Communication method, communication apparats, communication system, and storage medium

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application are applied to the technical field of communications. Disclosed are a communication method, a communication apparatus, a communication system, and a storage medium, for use in realizing downlink coverage enhancement of satellites. The embodiments of the present application comprise: receiving broadcast information, the broadcast information comprising one or more ROs corresponding to one or more beams; determining a first RO on the basis of a target beam and the broadcast information, wherein the target beam is a beam where a terminal device is located, and the first RO is used for indicating beam information of the target beam; obtaining a first preamble sequence in the first RO on the basis of the relative positional relationship between the position of the terminal device and the beam center point of the target beam; and reporting the first preamble sequence to an NTN node, wherein the first preamble sequence is used for the NTN node to determine the relative positional relationship, and the relative positional relationship is used for the NTN node to calculate a transmit power offset. According to the embodiments of the present application, the NTN node can dynamically adjust satellite beam power, thereby improving the coverage performance and overcoming the defect of insufficient edge area coverage of the NTN node.

Description

Communication method, communication device, communication system and storage medium

[0001] The present application claims priority from the Chinese patent application No. 202410457081.1 filed on April 16, 2024, and entitled "A communication method, a communication device, a communication system and a storage medium", the whole content of which is incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communication technology, in particular to a communication method, a communication device, a communication system and a storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0003] In the field of modern communication, satellite communication has a wider coverage range than ground cellular networks. Although satellite networks have the ability to cover the entire globe, in practical applications, the coverage of the downlink is still a problem worth paying attention to. Compared with ground cellular networks, the downlink coverage of satellite networks often faces some challenges. Because the satellite is far away from the ground, and the signal needs to be transmitted through the atmosphere, there may be signal attenuation problems. Therefore, in order to overcome these challenges, the downlink of the satellite network needs to be enhanced.

[0004] Because the coverage range of the satellite is much larger than that of the ground cellular network, the path loss of the satellite signal transmitted to the edge area of the coverage is very different from the path loss of the signal to the subsatellite point, and the signal quality at the edge area of the satellite coverage range is poor. In order to enhance the coverage range of the downlink, the signal quality at the receiving end is usually improved by repeating the transmission. However, since repeating the transmission will occupy more satellite network resources, it will lead to waste of network resources. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application provides a communication method, a communication device, a communication system and a storage medium, which are used to implement the downlink coverage enhancement of the satellite.

[0006] The first aspect of the present application provides a communication method. Optionally, the execution subject of the method can be a terminal device, a component or device (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) applied to the terminal device, or a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the terminal device. Taking the terminal device as an example, the terminal device is in the coverage range of a satellite, and the satellite serves as a non-terrestrial network (NTN) node and broadcasts to the terminal devices in the coverage range. In the method, the terminal device receives broadcast information from the NTN node, and the broadcast information includes the mapping relationship between a beam and a random access channel occasion (RO). The broadcast information includes one or more ROs corresponding to one or more beams. The terminal device determines a beam in which the terminal device is located, and the beam is a target beam. The terminal device determines a first RO corresponding to the target beam in the broadcast information according to the target beam, and the first RO is used to indicate the beam information of the target beam. The terminal device obtains a first preamble sequence in the first RO according to the relative positional relationship between the location of the terminal device and the beam center point of the target beam. The terminal device reports the first preamble sequence to the NTN node, and the NTN node obtains the first RO in which the first preamble sequence is located and the relative positional relationship between the terminal device and the beam center point of the target beam according to the first preamble sequence. The NTN node can calculate the transmission power offset according to the relative positional relationship.

[0007] In the embodiment, the terminal device transmits the relative positional relationship between the location of the terminal device and the beam center point, so that the NTN node can calculate the transmission power offset according to the location of the terminal device, thereby realizing the dynamic adjustment of the satellite beam power, improving the coverage performance of the NTN node, and making up for the defects of the NTN node in the coverage edge area.

[0008] The second aspect of the present application provides a communication device. The communication device can be a terminal device, a component or device (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) applied to the terminal device, or a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the terminal device. The communication device comprises:

[0009] An interface unit is configured to receive broadcast information, and the broadcast information includes one or more ROs corresponding to one or more beams.

[0010] A processing unit is configured to determine a first RO according to a target beam and the broadcast information, the target beam is a beam in which the terminal device is located, and the first RO is used to indicate the beam information of the target beam.

[0011] The processing unit is further configured to obtain a first preamble sequence in the first RO according to a relative position relationship between a position of the terminal device and a beam center point of the target beam.

[0012] The interface unit is further configured to report the first preamble sequence to the NTN node, where the first preamble sequence is used by the NTN node to determine the relative position relationship, and the relative position relationship is used by the NTN node to calculate the transmit power offset.

[0013] In some optional embodiments based on the first aspect or the second aspect of the present application, the first preamble sequence reported by the terminal device includes indication information, which is obtained by grouping the first preamble sequence according to a relative position relationship between the terminal device and a beam center point of the target beam.

[0014] In this embodiment, reporting the indication information can reduce the reporting overhead of the terminal device.

[0015] In some optional embodiments based on the first aspect or the second aspect of the present application, the terminal device determines the target beam according to ephemeris information, ground position information of the terminal device, and broadcast information. Specifically, the terminal device determines a ground position coordinate of itself according to the ephemeris information and the ground position information, and determines the target beam in which the terminal device is located according to the ground position coordinate and a coordinate of a beam center point carried in the broadcast information. The terminal device obtains the first RO from the broadcast information according to the beam information of the target beam.

[0016] In this embodiment, the terminal device can more accurately determine the ground position coordinate in which the terminal device is located according to the ephemeris information and the ground position information, thereby determining the target beam.

[0017] In some optional embodiments based on the first aspect or the second aspect of the present application, the relative position relationship is used to indicate a relative distance between a position of the terminal device and a beam center point of the target beam or a region in which the terminal device is located corresponding to a coverage level of the target beam. The terminal device can calculate the relative distance between the position of the terminal device and the beam center point of the target beam, thereby obtaining the relative position relationship.

[0018] In this embodiment, the terminal device can report the relative distance between the position of the terminal device and the beam center point of the target beam or the region in which the terminal device is located corresponding to the coverage level of the target beam, so that the NTN node increases the downlink power according to the position of the terminal device, thereby reducing the waste of power resources.

[0019] In some optional embodiments based on the first aspect or the second aspect of the present application, the relative position relationship is used to indicate a relative direction or a relative azimuth angle between the position where the terminal device is located and a beam center point of the target beam. The terminal device can calculate the relative direction or the relative azimuth angle between the position where the terminal device is located and the beam center point of the target beam to obtain the relative position relationship.

[0020] In this embodiment, the terminal device can report the relative direction or the relative azimuth angle between the position where the terminal device is located and the beam center point of the target beam, so that the NTN node increases the downlink power according to the position of the terminal device, thereby reducing the waste of power resources.

[0021] In some optional embodiments based on the first aspect or the second aspect of the present application, the relative position relationship is used to indicate a relative distance and a relative azimuth angle between the position where the terminal device is located and a beam center point of the target beam. The terminal device can calculate the relative distance and the relative azimuth angle between the position where the terminal device is located and the beam center point of the target beam to obtain the relative position relationship.

[0022] In this embodiment, the terminal device can report the relative distance and the relative azimuth angle between the position where the terminal device is located and the beam center point of the target beam, so that the NTN node increases the downlink power according to the position of the terminal device, thereby reducing the waste of power resources.

[0023] The third aspect of the present application provides a communication method. Optionally, the execution subject of the method can be an NTN node, a component (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system) applied to the NTN node, or a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the NTN node. In the method, the NTN node transmits broadcast information, and the mapping relationship between a beam and an RO is included in the broadcast information. The broadcast information includes one or more ROs corresponding to one or more beams. The NTN node receives a first preamble sequence from a terminal device, and the first preamble sequence belongs to a first RO. The NTN node determines a relative position relationship between the position where the terminal device is located and a beam center point of a target beam according to the first preamble sequence. The target beam is a beam where the terminal device is located, and the first RO is used to indicate the beam information of the target beam. The NTN node calculates a transmission power offset according to the relative position relationship between the position where the terminal device is located and the beam center point of the target beam, and adjusts the transmission power of the target beam.

[0024] The fourth aspect of the present application provides a communication device. The communication device can be a terminal device, a component or device (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system) applied to the terminal device, or a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the terminal device. The communication device comprises:

[0025] interface unit, configured to send broadcast information, the broadcast information comprising one or more first preamble sequences corresponding to one or more beams;

[0026] The interface unit is further configured to receive the first preamble sequence in the first RO, the first preamble sequence being used by the NTN node to determine a relative position relationship between a position where the terminal device is located and a beam center point of a target beam, the target beam being a beam where the terminal device is located, and the first RO being used to indicate beam information of the target beam.

[0027] The processing unit is configured to calculate a transmit power offset according to the relative position relationship.

[0028] In some optional embodiments based on the third aspect or the fourth aspect of the application, the first preamble sequence comprises indication information, the indication information being obtained by the terminal device grouping the first preamble sequence according to the relative position relationship.

[0029] In some optional embodiments based on the third aspect or the fourth aspect of the application, the NTN node further sends ephemeris information to the terminal device, the ephemeris information being used by the terminal device to determine the target beam.

[0030] In some optional embodiments based on the third aspect or the fourth aspect of the application, the relative position relationship is used to indicate a relative distance between the position where the terminal device is located and the beam center point of the target beam or a coverage level of the terminal device in the target beam. The NTN node improves the downlink transmit power according to the relative distance between the position where the terminal device is located and the beam center point of the target beam or the coverage level of the terminal device in the target beam.

[0031] In some optional embodiments based on the third aspect or the fourth aspect of the application, the relative position relationship is used to indicate a relative direction or a relative azimuth angle between the position where the terminal device is located and the beam center point of the target beam. The NTN node improves the downlink transmit power according to the relative direction or the relative azimuth angle between the position where the terminal device is located and the beam center point of the target beam.

[0032] In some optional embodiments based on the third aspect or the fourth aspect of the application, the relative position relationship is used to indicate a relative distance and a relative azimuth angle between the position where the terminal device is located and the beam center point of the target beam. The NTN node improves the downlink transmit power according to the relative distance and the relative azimuth angle between the position where the terminal device is located and the beam center point of the target beam.

[0033] The fifth aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a communication apparatus, which can be a terminal device, a component or apparatus (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system) applied to the terminal device, and can also be a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the terminal device. Alternatively, the communication apparatus can be an NTN node, a component (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system) applied to the NTN node, and can also be a logic module or software (for example, a CU, a DU, or a RU) capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the NTN node. The communication apparatus comprises:

[0034] The processor is configured to execute a program, so that the communication apparatus performs the method in the first aspect or the second aspect and any possible implementation manner thereof.

[0035] Optionally, the communication apparatus further comprises a memory, and the processor is coupled to the memory; and the memory is configured to store the program.

[0036] The sixth aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a chip or a chip system, which comprises at least one processor and a communication interface. The communication interface and the at least one processor are connected through a line. The at least one processor is configured to run a computer program or an instruction to perform the communication method described in any one of the first aspect to the fourth aspect and any possible implementation manner thereof.

[0037] The communication interface in the chip can be an input / output interface, a pin, or a circuit.

[0038] In a possible implementation, the chip or the chip system described in the present application further comprises at least one memory, and the at least one memory stores instructions. The memory can be a storage unit inside the chip, for example, a register, a cache, or the like. The memory can also be a storage unit of the chip, for example, a read-only memory, a random access memory, or the like.

[0039] The seventh aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a communication system, which comprises the communication apparatus in the first aspect and any possible implementation manner thereof, and the communication apparatus in the third aspect and any possible implementation manner thereof.

[0040] The eighth aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a computer readable storage medium, which comprises instructions. When the instructions are run on a computer, the computer performs the method in the first aspect, or the computer performs the method in the third aspect.

[0041] The ninth aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a computer program product containing instructions, which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method according to the first aspect or the method according to the third aspect.

[0042] The advantages of the third aspect to the ninth aspect can be understood with reference to the advantages of the first aspect or the second aspect and the corresponding implementation manners, and details are not described here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0043] Fig. 1 is a network architecture diagram in the embodiments of the present application;

[0044] Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of the relative position relationship between a terminal device and a beam center point in the embodiments of the present application;

[0045] Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a communication method in the embodiments of the present application;

[0046] Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of beams of coverage level L1 and coverage level L2 in the embodiments of the present application;

[0047] Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a communication device in the embodiments of the present application;

[0048] Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a communication device in the embodiments of the present application;

[0049] Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a communication device in the embodiments of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] The present application provides a communication method, a communication device, a communication system and a storage medium, which are used to implement downlink coverage enhancement of a satellite.

[0051] The embodiments of the present application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art can know that, as technology develops and new scenarios appear, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0052] The terms “first”, “second”, and the like in the specification, claims, and drawings of the present application are used to distinguish similar objects, and do not necessarily indicate a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the terms used in this way can be interchanged, and this is merely a distinguishing way used in the description of the embodiments of the present application to describe the objects with the same attributes. In addition, the terms “include” and “have” and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that the processes, methods, systems, products, or devices containing a series of units do not have to be limited to those units, but can include other units not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products, or devices.

[0053] Please refer to FIG. 1, the network architecture based on which the communication method in the embodiment of the present application is described as follows:

[0054] As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of terminal devices 101 are connected to the NTN node 102 and receive a broadcast message broadcasted by the NTN node 102. The broadcast message can be a system information block (SIB). The terminal devices 101 in FIG. 1 can be located within the beam or cell coverage of the network device. Among them, the terminal devices 101 can perform air interface communication with the network device through uplink (UL) or downlink (DL). For example, the terminal devices 101 can send uplink data to the network device through the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) in the UL direction; the network device can send downlink data to the terminal devices through the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) in the DL direction. The terminal devices can be new radio (NR) terminal devices, which can access the NTN node through the air interface and initiate calls, Internet access and other services. The terminal devices can also be referred to as user equipment (UE) or mobile station (MS) or mobile terminal (MT), etc. Specifically, the terminal devices in FIG. 1 can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer or a computer with wireless transceiver function. It can also be a virtual reality (VR) terminal, an augmented reality (AR) terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in unmanned driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical treatment, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, a vehicle terminal, a vehicle with vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication capability, a smart connected vehicle, a drone with UAV to UAV (U2U) communication capability, etc., which are not limited here.

[0055] For example, the NTN node 102 can be an access network device carried on a flight platform. When the access network device is carried on the flight platform, the access network device moves synchronously with the flight platform. The access network device and the flight platform can be regarded as a whole. At this time, the flight platform can be regarded as an access network device, and the flight platform can also be described as working in a regenerative mode, that is, the flight platform has the function of the access network device. In addition, the communication link between the flight platform and the terminal device can be referred to as a service link. When multiple flight platforms are included in the communication system, the flight platforms can communicate with each other through an Xn interface. In actual application, the network device can also be an access network device distributed on the flight platform based on a distributed unit (DU) or directly as a flight platform, which is not limited here.

[0056] The access network device can be any device with wireless transceiver function, mainly used to realize wireless physical control function, resource scheduling and wireless resource management, wireless access control and mobility management, and provide reliable wireless transmission protocol and data encryption protocol. Specifically, the access network device can be a device supporting wired access, or a device supporting wireless access. For example, the access network device can be an access network (AN) device, a radio access network (RAN) device, or an open radio access network (O-RAN) device. The RAN device can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system, a next generation NodeB in a 6th generation (6G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, an access node in a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system, a long range radio (LoRa) system, or a vehicle-to-everything system. The RAN device can also be a module or unit that completes part of the function of the base station, for example, it can be a CU, a DU, or a RU. The CU here completes the function of the radio resource control protocol and the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) of the base station, and can also complete the function of the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP); the DU completes the function of the radio link control layer and the medium access control (MAC) layer of the base station, and can also complete part of the function of the physical layer or the entire function of the physical layer. For specific descriptions of the above protocol layers, please refer to the relevant technical specifications of the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP). The CU and the DU can be separately arranged, or can be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU).The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, for example, included in a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH). In different systems, the CU, the DU, or the RU can also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in an ORAN system, the CU can also be referred to as an O-CU (open CU), the DU can also be referred to as an O-DU, and the RU can also be referred to as an O-RU. Any of the CUs (or CU-CPs, CU-UPs), DUs, and RUs 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] The flight platform can be a satellite, a drone, or the like. For example, the flight platform can include a geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite, a non-geostationary satellite, a low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite, a medium-earth orbit (MEO) satellite, a geosynchronous orbit satellite, a drone flight system platform, or a high-orbit satellite, without limitation.

[0058] The low-orbit and medium-orbit satellites can have their own movement trajectories, and generally provide communication for a fixed area in cooperation with multiple satellites. The high-orbit satellite is generally in a stationary state, and one or a few high-orbit satellites provide communication for a fixed area.

[0059] In addition, the embodiments of the present application can also be applicable to other future-oriented communication technologies. The network architecture and service scenarios described in the present application are for more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the present application. Those skilled in the art can know that, as the network architecture evolves and new service scenarios appear, the technical solutions provided by the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0060] FIG. 2 shows the relative position relationship between a terminal device and a beam center point, the terminal device is located at the edge of the NTN node coverage edge beam. Wherein, the NTN node transmits multiple beams to the ground, for example, beam 1, beam 2 and beam 3. The area irradiated by the beam belongs to the served area, which is located in the beam coverage of the satellite antenna, that is, the antenna of the satellite is pointing to the area and can communicate with it. The unserved area indicates that in this area, the user can not receive a signal of sufficient quality to meet its communication needs. It should be noted that the irradiated area and the served area are both beam footprints that can use NTN services. In a possible implementation, the NTN node can transmit more or fewer beams to the ground, which is not limited here.

[0061] Due to the coverage of the satellite is much larger than the ground cellular network, the path loss of the satellite transmitting signal to the coverage edge area is different from the path loss of the signal to the subsatellite point, resulting in poor signal quality in the edge area of the satellite coverage. In order to improve the signal quality in the satellite coverage, the signal quality of the terminal device can be improved by repeated transmission. Since repeated transmission enables the terminal device to receive multiple signals, it realizes diversity gain and enhances signal quality.

[0062] However, repeated transmission occupies more satellite network resources, resulting in waste of network bandwidth resources. Especially in the case of high network load, frequent repeated transmission can exacerbate network congestion and affect the communication quality of other users. Repeated transmission of data also increases network delay and reduces the real-time performance of communication. In real-time communication scenarios, high delay can cause data transmission to be not timely, affecting communication effect. At the same time, repeated transmission can also cause redundancy and repetition of transmission, increasing the complexity of network transmission, and also increasing the power consumption of network transmission.

[0063] Therefore, in the embodiments of the present application, a method is provided, please refer to FIG. 3, the communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application includes:

[0064] 301, the NTN node transmits broadcast information to the terminal device;

[0065] In a possible implementation, the NTN node can transmit broadcast information to all terminal devices in the entire coverage, or transmit broadcast information to terminal devices in a certain ground geographic location area, and multiple terminal devices in the ground geographic location area receive the same broadcast information. The broadcast information includes the mapping relationship between the RO and the beam information of the beam, that is, one or more beams correspond to one or more ROs. The beam information includes the beam center point coordinates, beam pointing, beam width and other information of a beam, and the beam center point is the center point of the ground geographic location area covered by a beam

[0066] Exemplarily, the mapping relationship between the RO and the beam information of the beam is shown in Table 1. The values in the table shown in the embodiments of the present application are only examples and do not represent the actual values.

[0067] Table 1

[0068] As shown in Table 1, the broadcast information includes specific values of the beam information corresponding to different RO identifiers. For example, the coordinates of the beam center point of the beam corresponding to RO1 are (120°E, 30°N), the beam points to area 1, the horizontal beam width is 60°, and the vertical beam width is 15°. The corresponding relationship between the RO identifier and the RO configuration information can be predefined by the protocol, can be indicated to the terminal device in advance, or can be indicated to the terminal device together in the above broadcast information, and the specific implementation is not limited here.

[0069] In a possible implementation, the RO identifier can be replaced by the RO configuration information. Table 2 below shows the corresponding relationship between the RO identifier and the RO configuration information.

[0070] Table 2

[0071] As shown in Table 2, one RO identifier corresponds to the configuration of one RO, that is, the RO identifier is used to indicate the RO under the configuration. In another possible implementation, the beam information can be replaced by the beam identifier, and the corresponding relationship between the beam identifier and the beam information can be predefined by the protocol, can be indicated to the terminal device in advance, or can be indicated to the terminal device together in the above broadcast information, and the specific implementation is not limited here.

[0072] Table 3 below shows the corresponding relationship between the beam identifier and the beam information.

[0073] Table 3

[0074] As shown in Table 3, one beam identifier corresponds to the beam information of one beam, that is, the beam identifier is used to indicate the beam corresponding to the beam information. Based on Table 2 and Table 3 above, in a possible implementation, the corresponding relationship between the RO and the beam information is shown in Table 4 below:

[0075] Table 4

[0076] 302、The terminal device determines a first RO;

[0077] The terminal device determines a target beam, which is the beam where the terminal device is located. In a possible implementation, the terminal device determines an area where the terminal device is located in the NTN coverage range according to global navigation satellite system (GNSS) and ephemeris information, and determines a beam corresponding to the area according to the area, which is the target beam where the terminal device is located. The terminal device determines RO identification or RO configuration information corresponding to the target beam in the broadcast information according to beam information of the target beam, and the RO corresponding to the RO identification or RO configuration information is the first RO.

[0078] For example, the terminal device determines a ground position coordinate of itself according to GNSS and ephemeris information, obtains a coordinate of a beam center point closest to the terminal device in the broadcast information according to the ground position coordinate, and determines a beam corresponding to the beam center point as the target beam. The terminal device determines the first RO corresponding to the target beam according to the correspondence between the beam information and the RO.

[0079] For example, the terminal device obtains a ground position coordinate of itself as (122.70 °E, 26.61 °N), and a coordinate of a beam center point closest to the coordinate is a coordinate of a beam center point of beam 2 (120 °E, 25 °N), so the target beam is beam 2. According to Table 1 or Table 4, the RO corresponding to beam 2 is RO2, and the first RO is RO2.

[0080] 303、The terminal device acquires the first preamble sequence.

[0081] The terminal device calculates a position relationship between a position where the terminal device is located and a nearest beam center point according to a ground position coordinate of the terminal device. The position relationship can be expressed in multiple ways, which are described as follows.

[0082] I. Relative distance value or coverage level

[0083] The terminal device calculates a relative distance value between the terminal device and the nearest beam center point or a beam coverage level of an area where the terminal device is located according to a ground position coordinate of the terminal device. The terminal device determines the first preamble sequence according to the relative distance value or the coverage level.

[0084] The first RO includes a plurality of preambles, and in a possible implementation, each of the plurality of preambles corresponds to a relative distance value. The terminal device determines the first preamble corresponding to the calculated relative distance value according to the calculated relative distance value. It should be noted that the correspondence between the preamble and the relative distance value can be predefined by a protocol, or can be indicated to the terminal device in advance, or is indicated to the terminal device together in the broadcast information, and the specific implementation is not limited here. For example, the correspondence between the preamble and the relative distance value is shown in Table 5 as follows:

[0085] Table 5

[0086] As shown in Table 5, preamble1, preamble2 and preamble3 are three preambles in the first RO, and each preamble corresponds to a relative distance value. If the terminal device calculates that the relative distance value between the position of the terminal device and the center point of the nearest beam is 20 meters (meter, m), the terminal device determines preamble1 as the first preamble.

[0087] The terminal device can also determine the first preamble according to the beam coverage level of the area where the terminal device is located. For example, the correspondence between the preamble and the coverage level is shown in Table 6 as follows:

[0088] Table 6

[0089] As shown in Table 6, the preambles correspond to the coverage levels, and the terminal device determines the first preamble according to the coverage level of the beam where the terminal device is located. FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of beams with coverage level L1 and coverage level L2. For example, the area where the terminal device is located belongs to the coverage range when the coverage level of the target beam is L2, that is, the beam coverage level of the area where the terminal device is located is L2, and the terminal device determines preamble2 as the first preamble.

[0090] In a possible implementation, the terminal device indicates the positional relationship between the position of the terminal device and the center point of the nearest beam by indication information, wherein the indication information is obtained by the terminal device grouping the preambles in the first RO according to the relative distance value between the terminal device and the center point of the nearest beam or the beam coverage level of the area where the terminal device is located. For example, the preambles are associated with the coverage levels, and 2-bit information is carried by predefined grouping, and the specific implementation is shown in Table 7 as follows:

[0091] Table 7

[0092] As shown in Table 7, the 00 group represents the coverage level L1, the 01 group represents the coverage level L2, the 10 group represents the coverage level L3, and the 11 group represents the coverage level L4. It should be understood that the preamble sequence can also be associated with the relative distance value, and can also be associated with the relative distance. For example, the 00 group represents that the terminal device is closest to the beam center point, the 11 group represents that the terminal device is farthest from the beam center point, and so on, which is not limited here.

[0093] II. Relative direction or azimuth angle

[0094] The terminal device can calculate the relative direction or azimuth angle between the terminal device and the nearest beam center point according to the ground position coordinates of the terminal device. The terminal device determines the first preamble sequence according to the relative distance value or the coverage level.

[0095] In a possible implementation, the preamble sequence corresponds to the relative direction, and the correspondence between the preamble sequence and the relative direction is shown in Table 8 as follows:

[0096] Table 8

[0097] The preamble sequence corresponds to the relative direction, and the terminal device determines the first preamble sequence according to the relative direction between the terminal device and the beam center point. For example, the terminal device is located at a position relative to the direction 2 of the beam center point, and the terminal device determines preamble2 as the first preamble sequence. Similarly, the terminal device can determine the first preamble sequence according to the azimuth angle of the relative beam center point, which is not described here.

[0098] In a possible implementation, the terminal device indicates the positional relationship between the position where the terminal device is located and the nearest beam center point through indication information. For example, the preamble sequence is associated with the azimuth angle, and 2bit information is carried through predefined grouping, which is shown in Table 9 as follows:

[0099] Table 9

[0100] As shown in Table 9, the 00 group represents the positive east ± 45° range, the 01 group represents the positive south ± 45° range, the 10 group represents the positive west ± 45° range, and the 11 group represents the positive north ± 45° range. It should be understood that the preamble sequence can also be associated with the relative direction, which is not limited here. It should be noted that the relative direction and the azimuth angle can have a corresponding relationship, for example, direction 1 corresponds to the positive east ± 45° range. The corresponding relationship can be predefined by a protocol, can be indicated to the terminal device in advance, or can be indicated to the terminal device together in the above broadcast information, which is not limited here.

[0101] III. Relative distance value and azimuth angle

[0102] The terminal device can determine the first preamble sequence according to the relative distance value and the azimuth angle between the terminal device and the nearest beam center point.

[0103] In a possible implementation, the preamble sequence corresponds to the relative distance value and the azimuth angle, and the correspondence between the preamble sequence and the relative distance value and the azimuth angle is shown in Table 10.

[0104] Table 10

[0105] As shown in Table 10, the preamble sequence corresponds to the relative distance value and the azimuth angle, and the terminal device can report the specific position of the terminal device to the NTN node according to the relative distance value and the azimuth angle. The terminal device determines the first preamble sequence according to the relative distance and the azimuth angle between the terminal device and the beam center point. For example, the terminal device is located at a position of ±45° to the west relative to the beam center point, and the distance between the terminal device and the beam center point is 30 m. Then, the terminal device determines preamble 11 as the first preamble sequence.

[0106] In the embodiments of the present application, the first preamble sequence is determined by the relative distance value and the azimuth angle between the terminal device and the nearest beam center point, which can accurately locate the position of the terminal device in the target beam, and is beneficial to the NTN node to adjust the transmission power.

[0107] In a possible implementation, the terminal device indicates the positional relationship between the position of the terminal device and the nearest beam center point by indication information. The preamble sequence is associated with the relative distance value and the azimuth angle, and the information is carried by pre-defined grouping, as shown in Table 11.

[0108] Table 11

[0109] As shown in Table 11, 4 bits of information are included in the indication information, which is used to indicate the preamble sequence group under different azimuth angles and relative distances. The terminal device determines the preamble sequence group according to the position of the terminal device, which is used as the indication information.

[0110] It should be noted that the terminal device can also calculate the relative distance value and the relative direction between the position of the terminal device and the beam center point of the target beam to determine the relative positional relationship, which is not limited here.

[0111] 304、The terminal device sends the first preamble sequence to the NTN node.

[0112] In a possible implementation, the terminal device sends Msg1 signaling to the NTN node, and the signaling includes a first preamble sequence. Specifically, the first preamble sequence can include indication information, which is included in a mapping relationship between the terminal device and the first preamble sequence according to a relative position relationship between the terminal device and a beam center point.

[0113] The NTN node determines a preamble identification (ID) of the first preamble sequence and a first RO in which the first preamble sequence is located according to the first preamble sequence, and determines a target beam in which the terminal device is located according to the preamble ID and the first RO. In a possible implementation, the NTN node replies to the terminal device with a random access response (RAR) message on the target beam, and calculates a transmission power offset according to the relative position relationship between the terminal device corresponding to the first preamble sequence and the beam center point.

[0114] Based on the step 303, the first preamble sequence can be used to indicate a relative distance between the terminal device and the beam center point or a region corresponding to a target beam coverage level, the first preamble sequence can also be used to indicate a relative direction or azimuth angle between the terminal device and the beam center point, and the first preamble sequence can further be used to indicate a relative distance value and an azimuth angle between the terminal device and the beam center point.

[0115] In a possible implementation, the NTN node adjusts the downlink transmission power of the entire target beam, thereby achieving downlink coverage enhancement.

[0116] In another possible implementation, the NTN node can adjust the angle of the target beam to be aligned with the position of the terminal device, in which case adjusting the power of the target beam can be understood as per UE power. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the beam at L2 is directed to be associated with a power parameter, that is, to adjust per UE power.

[0117] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device transmits the relative position relationship between its own position and the beam center point, so that the NTN node can dynamically adjust the satellite beam power, improve the coverage performance, and compensate for the defects of insufficient coverage of the NTN node in the edge area.

[0118] The communication method in the embodiments of the present application is described above, and the communication apparatus in the embodiments of the present application is described below. Referring to FIG. 5, the communication apparatus in the embodiments of the present application can be a terminal device, or a component or apparatus (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system) applied to a terminal device, or a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of a terminal device, and can realize the functions of the terminal device in the above method. One embodiment of the communication apparatus includes:

[0119] The interface unit 501 is configured to receive broadcast information, the broadcast information including one or more ROs corresponding to one or more beams;

[0120] The processing unit 502 is configured to determine a first RO according to a target beam and the broadcast information, the target beam being a beam in which the terminal device is located, and the first RO being used to indicate beam information of the target beam.

[0121] The processing unit 502 is further configured to obtain a first preamble sequence in the first RO according to a relative position relationship between a location of the terminal device and a beam center point of the target beam.

[0122] The interface unit 501 is further configured to report the first preamble sequence to an NTN node, the first preamble sequence being used by the NTN node to determine the relative position relationship, and the relative position relationship being used by the NTN node to calculate a transmission power offset.

[0123] The communication apparatus shown in FIG. 5 can be an NTN node, or a component or apparatus (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system) applied to an NTN node, or a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of an NTN node, and can realize the functions of the NTN node in the above method. One embodiment of the communication apparatus includes:

[0124] The interface unit 501 is configured to send broadcast information, the broadcast information including one or more first preamble sequences corresponding to one or more beams.

[0125] The interface unit 501 is further configured to receive a first preamble sequence in a first RO, the first preamble sequence being used by the NTN node to determine a relative position relationship between a location of the terminal device and a beam center point of a target beam, the target beam being a beam in which the terminal device is located, and the first RO being used to indicate beam information of the target beam.

[0126] The processing unit 502 is configured to calculate a transmission power offset according to the relative position relationship.

[0127] Next, a communication apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application is introduced. Referring to FIG. 6, FIG. 6 is a structural schematic diagram of a communication apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application. The communication apparatus can be a terminal device or an NTN node in the above method embodiments, and can also be a chip, a chip system, or a processor, etc. that supports the terminal device or the NTN node to implement the above method. The communication apparatus can be used to implement the method described in the above method embodiments. For details, refer to the description in the above method embodiments.

[0128] The communication apparatus can include one or more processors 601 connected with a memory 602, an input and output unit 603, and a bus 604. The processor 601 can be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor, etc. For example, it can be a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit can be used to control the communication apparatus (such as a base station, a baseband chip, a terminal, a terminal chip, a DU or a CU, etc.), execute a software program, and process data of the software program.

[0129] Optionally, the communication apparatus can include one or more memories 602, which can have instructions stored thereon. The instructions can be run on the processor 601, so that the communication apparatus executes the method described in the above method embodiments. Optionally, the memory 602 can also store data. The processor 601 and the memory 602 can be separately arranged or integrated together.

[0130] Optionally, the communication apparatus can also include a transceiver and an antenna. The transceiver can be referred to as a transceiving unit, a transceiver, or a transceiving circuit, etc., and is used to implement the transceiving function. The transceiver can include a receiver and a transmitter. The receiver can be referred to as a receiver or a receiving circuit, etc., and is used to implement the receiving function. The transmitter can be referred to as a transmitter or a transmitting circuit, etc., and is used to implement the transmitting function.

[0131] In another possible design, the processor 601 can include a transceiver for implementing the receiving and transmitting functions. For example, the transceiver can be a transceiving circuit, or an interface, or an interface circuit. The transceiving circuit, the interface, or the interface circuit for implementing the receiving and transmitting functions can be separate or integrated together. The transceiving circuit, the interface, or the interface circuit described above can be used for reading and writing codes / data, or the transceiving circuit, the interface, or the interface circuit described above can be used for signal transmission or transfer.

[0132] In yet another possible design, optionally, the processor 601 can have instructions, which, when executed on the processor 601, can cause the communication apparatus to execute the method described in the above method embodiments. The instructions can be fixed in the processor 601. In this case, the processor 601 can be implemented by hardware.

[0133] In yet another possible design, a communication apparatus can include circuitry that can implement the functions of the transmitting or receiving or communicating of the communication device or the first terminal device in the foregoing method embodiments. The processor and the transceiver described in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented on an integrated circuit (IC), an analog IC, a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), a mixed-signal IC, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a printed circuit board (PCB), an electronic device, etc. The processor and the transceiver can also be manufactured using various IC technologies, such as a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS), an N-type metal oxide semiconductor (NMOS), a P-type metal oxide semiconductor (PMOS), a bipolar junction transistor (BJT), a bipolar CMOS (BiCMOS), silicon germanium (SiGe), gallium arsenide (GaAs), etc.

[0134] The communication apparatus described in the foregoing embodiments can be a terminal device or a network device, but the scope of the communication apparatus described in the embodiments of the present application is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication apparatus can not be limited by FIG. 6. The communication apparatus can be a standalone device or can be part of a larger device. For example, the communication apparatus can be:

[0135] (1) a standalone integrated circuit (IC), or a chip, or a chip system or subsystem;

[0136] (2) a set of one or more ICs, which can optionally also include storage for storing data, instructions, etc.

[0137] (3) an ASIC, such as a modem (KSK);

[0138] (4) a module that can be embedded within other devices;

[0139] (5) a receiver, a terminal, a smart terminal, a cellular phone, a wireless device, a handset, a mobile unit, a car device, a network device, a cloud device, an artificial intelligence device, etc.

[0140] (6) other, etc.

[0141] For the case that the communication apparatus can be a chip or a chip system, refer to the structural schematic diagram of the chip shown in FIG. 7. The chip 700 shown in FIG. 7 includes a processor 701, an interface 702. Optionally, it can also include a memory 703. Among them, the number of processors 701 can be one or more, and the number of interfaces 702 can be multiple.

[0142] For the case that the chip is used to implement the functions of the network device or the terminal device in the embodiments of the present application:

[0143] The interface 702 is configured to receive or output a signal.

[0144] The processor 701 is configured to perform data processing operations of the network device or the terminal device.

[0145] It can be understood that some optional features in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented independently in some scenarios, without relying on other features, such as the scheme currently based on, to solve the corresponding technical problems and achieve the corresponding effects. Also, in some scenarios, it can be combined with other features according to the demand. Correspondingly, the communication apparatus given in the embodiments of the present application can also implement these features or functions, which will not be described here.

[0146] It should be understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capability. In the implementation process, each step of the above method embodiments can be completed by integrated logic circuits or instructions in the form of software in the processor. The processor can be a general processor, a digital signal processor (digital signal processor, DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (application specific integrated circuit, ASIC), a field programmable gate array (field programmable gate array, FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components.

[0147] It can be appreciated that the memory in the embodiments of the present application can be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or can include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory can be a read-only memory (read-only memory, ROK), a programmable read-only memory (programmable read-only memory, PROK), an erasable programmable read-only memory (erasable programmable read-only memory, EPROK), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, EEPROK) or a flash memory. The volatile memory can be a random access memory (random access memory, RAK) used as an external cache. By way of example but not limitation, many forms of RAK are available, such as static random access memory (static random access memory, SRAK), dynamic random access memory (dynamic random access memory, DRAK), synchronous dynamic random access memory (synchronous dynamic random access memory, SDRAK), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory, DDR SDRAK), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory, ESDRAK), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (synchronous link dynamic random access memory, SLDRAK) and direct memory bus random access memory (direct memory bus random access memory, DR RAK). It should be noted that the memory of the system and method described herein is intended to include but not limited to these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0148] The embodiments of the present application also provide a computer readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method in the foregoing embodiments.

[0149] The embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method in the foregoing embodiments.

[0150] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working process of the above-described system, device and unit can refer to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be described here.

[0151] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device and method can be implemented in other manners. For example, the described device embodiments are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. There can be another division manner for the actual implementation. For example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the displayed or discussed mutual couplings or direct couplings or communication connections can be indirect couplings or communication connections through some interfaces, devices or units, and can be in electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0152] The units described as separated components can or can not be physically separated, and the components displayed as units can or can not be physical units, i.e., can be located in one place, or can be distributed on a plurality of network units. In actual implementation, some or all of the units can be selected according to the actual needs to achieve the purposes of the embodiments of the present application.

[0153] In addition, each functional unit in the embodiments of the present application can be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically as a separate unit, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in the form of hardware, or in the form of software functional units.

[0154] When the integrated unit is implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on such an understanding, the technical solutions of the present application essentially, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or a part of the technical solutions 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 causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the embodiments of the present application. The foregoing storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (ROM, read-only memory), random access memory (RAM, random access memory), magnetic disk or optical disk, and various other media that can store program codes.

[0155] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated. The computer can be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable apparatus. 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 through wired (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode. The computer readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. integrated with one or more available media. The available media can be a magnetic medium (such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (such as a high-density digital video disc (digital video disc, DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (such as a solid state disk (solid state disk, SSD)), etc.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: receiving broadcast information, the broadcast information comprising one or more random access occasions (ROs) corresponding to one or more beams; determining a first RO according to a target beam and the broadcast information, the target beam being a beam in which a terminal device is located, the first RO being used to indicate beam information of the target beam; obtaining a first preamble sequence in the first RO according to a relative position relationship between a location of the terminal device and a beam center point of the target beam; reporting the first preamble sequence to a non-terrestrial network (NTN) node, the first preamble sequence being used by the NTN node to determine the relative position relationship, the relative position relationship being used by the NTN node to calculate a transmission power offset.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first preamble sequence comprises indication information, the indication information being obtained by grouping the first preamble sequence according to the relative position relationship by the terminal device.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The determining of the first RO according to the target beam and the broadcast information comprises: determining the target beam according to ephemeris information, ground position information of the terminal device, and the broadcast information; obtaining the first RO from the broadcast information according to beam information of the target beam.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The relative position relationship is used to indicate a relative distance between the location of the terminal device and the beam center point of the target beam or a relative direction or a relative azimuth angle between the location of the terminal device and the beam center point of the target beam. The method further comprises: calculating the relative distance between the location of the terminal device and the beam center point of the target beam to obtain the relative position relationship.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The relative position relationship is used to indicate a relative direction or a relative azimuth angle between the location of the terminal device and the beam center point of the target beam. The method further comprises: calculating the relative direction or the relative azimuth angle between the location of the terminal device and the beam center point of the target beam to obtain the relative position relationship.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The relative position relationship is used to indicate a relative distance and a relative azimuth angle between the location of the terminal device and the beam center point of the target beam. The method further comprises: calculating the relative distance and the relative azimuth angle between the location of the terminal device and the beam center point of the target beam to obtain the relative position relationship.

7. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: sending broadcast information, the broadcast information comprising one or more first preamble sequences corresponding to one or more beams; receiving a first preamble sequence in a first RO, the first preamble sequence being used by an NTN node to determine a relative position relationship between a location of a terminal device and a beam center point of a target beam, the target beam being a beam in which the terminal device is located, the first RO being used to indicate beam information of the target beam; calculating a transmission power offset according to the relative position relationship.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The first preamble sequence comprises indication information, the indication information being obtained by grouping the first preamble sequence according to the relative position relationship by the terminal device.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that, The method further comprises: sending ephemeris information, the ephemeris information being used by the terminal device to determine the target beam.

10. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that, The relative position relationship is used to indicate a relative distance between the position where the terminal device is located and a beam center point of the target beam or a coverage level of the terminal device in the target beam. The improving downlink transmission power according to the indication information comprises: improving downlink transmission power according to a relative distance between the position where the terminal device is located and a beam center point of the target beam or a coverage level of the terminal device in the target beam.

11. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that, The relative position relationship is used to indicate a relative direction or a relative azimuth angle between the position where the terminal device is located and a beam center point of the target beam. The improving downlink transmission power according to the indication information comprises: improving downlink transmission power according to a relative direction or a relative azimuth angle between the position where the terminal device is located and a beam center point of the target beam.

12. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that, The relative position relationship is used to indicate a relative distance and a relative azimuth angle between the position where the terminal device is located and a beam center point of the target beam. The improving downlink transmission power according to the indication information comprises: improving downlink transmission power according to a relative distance and a relative azimuth angle between the position where the terminal device is located and a beam center point of the target beam.

13. A communications device, characterized by The apparatus comprises a module or unit for performing the method of any of claims 1 to 6.

14. A communications device, characterized by The apparatus comprises a module or unit for performing the method of any of claims 7 to 12.

15. A communications device, characterized by The apparatus comprises: a processor configured to execute a program, so that the communication device performs the method of any of claims 1 to 6.

16. A communications device, characterized by The apparatus comprises: a processor configured to execute a program, so that the communication device performs the method of any of claims 7 to 12.

17. A communication system, characterized by The apparatus comprises: a communication device for performing the method of any of steps 1 to 6, and a communication device for performing the method of any of claims 7 to 12.

18. A computer readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of any of claims 1 to 6, or cause the computer to perform the method of any of claims 7 to 12.

19. A computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of any of claims 1 to 6, or cause the computer to perform the method of any of claims 7 to 12.

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