is determined by the network device based on a signal from the at least one satellite and / or information reported by the terminal device. The transceiver module 802 is used to send the third auxiliary data.

[0243] Optionally, the transceiver module 802 is further configured to receive a signal from at least one satellite.

[0244] Optionally, the information reported by the terminal device is one or more of the following: identification information of the service satellite of the terminal device; angle information between the service satellite and the terminal device; beam information between the service satellite and the terminal device; or location information of the terminal device.

[0245] It should be understood that the device 800 here is embodied in the form of a functional module. The term "module" here can refer to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (such as a shared processor, a dedicated processor or a group processor, etc.) and a memory for executing one or more software or firmware programs, a combined logic circuit and / or other suitable components that support the described functions. In an optional example, those skilled in the art will understand that the device 800 can be specifically a terminal device or a network device in the above embodiment, or the functions described in the above embodiment can be integrated in the device 800, and the device 800 can be used to execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the terminal device or the network device in the above method embodiment. To avoid repetition, they will not be described here.

[0246] The apparatus 800 has the function of implementing the corresponding steps performed by the terminal device or network device in the above method; the above functions can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0247] In an embodiment of the present application, the device 800 in FIG8 may also be a chip or a chip system, such as a system on chip (SoC).

[0248] Figure 9 shows a schematic block diagram of a communication device 900 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The device 900 includes a processor 901 and, optionally, a transceiver 902 and / or a memory 903. The processor 901, transceiver 902, and memory 903 communicate with each other via an internal connection path. The memory 903 is used to store instructions, and the processor 901 is used to execute the instructions stored in the memory 903 to control the transceiver 902 to send and / or receive signals.

[0249] It should be understood that the apparatus 900 can be specifically a terminal device or network device in the above-described embodiments, and can be used to execute the various steps and / or processes corresponding to the terminal device or network device in the above-described method embodiments. Optionally, the memory 903 may include a read-only memory and a random access memory, and provide instructions and data to the processor. A portion of the memory may also include a non-volatile random access memory. For example, the memory may also store device type information. The processor 901 can be used to execute instructions stored in the memory, and when the processor 901 executes the instructions stored in the memory, the processor 901 is used to execute the various steps and / or processes of the above-described method embodiments. The transceiver 902 may include a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter can be used to implement the various steps and / or processes corresponding to the above-described transceiver for performing a sending action, and the receiver can be used to implement the various steps and / or processes corresponding to the above-described transceiver for performing a receiving action.

[0250] It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the processor may be a central processing unit (CPU), or may be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc.

[0251] During implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by an integrated logic circuit of hardware in a processor or by instructions in the form of software. The steps of the method disclosed in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware processor, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium mature in the art, such as a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, or an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, etc. The storage medium is located in a memory, and the processor executes the instructions in the memory, and completes the steps of the above method in conjunction with its hardware. To avoid repetition, it will not be described in detail here.

[0252] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which is used to store a computer program, and the computer program is used to implement the method shown in the above method embodiment.

[0253] The present application also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program (also referred to as computer program code, or instructions). When the computer program runs on a computer, the computer can execute the method shown in the above method embodiment.

[0254] A communication system includes a first communication device and / or a second communication device, wherein the first communication device is used to execute the functions implemented by the terminal device in the above method embodiment, and the second communication device is used to execute the functions implemented by the network device in the above method embodiment.

[0255] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0256] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0257] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of units is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0258] Units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0259] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0260] If the function is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes a number of instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disk or optical disk, etc., various media that can store program codes.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: The device applied to a first terminal device or in the first terminal device includes: receiving first assistance data, where the first assistance data indicates information of at least one satellite corresponding to a first area, where the first area belongs to a cell of a network device; Based on the first assistance data, signals are received from one or more satellites of the at least one satellite.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first auxiliary data includes orbit parameters of at least one satellite corresponding to the first area, and / or clock parameters of at least one satellite corresponding to the first area.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The first auxiliary data includes an identification of the first area.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The method further comprises: Second auxiliary data is received, where the second auxiliary data indicates information of at least one satellite corresponding to the cell of the network device, and a sending period of the first auxiliary data is different from a sending period of the second auxiliary data.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The first terminal device or a device in the first terminal device is in a non-connected state.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The method further comprises: Sending first information, where the first information is one or more of the following: Identification information of the first service satellite of the first terminal device; Angle information between the first service satellite and the first terminal device; Beam information between the first service satellite and the first terminal device; or, The location information of the first terminal device.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The first area is associated with one or more beams of the network device.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The first auxiliary data is sent by broadcasting.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that The first auxiliary data is positioning auxiliary data.

10. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Determine first assistance data, where the first assistance data indicates information of at least one satellite corresponding to a first area, where the first area belongs to a cell of a network device; The first auxiliary data is sent.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The first auxiliary data includes orbit parameters of at least one satellite corresponding to the first area, and / or clock parameters of at least one satellite corresponding to the first area.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that: The first auxiliary data includes an identification of the first area.

13. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that The method further comprises: Second auxiliary data is sent, where the second auxiliary data indicates information of at least one satellite corresponding to the cell of the network device, and a sending period of the first auxiliary data is different from a sending period of the second auxiliary data.

14. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, characterized in that The first terminal device or a device in the first terminal device is in a non-connected state.

15. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 14, characterized in that The method further comprises: Receiving second information, wherein determining first auxiliary data comprises: determining the first auxiliary data based on the second information; The second information is one or more of the following: identification information of a second service satellite of a second terminal device; Angle information between the second service satellite and the second terminal device; beam information between the second service satellite and the second terminal device; or, The location information of the second terminal device.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The second terminal device belongs to the first area.

17. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 16, characterized in that The first area is associated with one or more beams of the network device.

18. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 17, characterized in that The first auxiliary data is sent by broadcasting.

19. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 18, characterized in that The first auxiliary data is positioning auxiliary data.

20. A communication method, characterized in that: include: receiving third assistance data, where the third assistance data indicates information of at least one satellite, where the information of the at least one satellite is determined by the network device based on a signal of the at least one satellite and / or information reported by the terminal device; Based on the third assistance data, signals are received from one or more satellites of the at least one satellite.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that The information reported by the terminal device is one or more of the following: Identification information of the service satellite of the terminal device; Angle information between the service satellite and the terminal device; Beam information between the service satellite and the terminal device; or, The location information of the terminal device.

22. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Determine third assistance data, where the third assistance data indicates information of at least one satellite, where the information of the at least one satellite is determined by the network device based on a signal of the at least one satellite and / or information reported by the terminal device; The third auxiliary data is sent.

23. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that The method further comprises: A signal from the at least one satellite is received.

24. The method according to claim 22 or 23, characterized in that The information reported by the terminal device is one or more of the following: Identification information of the service satellite of the terminal device; Angle information between the service satellite and the terminal device; Beam information between the service satellite and the terminal device; or, The location information of the terminal device.

25. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A processor, wherein the processor executes computer instructions so that the processor performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, or performs the method according to any one of claims 10 to 19, or performs the method according to claim 20 or 21, or performs the method according to any one of claims 22 to 24.

26. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: Used to store a computer program, the computer program comprising instructions for implementing the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, or instructions for executing the method as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 19, or instructions for executing the method as claimed in claim 20 or 21, or instructions for executing the method as claimed in any one of claims 22 to 24.

27. A computer program product, comprising computer program code, characterized in that: When the computer program code runs on a computer, the computer implements the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, or executes the method according to any one of claims 10 to 19, or executes the method according to claim 20 or 21, or executes the method according to any one of claims 22 to 24.

28. A communication device, characterized in that: Comprising a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, or comprising a module for executing the method according to claim 20 or 21.

29. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a module for executing the method as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 19, or comprises a module for executing the method as claimed in any one of claims 22 to 24.

30. A communication system, characterized in that: Comprises a first communication device and / or a second communication device, wherein the first communication device is used to execute the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, and the second communication device is used to execute the method as described in any one of claims 10 to 19, or the first communication device is used to execute the method as described in claim 20 or 21, and the second communication device is used to execute the method as described in any one of claims 22 to 24.

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