Satellite communication method and related apparatus

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a satellite communication method and a related apparatus. The method is applied to a serving satellite, and comprises: generating first indication information, wherein the first indication information comprises a signal offset of a cooperative satellite relative to a serving satellite on a user equipment (UE) or reference information for calculating the offset, and a synchronization signal block (SSB) of the cooperative satellite is configured as a source signal of quasi co-location (QCL); and sending the first indication information. By using the embodiments of the present application, multi-satellite joint transmission can be realized, and the transparent throughput enhancement effect of a terminal side is achieved.

Description

A satellite communication method and related device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on January 25, 2024, with application number 202410114371.6, and invention name “A Satellite Communication Method and Related Devices”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to the field of satellite communication technology, and in particular to a satellite communication method and related devices. Background Art

[0003] Future satellite communication systems will feature two key characteristics: large-scale constellations and high-gain antennas. Regarding large-scale constellations, Starlink Gen 2 is expected to launch 30,000 satellites, and by November 2023, Starlink will have over 5,000 satellites in orbit. A simulation using the constellation specifications of Starlink Gen 1 Tier 0 satellites, with an orbital altitude of 550 degrees, an inclination of 53 degrees, 72 orbits, and 22 satellites in orbit, shows the distribution of Starlink satellites visible to user equipment (UE) devices (Figure 1). This shows that ground-based UEs can simultaneously see multiple satellites. For example, in mid- and high-latitude regions, a UE can receive coverage from nearly 20 satellites simultaneously. For high-gain antennas, for example, satellite communications company AST can install antenna arrays up to 64 square meters on its payload. Due to the high antenna gain on the satellite side, it can provide a carrier-to-noise ratio (CNR) of up to 20 dB, as shown in Figure 2 below. Large-scale constellations and high-gain antennas provide the prerequisites for multi-satellite MIMO. Multi-satellite MIMO can significantly improve UE data rates. This improvement can be divided into two aspects. The first is improved spectral efficiency. For the same power, the same number of antennas, and a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) range, distributed systems can achieve higher spectral efficiency than centralized systems, as shown in Figure 3 below. The second is improved throughput. Compared to single-satellite antennas, multi-satellite antennas of the same specifications can significantly improve throughput. As shown in Figure 4 below, when interference is not considered, the throughput of multi-satellite antennas can show a linear growth. When interference is considered, the throughput of multi-satellite antennas increases initially, but after a certain increase, it decreases due to interference.

[0004] Analysis shows that multi-satellite joint transmission can not only improve spectrum efficiency but also throughput, and has great commercial prospects. However, the arrival time of the Synchronization Signal / PBCH Block (SSB) from different satellites to the user equipment (UE) varies. As shown in Figure 5, if the SSB sent by the serving satellite is predicted according to relevant parameters, an estimated delay can be obtained, which provides the measurement window for the UE to receive the SSB. However, the actual delay of the SSB sent by the adjacent satellite often differs from the estimated delay. If the SSB from the adjacent satellite is received according to the measurement window corresponding to the serving satellite, the SSB cannot be received. This difference in the arrival time of different satellites at the UE leads to technical barriers to the implementation of multi-satellite joint transmission. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present application disclose a satellite communication method and related devices, which can realize multi-satellite joint transmission and achieve a transparent throughput enhancement effect on the terminal side.

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a satellite communication method, which is applied to a serving satellite and includes:

[0007] Generate first indication information, where the first indication information includes a signal offset of the cooperating satellite relative to the serving satellite on the terminal device UE or reference information for calculating the offset, and the synchronization signal block (SSB) of the cooperating satellite is configured as a source signal of a quasi-co-located QCL;

[0008] Send the first indication information.

[0009] In this method, when the serving satellite (or the second communication device) is currently providing communication services to the first communication device, the cooperating satellite (or the third communication device) is configured to have a cooperative relationship with the serving satellite (or the second communication device) through QCL, and then the one-way delay between the cooperating satellite and the serving satellite at the first communication device is characterized based on the signal offset, so that the first communication device can determine the time window for receiving the SSB of the cooperating satellite, thereby receiving and synchronizing the SSB. In this way, the first communication device can communicate with the cooperating satellite, that is, realize the joint transmission of the cooperating satellite and the serving satellite, and achieve a transparent throughput enhancement effect on the terminal side.

[0010] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation of the first aspect, the service satellite and the cooperative satellite belong to a co-frequency network.

[0011] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation of the first aspect, the service satellite and the cooperative satellite belong to an inter-frequency network.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, or any one of the above-mentioned possible implementations of the first aspect, in another possible implementation of the first aspect, the first indication information also includes the center frequency of the SSB of the collaborative satellite, the subcarrier spacing SCS of the SSB of the collaborative satellite, and the system frame number SFN offset between the collaborative satellite and the service satellite, wherein the SFN offset and the signal offset are used to determine the time window for receiving the SSB of the collaborative satellite, the center frequency is used as the frequency of the receiver to receive the SSB, and the SCS is used to demodulate the SSB from the collaborative satellite.

[0013] In combination with the first aspect, or any one of the foregoing possible implementations of the first aspect, in another possible implementation of the first aspect, the reference information includes the ephemeris of the collaborative satellite.

[0014] In combination with the first aspect, or any of the foregoing possible implementations of the first aspect, in yet another possible implementation of the first aspect, further comprising:

[0015] The signal offset is calculated according to one-way delay parameters from the serving satellite and the cooperating satellite to the UE.

[0016] In combination with the first aspect, or any of the foregoing possible implementations of the first aspect, in yet another possible implementation of the first aspect, further comprising:

[0017] Second indication information is sent, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the SSB of the collaborative satellite is a source signal of QCL.

[0018] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a satellite communication method, which is applied to a terminal device and includes:

[0019] receiving first indication information, wherein the first indication information includes a signal offset of a cooperating satellite relative to a serving satellite on a terminal device UE or reference information for calculating the signal offset, and a synchronization signal block (SSB) of the cooperating satellite is configured as a source signal of a quasi-co-located QCL;

[0020] receiving the SSB from the cooperative satellite according to the first indication information and the signal offset;

[0021] A physical downlink shared signal PDSCH or a physical downlink control channel PDCCH is received from the cooperative satellite.

[0022] In this method, when the serving satellite (or the second communication device) is currently providing communication services to the first communication device, the cooperating satellite (or the third communication device) is configured to have a cooperative relationship with the serving satellite (or the second communication device) through QCL, and then the one-way delay between the cooperating satellite and the serving satellite at the first communication device is characterized based on the signal offset, so that the first communication device can determine the time window for receiving the SSB of the cooperating satellite, thereby receiving and synchronizing the SSB. In this way, the first communication device can communicate with the cooperating satellite, that is, realize the joint transmission of the cooperating satellite and the serving satellite, and achieve a transparent throughput enhancement effect on the terminal side.

[0023] With reference to the second aspect, in a possible implementation of the second aspect, the first indication information includes the signal offset; and the receiving the SSB from the cooperative satellite according to the signal offset according to the first indication information includes:

[0024] The SSB from the cooperative satellite is received according to the signal offset in the first indication information.

[0025] In combination with the second aspect, or any of the foregoing possible implementations of the second aspect, in another possible implementation of the second aspect, the first indication information includes the reference information; and the receiving the SSB from the cooperative satellite according to the signal offset according to the first indication information includes:

[0026] determining the signal offset according to the reference information in the first indication information;

[0027] The SSB from the cooperating satellite is received according to the signal offset.

[0028] In combination with the second aspect, or any of the foregoing possible implementations of the second aspect, in another possible implementation of the second aspect, the reference information includes the ephemeris of the cooperating satellite; and determining the signal offset according to the reference information in the first indication information includes:

[0029] Determine a one-way delay parameter from the serving satellite and the cooperating satellite to the UE according to the ephemeris of the serving satellite and the ephemeris of the cooperating satellite;

[0030] The signal offset is determined according to the one-way delay parameter.

[0031] In combination with the second aspect, or any one of the foregoing possible implementations of the second aspect, in another possible implementation of the second aspect, the service satellite and the collaborative satellite belong to a co-frequency network.

[0032] In combination with the second aspect, or any one of the foregoing possible implementations of the second aspect, in another possible implementation of the second aspect, the service satellite and the cooperative satellite belong to heterogeneous frequency networking.

[0033] In combination with the second aspect, or any one of the above-mentioned possible implementations of the second aspect, in another possible implementation of the second aspect, the first indication information also includes the center frequency of the SSB of the collaborative satellite, the subcarrier spacing SCS of the SSB of the collaborative satellite, and the system frame number SFN offset between the collaborative satellite and the service satellite, wherein the SFN offset and the signal offset are used to determine the time window for receiving the SSB of the collaborative satellite, the center frequency is used as the frequency of the receiver to receive the SSB, and the SCS is used to demodulate the SSB from the collaborative satellite.

[0034] In combination with the second aspect, or any of the foregoing possible implementations of the second aspect, in yet another possible implementation of the second aspect, the following further includes:

[0035] A second indication message is received, wherein the second indication information is used to indicate that the SSB of the collaborative satellite is a source signal of QCL.

[0036] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which may be a network device or a device or functional module in a network device, and may be a service satellite or configured on a service satellite, wherein:

[0037] The communication device includes a module for executing the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect;

[0038] Alternatively, the communication device includes a processor, and the processor is used to execute the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect.

[0039] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which may be a terminal device or a device or functional module in a terminal device, wherein:

[0040] The communication device includes a module for executing the method described in the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect;

[0041] Alternatively, the communication device includes a processor, and the processor is used to execute the method described in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0042] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, characterized in that it includes a logic circuit and an interface, the logic circuit and the interface are coupled; the interface is used to input and / or output information, wherein:

[0043] The logic circuit is configured to execute the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or,

[0044] The logic circuit is used to execute the method described in the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect.

[0045] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium is used to store a computer program, wherein:

[0046] When the computer program is executed, it can implement the method of the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect, or,

[0047] When the computer program is executed, it can implement the method of the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect.

[0048] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, the communication system including a network device and a terminal device, wherein:

[0049] The network device is used to execute the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, and the terminal device is used to execute the method described in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0050] The following is an introduction to the drawings used in the embodiments of this application.

[0051] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the distribution of visible satellites provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0052] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the relationship between antenna gain and carrier-to-noise ratio provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0053] FIG3 is a schematic diagram showing a comparison of spectrum efficiency under centralized and distributed antennas provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0054] FIG4 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the number of satellites and throughput provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0055] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of SSB delay of different satellites provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] FIG6a is a schematic structural diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0057] FIG6 b is a schematic diagram of a satellite communication system in a transparent transmission scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] FIG6c is a schematic diagram of a satellite communication system in a regeneration scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] FIG6 d is a schematic diagram of signaling interaction and user data transmission between satellites provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of an SSB-MTC information element configuration provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] FIG8 is a schematic flow chart of a satellite communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] FIG9 is a schematic flow chart of a satellite communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of a flow chart of a satellite communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] FIG11 is a schematic flow chart of a satellite communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] FIG12 is a schematic flow chart of a satellite communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] FIG13 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] FIG14 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0068] FIG15 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0069] The embodiments of the present application are described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application.

[0070] The terms "first" and "second" in the specification, claims, and drawings of this application are used only to distinguish different objects and are not used to describe a specific order. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product, or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but may optionally include steps or units that are not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units that are inherent to the process, method, product, or device.

[0071] References to "embodiments" herein mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiments may be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The appearance of this phrase in various places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor does it refer to independent or alternative embodiments that are mutually exclusive of other embodiments. It will be understood, both explicitly and implicitly, by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein may be combined with other embodiments.

[0072] In this application, "at least one (item)" means one or more, "more than one" means two or more, "at least two (items)" means two or three and more than three, and "and / or" is used to describe the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, "A and / or B" can mean: only A exists, only B exists, and A and B exist at the same time, where A and B can be singular or plural. "Or" means that two relationships can exist, such as only A exists, only B exists; when A and B are not mutually exclusive, it can also mean that three relationships exist, such as only A exists, only B exists, and A and B exist at the same time. The character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items. For example, at least one of a, b or c can mean: a, b, c, "a and b", "a and c", "b and c", or "a and b and c".

[0073] The method provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to a non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication system. As shown in Figure 6a, the communication system may include a terminal device, a satellite, and a ground station (also referred to as a gateway station or a signal gateway station). It is understandable that Figure 6a only shows one satellite and one ground station. In actual use, a multi-satellite and / or multi-ground station architecture may be adopted as needed. Each satellite may provide services to one or more terminal devices, each satellite may correspond to one or more ground stations, each ground station may correspond to one or more satellites, and so on. The embodiment of the present application is not specifically limited. The method provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to an Internet of Things (IoT) system, a Vehicle to X (V2X), a narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) system; for example, it can be applied to an LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, an LTE time division duplex (TDD) system, a long term evolution (LTE) system, a fifth generation (5G) communication system, or a future communication network, and the embodiment of the present application is not specifically limited.

[0074] A terminal device is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities. The terminal device can communicate with an access network device (or access device) in a radio access network (RAN). The terminal device can also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, terminal, subscriber unit, user station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, user agent, or user device. In one possible implementation, the terminal device can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; it can also be deployed on the water (such as a ship, etc.). In one possible implementation, the terminal device can be a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a sensor, a terminal in the Internet of Things, a terminal in the Internet of Vehicles, a drone, a fifth generation (5G) network, and any form of terminal device in future networks, etc., which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. For example, terminal devices can also communicate with each other through device-to-device (D2D) and machine-to-machine (M2M). The terminal device shown in the embodiment of the present application may also be a device in the Internet of Things (IoT). The IoT network may include, for example, the Internet of Vehicles. The communication methods in the Internet of Vehicles system are collectively referred to as vehicle to other devices (vehicle to X, V2X, where X can represent anything). For example, the V2X may include: vehicle to vehicle (V2V) communication, vehicle to infrastructure (V2I) communication, vehicle to pedestrian (V2P) communication, or vehicle to network (V2N) communication.

[0075] Ground stations can be used to connect satellites to base stations, or satellites to the core network. Satellites can provide wireless access services to terminal devices, dispatch wireless resources to connected terminal devices, and offer reliable wireless transmission protocols and data encryption protocols. As an example, satellites can be base stations that use artificial satellites and high-altitude aircraft as wireless communication platforms, such as evolved NodeBs (eNBs) and next-generation NodeBs (gNBs). As another example, satellites can also serve as relays for these base stations, transparently transmitting their signals to terminal devices.

[0076] Therefore, in some implementations of the present application, such as in the transparent transmission scenario of the satellite, the network device may be the base station shown in Figure 6a (also referred to as a ground base station). Figure 6b is a schematic diagram of a satellite communication system in a transparent transmission scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application. Exemplarily, the terminal device can access the network through an air interface (the air interface can be various types of air interfaces, such as a 5G air interface, etc.), and the network device can be deployed on a ground base station. The satellite is connected to the ground station via a wireless link. The ground station and the ground base station are connected to the core network via a wired or wireless connection. There may be a wireless link between satellites, and in the system shown in Figure 6b, the satellite may have a transparent transmission forwarding function. In other implementations of the present application, such as in the regeneration scenario of the satellite, the network device may be the satellite shown in Figure 6a. Figure 6c is a schematic diagram of a satellite communication system in a regeneration scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application. Exemplarily, the terminal device can access the network through the air interface (the air interface can be various types of air interfaces, such as a 5G air interface, etc.), and the network equipment can be deployed on the satellite (such as the satellite's regeneration mode), such as the base station or part of the base station function is deployed on the satellite, and the satellites can complete the signaling interaction and user data transmission between the base stations, as shown in Figure 6d.

[0077] For example, the network elements and their interfaces in FIG. 6 b to FIG. 6 d may be as follows:

[0078] Terminal devices can access the satellite network through the air interface and initiate calls, access the Internet, and other services. The base station can be used to provide wireless access services, schedule wireless resources to the accessed terminal devices, and provide reliable wireless transmission protocols and data encryption protocols. The ground station can be responsible for forwarding signaling and service data between the satellite and the core network. The core network can be used for user access control, mobility management, session management, user security authentication or billing, etc. The core network can be composed of multiple functional units, such as functional entities including the control plane and the data plane. For example, the core network shown in Figures 6b to 6d may include an access and mobility management function (AMF), a session management function (SMF), and a user plane function (UPF). For example, AMF can be responsible for user access management, security authentication, and mobility management. UPF can be responsible for managing the transmission of user plane data, traffic statistics, etc. The air interface shown in Figures 6b to 6d can be understood as the wireless link between a terminal and a base station, or the wireless link between a satellite and a ground station. The Xn interface can be understood as the interface between base stations, primarily used for signaling exchanges such as handover. The NG interface can be used as the interface between a base station and the core network, used for exchanging signaling such as the core network's non-access stratum (NAS) and user service data. In systems with different wireless access technologies, the names of devices with base station functions may vary, and are not shown one by one in this embodiment.

[0079] The satellite may be a geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellite, a medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellite or a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite of a non-geostationary Earth orbit (NGEO), or a high altitude platform station (HAPS). The specific type of satellite is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0080] In some deployments of network devices, the network device may include a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU). In other deployments of network devices, the CU may also be divided into a CU-control plane (CP) and a CU-user plane (UP). In still other deployments of network devices, the network device may also be an open radio access network (ORAN) architecture, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific deployment method of the network device. For example, when the network device is an ORAN architecture, the network device shown in the embodiments of the present application may be an access network device in the ORAN, or a functional module, etc. In the ORAN system, the CU may also be referred to as an open (O)-CU, the DU may also be referred to as an O-DU, the CU-CP may also be referred to as an O-CU-CP, and the CU-UP may also be referred to as an O-CU-UP, etc. The deployment methods of the network devices listed here are only examples. With the evolution of standard technologies, network devices may have other deployment forms.

[0081] The network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application. Ordinary technicians in this field will know that with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions and network architecture provided in the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0082] In the NTN scenario, multi-satellite joint transmission is currently being researched. However, there are technical barriers to its implementation due to the differences in the arrival time of different satellites at the UE. In view of this, an embodiment of the present application provides a satellite communication method and a related device. In the presence of a serving satellite, the synchronization signal block SSB of the adjacent satellite is configured as the source signal of the quasi-co-located QCL, the adjacent satellite is used as a cooperative satellite of the serving satellite, and the signal offset of the cooperative satellite relative to the serving satellite on the terminal device UE is introduced, for example, referring to the method of setting the offset of the SMTC (If smtc4list is present, for cells indicated in the pci-List parameter in each SSB-MTC4 element of the list in the same MeasObjectNR, the UE shall setup an additional SS / PBCH block measurement timing configuration (SMTC) in accordance with the received offset parameter in each SSB-MTC4 configuration and use the duration parameter and periodicity (derived from parameter periodicitvAndOffset) from the smtcl configuration. The first subframe of each SMTC occasion occurs at an SFN and subframe of the NRSpCell meeting the above condition) to configure the offset, as shown in Figure 7, which illustrates a method of configuring the two information elements SSB-MTC4-r17 and SSB-MTC-AdditionalPCI-r17 in an SSB-MTC information element to set the signal offset offset, so that the terminal device can determine the appropriate measurement window for receiving the SSB of the collaborative satellite based on the signal offset, so that the terminal device can more easily receive the SSB from the collaborative satellite, thereby realizing multi-satellite joint transmission. Of course, the present application is not limited to completing the configuration based on the two information elements SSB-MTC4-r17 and SSB-MTC-AdditionalPCI-r17.

[0083] In the satellite communication method shown below (as shown in Figure 8), the first communication device can be a terminal device or a chip provided in the terminal device or a functional module in the terminal device, the second communication device can be a network device or a chip provided in the network device or a functional module in the network device, and the third communication device can be a network device or a chip provided in the network device or a functional module in the network device. As shown above, the network device may include an access network device or a functional module under the O-RAN architecture, etc. For a specific description of the terminal device and the network device, please refer to Figures 6a, 6b to 6d, which will not be described in detail here. For ease of description, the embodiments of the present application may use terminal devices and network devices as examples when referring to specific examples, but this should not be understood as a limitation on the embodiments of the present application.

[0084] Please refer to FIG8 , which is a flowchart of a satellite communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application, including but not limited to the following steps:

[0085] Step S801: The second communication device generates first indication information.

[0086] The second communication device may be a network device or a chip arranged in the network device or a functional module in the network device, and the network device is deployed on the service satellite, or the network device itself is the service satellite.

[0087] The first indication information may also be other names, which are not specifically limited here. For example, the first indication information may be an SSB-MTC-AdditionalPCI-r17 information element. The manner in which the first indication information indicates includes at least the following two situations:

[0088] In case one, the first indication information includes a signal offset of the cooperative satellite relative to the serving satellite on the terminal device UE, or the first indication information includes a signal offset of the third communication device relative to the second communication device on the terminal device UE (i.e., the first communication device). Optionally, the serving satellite (or the second communication device) can determine the signal offset based on the one-way delay (or delay difference) from the serving satellite (or the second communication device) and the cooperative satellite (or the third communication device) to the terminal device UE (i.e., the first communication device), as well as time domain information (such as SSB period, SSB pattern, etc.) of the serving satellite (or the second communication device) and the cooperative satellite (or the third communication device). Generally, the greater the one-way delay, the greater the signal offset.

[0089] In the embodiment of the present application, the signal offset can be a positive value, zero, or a negative value. Different from the physical meaning of the traditional offset, the traditional offset usually ranges from 0 to 159 subframes.

[0090] In case 2, the first indication information is reference information for calculating the offset. For example, the reference information may include ephemeris information of the cooperating satellite, and may also include other information as long as it can be used to calculate or determine the above offset.

[0091] In addition, in an embodiment of the present application, the service satellite (or the second communication device) will also configure the synchronization signal block SSB of the cooperative satellite (or the third communication device) as the source signal of Quasi Co-Location (QCL), for example, configuring the transmission configuration indication (TCI) state, and using the SSB of the cooperative satellite as the source signal of the QCL.

[0092] Step S802: The second communication device sends the first indication information.

[0093] Step S803: The second communication device sends second indication information.

[0094] Among them, the second indication information is used to indicate that the SSB of the collaborative satellite is a source signal of QCL. For example, the second indication message can also be other names, which are not specifically limited here. For example, the second indication information can be TCI state.

[0095] In addition, the order of sending the second indication information and the first indication information is not limited here and depends on actual needs.

[0096] Step S804: The first communication device receives first indication information.

[0097] Specifically, after the first communication device obtains the first indication information, it determines the content indicated in the first indication information. For example, if the first indication information is the above-mentioned situation one, then the first communication device obtains the above-mentioned signal offset offset from the first indication information; if the first indication information is the above-mentioned situation two, then the first communication device obtains the reference information for calculating the signal offset offset from the first indication information.

[0098] Step S805: The first communication device receives the second indication information.

[0099] Specifically, after the first communication device obtains the second indication information, it parses it, for example, to obtain the SSB index configured in the TCI state, thereby determining that the SSB of the collaborative satellite (or the third communication device) is the source signal of QCL, that is, it can be determined that: when the service satellite (or the second communication device) is currently providing communication services for the first communication device, the collaborative satellite (or the third communication device) and the service satellite (or the second communication device) have a collaborative relationship or a joint transmission relationship.

[0100] Step S806: The first communication device receives the SSB from the cooperative satellite according to the signal offset according to the first instruction information;

[0101] In this link, the implementation process of this step will be different depending on the content of the first instruction information. The following examples are provided:

[0102] If the content indicated by the first indication information is the above-mentioned case one, the first communication device directly uses the signal offset indicated in the first indication information, for example, determines the time window according to the signal offset, and then receives the SSB sent by the collaborative satellite (or the third communication device) associated with the QCL in the second indication information within the time window.

[0103] If the content indicated by the first indication information is the above-mentioned situation 2, the first communication device determines the signal offset according to the reference information in the first indication information, for example, the one-way delay parameters from the service satellite (or the second communication device) and the collaborative satellite (or the third communication device) to the UE are determined according to the ephemeris of the service satellite and the ephemeris of the collaborative satellite. Optionally, other parameters may also be used in this process, such as the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) of the first communication device itself, and then the signal offset is determined according to the one-way delay parameter, and then the time window is determined according to the signal offset, and then the SSB sent by the collaborative satellite (or the third communication device) associated with the QCL in the second indication information is received within the time window.

[0104] Step S807: The first communication device receives a physical downlink shared signal PDSCH or a physical downlink control channel PDCCH from the coordinated satellite.

[0105] Specifically, after the first communication device receives the SSB from the collaborative satellite (or the third communication device), it can complete synchronization according to the SSB, and then receive the physical downlink shared signal PDSCH or physical downlink control channel PDCCH from the collaborative satellite.

[0106] In an embodiment of the present application, the service satellite (or the second communication device) and the assisting satellite (or the third communication system) can be networked in the same frequency or in different frequencies. If the networking method is different, the content indicated in the first indication information will also be different, and the subsequent related steps may also be different, such as step S806 may be different. For ease of understanding, examples are given below.

[0107] Solution 1: The service satellite (or the second communication device) and the assisting satellite (or the third communication system) are networked on the same frequency.

[0108] In this scheme, after step S806 determines the time window according to the signal offset, the first communication device optionally adjusts the center frequency of the receiver to the center frequency of the SSB of the service satellite (or the second communication device) to receive the SSB sent by the collaborative satellite (or the third communication device) associated with the QCL in the second indication information, and then demodulates the SSB according to the sub-carrier space (SCS) of the SSB of the service satellite (or the second communication device), completes synchronization based on the demodulated SSB, and executes step S807.

[0109] Solution 2: The service satellite (or the second communication device) and the assisting satellite (or the third communication device) are networked using different frequencies.

[0110] In this solution, the first indication information may also include the center frequency of the SSB of the cooperating satellite (or the third communication device), the subcarrier spacing (SCS) of the SSB of the cooperating satellite (or the third communication device), and the system frame number (SFN) offset between the cooperating satellite and the serving satellite. Optionally, this information may not be indicated by the first indication information, but by other information. After the first communication device obtains this information, in step S806, in addition to using the above-mentioned signal offset, the SFN offset is also used when determining the time window, that is, the time window is determined based on information such as the signal offset and the SNF offset. Optionally, the first communication device adjusts the center frequency of the receiver to the center frequency of the SSB of the cooperating satellite (or the third communication device) to receive the SSB sent by the cooperating satellite (or the third communication device) associated with the QCL in the second indication information, and then demodulates the SSB according to the subcarrier spacing (SCS) of the SSB of the cooperating satellite (or the third communication device), completes synchronization based on the demodulated SSB, and executes step S807.

[0111] In the embodiments of the present application, the first indication information and the second indication information may be sent in a single message or in two separate messages, without limitation. Of course, it is also possible that all or part of the parameters indicated by the first indication information and the second indication information mentioned above may be indicated in advance in the protocol without requiring information exchange.

[0112] In the method described in FIG8 , when the serving satellite (or the second communication device) is currently providing communication services to the first communication device, the cooperating satellite (or the third communication device) is configured to have a cooperative relationship with the serving satellite (or the second communication device) through QCL. Then, the one-way delay between the cooperating satellite and the serving satellite at the first communication device is characterized based on the signal offset, so that the first communication device can determine the time window for receiving the SSB of the cooperating satellite, thereby receiving and synchronizing the SSB. In this way, the first communication device can communicate with the cooperating satellite, thereby realizing the joint transmission of the cooperating satellite and the serving satellite, and achieving a transparent throughput enhancement effect on the terminal side.

[0113] Based on the above description, it can be seen that the above-mentioned Case 1 and Case 2 can be combined with Solution 1 (same-frequency networking) and Solution 2 (different-frequency networking). There are at least four different implementation methods. For ease of understanding, these four combinations are illustrated by way of examples below.

[0114] Case 1, Scheme 1 combined with Case 1, i.e., same-frequency networking and the first indication information indicating the signal offset. The implementation principle can be referred to the relevant explanation of the method embodiment shown in FIG8 . The execution process is shown in FIG9 , including the following steps:

[0115] Step S901: The second communication device generates first indication information (including a signal offset).

[0116] Step S902: The second communication device sends the first indication information.

[0117] Step S903: The second communication device sends second indication information (indicating that the SSB of the cooperative satellite is a source signal of QCL).

[0118] Step S904: The first communication device receives first indication information.

[0119] Step S905: The first communication device receives the second indication information.

[0120] Step S906: The first communications device determines a time window using the signal offset indicated in the first indication information.

[0121] Step S907: The first communication device adjusts the center frequency of the receiver to the center frequency of the SSB of the serving satellite, and receives the SSB sent by the cooperative satellite associated with the QCL in the second indication information within the time window.

[0122] Step S908: The first communication device demodulates the received SSB according to the SCS of the SSB of the serving satellite and completes synchronization.

[0123] Step S909: The first communication device receives a PDSCH or a PDCCH from a coordinated satellite.

[0124] Case 2, a combination of Solution 1 and Case 2, i.e., co-frequency networking and the first indication information indicating reference information for calculating the signal offset. The implementation principle can be referred to the relevant explanation of the method embodiment shown in FIG8 . The execution process is shown in FIG10 , including the following steps:

[0125] Step S1001: The second communication device generates first indication information (including ephemeris information of the cooperating satellite).

[0126] Step S1002: The second communication device sends the first indication information.

[0127] Step S1003: The second communication device sends second indication information (indicating that the SSB of the cooperative satellite is a QCL source signal).

[0128] Step S1004: The first communication device receives first indication information.

[0129] Step S1005: The first communication device receives second indication information.

[0130] Step S1006: The first communication device determines one-way delay parameters from the serving satellite and the cooperating satellite to the UE according to the ephemeris information of the cooperating satellite in the first indication information.

[0131] Step S1007: The first communication device determines the signal offset according to the one-way delay parameter.

[0132] Step S1008: The first communication device determines a time window according to the signal offset.

[0133] Step S1009: The first communication device adjusts the center frequency of the receiver to the center frequency of the SSB of the serving satellite, and receives the SSB sent by the cooperative satellite associated with the QCL in the second indication information within the time window.

[0134] Step S1010: The first communication device demodulates the received SSB according to the SCS of the SSB of the serving satellite and completes synchronization.

[0135] Step S1011: The first communication device receives a PDSCH or a PDCCH from a coordinated satellite.

[0136] Case 3, Scheme 2 is combined with Scheme 1, that is, heterogeneous frequency networking and the first indication information indicates a signal offset. The implementation principle can be referred to the relevant explanation of the method embodiment shown in FIG8 . The execution process is shown in FIG11 and includes the following steps:

[0137] Step S1101: The second communication device generates first indication information (including a signal offset, a center frequency of the SSB of the cooperating satellite, SCS, and an SFN offset between the cooperating satellite and the serving satellite).

[0138] Step S1102: The second communication device sends first indication information.

[0139] Step S1103: The second communication device sends second indication information (indicating that the SSB of the cooperative satellite is a source signal of QCL).

[0140] Step S1104: The first communication device receives first indication information.

[0141] Step S1105: The first communication device receives the second indication information.

[0142] Step S1106: The first communication device determines the time window using the signal offset and SFN offset indicated in the first indication information.

[0143] Step S1107: The first communication device adjusts the center frequency of the receiver to the center frequency of the SSB of the coordinated satellite, and receives the SSB sent by the coordinated satellite associated with the QCL in the second indication information within the time window.

[0144] Step S1108: The first communication device demodulates the received SSB according to the SCS of the SSB of the cooperative satellite and completes synchronization.

[0145] Step S1109: The first communication device receives a PDSCH or a PDCCH from a coordinated satellite.

[0146] Case 4, Scheme 2 is combined with Case 2, that is, inter-frequency networking and the first indication information indicates reference information for calculating the signal offset. The implementation principle can be referred to the relevant explanation of the method embodiment shown in Figure 12. The execution process is shown in Figure 10, including the following steps:

[0147] Step S1201: The second communication device generates first indication information (including the ephemeris information, center frequency, SCS of the cooperating satellite, and the SFN offset between the cooperating satellite and the serving satellite).

[0148] Step S1202: The second communication device sends first indication information.

[0149] Step S1203: The second communication device sends second indication information (indicating that the SSB of the cooperative satellite is a source signal of QCL).

[0150] Step S1204: The first communication device receives first indication information.

[0151] Step S1205: The first communication device receives the second indication information.

[0152] Step S1206: The first communication device determines one-way delay parameters from the serving satellite and the cooperating satellite to the UE according to the ephemeris information of the cooperating satellite in the first indication information.

[0153] Step S1207: The first communication device determines the signal offset according to the one-way delay parameter.

[0154] Step S1208: The first communication device determines a time window according to the signal offset and the SFN offset.

[0155] Step S1209: The first communication device adjusts the receiving frequency of the receiver to the center frequency of the SSB of the cooperative satellite, and receives the SSB sent by the cooperative satellite associated with the QCL in the second indication information within the time window.

[0156] Step S1210: The first communication device demodulates the received SSB according to the SCS of the SSB of the cooperative satellite and completes synchronization.

[0157] Step S1211: The first communication device receives a PDSCH or a PDCCH from a coordinated satellite.

[0158] The following describes a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0159] The present application divides the functional modules of the communication device according to the above-mentioned method embodiment. 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-mentioned integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It should be noted that the division of modules in this application is schematic and is only a logical functional division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. The communication device of the embodiment of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 13 to 15.

[0160] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 13, the communication device includes a processing module 1301 and a transceiver module 1302. The transceiver module 1302 can implement corresponding communication functions, and the processing module 1301 is used to process data. For example, the transceiver module 1302 can also be referred to as an interface, a communication interface, or a communication module.

[0161] In some embodiments of the present application, the communication device can be used to perform the actions performed by the transmitting end in the above method embodiments, such as the transmitting end can be the device itself or a chip or functional module that can be configured in the device, etc. The transceiver module 1302 is used to perform the operations related to the transmitting end in the above method embodiments, and the processing module 1301 is used to perform the operations related to the processing of the transmitting end in the above method embodiments. The processing module 1301 can perform the corresponding operations by calling a computer program or by performing the corresponding operations through the corresponding hardware circuit. The transceiver module 1302 can perform the transceiver operations independently or under the control of the processing module 1301.

[0162] Exemplarily, the communication device shown in FIG13 may be a network device or a chip or module on the network device. The network device may be a service satellite or deployed on the service satellite. For ease of distinction, the communication device may be referred to as a second communication device. The processing module 1301 and the transceiver module 1302 in the communication device may respectively perform the following operations:

[0163] The processing module 1301 generates first indication information, where the first indication information includes a signal offset of the cooperating satellite relative to the serving satellite on the terminal device UE or reference information for calculating the offset, and the synchronization signal block (SSB) of the cooperating satellite is configured as a source signal of a quasi-co-located QCL;

[0164] The transceiver module 1302 sends the first indication information.

[0165] In this method, when the serving satellite (or the second communication device) is currently providing communication services to the first communication device, the cooperating satellite (or the third communication device) is configured to have a cooperative relationship with the serving satellite (or the second communication device) through QCL, and then the one-way delay between the cooperating satellite and the serving satellite at the first communication device is characterized based on the signal offset, so that the first communication device can determine the time window for receiving the SSB of the cooperating satellite, thereby receiving and synchronizing the SSB. In this way, the first communication device can communicate with the cooperating satellite, that is, realize the joint transmission of the cooperating satellite and the serving satellite, and achieve a transparent throughput enhancement effect on the terminal side.

[0166] In a possible implementation, the serving satellite and the cooperating satellite belong to a co-frequency network.

[0167] In another possible implementation, the serving satellite and the cooperating satellite belong to an inter-frequency network.

[0168] In another possible implementation, the first indication information also includes the center frequency of the SSB of the collaborative satellite, the subcarrier spacing SCS of the SSB of the collaborative satellite, and the system frame number SFN offset between the collaborative satellite and the service satellite, wherein the SFN offset and the signal offset are used to determine the time window for receiving the SSB of the collaborative satellite, the center frequency is used as the frequency of the receiver to receive the SSB, and the SCS is used to demodulate the SSB from the collaborative satellite.

[0169] In yet another possible implementation, the reference information includes the ephemeris of the cooperating satellite.

[0170] In yet another possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0171] The signal offset is calculated according to one-way delay parameters from the serving satellite and the cooperating satellite to the UE.

[0172] In yet another possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0173] The transceiver module 1302 sends second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the SSB of the cooperative satellite is a QCL source signal.

[0174] Using Figure 13, in other embodiments of the present application, the communication device shown in Figure 13 may be, for example, a terminal device or a chip or module on the terminal device. The terminal device may be deployed on the ground. For ease of distinction, the communication device may be referred to as a first communication device. The processing module 1301 and the transceiver module 1302 in the communication device may respectively perform the following operations:

[0175] The transceiver module 1302 receives first indication information, where the first indication information includes a signal offset of the cooperating satellite relative to the serving satellite on the terminal device UE or reference information for calculating the signal offset, and the synchronization signal block (SSB) of the cooperating satellite is configured as a source signal of a quasi-co-located QCL;

[0176] The transceiver module 1302 receives the SSB from the cooperative satellite according to the first indication information and the signal offset;

[0177] The transceiver module 1302 receives a physical downlink shared signal PDSCH or a physical downlink control channel PDCCH from the coordinated satellite.

[0178] In this method, when the serving satellite (or the second communication device) is currently providing communication services to the first communication device, the cooperating satellite (or the third communication device) is configured to have a cooperative relationship with the serving satellite (or the second communication device) through QCL, and then the one-way delay between the cooperating satellite and the serving satellite at the first communication device is characterized based on the signal offset, so that the first communication device can determine the time window for receiving the SSB of the cooperating satellite, thereby receiving and synchronizing the SSB. In this way, the first communication device can communicate with the cooperating satellite, that is, realize the joint transmission of the cooperating satellite and the serving satellite, and achieve a transparent throughput enhancement effect on the terminal side.

[0179] In a possible implementation, the first indication information includes the signal offset; and receiving the SSB from the cooperative satellite according to the signal offset according to the first indication information includes:

[0180] The SSB from the cooperative satellite is received according to the signal offset in the first indication information.

[0181] In another possible implementation, the first indication information includes the reference information; and receiving the SSB from the cooperating satellite according to the signal offset according to the first indication information includes:

[0182] The processing module 1301 determines the signal offset according to the reference information in the first indication information;

[0183] The transceiver module 1302 receives the SSB from the cooperative satellite according to the signal offset.

[0184] In yet another possible implementation, the reference information includes the ephemeris of the cooperating satellite; and in determining the signal offset according to the reference information in the first indication information, the processing module 1301 is configured to:

[0185] Determine a one-way delay parameter from the serving satellite and the cooperating satellite to the UE according to the ephemeris of the serving satellite and the ephemeris of the cooperating satellite;

[0186] The signal offset is determined according to the one-way delay parameter.

[0187] In another possible implementation, the serving satellite and the cooperating satellite belong to a co-frequency network.

[0188] In another possible implementation, the serving satellite and the cooperating satellite belong to an inter-frequency network.

[0189] In another possible implementation, the first indication information also includes the center frequency of the SSB of the collaborative satellite, the subcarrier spacing SCS of the SSB of the collaborative satellite, and the system frame number SFN offset between the collaborative satellite and the service satellite, wherein the SFN offset and the signal offset are used to determine the time window for receiving the SSB of the collaborative satellite, the center frequency is used as the frequency of the receiver to receive the SSB, and the SCS is used to demodulate the SSB from the collaborative satellite.

[0190] In yet another possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0191] The transceiver module 1302 receives a second indication message, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the SSB of the cooperative satellite is a source signal of QCL.

[0192] The specific descriptions of the transceiver module and the processing module shown in the above embodiments are only examples. For the specific functions or execution steps of the transceiver module and the processing module, please refer to the above method embodiments and will not be described in detail here.

[0193] The communication device of the embodiment of the present application is described above. The following describes possible product forms of the communication device. Any product having the functions of the communication device described in FIG13 falls within the scope of protection of the embodiment of the present application.

[0194] The following description is for illustrative purposes only and does not limit the product form of the communication device of the embodiment of the present application to this description.

[0195] In one possible implementation, in the communication device shown in Figure 13, the processing module 1301 can be one or more processors, the transceiver module 1302 can be a transceiver, or the transceiver module 1302 can also be a sending module and a receiving module, the sending module can be a transmitter, and the receiving module can be a receiver, and the sending module and the receiving module are integrated into a single device, such as a transceiver. In the embodiment of the present application, the processor and the transceiver can be coupled, etc., and the embodiment of the present application does not limit the connection method between the processor and the transceiver. During the execution of the above method, the process of sending information in the above method can be the process of the processor outputting the above information. When outputting the above information, the processor outputs the above information to the transceiver so that the transceiver can transmit it. After being output by the processor, the above information may also need to undergo other processing before reaching the transceiver. Similarly, the process of receiving information in the above method can be the process of the processor receiving the input information. When the processor receives the input information, the transceiver receives the above information and inputs it into the processor. Furthermore, after the transceiver receives the above information, the above information may need to be processed further before being input into the processor.

[0196] As shown in Figure 14, the communication device 140 includes one or more processors 1415 and a transceiver 1410. For example, the transceiver 1410 is configured to execute the functions or steps implemented by the transceiver module 1302 shown in Figure 13, and the processor 1415 is configured to execute the functions or steps implemented by the processing module 1301 shown in Figure 13. For detailed descriptions of the processor 1415 and the transceiver 1410, please refer to Figure 13 or the method embodiments shown above and will not be described in detail here.

[0197] In the above-mentioned embodiments, the description of the relevant steps and information can be referred to the introduction in the above method embodiment, and will not be described in detail here.

[0198] In various implementations of the communication device shown in FIG14 , the transceiver may include a receiver and a transmitter, wherein the receiver is configured to perform a receiving function (or operation) and the transmitter is configured to perform a transmitting function (or operation). The transceiver is configured to communicate with other devices / apparatuses via a transmission medium.

[0199] Optionally, the communication device 140 may further include one or more memories 1430 for storing program instructions and / or data. The memory 1430 is coupled to the processor 1415. The coupling in the embodiment of the present application is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms, and is used for information exchange between devices, units or modules. The processor 1415 may operate in conjunction with the memory 1430. The processor 1415 may execute program instructions stored in the memory 1430. Optionally, at least one of the above-mentioned one or more memories may be included in the processor.

[0200] The specific connection medium between the transceiver 1410, processor 1415, and memory 1430 is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. In Figure 14, the memory 1430, processor 1415, and transceiver 1410 are connected via bus 1440. The bus is represented by a bold line in Figure 14. The connection methods between other components are merely illustrative and are not intended to be limiting. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, Figure 14 only uses a single bold line, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0201] In the embodiments of the present application, the processor may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component, etc., and may implement or execute the various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of the present application may be directly implemented as being executed by a hardware processor, or may be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor, etc.

[0202] In the embodiment of the present application, memory may include but is not limited to non-volatile memories such as hard disk drive (HDD) or solid-state drive (SSD), random access memory (RAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), read-only memory (ROM) or portable read-only memory (CD-ROM), etc. Memory is any storage medium that can be used to carry or store program code in the form of instructions or data structures, and can be read and / or written by a computer (such as the communication device shown in the present application), but is not limited thereto. The memory in the embodiment of the present application can also be a circuit or other arbitrarily capable of realizing a storage function, for storing program instructions and / or data.

[0203] Processor 1415 is primarily used to process communication protocols and communication data, control the entire communication device, execute software programs, and process software program data. Memory 1430 is primarily used to store software programs and data. Transceiver 1410 may include control circuitry and an antenna. The control circuitry is primarily used to convert baseband signals into radio frequency signals and process radio frequency signals. The antenna is primarily used to transmit and receive radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input / output devices, such as a touch screen, display, and keyboard, are primarily used to receive user input and output data to the user.

[0204] When the communication device is powered on, the processor 1415 can read the software program in the memory 1430, interpret and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be sent wirelessly, the processor 1415 performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted and outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency circuit. The radio frequency circuit performs radio frequency processing on the baseband signal and then transmits the radio frequency signal to the outside in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the communication device, the radio frequency circuit receives the radio frequency signal through the antenna, converts the radio frequency signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 1415. The processor 1415 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0205] In another implementation, the RF circuit and antenna may be provided independently of the processor performing baseband processing. For example, in a distributed scenario, the RF circuit and antenna may be remotely arranged independent of the communication device.

[0206] The communication device shown in the embodiment of the present application may also have more components than those in Figure 14, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited to this. The method performed by the processor and transceiver shown above is only an example. For the specific steps performed by the processor and transceiver, please refer to the method described above.

[0207] In another possible implementation, in the communication device shown in Figure 13, the processing module 1301 can be one or more logic circuits, and the transceiver module 1302 can be an input / output interface, or also called a communication interface, or an interface circuit, or an interface, etc. Alternatively, the transceiver module 1302 can also be a sending module and a receiving module, the sending module can be an output interface, and the receiving module can be an input interface, and the sending module and the receiving module are integrated into one module, such as an input / output interface. As shown in Figure 15, the communication device shown in Figure 15 includes a logic circuit 1501 and an interface 1502. That is, the above-mentioned processing module 1301 can be implemented with a logic circuit 1501, and the transceiver module 1302 can be implemented with an interface 1502. Among them, the logic circuit 1501 can be a chip, a processing circuit, an integrated circuit or a system on chip (SoC) chip, etc., and the interface 1502 can be a communication interface, an input / output interface, a pin, etc. For example, Figure 15 is illustrated using the above-mentioned communication device as a chip, and the chip includes a logic circuit 1501 and an interface 1502.

[0208] In the embodiment of the present application, the logic circuit and the interface can also be coupled to each other. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific connection method of the logic circuit and the interface. For example, the logic circuit 1501 can be used to perform the functions or steps implemented by the processing module 1301 as shown in Figure 13, and the interface 1502 can be used to perform the functions or steps implemented by the transceiver module 1302 as shown in Figure 13. For a specific description of the logic circuit 1501 and the interface 1502, please refer to Figure 13 or the method embodiment shown above, and will not be described in detail here.

[0209] The above description of the communication device is only an example. For the specific description of the communication device shown in Figure 15, please refer to the above method embodiment or Figure 13 or Figure 14, which will not be described in detail here.

[0210] The communication device shown in the embodiment of the present application can implement the method provided in the embodiment of the present application in the form of hardware, or can implement the method provided in the embodiment of the present application in the form of software, etc., and the embodiment of the present application is not limited to this.

[0211] In the above embodiments, the description of the relevant steps and information can refer to the introduction of the above method embodiment, and will not be described in detail here. For the specific implementation of each embodiment shown in Figure 15, you can also refer to the above embodiments, and will not be described in detail here.

[0212] An embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system, which includes a terminal device, a service satellite and a collaborative satellite, wherein the terminal device, the service satellite and the collaborative satellite interact to execute all or part of the steps in any of the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0213] In addition, the present application also provides a computer program, which is used to implement the operations and / or processing performed by each communication device in the method provided by the present application.

[0214] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium having computer code stored therein. When the computer code is run on a computer, the computer executes the operations and / or processing performed by each communication device in the method provided by the present application.

[0215] The present application also provides a computer program product, which includes computer code or computer program. When the computer code or computer program is run on a computer, the operations and / or processes performed by the method provided in the present application are executed.

[0216] 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 only schematic. For example, the division of the modules is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple modules or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, or can be electrical, mechanical or other forms of connection.

[0217] The modules described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as modules may or may not be physical modules, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network modules. Some or all of the modules may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the technical effects of the solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application.

[0218] In addition, the functional modules in the various embodiments of the present application may be integrated into a processing module, or each module may exist physically separately, or two or more modules may be integrated into a single module. The above-mentioned integrated modules may be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional modules.

[0219] If the integrated module is implemented in the form of a software functional module 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 is essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a readable storage medium, including a number of 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 readable 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.

[0220] 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 satellite communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a serving satellite, including: Generating first indication information, where the first indication information includes a signal offset of a cooperative satellite relative to the serving satellite on a terminal device UE or reference information for calculating the offset, and the synchronization signal block SSB of the cooperative satellite is configured as a source signal for quasi-co-location QCL; Sending the first indication information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The serving satellite and the cooperative satellite belong to the same-frequency network.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein The serving satellite and the cooperative satellite belong to a different-frequency network.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein The first indication information further includes the center frequency of the SSB of the cooperative satellite, the subcarrier spacing SCS of the SSB of the cooperative satellite, and the system frame number SFN offset between the cooperative satellite and the serving satellite.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The reference information includes the ephemeris of the cooperative satellite.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that Further including: Calculating the signal offset according to the one-way delay parameter from the serving satellite and the cooperative satellite to the UE.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that Further including: Sending second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the SSB of the cooperative satellite is a source signal for QCL.

8. A satellite communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a terminal device, including: Receiving first indication information, where the first indication information includes a signal offset of a cooperative satellite relative to the serving satellite on a terminal device UE or reference information for calculating the signal offset, and the synchronization signal block SSB of the cooperative satellite is configured as a source signal for quasi-co-location QCL; Receiving the SSB from the cooperative satellite according to the signal offset in accordance with the first indication information; Receiving a physical downlink shared signal PDSCH or a physical downlink control channel PDCCH from the cooperative satellite.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein The first indication information includes the signal offset; the receiving the SSB from the cooperative satellite according to the signal offset in accordance with the first indication information includes: Receiving the SSB from the cooperative satellite according to the signal offset in the first indication information.

10. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The first indication information includes the reference information; the receiving the SSB from the cooperative satellite according to the signal offset in accordance with the first indication information includes: Determining the signal offset according to the reference information in the first indication information; Receiving the SSB from the cooperative satellite according to the signal offset.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein The reference information includes the ephemeris of the cooperative satellite; the determining the signal offset according to the reference information in the first indication information includes: Determining the one-way delay parameter from the serving satellite and the cooperative satellite to the UE according to the ephemeris of the serving satellite and the ephemeris of the cooperative satellite; Determining the signal offset according to the one-way delay parameter.

12. The method according to any one of claims 8-11, characterized in that, The serving satellite and the cooperative satellite belong to the same-frequency network.

13. The method according to any one of claims 8-11, characterized in that, The serving satellite and the cooperative satellite belong to a different-frequency network.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein, The first indication information further includes the center frequency of the SSB of the cooperative satellite, the subcarrier spacing SCS of the SSB of the cooperative satellite, and the system frame number SFN offset between the cooperative satellite and the serving satellite. Wherein, the SFN offset and the signal offset are used to determine the time window for receiving the SSB of the cooperative satellite, the center frequency is used as the frequency for the receiver to receive the SSB, and the SCS is used to demodulate the SSB from the cooperative satellite.

15. The method according to any one of claims 8-14, characterized in that, Further included is: Receiving a second indication message, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the SSB of the cooperative satellite is the source signal of QCL.

16. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a module for performing the method according to any one of claims 1-7; alternatively, the communication device includes a processor for performing the method according to any one of claims 1-7.

17. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a module for performing the method according to any one of claims 8-15; alternatively, the communication device includes a processor for performing the method according to any one of claims 8-15.

18. A communication device, characterized in that, Including a logic circuit and an interface, the logic circuit and the interface are coupled; The interface is used to input and / or output information, and the logic circuit is used to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-15.

19. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium is used to store a computer program, and when the computer program is executed, the method according to any one of claims 1-15 is executed.

20. A communication system, characterized in that, Including a network device and a terminal device, the network device is used to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-7, and the terminal device is used to perform the method according to any one of claims 8-15.

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