Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method and a communication apparatus. The communication method comprises: determining a third time advance on the basis of a relationship between the time when first GNSS information is acquired and a first time, or a relationship between a first variation between the first GNSS information and second GNSS information and a first threshold value, or a relationship between a second variation between a first time advance and a second time advance and a second threshold value; and sending a first signal on the basis of the third time advance, wherein the second GNSS information is GNSS information before the first GNSS information, the first time is not earlier than the expiration time of the second GNSS information, the first time advance is determined on the basis of the first GNSS information, and the second time advance is determined on the basis of the second GNSS information. The communication method can improve the accuracy of a time advance determined by a terminal device, thereby improving the communication reliability.

Description

Communication method and communication device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on April 3, 2024, with application number 202410409099.4 and application name “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] Satellite communications offer wider coverage than terrestrial communications, and as such, are attracting increasing attention. In satellite communications, to achieve uplink synchronization between terminal devices and satellite base stations, the terminal devices typically need to send uplink data to the satellite base station a certain amount of time in advance when communicating with the satellite base station.

[0004] Currently, one implementation method for a terminal device to determine the required advance time is as follows: the sum of the round-trip delay from the terminal device to the satellite base station and the common timing advance (TA) is used as the TA of the open-loop portion. The common TA indicates the round-trip delay from the satellite base station to a reference point or ground station. A TA adjustment amount is determined based on the TA parameter sent by the satellite base station. The TA of the open-loop portion is continuously adjusted using this TA adjustment amount to obtain the time advance.

[0005] However, the timing advance determined by the terminal device through the above method may be inaccurate, further leading to the risk of uplink desynchronization. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a communication method and a communication device, which can improve the accuracy of the determined timing advance and thereby improve the reliability of communication.

[0007] In a first aspect, this application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a terminal device, or by a component configured in the terminal device (such as a chip, chip system, etc.), or by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the terminal device functions, which is not limited in this application. In this application, the terminal device is used as an example for description.

[0008] Exemplarily, the communication method includes: determining a third time advance based on a relationship between the time when the first global navigation satellite system (GNSS) information is acquired and the first time, or a relationship between a first change between the first GNSS information and the second GNSS information and a first threshold, or a relationship between a second change between the first time advance and the second time advance and a second threshold; sending a first signal based on the third time advance; wherein the second GNSS information is GNSS information before the first GNSS information, the first time is not earlier than the expiration time of the second GNSS information, the first time advance is determined based on the first GNSS information, and the second time advance is determined based on the second GNSS information.

[0009] The relationship between the time when the first GNSS information was acquired and the first time includes whether the time when the first GNSS information was acquired is after the first time. The relationship between the first change between the first GNSS information and the second GNSS information and the first threshold includes whether the first change is greater than the first threshold. The relationship between the second change between the first time advance and the second time advance and the second threshold includes whether the second change is greater than the second threshold. Therefore, the relationship based on the relationship between the time when the first GNSS information was acquired and the first time can also be replaced by the relationship between the time when the first GNSS information was acquired and the first time; the relationship based on the first change between the first GNSS information and the second GNSS information and the first threshold can also be replaced by the relationship between the first change and the first threshold; the relationship based on the second change between the first time advance and the second time advance and the second threshold can also be replaced by the relationship between the second change and the second threshold.

[0010] In this technical solution, when the terminal device determines the third time advance used to send the first signal, if the time when the first GNSS information is acquired is not after the first time (i.e., before the first time or at the first time), or the first change between the first GNSS information and the second GNSS information is less than or equal to the first threshold, or the second change between the first time advance and the second time advance is less than or equal to the second threshold, it will determine the TA adjustment amount determined based on the TA parameter previously sent by the network device on the basis of the TA of the open-loop part, wherein the TA adjustment amount is obtained by accumulating at least one TA parameter. If the time when the first GNSS information is obtained is after the first time, or the first change between the first GNSS information and the second GNSS information is greater than the first threshold, or the second change between the first time advance and the second time advance is greater than the second threshold, it will be determined that the TA adjustment amount previously determined based on the TA parameters sent by the network device will not be accumulated on the basis of the TA of the open-loop part (that is, it can be considered that the previously determined TA adjustment amount is cleared), or it will be determined that only the first adjustment amount is accumulated on the TA of the open-loop part. The first adjustment amount is the adjustment amount determined by the terminal device based on the TA parameters within the validity period of the second GNSS information, or in other words: the first adjustment amount is the adjustment amount that is not accumulated for the TA parameters between the expiration time of the validity period of the second GNSS information and the acquisition of the first GNSS information. The period between the expiration time of the validity period of the second GNSS information and the acquisition of the first GNSS information is also referred to as the second GNSS information extension time. That is, it can be considered that when determining the third time advance, all TA parameters received between the second GNSS information extension time are not accumulated.

[0011] It can be seen that in this communication method, since the terminal device will also determine the relationship between the time when the first GNSS information is acquired and the first time, or the relationship between the first change and the first threshold, or the relationship between the second change and the second threshold when determining the third advance used for the first signal, and then determine based on the relationship whether to clear the previously determined TA adjustment amount or whether to not accumulate all TA parameters received between the extension time of the second GNSS information, error jumps can be avoided, the accuracy of the third time advance is improved, and the reliability of communication can be improved.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the third timing advance satisfies the following formula: TA =(N TA +N TA,UE-specific +N TA,common +N TA,offset )×T c ;T TA Indicates the third time advance, N TAis the first adjustment amount, N TA,UE-specific N is the round-trip delay from the terminal device to the network device determined based on the first GNSS information, TA,common N is the round-trip delay from the network device to the reference point, TA,offset is the timing offset, T c It is the basic time unit.

[0013] In combination with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the relationship between the time when the first GNSS information is obtained and the first time is that the time when the first GNSS information is obtained is after the first time; or, the relationship between the first change amount between the first GNSS information and the second GNSS information and the first threshold is that the first change amount is greater than the first threshold; or, the relationship between the second change amount between the first time advance and the second time advance and the second threshold is that the second change amount is greater than the second threshold; wherein, the first adjustment amount is 0, or the first adjustment amount is an adjustment amount determined according to the timing advance TA parameter within the validity period of the second GNSS information.

[0014] Understandable, N. TA,UE-speeific +N TA,common It can be considered as the TA of the open-loop part; the first adjustment amount can be considered as the adjustment amount for adjusting the TA of the open-loop part, so the first adjustment amount is also called the TA adjustment amount.

[0015] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, when the first adjustment amount is an adjustment amount determined based on TA parameters within the validity period of the second GNSS information, the first adjustment amount is determined based on all TA parameters received within the validity period of the second GNSS information. That is, in this implementation, if the terminal device acquires the first GNSS information after the first time, or the first change amount is greater than a first threshold, or the second change amount is greater than a second threshold, then when the terminal device determines the third timing advance, the determined TA adjustment amount is obtained by accumulating all TA parameters of the terminal device within the validity period of the second GNSS information.

[0016] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the method further includes: sending a second signal at a second time based on a fourth time advance, the second time being between an expiration time of the second GNSS information and a time when the first GNSS information is acquired; the fourth time advance is determined based on the second GNSS information and first ephemeris information, the first ephemeris information being ephemeris information acquired at the expiration time of the second GNSS information, or the first ephemeris information being ephemeris information acquired between the expiration time and the second time.

[0017] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the first time is the expiration time of the second GNSS information.

[0018] In a second aspect, the present application provides a communication device, including: a processing module for determining a third time advance based on the relationship between the time when the first global satellite navigation system GNSS information is acquired and the first time, or the relationship between the first change amount between the first GNSS information and the second GNSS information and the first threshold, or the relationship between the second change amount between the first time advance and the second time advance and the second threshold; a transceiver module for sending a first signal based on the third time advance; wherein the second GNSS information is the GNSS information before the first GNSS information, the first time is not earlier than the expiration time of the second GNSS information, the first time advance is determined based on the first GNSS information, and the second time advance is determined based on the second GNSS information.

[0019] In conjunction with the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the third time advance satisfies the following formula: TA =(N TA +N TA,UE-specific +N TA,common +N TA,offset )×T c ;T TA Indicates the third time advance, N TA is the first adjustment amount, N TA,UE-specific N is the round-trip delay from the terminal device to the network device determined based on the first GNSS information, TA,common N is the round-trip delay from the network device to the reference point, TA,offset is the timing offset, T c It is the basic time unit.

[0020] In combination with the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the relationship between the time when the first GNSS information is obtained and the first time is that the time when the first GNSS information is obtained is after the first time; or, the relationship between the first change amount between the first GNSS information and the second GNSS information and the first threshold is that the first change amount is greater than the first threshold; or, the relationship between the second change amount between the first time advance and the second time advance and the second threshold is that the second change amount is greater than the second threshold; wherein, the first adjustment amount is 0, or the first adjustment amount is an adjustment amount determined according to the timing advance TA parameter within the validity period of the second GNSS information.

[0021] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation, when the first adjustment amount is an adjustment amount determined according to TA parameters within the validity period of the second GNSS information, the first adjustment amount is determined based on all TA parameters received within the validity period of the second GNSS information.

[0022] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the transceiver module is further used to: send a second signal at a second time based on a fourth time advance, the second time being between the expiration time of the second GNSS information and the time when the first GNSS information is acquired; the fourth time advance is determined based on the second GNSS information and the first ephemeris information, the first ephemeris information being the ephemeris information acquired at the expiration time of the second GNSS information, or the first ephemeris information being the ephemeris information acquired between the expiration time and the second time.

[0023] In combination with the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the first signal is the first signal sent by the terminal device after acquiring the first GNSS information.

[0024] In conjunction with the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the first time is the expiration time of the second GNSS information.

[0025] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising modules or units for implementing the method in the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect. It should be understood that each module or unit can implement the corresponding function by executing a computer program.

[0026] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, comprising a processor, wherein the processor is configured to execute the communication method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect. The communication device may be a chip or a chip system used in a terminal device.

[0027] The apparatus may further include a memory for storing instructions and data. The memory is coupled to the processor, and when the processor executes the instructions stored in the memory, the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof may be implemented. The apparatus may further include a communication interface for communicating between the apparatus and other devices. Exemplarily, the communication interface may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module, or other type of communication interface.

[0028] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a program code for execution by a communication device, wherein the program code includes instructions for implementing the method in the first aspect and any possible implementation manner of the first aspect.

[0029] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on a communication device, enables the communication device to implement the method in the first aspect and any possible implementation manner of the first aspect.

[0030] Among them, the effects that can be obtained from the second to sixth aspects can be referred to the description in the first aspect and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system to which embodiments of the present application may be applied;

[0032] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of another communication system to which embodiments of the present application may be applied;

[0033] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a GNSS measurement provided by the present application;

[0034] FIG4 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of the first time provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] FIG. 6 is a diagram of N based on which the third timing advance is determined according to an embodiment of the present application. TA Schematic diagram of;

[0037] FIG7 is a structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] FIG8 is a structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the embodiments of the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0040] Before introducing the communication method and related devices provided in the embodiments of the present application, the following points are explained.

[0041] First, in the embodiments described below, terms such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish between different objects, rather than to describe a specific order. Furthermore, the terms "including" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus comprising a series of steps or elements is not limited to the listed steps or elements, but may optionally include steps or elements not listed, or may optionally include other steps or elements inherent to the process, method, product, or apparatus.

[0042] Second, the reference to "embodiment" in this document means that the specific features, structures, or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment can 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 mean that it is an independent or alternative embodiment that is mutually exclusive with other embodiments. It is understood explicitly and implicitly by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments.

[0043] Third, "at least one" means one or more, and "more" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following items" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b and c can mean: a, or b, or c, or a and b, or a and c, or b and c, or a, b and c, where a, b, c can be single or multiple.

[0044] Fourth, the terms "send" and "receive" in this application refer to the direction of signal transmission. "Send" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receive" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface. In other words, sending and receiving can be performed between devices, for example, between a terminal device and a (wireless) access network device; or they can be performed within a device, for example, between components, modules, chips, software modules, or hardware modules within the device through a bus, trace, or interface.

[0045] Fifth, a network element in a communication system can send a signal to another network element or receive a signal from another network element. The signal may include information, signaling, or data, etc. The network element can also be replaced by an entity, a network entity, a device, a communication device, a communication module, a node, a communication node, etc. The embodiment of the present application is described by taking the network element as an example. For example, the communication system may include at least one terminal device and at least one (wireless) access network device. The (wireless) access network device can send a downlink signal to the terminal device, and / or the terminal device can send an uplink signal to the (wireless) access network device. In addition, it can be understood that if the communication system includes multiple terminal devices, multiple terminal devices can also send signals to each other, that is, the signal sending network element and the signal receiving network element can both be terminal devices.

[0046] To better understand the embodiments of the present application, the following first introduces the system architecture involved in the embodiments of the present application:

[0047] The technical solution of the present application can be applied to non-terrestrial networks (NTN) or scenarios where NTN and terrestrial networks (TN) are integrated. NTN systems can be, for example, satellite communication systems, high altitude platform station (HAPS) communication systems, global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), etc. TN systems can be, for example, fourth-generation (4G) communication systems (for example, long-term evolution (LTE) systems), worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication systems, fifth-generation (5G) communication systems (for example, new radio (NR) systems), sixth-generation mobile communication (6G) systems, and future mobile communication systems.

[0048] For example, FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system to which embodiments of the present application can be applied. As shown in FIG1 , communication system 1000 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200. Optionally, communication system 1000 may also include the Internet 300. RAN 100 includes at least one network device (such as 110a and 110b in FIG1 , collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal (such as 120a-120j in FIG1 , collectively referred to as 120). RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in FIG1 ). Terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to network device 110. Network device 110 is wirelessly or wiredly connected to core network 200. The core network device in core network 200 and network device 110 in RAN 100 may be different physical devices, or they may be the same physical device that integrates core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions.

[0049] It should be noted that RAN 100 can be a cellular system related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), for example, a 4G or 5G mobile communication system, or an evolved system after 5G (for example, a 6G mobile communication system). RAN 100 can also be an open access network (open RAN, O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), etc. RAN 100 can also be a communication system that is a fusion of two or more of the above systems. It should be stated that the number of network devices and terminals in Figure 1 is only for illustration and should not be regarded as a specific limitation of the present application. The terminals and network devices involved in the communication system shown in Figure 1 are described in detail below.

[0050] The terminal device may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, or user device. The terminal device may be a device that provides voice / data, such as a handheld device or vehicle-mounted device with wireless connectivity. 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.

[0051] 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.

[0052] The network device in the embodiments of the present application may be a device for communicating with a terminal device, and may also be referred to as an access network device or a radio access network device. For example, the network device may be a base station. The network device in the embodiments of the present application may refer to a radio access network (RAN) node (or device) that connects a terminal device to a wireless network. A base station may broadly cover various names as follows, or replace the following names, such as: NodeB, evolved NodeB (eNB), next generation NodeB (gNB), relay station, access point, transmitting and receiving point (TRP), transmitting point (TP), master station, secondary station, multi-standard radio (MSR) node, home base station, network controller, access node, wireless node, access point (AP), transmission node, transceiver node, baseband unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), remote radio head (RRH), central unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), radio unit (RU), positioning node, etc. A base station may be a macro base station, a micro base station, a relay node, a donor node, or the like, or a combination thereof. The base station may also refer to a communication module, modem or chip that is set in the aforementioned equipment or device. The base station may also be a mobile switching center and a device that performs the base station function in D2D, V2X, and M2M communications, a network side device in a 6G network, a device that performs the base station function in future communication systems, etc. The base station can support networks with the same or different access technologies. Optionally, the RAN node may also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or an on-board device, etc. For example, the access network device in the vehicle to everything (V2X) technology may be a road side unit (RSU). The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the network equipment.In some deployments, the network devices mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may include a CU, a DU, or both a CU and a DU, or a control plane CU node (central unit-control plane (CU-CP)), a user plane CU node (central unit-user plane (CU-UP)), and a DU node. For example, the network devices may include a gNB-CU-CP, a gNB-CU-UP, and a gNB-DU.

[0053] In some deployments, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist terminals in achieving wireless access, with different RAN nodes implementing portions of the base station's functionality. For example, a RAN node can be a CU, DU, CU-CP, CU-UP, or RU. The CU and DU can be separate or included in the same network element, such as the BBU. The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or radio unit, such as an RRU, AAU, or RRH.

[0054] The RAN node may support one or more types of fronthaul interfaces, with different fronthaul interfaces corresponding to DUs and RUs with different functions. If the fronthaul interface between the DU and the RU is a common public radio interface (CPRI), the DU is configured to implement one or more baseband functions, and the RU is configured to implement one or more radio frequency functions. If the fronthaul interface between the DU and the RU is another type of interface, relative to the CPRI, some of the downlink and / or uplink baseband functions, such as precoding, digital beamforming (BF), or one or more of inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) / cyclic prefix (CP) for downlink, are moved from the DU to the RU for implementation; and for uplink, one or more of digital beamforming (BF), or fast Fourier transform (FFT) / cyclic prefix (CP) removal, are moved from the DU to the RU for implementation. In one possible implementation, the interface may be an enhanced common public radio interface (eCPRI). In the eCPRI architecture, the division between the DU and RU is different, corresponding to different types (category, Cat) of eCPRI, such as eCPRI Cat A, B, C, D, E, and F.

[0055] In one possible design, the processing unit for implementing baseband functions in the BBU is called a baseband high layer (BBH) unit, and the processing unit for implementing baseband functions in the RRU / AAU / RRH is called a baseband low layer (BBL) unit.

[0056] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, CU may also be called O-CU (Open CU), DU may also be called O-DU, CU-CP may also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be called O-CU-UP, and RU may also be called O-RU. Any unit of CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0057] In the embodiments of the present application, the device for implementing the functions of the network device can be a network device; it can also be a device that can support the network device to implement the functions, such as a chip system, a hardware circuit, a software module, or a hardware circuit and a software module. The device can be installed in the network device or used in conjunction with the network device. In the embodiments of the present application, only the device for implementing the functions of the network device is used as an example to illustrate, and does not constitute a limitation on the solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

[0058] The core network side in the embodiment of the present application may include a user plane function (UPF) of the data plane and a core network control plane. UPF is a functional unit of the user plane, which is mainly responsible for packet forwarding, quality of service (QoS) control, billing information statistics and connection to external networks, etc. It includes the relevant functions of the serving gateway (SGW) and public data network gateway (PDN-GW) of the long term evolution technology (LTE). The core network control plane is mainly responsible for business process interaction, issuing data packet forwarding policies and QoS control policies to the user plane. Exemplarily, the control plane network elements in the core network control plane mainly include: access and mobility function (AMF), session management function (SMF), policy control function (PCF), application function (AF), network exposure function (NEF), etc. Among them, the functions of each network element can be referred to the description in the relevant technology and will not be repeated here. In addition, it is noted that the various network elements involved in the embodiments of the present application may be the network elements mentioned in the above embodiments, or may be network elements having the same functions as the above network elements. For example, the application function network element may be an AF network element, or may be a network element having the same functions as the AF network element; the policy management network element may be a PCF network element, or may be a network element having the same functions as the PCF network element.

[0059] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, some of the terms involved in the embodiments of the present application are explained to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. This part is only for ease of understanding and cannot be regarded as a specific limitation of the present application.

[0060] 1. GNSS

[0061] GNSS is a space-based radio navigation and positioning system that provides all-weather three-dimensional coordinates, velocity, and time information to terminal devices anywhere on the Earth's surface or in near-Earth space. GNSS locates terminal devices using observations such as pseudoranges, ephemeris, and satellite launch times from a constellation of satellites, along with the terminal device's clock error. By performing GNSS measurements, terminal devices obtain GNSS measurements (also known as GNSS information).

[0062] 2. Ephemeris Information

[0063] Ephemeris information is information about the motion patterns of satellites, such as the satellite's orbital parameters, angular velocity, and speed. Based on this information, communication equipment can calculate the satellite's position in orbit at each moment. Ephemeris information can be expressed as a simple correspondence, such as the satellite position information corresponding to each moment / time period. Ephemeris information can also be expressed as a satellite coverage map, such as satellite coverage availability information. The satellite coverage map divides the Earth's surface into multiple grid points and displays the grid points covered and not covered by the satellite at each moment. For example, a satellite orbits the Earth in an hour-long cycle with an accuracy of minutes. Each minute, a satellite corresponds to a satellite coverage map. Some grid points in the map are bright, while others are dark. The bright grid points represent the grid points that will be covered at the corresponding moment during each satellite cycle.

[0064] It should be noted that the ephemeris information involved in this application includes but is not limited to traditional ephemeris information, satellite map information, and gateway deployment information. Among them, traditional ephemeris information includes but is not limited to orbital parameters, or parameters such as the satellite's position calculated based on the orbital parameters. It is understandable that traditional ephemeris information can be used to calculate, predict, depict, or track the time, position, speed, and other states of the satellite's flight. For example, traditional ephemeris information can be 17 bytes of information to represent position (78 bits) and speed (54 bits), or traditional ephemeris information can be 18 bytes of information to represent orbital parameters (such as semi-major axis, range, eccentricity, perigee angle, etc.). Satellite map information can be the range covered by the satellite on the map at each moment. The specific form, content, and name of the ephemeris information are not limited in this application, and reference can be made to the definition of ephemeris information in existing protocols. For example, the ephemeris information in this application can also be referred to as satellite coverage availability information.

[0065] 3.TA

[0066] Typically, different terminal devices are at different distances from the base station. Consequently, the uplink signals sent by different terminal devices to the base station will exhibit different transmission delays, causing the uplink signals sent by different terminal devices to arrive at the base station at different times, resulting in signal interference. In order to ensure that the base station correctly receives uplink data from terminal devices, timing advance (TA) technology is introduced. TA technology can be described as follows: the system frame in which the terminal device sends uplink data is a certain amount of time ahead of the corresponding downlink frame. As long as the arrival time difference of the uplink signals sent by different terminal devices falls within the CP (Cyclic Prefix) range, it can ensure that the uplink transmissions of each terminal device arrive at the base station at the same time, allowing the base station to correctly decode each uplink transmission.

[0067] In this application, the time by which a terminal device advances its uplink signal is referred to as timing advance. Generally speaking, timing advance is the two-way transmission delay between the base station and the terminal device. That is, timing advance reflects the round-trip signal delay between the terminal device and the network equipment.

[0068] In terrestrial communications, a terminal device can determine the timing advance based on a timing advance (TA) parameter sent by a base station, for example, carried in a timing advance command (TAC) or a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE).

[0069] Exemplarily, in one implementation, the method for the terminal device to determine the timing advance based on the TAC is as follows: T( =(N TA +N TA,offset )×T c

[0070] Among them, N TA,offset Is a fixed value related to the operating frequency band (ie N TA,offset is a specified timing offset), usually in low-frequency time division duplex (TDD) mode N TA,offset The value of N is 39936 or 25600. In the low frequency (ie FR1 band) TA,offset The default value is 25600. At high frequencies, N TA,offset The value of N is 13792. TA,offset The value can be obtained from the system message of the network device and is configured for the timing advance offset element (also known as n-timing advance offset) in the system message. The default value can also be used.

[0071] T c It is a time unit, for example, the value is usually 1 / 480kHz·4096.

[0072] T TA Indicates the timing advance, that is, the time in advance when sending uplink signals.

[0073] N TA Determined by the TA parameter (also called TA adjustment parameter) sent by the base station, N TA Also called TA adjustment amount. In one implementation, N TA Adjust (that is, after the terminal device receives the TA parameter, it will be superimposed on the previous N TA Above, ), and then realize T TA Adjustment. N TA is determined as follows:

[0074] Among them, N TA_new Indicates the TA adjustment amount determined based on the TA parameters this time, N TA_old Indicates the last determined TA adjustment amount, T A Indicates the TA parameter carried in the TAC. When the terminal device sends the preamble, N TA =0, that is, the initial N TA =0.

[0075] It can be understood that the method of accumulating TA parameters in the embodiment of the present application is to calculate the N TA Adjust the cumulative amount to

[0076] That is, in terrestrial communications, the process by which a terminal device determines the timing advance is that the terminal device sends an uplink signal to the base station, such as a preamble signal or an uplink data signal. The base station then sends a TAC to the terminal device based on the uplink signal, allowing the terminal device to determine the timing advance based on the TA parameter in the TAC. This method of adjusting the timing advance using the TA parameter in the TAC can be called a closed-loop TA adjustment mechanism.

[0077] Satellite and other non-terrestrial communications have unique characteristics compared to terrestrial communications. For example, the introduction of satellites, drones, and other non-terrestrial communications not only provides communication services to areas beyond the reach of terrestrial communication networks, such as oceans and forests, but also enhances the reliability of 5G communications, ensuring better communication services for users on airplanes, trains, and other transportation. It also provides more data transmission resources for 5G communications, increasing network speeds. Therefore, supporting communication between terrestrial and non-terrestrial base stations, such as satellites and drones, is an inevitable trend in future 5G communications, offering significant benefits in terms of wide coverage, reliability, multiple connections, and high throughput.

[0078] For example, Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the system architecture used in this application. As shown in Figure 2, the system architecture includes at least one terminal device, a base station deployed on a satellite, a ground station (also known as a gateway), and a core network. The base station deployed on a satellite can also be called a satellite base station.

[0079] As shown in Figure 2, terminal devices access the network through base stations deployed on satellites and connect to the core network through ground stations. Wireless links also exist between satellites, enabling signaling exchanges and user data transmission between base stations. The connection between a terminal device and a base station is often referred to as an access connection, while the connection between a base station and a ground station is often referred to as a feeder connection.

[0080] The air interface in Figure 2 represents the interface between a terminal device and a base station. The XN interface represents the interface between base stations and is primarily used for signaling exchanges such as handovers. The NG interface represents the interface between a base station and the core network, primarily used for non-access stratum (NAS) signaling within the core network and for terminal device service data. The specific concepts of terminal devices and base stations can be found in Figure 1 and are not further elaborated here.

[0081] As previously discussed, terminal devices typically need to send uplink data to the base station in advance to achieve uplink synchronization. Similarly, in satellite communications scenarios, terminal devices accessing satellite base stations also need to send uplink data in advance to achieve uplink synchronization. However, unlike terrestrial communications, the distance between satellite base stations and terminal devices is greater, resulting in significantly greater round-trip delay (RTD) and round-trip delay variation for terminal devices within a satellite beam / cell than in terrestrial communications. For example, when the cell diameter in a terrestrial cellular network is 350 kilometers (km), the RTD is 1.17 milliseconds (ms). The round-trip transmission time for high-orbit satellites can be as high as several hundred milliseconds, while the round-trip transmission delay for low-orbit satellites can also be as high as tens of milliseconds. In other words, in satellite communications, due to the extremely long distance between terminal devices and satellites and the high speed of satellite movement, the round-trip transmission delay of signals between terminal devices and network equipment is significant, resulting in significant signaling overhead required to feedback the delay through the TAC. Furthermore, because the TA update speed cannot keep up with the satellite's movement, the timing offset of uplink signals received by network equipment can also be significant, leading to failures in uplink signal decoding. Based on this, an open-loop TA adjustment mechanism is introduced in satellite communications to determine the timing advance.

[0082] Specifically, the open-loop TA adjustment mechanism determines the timing advance as follows: Since uplink synchronization is not necessarily at the satellite base station, if the terminal device's uplink signal is aligned at the NTN gateway or at a reference point on the feeder link between the satellite and the NTN gateway (the link between the satellite and the NTN gateway is called the feeder link), since the terminal device does not know the location of the NTN gateway or reference point, the network device needs to additionally indicate the round-trip transmission delay from the satellite to the NTN gateway or reference point (generally referred to as the common TA). The terminal device then adds the round-trip delay from the terminal device to the satellite base station and the common TA as the TA for the open-loop portion.

[0083] The link between a terminal device and a satellite base station is typically called a serving link. Therefore, the round-trip delay between a terminal device and a satellite base station is also called the round-trip delay on the serving link or the TA on the serving link. For example, a terminal device can calculate the TA on the serving link, or the round-trip transmission delay from the terminal device to the satellite, based on ephemeris information (i.e., the satellite's orbital altitude) and GNSS information (i.e., the terminal device's geographic location).

[0084] For example, if the uplink signal of the terminal device is aligned on the satellite, the common TA is equal to 0. Optionally, when the terminal device does not receive the parameters of the common TA, the terminal device considers that it is not necessary to calculate the TA on the feeder circuit or the common TA is equal to 0.

[0085] For another example, for a transparent transmission satellite, all terminal devices are synchronized at the ground station. The common TA is the round-trip delay from the satellite base station to the ground (feeder link). The terminal device adds the RTD on the service link side to the RTD on the feeder link side to obtain the TA of the open-loop part.

[0086] It is understandable that since there are errors in the GNSS information of the terminal device and the ephemeris information of the satellite, this open-loop TA adjustment mechanism also has errors. Based on this, in another implementation, the closed-loop TA adjustment mechanism and the open-loop TA adjustment mechanism can also be combined. Specifically, an implementation method for determining the time advance by combining the closed-loop TA adjustment mechanism and the open-loop TA adjustment mechanism is as shown in formula (1): T TA =(N TA +N TA,UE-specific +N TA,common +N TA,offset )×T c Formula (1)

[0087] Among them, T TA Indicates the time advance, that is, the time in advance when sending uplink signals. N TA,offset and T c For a detailed introduction, please refer to the introduction in the aforementioned term TA, which will not be repeated here.

[0088] N TA,UE-specific Indicates the round-trip delay from the terminal device to the satellite base station calculated by the terminal device, that is, TA on the service link. For example, the terminal device can obtain the satellite ephemeris information from the system message sent by the satellite base station and calculate N based on the terminal device's position (that is, GNSS information) and the ephemeris information. TA,UE-specific .

[0089] N TA,common Indicates public TA. N TA,common This can be calculated based on system messages from satellite base stations. For example, public TA parameters are typically broadcast via system messages. To avoid frequent monitoring of broadcast messages, public TA parameters may include one or more of the public TA, TA change rate, and / or higher-order TA change rate, such as a second-order TA change rate and / or a third-order TA change rate. Based on these parameters, a terminal device can estimate the public TA within a certain timeframe.

[0090] Among them, N TA It is determined based on the TA parameters sent by the satellite base station. It can be understood as the amount used to adjust the TA of the open loop part, also known as the TA adjustment amount. When the location of the terminal device changes, the TA parameters will change. Specifically, N TA The determination method is as follows:

[0091] Among them, N TA_new Indicates the TA adjustment amount determined based on the TA parameters sent by the satellite base station. N TA_old Indicates the last determined TA adjustment amount, T A Indicates TA parameters, for example, TA parameters are carried in TAC. That is, after the terminal device receives the TA parameters, it will TA Accumulate TA parameters to get new N TA , based on the new N TA Get T TA .

[0092] When the terminal device sends a preamble, N TA =0, that is, the initial N TA =0.

[0093] For example, the N determined by the terminal device after receiving the random access response (RAR) is TA is the initial N TA The terminal is based on the initial N TA The device determines the initial T TA And through the initial T TA Send an uplink signal to the satellite base station, the satellite base station sends a TAC to the terminal device at time 1, the TAC carries a TA parameter 1, and further, the terminal device can use the initial N TA Adjust to N TA_new ,in, After time 1, the terminal device will be based on N TA_new Calculate T for sending uplink signal TA The terminal device receives the TA parameter 2 carried in the TAC sent by the base station at time 2. Further, the terminal device converts the N TA_new Adjust to N TA_old , and recalculate N at time 2 TA_new ,in The subsequent adjustment process is similar and will not be elaborated on here.

[0094] It can be seen that when the terminal device determines the time advance by combining the closed-loop TA adjustment mechanism and the open-loop TA adjustment mechanism, the terminal device can continuously correct the time advance through the TA parameters to compensate for the GNSS error.

[0095] However, this method has the following problem: once the terminal device updates its GNSS information by performing GNSS measurements, the terminal device's GNSS error will change from a larger error to a smaller error. At this point, if the timing advance value is still adjusted in the above manner, the error in the timing advance value determined by the terminal device will jump. For example:

[0096] Time T0: The terminal device updates the GNSS information and calculates the time advance;

[0097] At time T1: the terminal device uses the time advance 1 determined at time T0 to send an uplink signal to the base station;

[0098] At time T2, the terminal device receives the TAC from the base station based on the uplink signal feedback, and adjusts the time advance based on the TAC. The TAC at this time is an estimate made by the base station based on the uplink signal initiated by the terminal device at time T1, so it represents the error correction of the GNSS information at time T1.

[0099] At T3, the terminal device updates the GNSS information again and calculates the latest time advance. The latest time advance compensates for the error in the GNSS information. However, the previously accumulated TA parameters still exist, which will cause the error of the latest determined time advance to jump. In other words, the latest determined time advance of the terminal device is inaccurate, resulting in the risk of uplink loss of synchronization.

[0100] Exemplarily, in conjunction with FIG3 , a scenario is described in which the error of the timing advance determined by the terminal device may jump.

[0101] As described above, the GNSS information of a terminal device can be obtained by performing GNSS measurements on the terminal device. Typically, to conserve power consumption, the terminal device may not perform GNSS measurements in real time. That is, the GNSS information obtained by the terminal device through GNSS measurements may be maintained for a period of time, which is typically referred to as the validity period of the GNSS information or the validity duration of the GNSS information. For example, the validity period of the GNSS information can be determined based on the moving speed of the terminal device, e.g., the slower the terminal device moves, the longer the validity period of the GNSS information, and the faster the terminal device moves, the shorter the validity period of the GNSS information.

[0102] The terminal device reports the validity period of the GNSS information to the base station, and the base station then allocates a measurement window (gap) to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device performs GNSS measurements within the measurement gap to obtain new GNSS information.

[0103] Since the base station can correct the time advance error caused by the GNSS information error caused by position movement through the closed-loop TA parameters according to the uplink signal sent by the terminal device, the terminal device can postpone the GNSS information update during the actual communication process. As shown in Figure 3, the base station can send a signaling to the terminal device. The signaling has a corresponding validity timer. After the terminal device receives the signaling, it determines that the time for the current GNSS measurement relative to the expiration time of the currently acquired GNSS information can be extended to the time when the validity timer of the signaling expires after the signaling is received. In this application, the signaling is also referred to as a delayed measurement signaling; if a delayed measurement signaling is received before the above-mentioned validity timer expires, the GNSS measurement can continue to be delayed to the latest time when the validity timer corresponding to the received latest delayed measurement signaling expires, and so on. In this application, as shown in Figure 3, the time after the expiration time of the validity period of the GNSS information after the terminal device receives the delayed measurement signaling is called the GNSS information delay duration.

[0104] However, as mentioned above, the GNSS error of the terminal device is currently continuously corrected through the TA parameters. At this time, when the terminal device continues to communicate after the original GNSS validity period expires due to the correction of the TA parameters, it is possible that the error of the GNSS information (also called GNSS error, which can be understood as the position deviation of the terminal device) has become relatively large. At this time, once the terminal device completes the GNSS measurement, it is understandable that the GNSS error of the terminal device will become smaller, for example, the GNSS error of the terminal device will change from a larger value to a smaller value. At this time, it will cause the error of the time advance determined by the terminal device as described above to jump.

[0105] In view of this, the present application provides a communication method to improve the accuracy of the determined timing advance, thereby improving the reliability of communication.

[0106] Below, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the communication method and communication device provided by this application are introduced in detail.

[0107] Figure 4 is a schematic flow chart of the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 4 only describes the method from the perspective of the interaction between network devices and terminal devices, and should not constitute any limitation to the embodiments of the present application. The network device in Figure 4 can be replaced by a component configured in the network device (such as a chip, a chip system, a processor, etc.), or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the network device; the terminal device in Figure 4 can be replaced by a component configured in the terminal device (such as a chip, a chip system, a processor, etc.), or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the terminal device.

[0108] The method shown in Figure 4 includes steps S410 to S420. Each step in the method 400 is described in detail below.

[0109] S410: Determine a third time advance based on a relationship between the time when the first GNSS information is acquired and the first time, or a relationship between a first change between the first GNSS information and the second GNSS information and the first threshold, or a relationship between a second change between the first time advance and the second time advance and the second threshold.

[0110] The first GNSS information may be understood as the first location information of the terminal device. The terminal device may obtain the first GNSS location information by performing a GNSS measurement. In this embodiment, the GNSS measurement performed by the terminal device to obtain the first GNSS information is also referred to as the first GNSS measurement.

[0111] For example, the terminal device may perform GNSS measurement by triggering the terminal device to perform GNSS measurement by a network device. For example, the network device may send an indication message (or GNSS trigger signaling, GNSS trigger command) to the terminal device, and the indication message is used to trigger the terminal device to perform GNSS measurement. For another example, the terminal device may perform GNSS measurement autonomously, that is, there is no need for the network device to send an indication message to trigger the measurement. For example, the network device may configure a timer for the terminal device, and when the timer expires, the terminal device performs GNSS measurement. For another example, GNSS measurement may be triggered according to rules predefined by the protocol. For example, the rule predefined by the protocol may be that when the validity period of the GNSS information expires, if the terminal device has not received the indication message, then the terminal device performs autonomous GNSS measurement. For another example, the rule predefined by the protocol may be that when the GNSS measurement of the terminal device fails, the terminal device performs autonomous GNSS measurement.

[0112] In this embodiment, after the terminal device obtains the first GNSS information, the terminal device determines the timing advance used for sending the first signal based on the first GNSS information. The timing advance used for sending the first signal is also referred to as the third timing advance. It is understandable that after the terminal device determines the third timing advance, the terminal device sends the first signal in advance of the third timing advance. Optionally, the first signal is the first signal sent by the terminal device after successfully obtaining the first GNSS information.

[0113] Specifically, in this embodiment, the terminal device determines the third timing advance based on the first GNSS information, including: the terminal device determines the third timing advance based on a relationship between the time when the first GNSS information is acquired and the first time, or based on a relationship between a first change between the first GNSS information and the second GNSS information and a first threshold, or based on a relationship between a second change between the first timing advance and the second timing advance and a second threshold. The first timing advance is determined based on the first GNSS information, and the second timing advance is determined based on the second timing advance.

[0114] The relationship between the time when the first GNSS information is acquired and the first time includes whether the time when the first GNSS information is acquired is after the first time. The relationship between the first change between the first GNSS information and the second GNSS information and the first threshold includes whether the first change is greater than the first threshold. The relationship between the second change between the first timing advance and the second timing advance and the second threshold includes whether the second change is greater than the second threshold.

[0115] Therefore, the above-mentioned relationship between the time when the first GNSS information is obtained and the first time can also be replaced by: based on the relationship between the time when the first GNSS information is obtained and the first time, or based on the comparison result of comparing the relationship between the time when the first GNSS information is obtained and the first time; based on the relationship between the first change amount between the first GNSS information and the second GNSS information and the first threshold can also be replaced by: based on the size relationship between the first change amount and the first threshold, or based on the comparison result of comparing the size relationship between the first change amount and the first threshold; based on the relationship between the second change amount between the first time advance and the second time advance and the second threshold can also be replaced by: based on the relationship between the second change amount and the second threshold, or based on the comparison result of comparing the size relationship between the second change amount and the second threshold.

[0116] In one implementation, the above-mentioned first threshold or second threshold may be indicated by a network device, or the first threshold or second threshold may be predefined by a protocol, or the first threshold or second threshold may be preconfigured. It is understandable that "indicated by a network device" may be understood as being configured by the network device for the terminal device. "Predefined" may be understood as defined in a standard / protocol, requiring no other device configuration (and the network device or other terminal devices cannot be changed), and is information recorded / written in advance in the hardware and / or software of the terminal device itself. "Preconfigured" may be understood as information recorded / written in advance in the hardware and / or software of the terminal device itself, determined by the equipment manufacturer, and may be changed through software or hardware.

[0117] In this embodiment, when the terminal device determines the third timing advance based on the first GNSS information, the third timing advance satisfies the following formula (III):TA =(N TA +N TA,UE-specific +N TA,common +N TA,offset )×T c Formula (3)

[0118] T TA Indicates the third time advance, N TA N represents the first adjustment amount (also called TA adjustment amount). TA,UE-specific Represents the round-trip delay from the terminal device to the network device determined based on the first GNSS information, that is, the TA on the service link determined based on the first GNSS information. N TA,common Represents the round-trip delay from the network device to the reference point, which is equivalent to the public TA described above. TA,offset is the timing offset, T c For the basic time unit, please refer to the above description for the detailed introduction of this part, which will not be repeated here.

[0119] Below, a detailed explanation is given of how the terminal device determines the third time advance based on the relationship between the time when the first global satellite navigation system GNSS information is obtained and the first time, or the relationship between the first change and the first threshold, or the relationship between the second change and the second threshold.

[0120] 1) A method in which the terminal device determines the third time advance based on the relationship between the time when the first GNSS information is acquired and the first time, that is, a method in which the terminal device determines the third time advance based on the comparison between the time when the first GNSS information is acquired and the first time.

[0121] It should be noted that this embodiment does not limit the specific implementation of how to define the time when the first GNSS information is acquired.

[0122] For example, the time when the first GNSS information is acquired is the moment when the first GNSS information is successfully acquired. In other words, the time when the first GNSS information is acquired is the time point when the first GNSS information is acquired.

[0123] For example, the time when the first GNSS information is acquired is the start time of the time window of the first GNSS measurement when performing the first GNSS measurement, or is also referred to as the time when the first GNSS information is started to be acquired. Correspondingly, the terminal device determines the third time advance based on a comparison between the time when the first GNSS information is acquired and the first time, which can also be interpreted as: the terminal device determines the third time advance based on a comparison between the time when the first GNSS information is started to be acquired and the first time.

[0124] For another example, the time when the first GNSS information is acquired is the end time of the time window of the first GNSS measurement when the terminal device performs the first GNSS measurement. Correspondingly, the terminal device determines the third time advance based on a comparison between the time when the first GNSS information is acquired and the first time. This can also be interpreted as: the terminal device determines the third time advance based on a comparison between the end time of the time window of the first GNSS measurement when performing the first GNSS measurement and the first time.

[0125] For another example, the time point after the time of successful acquisition of the first GNSS information and then a time duration of 1 can be considered as the time when the first GNSS information is acquired in this embodiment, that is, the restriction on the time of acquiring the first GNSS information is relaxed. The time point after the time of acquiring the first GNSS information and then a time duration of 1 is referred to as time 1. Correspondingly, the terminal device determines the third time advance based on a comparison between the time of acquiring the first GNSS information and the first time, which can also be interpreted as: the terminal device determines the third time advance based on a comparison between time 1 and the first time. For another example, time 2 before the time of successful acquisition of the first GNSS information can be considered as the time when the first GNSS information is acquired in this embodiment, and the time interval between time 2 and the time of successful acquisition of the first GNSS information is a time duration of 2. This is another way to relax the restriction on the time of acquiring the first GNSS information. Correspondingly, the terminal device determines the third time advance based on a comparison between the time of acquiring the first GNSS information and the first time, which can also be interpreted as: the terminal device determines the third time advance based on a comparison between time 2 and the first time.

[0126] The above duration 1 and / or duration 2 may be, for example, configured on the network side or predetermined by a protocol, and this embodiment does not impose any limitation on this.

[0127] Among them, the first time is not earlier than the expiration time of the second GNSS information. Optionally, the second GNSS information is the GNSS information obtained last time (also called the previous time). As mentioned above, GNSS information has a validity period. For example, the location represented by the second GNSS information is location 1, and the validity period is 30 seconds, which means that the location of the terminal device can be considered to be at location 1 within 30 seconds. Please refer to Figure 5, which is a schematic diagram of the first time provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 5, the first time differs from the expiration time of the second GNSS information by a time length of X, and X can be predefined by the protocol, or it can be configured on the network side. Optionally, X is equal to 0, which means that the first time is the expiration time of the second GNSS information. For example, the validity period of the second GNSS information is 5ms, X is equal to 2ms, and the first time is 2ms after the expiration time of the second GNSS information.

[0128] Specifically, when the relationship between the time when the first GNSS information is acquired and the first time is that the time when the first GNSS information is acquired is after the first time, the above-mentioned first adjustment amount is 0, or the first adjustment amount is determined based on the TA parameter received within the validity period of the second GNSS information.

[0129] In one implementation, the first adjustment amount is determined based on the TA parameter received during the validity period of the second GNSS information. The first adjustment amount is N determined at the expiration time of the second GNSS information. TA .

[0130] The first adjustment amount is 0, which means that when the terminal device determines to advance the third time, it only adjusts it in an open-loop manner, that is, it does not accumulate the previously determined N TA It is understandable that the non-cumulative N TA Refers to the period from the last time the Preamble is sent until the first GNSS information is obtained, and the N is determined based on all the TA parameters sent by the network device. TA Therefore, this implementation can also be understood as the TA adjustment amount obtained based on the accumulation of TA parameters before the terminal device is cleared.

[0131] For example, assuming that the time when the first GNSS information is acquired is moment 1, wherein the TA adjustment amount determined based on the accumulation of all TA parameters before moment 1 is 0.5ms, then if moment 1 is after the first moment, when the terminal device determines the third time advance, the N that is not accumulated is TA 0.5ms.

[0132] It can be understood that in the implementation method where the first adjustment amount is 0, after the terminal device obtains the first GNSS information, when sending the first signal, since the TA adjustment amount determined before obtaining the first GNSS information will not be accumulated, the problem of error jump of the third time advance amount determined by the terminal device for the GNSS information can be avoided, thereby reducing the risk of uplink desynchronization.

[0133] If the first adjustment amount is determined based on the TA parameter received during the validity period of the second GNSS information, it means that when the terminal device determines the third time advance, the accumulated N TA It is only the adjustment amount determined during the validity period of the second GNSS information, that is, the N determined by the terminal device. TA N is the TA parameter that is not accumulated between the expiration time of the second GNSS information and the time when the first GNSS information is obtained TAFor example, the first adjustment amount is determined based on all TA parameters received within the validity period of the second GNSS information. For example, the first adjustment amount is the adjustment amount determined after the terminal device receives the last TA parameter within the validity period of the second GNSS information.

[0134] For example, as shown in FIG6 , the TA adjustment amount determined by the terminal device at the expiration time of the second GNSS information is 0.2 ms. Assuming that the time when the first GNSS information is obtained is time 2, which is after the first time, when the terminal device determines the third time advance amount based on formula (3), N TA The value of is 0.2ms, and the TA parameter between the expiration time of the second GNSS information and time 2 is not accumulated.

[0135] It can be understood that in the implementation method in which the first adjustment amount is determined based on the TA parameters received within the validity period of the second GNSS information, after the terminal device obtains the first GNSS information, when sending the first signal, the TA parameters between the expiration time of the second GNSS information and the acquisition of the first GNSS information are not accumulated. Therefore, the error jump of the third time advance amount determined by the terminal device can be reduced, thereby reducing the risk of uplink desynchronization.

[0136] Optionally, the first signal may be a Preamble signal or a data signal.

[0137] Optionally, if the terminal device determines that the first signal is a Preamble signal, the terminal device uses N when determining the third timing advance. TA If the terminal device determines that the first signal is a data signal, the terminal device uses N when determining the third timing advance. Tn 0 or N determined based on the TA parameter received within the validity period of the second GNSS information TA For example, when the first signal sent by the terminal device is a data signal, the N TA N is determined at the expiration time of the second GNSS information TA .

[0138] For example, taking the first time as the expiration time of the second GNSS information as an example, if the network device triggers the first GNSS measurement relatively late, resulting in the terminal device obtaining the first GNSS information after the expiration time of the second GNSS information, or the network device sends a command to postpone the time of the first GNSS measurement, resulting in the terminal device obtaining the first GNSS information after completing the first GNSS measurement later than the expiration time of the second GNSS information, in this case, the terminal device sends a Preamble or a data signal based on formula (3) after completing the first GNSS measurement to obtain the first GNSS information, NTA =0. Optionally, after receiving the first signal, the network device may send a TA parameter for adjusting the third timing advance to the terminal device, where the error correction range of the TA parameter is larger than the error correction range of the TA parameter in the TAC in the previous connected state. Alternatively, when the terminal device sends a preamble or data signal based on formula (3) after performing the first GNSS measurement to obtain the first GNSS information, the accumulated first adjustment amount is the adjustment amount determined within the validity period of the second GNSS information.

[0139] Optionally, when the terminal device determines the third time advance based on the relationship between the time when the first GNSS information is acquired and the first time, it includes: if the time when the first GNSS information is acquired is before the first time, then when the terminal device determines the third time advance based on formula (3), N TA 0, or N TA is the N determined at the current moment TA The current moment is the moment to determine the third advance, or in other words, N TA N is determined by accumulating the TA parameters sent by the network device before TA .

[0140] 2) A method in which the terminal device determines the third timing advance based on a relationship between a first change amount between the first GNSS information and the second GNSS information and a first threshold.

[0141] The first change between the first GNSS information and the second GNSS information can be understood as: a difference between the first GNSS information and the second GNSS information, or a ratio of the first GNSS information to the second GNSS information.

[0142] In this embodiment, when determining the third timing advance based on the relationship between the first change amount and the first threshold, if the first change amount is greater than the first threshold, then when the terminal device determines the third timing advance according to formula (3), N representing the first adjustment amount in formula (3) is Tn Set to 0, or N TA is determined based on the TA parameters received during the validity period of the second GNSS information. TA Equal to 0 or N TA The detailed description of the determination based on the TA parameter received within the validity period of the second GNSS information can be referred to the above implementation 1), which will not be repeated here. Exemplarily, the first signal is a data signal or a Preamble.

[0143] Optionally, when determining the third timing advance based on the relationship between the first change amount and the first threshold, the method includes: if the first change amount is less than or equal to the first threshold, then when the terminal device determines the third timing advance of the first signal to be sent based on formula (3), N TA 0, or N TA Accumulate the TA parameters previously sent by the network device.

[0144] 3) A method for determining the third timing advance based on a relationship between a second change between the first timing advance and the second timing advance and a second threshold.

[0145] The second change between the first timing advance and the second timing advance can be understood as: a difference between the first timing advance and the second timing advance, or a ratio between the first timing advance and the second timing advance.

[0146] The first timing advance is a timing advance determined based on the first GNSS information, and the second timing advance is a timing advance determined based on the second GNSS information. For example, the first timing advance is a timing advance determined based on the first GNSS information, ephemeris information, and a public TA; and the second timing advance is a timing advance determined based on the second GNSS information, ephemeris information, and a public TA.

[0147] In this embodiment, when determining the third timing advance based on the relationship between the second change amount and the second threshold, it includes: if the second change amount is greater than the second threshold, then when the terminal device determines the third timing advance according to formula (3), N representing the first adjustment amount in formula (3) TA Set to 0, or N TA is determined based on the TA parameters received during the validity period of the second GNSS information. TA Equal to 0 or N TA The detailed description of the determination based on the TA parameter received within the validity period of the second GNSS information can be referred to the above implementation 1), which will not be repeated here. Exemplarily, the first signal is a data signal or a Preamble.

[0148] Optionally, when determining the third timing advance based on the relationship between the second change amount and the second threshold, the method includes: if the second change amount is less than or equal to the second threshold, then when the terminal device determines the third timing advance according to formula (3), N TA 0, or N TA Accumulate the TA parameters previously sent by the network device.

[0149] S420, the terminal device sends a first signal based on the third timing advance; correspondingly, the network device receives the first signal.

[0150] For example, the first signal is the first signal sent by the network device after acquiring the first GNSS information, and the terminal device sends the first signal according to the third time advance.

[0151] It can be seen that in the method provided in this embodiment, since the terminal device will also determine the relationship between the time when the first global satellite navigation system GNSS information is acquired and the first time, or the relationship between the first change amount and the first threshold, or the relationship between the second change amount and the second threshold when determining the third advance amount used for the first signal, and then determine based on the relationship whether to clear the previously determined TA adjustment amount or whether to not accumulate all TA parameters received between the extension time of the second GNSS information, thereby avoiding error jumps, improving the accuracy of the third time advance amount, and thus improving the reliability of communication.

[0152] Optionally, the terminal device may further send the validity duration of the second GNSS information to the network device. Correspondingly, after receiving the validity duration of the second GNSS information, the network device determines a measurement window based on the validity duration of the second GNSS information. The measurement window is used by the terminal device to instruct the first GNSS measurement to obtain the first GNSS information.

[0153] In another embodiment, during the period between the expiration time of the second GNSS information and the time when the first GNSS information is obtained, the terminal device sends a second signal, and the time advance of the second signal is determined based on the second GNSS information and the ephemeris information obtained at the expiration time of the second GNSS information or the current ephemeris information. In this embodiment of the present application, the time advance of the second signal is also referred to as a fourth time advance, and the ephemeris information obtained at the expiration time of the second GNSS information or the current ephemeris information is also referred to as the first ephemeris information. Further, after determining the fourth time advance, a second time for sending the second signal is determined based on the fourth time advance, and the second signal is sent at the second time.

[0154] The communication method according to the embodiment of the present application is described in detail above in conjunction with Figures 4 to 6 . The communication device provided by the embodiment of the present application will be described in detail below in conjunction with Figures 7 and 8 .

[0155] Figure 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Specifically, as shown in Figure 7, the device 700 includes: a processing module 701 and a transceiver module 702. Exemplarily, the device 700 is applied to a terminal device.

[0156] Specifically, the processing module 701 determines a third time advance based on a relationship between the time when the first GNSS information is obtained and the first time, or a relationship between a first change between the first GNSS information and the second GNSS information and a first threshold, or a relationship between a second change between the first time advance and the second time advance and a second threshold; the transceiver module 702 is used to send a first signal based on the third time advance; wherein, the second GNSS information is GNSS information before the first GNSS information, the first time is not earlier than the expiration time of the second GNSS information, the first time advance is determined based on the first GNSS information, and the second time advance is determined based on the second GNSS information.

[0157] In a possible implementation, the third timing advance satisfies the following formula: TA =(N TA +N TA,UE-specific +N TA,common +N TA,offset )×T c ;

[0158] T TA Indicates the third time advance, N TA is the first adjustment amount, N TA,UE-specific N is the round-trip delay from the terminal device to the network device determined based on the first GNSS information, TA,common N is the round-trip delay from the network device to the reference point, TA,offset is the timing offset, T c It is the basic time unit.

[0159] In one possible implementation, the relationship between the time when the first GNSS information is acquired and the first time is that the time when the first GNSS information is acquired is after the first time; or, the relationship between the first change amount between the first GNSS information and the second GNSS information and the first threshold is that the first change amount is greater than the first threshold; or, the relationship between the second change amount between the first time advance amount and the second time advance amount and the second threshold is that the second change amount is greater than the second threshold; wherein, the first adjustment amount is 0, or the first adjustment amount is an adjustment amount determined according to the timing advance TA parameter within the validity period of the second GNSS information.

[0160] In a possible implementation, when the first adjustment amount is an adjustment amount determined according to TA parameters within the validity period of the second GNSS information, the first adjustment amount is determined based on all TA parameters received within the validity period of the second GNSS information.

[0161] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module 702 is further configured to: send a second signal at a second time based on a fourth time advance, where the second time is between the expiration time of the second GNSS information and the time when the first GNSS information is acquired; the fourth time advance is determined based on the second GNSS information and the first ephemeris information, where the first ephemeris information is the ephemeris information acquired at the expiration time of the second GNSS information, or the first ephemeris information is the ephemeris information acquired between the expiration time and the second time.

[0162] In a possible implementation, the first signal is the first signal sent by the terminal device after acquiring the first GNSS information.

[0163] In a possible implementation, the first time is the expiration time of the second GNSS information.

[0164] Figure 8 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The device shown in Figure 8 can be used to execute the method described in any of the above embodiments.

[0165] As shown in Figure 8, the apparatus 800 of this embodiment includes a memory 801 and a processor 802. In one implementation, the apparatus 800 further includes a communication interface 803 and a bus 804. The memory 801, the processor 802, and the communication interface 803 are communicatively connected to each other via the bus 804.

[0166] The memory 801 may be a read-only memory (ROM), a static storage device, a dynamic storage device, or a random access memory (RAM). The memory 801 may store a program. When the program stored in the memory 801 is executed by the processor 802, the processor 802 is configured to perform the steps of the method shown in Figures 4 to 6.

[0167] The processor 802 can be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits to execute relevant programs to implement the methods shown in Figures 4 to 6 of the embodiments of the present application.

[0168] The processor 802 may also be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, each step of the method of Figures 7 to 11 of the embodiment of the present application may be completed by hardware integrated logic circuits in the processor 802 or software instructions.

[0169] The processor 802 may also be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component. The processor 802 may implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or a conventional processor.

[0170] The steps of the method disclosed in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium mature in the art, such as a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, or an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory 801, and the processor 802 reads the information in the memory 801 and, in combination with its hardware, completes the functions required to be performed by the units included in the device of the present application. For example, the various steps / functions of the embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 6 can be executed.

[0171] The communication interface 803 may use, but is not limited to, a transceiver or other transceiver device to implement communication between the apparatus 800 and other devices or a communication network.

[0172] The bus 804 may include a path for transmitting information between various components of the device 800 (eg, the memory 801 , the processor 802 , and the communication interface 803 ).

[0173] It should be understood that the apparatus 800 shown in the embodiment of the present application can be an electronic device, or a chip configured in an electronic device. The apparatus 800 can be deployed in a terminal device, or can also be deployed in a network device.

[0174] The above embodiments can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any other combination. When implemented using software, the above embodiments can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions or computer programs. When the computer instructions or computer program are loaded or executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center via a wired (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) method. The computer-readable storage medium can be an available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that contains one or more available media sets. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a tape), an optical medium (e.g., a DVD), or a semiconductor medium. The semiconductor medium can be a solid-state drive.

[0175] It should be understood that the term "and / or" as used herein simply describes a relationship between associated objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent: A alone, A and B together, or B alone. A and B can be singular or plural. Furthermore, the character " / " as used herein generally indicates an "or" relationship between the associated objects, but it may also indicate an "and / or" relationship. For specific understanding, please refer to the context.

[0176] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "plurality" means two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or plural.

[0177] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial numbers of the above-mentioned 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 a limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0178] 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.

[0179] 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.

[0180] 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.

[0181] 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.

[0182] 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.

[0183] 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, server, or 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, a random access memory, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: determining a third timing advance based on a relationship between a time when the first global satellite navigation system GNSS information is acquired and the first time, or a relationship between a first change between the first GNSS information and the second GNSS information and a first threshold, or a relationship between a second change between the first timing advance and the second timing advance and a second threshold; Sending a first signal based on the third timing advance; The second GNSS information is GNSS information before the first GNSS information, the first time is not earlier than the expiration time of the second GNSS information, the first time advance is determined based on the first GNSS information, and the second time advance is determined based on the second GNSS information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The third time advance satisfies the following formula: TA =(N TT +N TA,UE-specific +N TA,common +N TA,offset )×T c ; T TA represents the third timing advance, N TA is the first adjustment amount, N TA,UE-specific is the round-trip delay from the terminal device to the network device determined based on the first GNSS information, N TA,common is the round trip delay from the network device to the reference point, N TA,offset is the timing offset, T c It is the basic time unit.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The relationship between the time when the first GNSS information is acquired and the first time is that the time when the first GNSS information is acquired is after the first time; Alternatively, the relationship between the first change amount between the first GNSS information and the second GNSS information and the first threshold is that the first change amount is greater than the first threshold; Alternatively, the relationship between the second change amount between the first timing advance amount and the second timing advance amount and the second threshold is that the second change amount is greater than the second threshold; The first adjustment amount is 0, or the first adjustment amount is an adjustment amount determined according to a timing advance TA parameter within a validity period of the second GNSS information.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that In a case where the first adjustment amount is an adjustment amount determined according to a TA parameter within a validity period of the second GNSS information, the first adjustment amount is determined based on all TA parameters received within the validity period of the second GNSS information.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The method further comprises: sending a second signal at a second time based on a fourth timing advance, where the second time is between an expiration time of the second GNSS information and a time when the first GNSS information is acquired; The fourth time advance is determined based on the second GNSS information and first ephemeris information, where the first ephemeris information is ephemeris information obtained at the expiration time of the second GNSS information, or the first ephemeris information is ephemeris information obtained between the expiration time and the second time.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The first signal is the first signal sent by the terminal device after acquiring the first GNSS information.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The first time is the expiration time of the second GNSS information.

8. A communication device, characterized in that: Comprising means for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A communication device, characterized in that: include: processor, The processor is configured to cause the communication device to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 by executing a computer program and / or a logic circuit.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer-readable storage medium is used to store a program or an instruction. When the program or the instruction is executed on a computer, the computer is caused to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

11. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product includes computer program code, and when the computer program code is run on a computer, the computer is enabled to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

Images