Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

Provided in the present application is a communication method, comprising: a network device sending a first message to a terminal device, so as to instruct the terminal device to still perform uplink transmission when ephemeris information is invalid; and when the ephemeris information is invalid, the terminal device starting a first timer, and still performing uplink transmission during operation of the first timer. By means of the instruction of a first message, a terminal device may perform uplink transmission when ephemeris information is invalid; in addition, when the ephemeris information is invalid, the terminal device may start or restart a first timer, so as to control the duration of the uplink transmission of when the ephemeris information is invalid.

Description

Communication method and communication device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on January 18, 2024, with application number 202410078326.X and application name “A Communication Method and Communication Device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

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

[0003] The fifth generation (5 th In the 5G (5G) generation communication system, research on non-terrestrial networks (NTN) technology has been introduced. This involves integrating aircraft (such as airplanes and drones) or satellites into the communication system to serve as relay nodes or base stations. In NTN networks, satellite ephemeris information plays a crucial role in communication. For example, with satellite ephemeris information provided by the network, terminal devices can calculate the time delay from the terminal device to the satellite based on their own location. Combined with the satellite-to-satellite gateway delay information provided by the cell, the terminal device can calculate the end-to-end delay from the terminal device to the base station, which is used for pre-compensation of the timing advance. Furthermore, knowing the timing advance of the terminal device allows the network to more effectively schedule data.

[0004] However, satellite ephemeris information is time-sensitive. If the ephemeris information fails, the terminal device may be unable to perform uplink (UL) transmission. Therefore, how to enable the terminal device in the NTN network to continue uplink transmission when the ephemeris information fails has become an urgent problem to be solved.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a communication method, so that a terminal device in an NTN network can continue uplink transmission when ephemeris information fails.

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method may be executed by a terminal device, or by a chip or circuit, etc., which is not limited in this application.

[0008] The communication method includes: receiving a first message, where the first message indicates that uplink transmission can be performed when ephemeris information is invalid; when the ephemeris information is invalid, starting or restarting a first timer; wherein the uplink transmission is performed within a first duration, where the first duration is the duration for which the first timer runs; and stopping the uplink transmission after the first timer times out.

[0009] Based on the above technical solution, taking the execution subject as a terminal device as an example, after the terminal device receives the first message, it learns based on the first message that it can perform uplink transmission when the ephemeris information is invalid, and when the ephemeris information is invalid, the terminal device starts or restarts the first timer, so as to control the duration of uplink transmission when the ephemeris information is invalid based on the first timer. Specifically, during the operation of the first timer, the terminal device can perform uplink transmission, and after the first timer times out (or when the first timer times out, when the first timer times out), the terminal device stops. This technical solution can indicate to the terminal device through the first message that it can perform uplink transmission when the ephemeris information is invalid. In addition, the terminal device can start or restart the first timer when the ephemeris information is invalid to control the duration of uplink transmission when the ephemeris information is invalid, thereby supporting the terminal device to continue uplink transmission when the ephemeris information is invalid.

[0010] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving a second message within the first duration, and restarting the first timer.

[0011] Based on the above technical solution, during the operation of the first timer, the first timer can be restarted through the second message instruction, which can extend the timing duration of the first timer to a certain extent, thereby extending the duration of uplink transmission when the ephemeris information is invalid.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first duration is configured on the network side, or the first duration is determined on the terminal side.

[0013] Based on the above technical solution, the timing duration of the above first timer can be configured on the network side or determined by the terminal device itself, thereby improving the flexibility of the solution.

[0014] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, stopping the uplink transmission after the first timer times out includes: obtaining updated ephemeris information and stopping the uplink transmission after the first timer times out.

[0015] Based on the above technical solution, when the first timer times out, the terminal device needs to stop uplink transmission. In order to continue uplink transmission based on the updated ephemeris information, the terminal device can try to obtain the updated ephemeris information, so that it can subsequently perform uplink transmission based on the updated ephemeris information.

[0016] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: performing the uplink transmission according to the updated ephemeris information.

[0017] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, before receiving the first message, the method further includes: receiving a third message, the third message indicating a second duration and a second moment, the second moment being the start moment of a second timer, and the second duration being the running duration of the second timer, wherein the uplink transmission is performed within the second duration; and after the second timer times out, the ephemeris information becomes invalid.

[0018] Based on the above technical solution, before receiving the first message, the terminal can obtain the start time and running time of the second timer based on the second duration and second time indicated by the received third message. The second timer can determine whether the ephemeris information is valid. For example, during the operation of the second timer, the ephemeris information is valid. After the second timer times out (or when the second timer times out, or when the second timer times out), the ephemeris information becomes invalid.

[0019] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, after the second timer times out, the ephemeris information becomes invalid, including: after the second timer times out, obtaining updated ephemeris information; restarting the second timer and stopping the first timer.

[0020] Based on the above technical solution, if the terminal device is able to obtain updated ephemeris information when the second timer times out, the terminal device restarts the second timer, and stops the first timer if it is running.

[0021] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first message includes uplink transmission extension capability information, and the uplink transmission extension capability information further indicates that the uplink transmission can be performed when the global navigation satellite system information GNSS fails.

[0022] Based on the above technical solution, the above first message can reuse the existing uplink transmission extension capability information (ul-TransmissionExtensionEnabled) to improve the backward compatibility of the solution.

[0023] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be executed by a network device, or by a chip or circuit, etc., which is not limited in this application.

[0024] The communication method includes: determining a first message, where the first message indicates that uplink transmission can be performed when ephemeris information is invalid; and sending the first message.

[0025] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: sending configuration information, where the configuration information is used to configure a first duration, where the first duration is the running duration of a first timer, and the first timer is used to control the duration of uplink transmission when the ephemeris information expires.

[0026] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: sending a second message, where the second message is used to instruct to restart the first timer.

[0027] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, before sending the first message, the method further includes: sending a third message, the third message indicating a second duration and a second moment, the second moment being the start moment of a second timer, the second duration being the running duration of the second timer, and the second timer being used to control the expiration moment of the ephemeris information.

[0028] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first message includes uplink transmission extension capability information, and the uplink transmission extension capability information further indicates that the uplink transmission can be performed when the global navigation satellite system information GNSS fails.

[0029] The technical effects of the method shown in the above second aspect and its possible design can refer to the technical effects in the first aspect and its possible design.

[0030] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device is configured to execute the first aspect and any one of its embodiments. Specifically, the communication device includes a processor and a memory, the memory being configured to store a computer program; the processor being configured to retrieve and execute the computer program from the memory, causing the communication device to execute the first aspect and any one of its embodiments.

[0031] In one implementation, the communication device is a terminal device. When the communication device is a terminal device, the transceiver unit may be a transceiver or an input / output interface. The processing unit may be at least one processor. Alternatively, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Alternatively, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0032] In another implementation, the communication device may be a chip, chip system, or circuit in a terminal device. In this case, the transceiver unit may be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, or related circuit on the chip, chip system, or circuit; and the processing unit may be at least one processor, processing circuit, or logic circuit.

[0033] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device is configured to execute the second aspect and any one of its embodiments. Specifically, the communication device includes a processor and a memory, the memory being configured to store a computer program; the processor being configured to retrieve and execute the computer program from the memory, causing the network device to execute the second aspect and any one of its embodiments.

[0034] In one implementation, the communication device is a network device. When the communication device is a network device, the transceiver unit may be a transceiver or an input / output interface. The processing unit may be at least one processor. Alternatively, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Alternatively, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0035] In another implementation, the communication device may be a chip, chip system, or circuit in a network device. In this case, the transceiver unit may be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, or related circuit on the chip, chip system, or circuit; and the processing unit may be at least one processor, processing circuit, or logic circuit.

[0036] In a fifth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed, the method of any one of the implementation modes of the first and second aspects is executed.

[0037] In a sixth aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided, which, when executed, causes the method provided in any one of the implementations of the first and second aspects to be executed.

[0038] In a seventh aspect, a chip is provided, which includes a processor and a communication interface. The processor reads instructions through the communication interface and executes the method provided by any one of the implementation modes of the first and second aspects above.

[0039] Optionally, as an implementation method, the chip also includes a memory, the memory stores a computer program or instructions, and the processor is used to execute the computer program or instructions stored in the memory. When the computer program or instructions are executed, the processor is used to execute the method provided by any one of the implementation methods of the first and second aspects above.

[0040] In an eighth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising the communication device of the third aspect and the communication device of the fourth aspect.

[0041] In a ninth aspect, a computer program is provided. When the computer program is executed, the method provided in any one of the implementations of the first and second aspects is executed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture applicable to an embodiment of the present application.

[0043] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of transmission delays of different links.

[0044] FIG3 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0045] FIG4 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0046] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0047] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a chip system provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] In order to facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the following points are first explained.

[0049] First, in this application, "used to indicate" can include being used for direct indication and being used for indirect indication. When describing that a certain indication information is used to indicate A, it can include that the indication information directly indicates A or indirectly indicates A, but it does not mean that the indication information must carry A.

[0050] The information indicated by the indication information is called the information to be indicated. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the information to be indicated, such as but not limited to, directly indicating the information to be indicated, such as the information to be indicated itself or the index of the information to be indicated. The information to be indicated can also be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, wherein there is an association between the other information and the information to be indicated. It is also possible to indicate only a part of the information to be indicated, while the other parts of the information to be indicated are known or agreed in advance. For example, it is also possible to use the arrangement order of each piece of information agreed in advance (such as specified in the protocol) to achieve the indication of specific information, thereby reducing the indication overhead to a certain extent. At the same time, it is also possible to identify the common parts of each piece of information and indicate them uniformly to reduce the indication overhead caused by indicating the same information separately.

[0051] Second, "at least one" shown in the present application refers to one or more, and "a plurality of" refers to two or more. In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, "first", "second" and various digital numbers (for example, "#1", "#2", etc.) are only for the convenience of description and are not used to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. The size of the sequence number of each process below does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that the objects described in this way can be interchanged where appropriate, so as to be able to describe solutions other than the embodiments of the present application. In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, words such as "S310" are only for the convenience of description and are not used to limit the order of execution of steps.

[0052] Third, in the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or explanations. Any embodiment or design described in this application as "exemplary" or "for example" should not be construed as being preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner.

[0053] Fourth, the term "storage" used in the embodiments of this application may refer to storage in one or more memories. The one or more memories may be provided separately or integrated into an encoder or decoder, a processor, or a communication device. The one or more memories may also be partially provided separately and partially integrated into a decoder, a processor, or a communication device. The type of memory may be any form of storage medium, and this application is not limited thereto.

[0054] Fifth, in the implementation of this application, "protocol" may refer to a standard protocol in the field of communications, for example, it may include the NR protocol and related protocols used in future communication systems, and this application does not limit this.

[0055] Sixth, in the embodiments of the present application, the terms “of”, “corresponding, relevant”, “corresponding” and “associate” can sometimes be used interchangeably. It should be noted that when the distinction between them is not emphasized, the meanings they intend to express are consistent.

[0056] Seventh, in the embodiments of the present application, "under the circumstances", "when", and "if" can sometimes be used interchangeably. It should be pointed out that when the distinction between them is not emphasized, the meanings they intend to express are consistent.

[0057] Eighth, the term "and / or" in this document simply describes a relationship between related objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone. Furthermore, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the related objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0058] Ninth, in this document, "message", "information", or "information element (IE)" can be used interchangeably. There is no limitation on the name of the message or information, as long as it can achieve the corresponding function.

[0059] The technical solution in this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0060] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: fifth generation (5G) or new radio (NR) systems, long term evolution (LTE) systems, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, LTE time division duplex (TDD) systems, etc. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to future communication systems, such as the sixth generation mobile communication system. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to device to device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine to machine (M2M) communication, machine type communication (MTC), and Internet of Things (IoT) communication systems or other communication systems.

[0061] First, a brief introduction to the network architecture applicable to this application is as follows.

[0062] As an example, FIG1 shows a schematic diagram of a network architecture.

[0063] As shown in Figure 1, the network architecture takes the 5G system (5GS) as an example. The network architecture may include but is not limited to: network slice selection function (NSSF), authentication server function (AUSF), unified data management (UDM), network exposure function (NEF), network storage function (NF repository function, NRF), policy control function (PCF), application function (AF), access and mobility management function (AMF), session management function (SMF), user equipment (UE), radio access network equipment, user plane function (UPF), and data network (DN).

[0064] Among them, DN can be the Internet; NSSF, AUSF, UDM, NEF, NRF, PCF, AF, AMF, SMF, and UPF are network elements in the core network. Since Figure 1 takes the 5G system as an example, the core network can be called the 5G core network (5G core network, 5GC or 5GCN).

[0065] The following is a brief introduction to each network element shown in FIG1 .

[0066] 1. UE: may also be referred to as terminal equipment, access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent or user device.

[0067] The terminal device can be a device that provides voice / data to users, for example, a handheld device or vehicle-mounted device with a 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, 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.

[0068] 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.

[0069] In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device can also be a terminal device in an 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.

[0070] It should be noted that the terminal device and the access network device can communicate with each other using a certain air interface technology (such as NR or LTE technology). The terminal devices can also communicate with each other using a certain air interface technology (such as NR or LTE technology).

[0071] In the embodiments of the present application, the device for implementing the function of the terminal device can be the terminal device, or it can be a device that can support the terminal device to implement the function, such as a chip system or chip, which can be installed in the terminal device. In the embodiments of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or it can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0072] 2. (Radio) Access Network (R)AN) equipment: This equipment provides access to the communications network for authorized users in a specific area. Specifically, it can include wireless network equipment in 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) networks as well as access points in non-3GPP networks. For ease of description, the term "AN" is used below.

[0073] AN equipment can adopt different wireless access technologies. There are currently two types of wireless access technologies: 3GPP access technology (for example, the wireless access technology used in the third generation (3rd generation, 3G), fourth generation (4G) or 5G systems) and non-3GPP (non-3GPP) access technology. 3GPP access technology refers to access technology that complies with 3GPP standard specifications. For example, the access network equipment in the 5G system is called the next generation Node Base station (gNB) or RAN equipment. Non-3GPP access technologies may include air interface technologies represented by access points (APs) in wireless fidelity (WiFi), worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX), code division multiple access (CDMA), etc. AN equipment can allow terminal devices and the 3GPP core network to interconnect and communicate using non-3GPP technologies.

[0074] AN equipment is responsible for radio resource management, quality of service (QoS) management, data compression and encryption, etc. on the air interface side. AN equipment provides access services to terminal devices and forwards control signals and user data between terminal devices and the core network.

[0075] AN equipment may include, for example, but is not limited to: a macro base station, a micro base station (also known as a small station), a radio network controller (RNC), a node B (NB), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a home base station (for example, a home evolved NodeB, or a home Node B, HNB), a baseband unit (BBU), an AP in a WiFi system, a wireless relay node, a wireless backhaul node, a transmission point (TP) or a transmission and reception point (TRP), etc. It can also be a gNB or a transmission point (TRP or TP) in a 5G (such as NR) system, one or a group of (including multiple antenna panels) antenna panels of a base station in a 5G system, or a network node constituting a gNB or a transmission point, such as a distributed unit (DU), or a base station in a next-generation communication system. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the AN equipment.

[0076] In some deployments, the gNB may include a centralized unit (CU), a DU, and a radio unit (RU). The CU may include a CU control plane (CP) and a CU user plane (UP), and the RU may be a combination of some physical layer processing functions of the BBU and the remote radio unit (RRU). In different systems, the CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meanings. For example, the radio access network may also be an open radio access network (O-RAN) architecture. In an ORAN system, the CU may be referred to as an O-CU (open CU), the DU may be referred to as an O-DU, the CU-CP may be referred to as an O-CU-CP, the CU-UP may be referred to as an O-CU-UP, and the RU may be referred to as an O-RU. Any of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application may be implemented as a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0077] It should be noted that in this application, satellites can function as RAN, meaning that terminal devices can communicate with the core network via satellite. For example, satellite communications can be used to address coverage issues in remote areas, such as mountainous areas and oceans. This approach is known as regenerative satellite communication. Alternatively, satellites can serve only as radio frequency units, meaning that RAN functions are still performed by ground base stations. This is also a satellite communication implementation method known as transparent satellite communication.

[0078] 3. AMF: Mainly used for access control, mobility management, attachment and detachment functions.

[0079] 4. SMF: Mainly used for user-plane network element selection, user-plane network element redirection, Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation for terminal devices, as well as session establishment, modification and release and QoS control.

[0080] 5. UPF: Mainly responsible for receiving and forwarding user plane data. For example, the UPF can receive user plane data from the DN and send it to the terminal device through the AN device. The UPF can also receive user plane data from the terminal device through the AN device and forward it to the DN.

[0081] 6. NEF: Mainly used to securely open the services and capabilities provided by 3GPP network functions to the outside world.

[0082] 7. PCF: A unified policy framework mainly used to guide network behavior and provide policy rule information for control plane network elements (such as AMF, SMF, etc.).

[0083] 8. AF: Mainly used to provide services to the 3GPP network, such as interacting with the PCF for policy control.

[0084] 9. Network slice selection function (NSSF): mainly used for network slice selection.

[0085] 10. UDM: Mainly used for UE contract data management, including storage and management of UE identification, UE access authorization, etc.

[0086] 11. DN: Operator network mainly used to provide data services to UE, such as the Internet, third-party service networks, and IP Multimedia Service (IMS) networks.

[0087] 12. AUSF: Mainly used for user authentication, etc.

[0088] 13. NRF: Mainly used to store description information of network functional entities and the services they provide.

[0089] In the network architecture shown in Figure 1, network elements can communicate with each other via interfaces. For example, a UE is connected to an AN device via a radio resource control (RRC) protocol, and the UE and AN device communicate via a Uu interface.

[0090] It should be understood that the network architecture shown above is only an exemplary illustration, and the network architecture applicable to the embodiments of the present application is not limited to this. Any network architecture that can realize the functions of the above-mentioned network elements is applicable to the embodiments of the present application.

[0091] It should also be understood that the AMF, SMF, UPF, PCF, UDM, NSSF, AUSF and other functions or network elements shown in Figure 1 can be understood as network elements for implementing different functions, for example, they can be combined into network slices as needed. These network elements can be independent devices, or they can be integrated into the same device to implement different functions, or they can be network elements in hardware devices, or they can be software functions running on dedicated hardware, or they can be virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (for example, a cloud platform). This application does not limit the specific form of the above network elements.

[0092] It should also be understood that the above naming is defined only to facilitate the distinction between different functions and should not constitute any limitation on this application. This application does not exclude the possibility of adopting other naming in next-generation communication networks and other future networks. For example, in future communication networks, some or all of the above network elements may continue to use 5G terminology or may adopt other names.

[0093] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, a brief description of the basic concepts involved in the present application is given.

[0094] 1. NTN: Non-terrestrial network, a communication network that uses aircraft (aircraft / drones) or satellites as relay nodes or base stations. In NTN networks, satellite equipment is involved in the communication process. Therefore, when sending data between a UE and a base station, the data must be transmitted to the satellite. Due to the long transmission distance, this results in significant propagation delays, resulting in round-trip times (RTT) of tens to hundreds of milliseconds. Traditional terrestrial communication networks have RTTs of a few milliseconds or less. Furthermore, the UE's uplink transmit power is limited, and propagation path loss increases with distance, resulting in very low uplink throughput for UEs at the cell edge, even affecting uplink coverage.

[0095] 2. Ephemeris information: As a possible implementation method, the ephemeris information involved in this application includes but is not limited to orbital parameters, or parameters such as the satellite's position calculated based on the orbital parameters. It can be understood that the ephemeris information can be used to calculate, predict, depict, or track the time, position, speed and other states of the satellite's flight.

[0096] As an example and not a limitation, the ephemeris information can be in the format of position and velocity state vectors or in the format of orbital parameters. For example, the six-dimensional parameters represented by the Earth-Centered, Earth-Fixed (ECEF) coordinate system represent the position state vector (x, y, z) axis of the satellite and the velocity state vector (x, y, z) axis of the satellite, or the six-dimensional parameters represented by the Earth-centered inertial coordinate system. It should be noted that the specific form and content of the ephemeris information are not limited in this application, and the definition of ephemeris information in the existing protocol can be referred to.

[0097] In NTNs, ephemeris information plays a crucial role in communications. For example, the network provides satellite ephemeris information, allowing the UE to calculate the delay from the UE to the satellite based on its own location. Combined with the satellite-to-satellite gateway delay information provided by the cell, the UE can calculate the end-to-end delay from the UE to the base station, which is used for timing advance pre-compensation. Furthermore, knowing the UE's timing advance allows the network to more effectively schedule data. However, ephemeris information is time-sensitive. Therefore, NTNs define an uplink validity period. This means that after a UE receives a broadcast message carrying ephemeris information, it starts a timer based on the time specified in the broadcast message. The ephemeris information remains accurate and valid until the timer expires. After the timer expires, the ephemeris information becomes invalid, and the UE is considered to be in an uplink out-of-sync state. In this out-of-sync state, the UE cannot perform uplink operations, such as uplink data transmission, Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest (HARQ) feedback, or sending scheduling requests (SRs). Uplink operations cannot resume until the UE obtains new ephemeris information and returns to uplink synchronization.

[0098] 3. Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) information: This refers to the UE's ability to determine its own position. Because GNSS information is time-sensitive and UEs (e.g., LTE IoT NTN devices) are assumed to be unable to simultaneously acquire GNSS information and transmit network data, if GNSS information fails, the UE must leave the connected state to reacquire GNSS information. Alternatively, if supported, the UE can remain connected to acquire GNSS information, but the network cannot transmit data or schedule the UE.

[0099] Furthermore, after the UE enters the connected state, it can report capabilities, indicating support for UL transmission for a period of time after the original GNSS validity period expires. For example, the UE supports derivation of available GNSS information based on expired GNSS information. Therefore, even after the original GNSS validity period expires, the UE can still maintain UL synchronization and perform UL transmission. In this case, when the network sends the configuration information, it can include indication information indicating that the network enables UL transmission for a period of time after the original GNSS validity period expires. The period of time can be marked as duration X or duration Y. Duration X is used as an example below.

[0100] 4. Common Timing Advance (Common TA): To adapt to NTN, satellite-broadcasted common TA can be used to ensure time synchronization on the receiving side. Since common TA is time-sensitive, if the common TA is invalid, the UE cannot perform uplink operations.

[0101] The above, in conjunction with Figure 1, briefly introduces the scenarios in which the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applied, as well as the basic concepts that may be involved in the embodiment of the present application, and introduces ephemeris information, GNSS information and common TA in the basic concepts. A method for UE to transmit uplink data is: when the GNSS information, ephemeris information and common TA are valid, the UE performs uplink data transmission, so that the UE can obtain its own position information based on the valid GNSS information, obtain the satellite position information based on the ephemeris, and then obtain the propagation delay of the UE to the satellite service link (service link). Parameters such as common TA are used to determine the propagation delay of the feeder link (feeder link). For ease of understanding, the propagation delay of the service link and the propagation delay of the feeder link are briefly introduced in conjunction with Figure 2.

[0102] As shown in Figure 2, the propagation delay of the service link is the delay of the link between the UE and the satellite. Specifically, the UE can obtain its own position information based on the GNSS information. In addition, the UE can obtain the position information of the satellite based on the ephemeris. Therefore, the UE can determine the propagation delay of the service link based on its own position and the position of the satellite.

[0103] Furthermore, it can be seen from Figure 2 that the propagation delay of the feeder link includes common TA and K mac Two parts, where common TA is the time delay between the satellite and the reference point (RP), K mac is the time delay between the reference point and the ground base station, and common TA and K mac It is broadcast by the network, so that the UE can determine the propagation delay of the feeder link based on the parameters provided by the network. In addition, the transmission delay between the UE and the reference point is recorded as T TA , the T TA It includes two parts: the propagation delay of the service link and the common TA. The propagation delay of the service link and the common TA have been explained above and will not be repeated here.

[0104] From the above, it can be seen that in the method for uplink data transmission by the UE, the UE combines the propagation delay of the service link and the propagation delay of the feeder link, and the UE can calculate the delay information such as TA and RTT and report it to the network. That is to say, in the method for uplink data transmission by the UE, even if the uplink transmission is used to extend the duration X after the GNSS information expires, if the ephemeris information and / or common TA is invalid, the UE cannot perform UL transmission.

[0105] In order to solve the problem that the UE cannot perform UL transmission in the scenario where the ephemeris information and / or common TA are expired, the present application provides a communication method so that the terminal device in the NTN network can continue to perform uplink transmission when the ephemeris information is invalid.

[0106] It should be understood that the communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to a system that communicates using a multi-antenna technology, for example, the communication system 100 shown in Figure 1. The communication system may include at least one network device and at least one terminal device.

[0107] It should also be understood that the embodiments shown below do not specifically limit the specific structure of the execution subject of the method provided in the embodiments of the present application. As long as it is possible to communicate according to the method provided in the embodiments of the present application by running a program that records the code of the method provided in the embodiments of the present application. For example, the execution subject of the method provided in the embodiments of the present application can be a terminal device, or a functional module in the terminal device that can call and execute the program.

[0108] FIG3 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application, comprising the following steps:

[0109] S310, the network device sends a first message to the terminal device, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first message from the network device.

[0110] Specifically, the first message indicates that uplink transmission is possible even when the ephemeris information is invalid. The ephemeris information invalidation can be understood as the ephemeris information timeout, such as T317 timeout. For example, when the first message indicates T317 timeout (or after T317 timeout, or when T317 timeout occurs), the terminal device can still perform uplink data transmission.

[0111] It should be noted that, in this embodiment, when the timer times out, it can be understood that: the timer has finished running, the timing has timed out, or the timer has timed out.

[0112] As a possible implementation, the first message is a newly added signaling between the terminal device and the network device. For example, the first message is a newly added indication information, which is different from the existing uplink transmission capability extension (ul-TransmissionExtensionEnabled) information.

[0113] In this implementation mode, the first message can implement the above-mentioned capability independently of ul-TransmissionExtensionEnabled (such as indicating that uplink transmission can be performed when ephemeris information is invalid); or, the first message implements the above-mentioned capability when the network device sends ul-TransmissionExtensionEnabled information to the terminal device.

[0114] As another possible implementation, the first message is a function enhancement of existing signaling between the terminal device and the network device. For example, the first message is ul-TransmissionExtensionEnabled information.

[0115] In this implementation, the first message may indicate that uplink transmission is possible in the event of a failure of ephemeris information, and that uplink transmission is possible in the event of a failure of GNSS. In addition, in this implementation, if there are legacy UEs (e.g., UEs defined in R18) and newly added UEs (e.g., UEs defined in R19) in the communication system, the legacy UEs may parse the first message and determine that uplink transmission is possible in the event of a failure of GNSS; and the newly added UEs may parse the first message and determine that uplink transmission is possible in the event of a failure of GNSS, and that uplink transmission is possible in the event of a failure of ephemeris information.

[0116] Furthermore, after receiving the first message, the terminal device learns that uplink transmission can be performed even when the ephemeris information is invalid. The method shown in FIG3 further includes:

[0117] S320, when the ephemeris information is invalid, the terminal device starts or restarts the first timer.

[0118] The first timer is used to control the duration of uplink transmission when the ephemeris information fails. Specifically, during the operation of the first timer, the terminal device can still perform uplink transmission even if the ephemeris information fails. After the first timer expires (or when the first timer times out, or when the first timer times out), the terminal device stops uplink transmission.

[0119] It should be noted that when the ephemeris information expires, starting or restarting the first timer can be understood as: the start or restart time of the first timer is the time when the ephemeris information expires. In this embodiment, the start or restart time of the first timer can also be other times. Ensuring that the end time of the first timer is a time after the ephemeris information expires can achieve the purpose of extending uplink transmission.

[0120] Exemplarily, the start or restart time of the first timer is a certain time before the ephemeris information expires. For example, the start or restart time of the first timer is the time when the terminal device sends the first information to the network device, and the first information can be used to indicate that the terminal device supports extending the uplink transmission duration. For example, the start or restart time of the first timer is the time when the terminal device receives the second information sent by the network device. The second information can be the information indicating the start or restart of the first timer sent after the network device sends the first message and receives the information indicating support for extending the uplink transmission from the terminal device.

[0121] Illustratively, in this embodiment, the network device can instruct the terminal device to restart the first timer by sending a second message. In this embodiment, the purpose of further extending the uplink transmission can be achieved by restarting the first timer. For example, while the first timer is running, the network device sends a second message instructing the terminal device to restart the first timer, thereby achieving the purpose of further extending the uplink transmission.

[0122] As a possible implementation method, the second message may be a message sent by the network device to the terminal device during the operation of the time alignment timer (TAT) to instruct the terminal device to adjust the TA. For example, the network device sends a timing advance command (TAC) MAC control element (MAC control element, MAC CE) to the terminal device. The TAC MAC CE is used to adjust the TA so that the terminal device and the network complete uplink synchronization, and the TAT is restarted after the terminal device receives the TAC MAC CE. The TAC MAC CE may be the above-mentioned second message, that is, after the terminal device receives the TAC MAC CE, it restarts the first timer.

[0123] As another possible implementation, the second message may be newly added signaling between the terminal device and the network device. For example, the network device may send a MAC CE to the terminal. The MAC CE is newly added signaling between the terminal device and the network device for instructing to restart the first timer. The MAC CE may be the aforementioned second message, i.e., after the terminal device receives the MAC CE, it restarts the first timer.

[0124] Exemplarily, in this embodiment, the timing duration (or running duration, running period, etc.) of the first timer can be referred to as the first duration.

[0125] As a possible implementation manner, the first duration is configured on the network side.

[0126] Optionally, in this implementation, the first duration is configured on the network side, including: the network device sends first indication information to the terminal device, where the first indication information indicates the size of the first duration. For example, based on the currently running TAT, the network device learns that the currently running TAT will time out at time #2. Therefore, the network device indicates the running duration of the first timer through the first indication information, so that the timeout moment of the first timer is earlier than or equal to time #2. That is, the network device takes the TAT timeout moment into consideration when configuring the first duration, so that the timeout moment of the first timer is earlier than the timeout moment of the current TAT. For another example, the network device can configure the first duration through the first indication information based on historical communication data.

[0127] As another possible implementation manner, the first duration is determined by the terminal side.

[0128] Optionally, in this implementation, the first duration is determined by the terminal side, including: the terminal device sets the running duration of the first timer to the remaining duration of the TAT according to the currently running TAT.

[0129] As described above, the timing duration of the first timer may be determined based on the currently running TAT. For ease of understanding, the following briefly introduces concepts related to TAT.

[0130] In this embodiment, TAT is a parameter configured by the network device to indicate the effective duration of the TA. Specifically, within the effective duration of the TA, it indicates that the uplink remains synchronized and the terminal device can perform uplink transmission. Exemplarily, in this embodiment, when determining the TAT, the network device may consider at least one of the following parameters:

[0131] Cell coverage, terminal device mobility, and satellite ephemeris information, etc.

[0132] For example, if the terminal device moves quickly and / or the satellite moves quickly, to ensure uplink synchronization accuracy, the TAT can be set to a smaller value, or the TAC MAC CE can be sent at a smaller period to promptly determine the accurate TA and achieve uplink synchronization. For another example, if the terminal device moves slowly and the satellite moves slowly, the network device can determine that the position of the terminal device and the satellite does not change much over a period of time, and the determined TA is still accurate over a long period of time. The TAT can be set to a larger value, or the TAC MAC CE for adjusting the TA can be sent at a larger period. It should be noted that each time a TAC MAC CE is sent and received, the network side and the UE side will restart the TAT.

[0133] It can be understood that the network equipment takes into account the satellite's ephemeris information and the mobility of the terminal equipment in the process of determining TAT, so that the determined TAT can be more accurate. This is equivalent to after the terminal equipment and the network equipment are uplink synchronized, if the change in relative position within a certain period of time is determined to be small based on the satellite's ephemeris information and the mobility of the terminal equipment, the uplink synchronization can also be maintained within this time period, so that TAT can be set, and uplink synchronization is considered to be within TAT, and uplink synchronization is considered to be required again when TAT times out.

[0134] It should be understood that the above-mentioned examples of parameters referenced when determining TAT are only examples and do not constitute any limitation on the scope of protection of this application. The description of TAT can also be referred to the introduction in the current related technology and will not be repeated here.

[0135] In this embodiment, whether the ephemeris information is invalid can be determined based on the second timer, wherein the relevant parameters of the second timer can be obtained through a system message. Before the network device sends the above-mentioned first message to the terminal device, the method flow shown in FIG3 further includes:

[0136] S311, the network device sends a third message to the terminal device, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives the third message from the network device.

[0137] Specifically, the third message indicates a second duration and a second moment, the second moment is the start time of the second timer, and the second duration is the running time of the second timer. During the second duration, the ephemeris information is valid, and after the second timer times out, the ephemeris information is invalid.

[0138] Optionally, the third message is a system message broadcast by the network device, and the system message includes second time indication information and second duration indication information, the second time indication information is used to indicate the time when the auxiliary information takes effect, and the second duration indication information is used to indicate the effective duration of the auxiliary information, wherein the auxiliary information includes ephemeris information and / or common TA. For example, the second time indication information is epoch time, the second duration indication information is ul-SyncValidityDuration, the second epochTime indicates the epoch time of the NTN auxiliary information, and the ul-SyncValidityDuration indicates the validity period configured by the network side for the auxiliary information (ephemeris information and common TA parameters), indicating the maximum time during which the UE can apply the auxiliary information without obtaining new auxiliary information. The description of the epoch time and ul-SyncValidityDuration fields can refer to the description of the epoch time and ul-SyncValidityDuration fields in the existing related art, which will not be repeated here.

[0139] As an example but not limitation, the system message may be system information block 31 (SIB31), which carries epoch time and duration information (ul-SyncValidityDuration). The second timer may be T317.

[0140] It should be noted that this embodiment uses the ephemeris information as an example to illustrate that the purpose of extending the uplink transmission can be achieved by starting the first timer so that when the ephemeris information fails. The above-mentioned T317 can also be used to indicate the expiration time of the common TA. For example, when T317 times out, the ephemeris information fails and the common TA fails. Similar to the above method, the purpose of extending the uplink transmission can be achieved by starting the third timer so that when the common TA fails. The description of the third timer can refer to the description of the first timer above and will not be repeated here. For example, the terminal device receives message #1, and message #1 indicates that uplink transmission can be performed when the common TA fails. When the common TA fails, the third timer is started or restarted, wherein uplink transmission is performed during the running time of the third timer; after the third timer times out, uplink transmission is stopped.

[0141] Furthermore, when the terminal device learns the first timer and the second timer, the terminal device may perform uplink transmission based on the first timer and the second timer. The method flow shown in FIG3 further includes:

[0142] S330: The terminal device performs uplink transmission.

[0143] Specifically, in this embodiment, the terminal device performs uplink transmission based on the first timer and the second timer, including:

[0144] During the uplink transmission, the terminal device obtains valid ephemeris information (such as updated ephemeris information), the second timer is restarted, the first timer is stopped, and the terminal device is still in the connected state and can continue to transmit uplink data. Or,

[0145] During uplink transmission, the terminal device fails to obtain valid ephemeris information (e.g., T318 times out), the first timer times out, and the terminal device reestablishes or leaves the connection state; or

[0146] During the uplink transmission of the terminal device, the first timer times out and no valid ephemeris information is obtained (for example, T318 is turned on but has not timed out), and the terminal device stops the uplink transmission.

[0147] Optionally, after the above-mentioned first timer times out, the terminal device can still obtain updated ephemeris information (such as valid ephemeris information). If the updated ephemeris information is obtained, uplink transmission can continue according to the updated ephemeris information, for example, restarting the second timer and starting the first timer when the start condition of the first timer is met.

[0148] In the communication method shown in FIG3 , after receiving the first message, the terminal device learns based on the first message that it can perform uplink transmission in the case of failure of the ephemeris information, and when the ephemeris information fails, the terminal device starts or restarts the first timer so as to control the duration of uplink transmission in the case of failure of the ephemeris information based on the first timer. Specifically, during the operation of the first timer, the terminal device can perform uplink transmission, and after the first timer times out (or when the first timer times out, in the case of the first timer timeout), the terminal device stops performing uplink transmission. This technical solution can indicate to the terminal device through the first message that it can perform uplink transmission in the case of failure of the ephemeris information. In addition, the terminal device can start or restart the first timer when the ephemeris information fails to control the duration of uplink transmission in the case of failure of the ephemeris information, thereby supporting the terminal device to continue uplink transmission in the case of failure of the ephemeris information.

[0149] It should be understood that the size of the serial numbers of the above processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0150] It should also be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced to each other, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their internal logical relationships.

[0151] It should also be understood that in some of the above embodiments, the devices in the existing network architecture are mainly used as examples for illustrative description (such as network devices, terminal devices, etc.), and it should be understood that the embodiments of the present application are not limited to the specific form of the devices. For example, devices that can achieve the same functions in the future are applicable to the embodiments of the present application.

[0152] It is understandable that in the above-mentioned various method embodiments, the methods and operations implemented by devices (such as network devices, terminal devices) can also be implemented by components of the devices (such as chips or circuits).

[0153] The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail above in conjunction with FIG2 . The communication method is mainly described from the perspective of the interaction between the terminal device and the network device. It is understood that in order to implement the above functions, the terminal device and the network device include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function.

[0154] Those skilled in the art should be aware that, in combination with the units and algorithm steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is performed in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0155] The communication device provided in this application is described in detail below in conjunction with Figures 4 to 6. It should be understood that the description of the device embodiment corresponds to the description of the method embodiment. Therefore, for matters not described in detail, please refer to the method embodiment above. For the sake of brevity, some contents will not be repeated.

[0156] In the embodiment of the present application, the functional modules of the transmitting device or the receiving device can be divided according to the above method example. For example, each functional module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It should be noted that the division of modules in the embodiment of the present application is schematic and is only a logical functional division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. The following is an example of dividing each functional module according to each function.

[0157] Figure 4 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 10 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The device 10 includes a transceiver module 11 and a processing module 12. The transceiver module 11 can implement corresponding communication functions, and the processing module 12 is used to process data. In other words, the transceiver module 11 is used to perform operations related to receiving and sending, while the processing module 12 is used to perform operations other than receiving and sending. The transceiver module 11 can also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication unit.

[0158] Optionally, the device 10 may further include a storage module 13, which may be used to store instructions and / or data. The processing module 12 may read the instructions and / or data in the storage module so that the device implements the actions of the devices in the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0159] In one design, the apparatus 10 may correspond to the terminal device in the above method embodiment, or a component (such as a chip) of the terminal device.

[0160] The device 10 can implement the steps or processes executed by the terminal device in the above method embodiment, wherein the transceiver module 11 can be used to execute the transceiver-related operations of the terminal device in the above method embodiment, and the processing module 12 can be used to execute the processing-related operations of the terminal device in the above method embodiment.

[0161] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module 11 is configured to receive a first message indicating that uplink transmission is possible even when ephemeris information is invalid. The processing module 12 is configured to start or restart a first timer when the ephemeris information is invalid; wherein the uplink transmission is performed for a first duration, the first duration being the duration for which the first timer runs; and the uplink transmission is stopped after the first timer times out.

[0162] When the device 10 is used to execute the method in Figure 2, the transceiver module 11 can be used to execute the steps of sending and receiving information in the method, such as steps SS311, S310 and S330; the processing module 12 can be used to execute the processing steps in the method, such as step S320.

[0163] It should be understood that the specific process of each unit executing the above corresponding steps has been described in detail in the above method embodiment, and for the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0164] In another design, the apparatus 10 may correspond to the network device in the above method embodiment, or a component (such as a chip) of the network device.

[0165] The device 10 can implement the steps or processes executed by the network device in the above method embodiment, wherein the transceiver module 11 can be used to perform the transceiver-related operations of the network device in the above method embodiment, and the processing module 12 can be used to perform the processing-related operations of the network device in the above method embodiment.

[0166] In a possible implementation, the processing module 12 is configured to determine a first message, wherein the first message indicates that uplink transmission is possible when the ephemeris information is invalid. The transceiver module 11 is configured to send the first message.

[0167] When the device 10 is used to execute the method in FIG. 2 , the transceiver module 11 may be used to execute the steps of sending and receiving information in the method, such as steps S311 , S310 , and S330 ; the processing module 12 may be used to execute the processing steps in the method.

[0168] It should be understood that the specific process of each unit executing the above corresponding steps has been described in detail in the above method embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0169] It should also be understood that the device 10 here is embodied in the form of a functional module. The term "module" here may 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 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 10 may be specifically the mobile management network element in the above-mentioned embodiment, and may be used to execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the mobile management network element in the above-mentioned method embodiments; or, the device 10 may be specifically the terminal device in the above-mentioned embodiment, and may be used to execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the terminal device in the above-mentioned method embodiments. To avoid repetition, it will not be described here.

[0170] The apparatus 10 of each of the above-described solutions has the function of implementing the corresponding steps performed by the devices (such as terminal devices and network devices) in the above-described methods. This function can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software implementations. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above-described functions; for example, the transceiver module can be replaced by a transceiver (for example, the transmitting unit in the transceiver module can be replaced by a transmitter, and the receiving unit in the transceiver module can be replaced by a receiver), and other units, such as the processing module, can be replaced by a processor to respectively perform the transceiver operations and related processing operations in each method embodiment.

[0171] In addition, the transceiver module 11 may also be a transceiver circuit (for example, may include a receiving circuit and a sending circuit), and the processing module may be a processing circuit.

[0172] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of another communication device 20 provided in an embodiment of the present application. Device 20 includes a processor 21, which is configured to execute computer programs or instructions stored in memory 22, or read data / signaling stored in memory 22, to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. Optionally, there may be one or more processors 21.

[0173] Optionally, as shown in FIG5 , the apparatus 20 further includes a memory 22 for storing computer programs or instructions and / or data. The memory 22 may be integrated with the processor 21 or may be separately provided. Optionally, there may be one or more memories 22 .

[0174] Optionally, as shown in Figure 5, the device 20 further includes a transceiver 23, which is used to receive and / or send signals. For example, the processor 21 is used to control the transceiver 23 to receive and / or send signals.

[0175] As a solution, the apparatus 20 is used to implement the operations performed by the terminal device in each of the above method embodiments.

[0176] It should be understood that the processor mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or may be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc.

[0177] It should also be understood that the memory mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory and / or a non-volatile memory. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM). For example, RAM can be used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, RAM includes the following forms: static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0178] It should be noted that when the processor is a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component, the memory (storage module) can be integrated into the processor.

[0179] It should also be noted that the memory described herein is intended to comprise, but not be limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0180] 6 is a schematic diagram of a chip system 30 according to an embodiment of the present application. The chip system 30 (or also referred to as a processing system) includes a logic circuit 31 and an input / output interface 32 .

[0181] The logic circuit 31 may be a processing circuit in the chip system 30. The logic circuit 31 may be coupled to a storage unit and call instructions in the storage unit so that the chip system 30 can implement the methods and functions of the various embodiments of the present application. The input / output interface 32 may be an input / output circuit in the chip system 30, outputting information processed by the chip system 30 or inputting data or signaling information to be processed into the chip system 30 for processing.

[0182] As a solution, the chip system 30 is used to implement the operations performed by the terminal device in the above various method embodiments.

[0183] For example, the logic circuit 31 is used to implement the processing-related operations performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiment; the input / output interface 32 is used to implement the sending and / or receiving-related operations performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiment.

[0184] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium on which computer instructions for implementing the methods executed by the device in the above-mentioned method embodiments are stored.

[0185] For example, when the computer program is executed by a computer, the computer can implement the methods executed by the terminal device or the network device in each embodiment of the above method.

[0186] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, comprising instructions, which, when executed by a computer, implement the methods performed by a terminal device or a network device in the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0187] An embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system, including the aforementioned terminal device and network device.

[0188] The explanation of the relevant contents and beneficial effects of any of the above-mentioned devices can be referred to the corresponding method embodiments provided above, which will not be repeated here.

[0189] 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.

[0190] 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.

[0191] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0192] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0193] 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.

[0194] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0195] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Including: Receiving a first message, where the first message indicates that uplink transmission can be performed when ephemeris information fails; When the ephemeris information fails, starting or restarting a first timer; Wherein, within a first duration, the uplink transmission is performed, and the first duration is the running duration of the first timer; after the first timer times out, the uplink transmission is stopped.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: Within the first duration, receiving a second message and restarting the first timer.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first duration is configured by the network side, or the first duration is determined by the terminal side.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that After the first timer times out, stopping the uplink transmission includes: After the first timer times out, obtaining updated ephemeris information and stopping the uplink transmission.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein The method further includes: Performing the uplink transmission according to the updated ephemeris information.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, Before receiving the first message, the method further includes: Receiving a third message, where the third message indicates a second duration and a second moment, the second moment is the starting moment of a second timer, and the second duration is the running duration of the second timer, Wherein, within the second duration, the uplink transmission is performed; after the second timer times out, the ephemeris information fails.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, After the second timer times out, the ephemeris information fails, including: After the second timer times out, obtaining updated ephemeris information; Restarting the second timer and stopping the first timer.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The first message includes uplink transmission extension capability information, and the uplink transmission extension capability information further indicates that the uplink transmission can be performed when Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) information fails.

9. A communication method, characterized in that, Including: Determining a first message, where the first message indicates that uplink transmission can be performed when ephemeris information fails; Sending the first message.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The method further includes: Sending configuration information, where the configuration information is used to configure a first duration, the first duration is the running duration of a first timer, and the first timer is used to control the duration of uplink transmission when the ephemeris information fails.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein The method further includes: sending a second message, where the second message is used to indicate restarting the first timer.

12. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that, Before sending the first message, the method further includes: Sending a third message, where the third message indicates a second duration and a second moment, the second moment is the starting moment of a second timer, and the second duration is the running duration of the second timer, and the second timer is used to control the failure moment of the ephemeris information.

13. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that, The first message includes uplink transmission extension capability information, and the uplink transmission extension capability information further indicates that the uplink transmission can be performed when Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) information fails.

14. A communication device, characterized in that, For implementing the method according to any one of claims 1 - 8.

15. The communication device according to claim 14, wherein The communication device includes a terminal device or a chip.

16. A communication device, characterized in that, For implementing the method according to any one of claims 9 - 13.

17. The communication device according to claim 16, wherein The communication device includes a network device or a chip.

18. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions, and when the computer instructions are run, the method according to any one of claims 1 - 13 is executed.

19. A computer program product, characterized in that, When the computer program product is run, the method according to any one of claims 1-13 is implemented.

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