Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus, which are used for transmitting a signal by using a satellite which supports both a transparent forwarding mode and a regenerative forwarding mode. A network device indicates a first uplink time-domain position and a first downlink time-domain position by means of first information, wherein the first uplink time-domain position is used for transmitting an uplink signal of a first forwarding mode within a first period, and the first downlink time-domain position is used for transmitting a downlink signal of the first forwarding mode within the first period. A satellite indicates a third uplink time-domain position and a third downlink time-domain position by means of fifth information, wherein the third uplink time-domain position is used for transmitting the uplink signal of the first forwarding mode, and the third downlink time-domain position is used for transmitting the downlink signal of the first forwarding mode. In this way, the network device can serve as an uplink and downlink time reference point of a signal of the first forwarding mode, the satellite can serve as a time reference point of a signal of a second forwarding mode, and the signal of the first forwarding mode is within an uplink and downlink time-domain position reserved by the satellite, such that there is no interference between the signals of the two forwarding modes.

Description

Communication method and apparatus

[0001] Cross-reference to Related Applications

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese Patent Application No. 202410876526.X entitled "A communication method and apparatus" and filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China on July 01, 2024, the content of which is incorporated herein in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular, to a communication method and apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0004] In a satellite communication system, a satellite acts as a relay node to transmit a signal from a sending terminal at a geographic location on the earth's surface to a receiving terminal at another geographic location on the earth's surface. In the relay process, some satellites use a transparent forwarding mode, and some satellites use a regenerative forwarding mode. The transparent forwarding mode refers to that the satellite only performs frequency conversion and amplification processing on the received signal and then transmits the signal to the receiving terminal. The regenerative forwarding mode refers to that the satellite not only performs frequency conversion and amplification processing on the received signal, but also performs demodulation and decoding processing to regenerate the signal and then transmits the signal to the receiving terminal.

[0005] Compared with the transparent forwarding mode, the satellite can more flexibly perform scheduling and beam direction selection in the regenerative forwarding mode, and the demodulation performance is usually higher than that in the transparent forwarding mode. Compared with the regenerative forwarding mode, the transparent forwarding mode has the following advantages: forward compatibility (that is, any signal can be forwarded, for example, an operator can change the communication protocol in its operation without re-launching the satellite), and lower latency in some business configurations (compared with the regenerative mode, there is no need to perform demodulation and decoding, scheduling, and re-encoding and modulation).

[0006] However, the advantages of the two forwarding modes cannot be considered at present. SUMMARY

[0007] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus to transmit a signal using a satellite that supports both transparent forwarding mode and regenerative forwarding mode.

[0008] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a communication device, the communication device being configured to communicate with a network device (e.g., an access network device) via a satellite. The communication device can be a terminal device, or can be a component (e.g., a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit, or a functional module) in a terminal device. The method can include: receiving first information, the first information being used to indicate a first uplink time domain position and a first downlink time domain position, the first uplink time domain position being used to transmit an uplink signal of a first repeating mode in a first period, the first downlink time domain position being used to transmit a downlink signal of the first repeating mode in the first period, the first repeating mode being a repeating mode supported by the satellite.

[0009] Based on the above communication method, the network device can be used as an uplink and downlink time reference point of the signals of the first repeating mode, the network device can be configured to schedule the uplink signal of the first repeating mode to be transmitted at the first uplink time domain position, and can be configured to schedule the downlink signal of the first repeating mode to be transmitted at the first downlink time domain position, so that the accuracy of the transmission of the signals of the first repeating mode can be improved compared with a case in which the satellite is used as the uplink and downlink time reference point.

[0010] In a possible design, uplink time synchronization can be performed according to a first timing advance (TA) corresponding to the first repeating mode and the first uplink time domain position, and / or downlink time synchronization can be performed according to the first downlink time domain position. In this way, the terminal device can use the network device as the uplink and downlink time reference point, so that the uplink and downlink signals of the first repeating mode can be aligned with the time slot boundary or have a fixed offset at the network device.

[0011] In a possible design, second information can be received, the second information being used to indicate a second uplink time domain position and a second downlink time domain position, the second uplink time domain position being used to transmit the uplink signal of the first repeating mode in a second period, the second downlink time domain position being used to transmit the downlink signal of the first repeating mode in the second period, the second period being different from the first period. In this way, the uplink and downlink time domain positions that meet the requirements can be used to transmit the signals of the first repeating mode in different periods.

[0012] In a possible design, the second information can further be used to indicate a starting time of the second period, so that the uplink signal of the first repeating mode can be transmitted according to the second uplink time domain position indicated by the second information, and the downlink signal of the first repeating mode can be transmitted according to the second downlink time domain position, starting from the starting time of the second period.

[0013] In a possible design, the first period and the second period have different time lengths. This can be based on the change of transmission delay caused by the change of distance between the network device and the satellite.

[0014] In a possible design, a time offset between a starting position of the first uplink time domain position and a starting position of the first period is different from a time offset between a starting position of the second uplink time domain position and a starting position of the second period; and / or, a time offset between a starting position of the first downlink time domain position and a starting position of the first period is different from a time offset between a starting position of the second downlink time domain position and a starting position of the second period. This can be based on the distance between the network device and the satellite to transmit the first retransmission mode signal in different uplink / downlink time domain positions in different periods, so that the first retransmission mode signal does not interfere with the second retransmission mode signal when reaching the satellite.

[0015] In a possible design, a first sub-uplink time domain position in the first uplink time domain position in the first period and / or a first sub-downlink time domain position in the first downlink time domain position transmits the first signal, and a second sub-uplink time domain position in the second uplink time domain position in the second period and / or a second sub-downlink time domain position in the second downlink time domain position transmits the first signal; wherein a time offset between a starting position of the first sub-uplink time domain position and a starting position of the first uplink time domain position is the same as a time offset between a starting position of the second sub-uplink time domain position and a starting position of the second uplink time domain position; and / or, a time offset between a starting position of the first sub-downlink time domain position and a starting position of the first downlink time domain position is the same as a time offset between a starting position of the second sub-downlink time domain position and a starting position of the second downlink time domain position. This can ensure that the time domain offset of the first signal in each period is the same.

[0016] In a possible design, the first signal can include one or more of the following: a synchronization signal physical broadcast channel block (SSB), a chanel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), a sounding reference signal (SRS), or a signal transmitted in a random access channel occasion (RACH Occasion).

[0017] In one possible design, the first period includes N sub-periods, and / or the second period includes M sub-periods, where N and M are positive integers, and N and M are different; and each sub-period is used to transmit signals of the first and second forwarding modes. This can enable transmission of signals of both the transparent and regenerative forwarding modes supported by the satellite.

[0018] In one possible design, the satellite also supports the second forwarding mode. This can enable the satellite to transmit signals of the first and second forwarding modes simultaneously, and there can be no interference between signals of the first and second forwarding modes at the satellite, so that transmission of signals of the first and second forwarding modes based on the satellite can be more accurate.

[0019] In one possible design, the second forwarding mode is a regenerative forwarding mode.

[0020] In one possible design, the first forwarding mode is a transparent forwarding mode.

[0021] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be applied to a communication apparatus, and the communication apparatus can communicate with a terminal device via a satellite. The communication apparatus can be a network device (e.g., an access network device), or a component (e.g., a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit, or a functional module) in the network device. Alternatively, the communication apparatus can be a satellite, or a component (e.g., a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit, or a functional module) in the satellite. The method can include: transmitting first information, where the first information is used to indicate a first uplink time domain location and a first downlink time domain location, the first uplink time domain location is used to transmit an uplink signal of a first forwarding mode in a first period, the first downlink time domain location is used to transmit a downlink signal of the first forwarding mode in the first period, and the first forwarding mode is a forwarding mode supported by the satellite.

[0022] Based on the above communication method, the network device can be used as an uplink and downlink time reference point of signals of the first forwarding mode, and the network device can schedule the uplink signal of the first forwarding mode to be transmitted at the first uplink time domain location and schedule the downlink signal of the first forwarding mode to be transmitted at the first downlink time domain location. Therefore, compared with a case where the satellite is used as the uplink and downlink time reference point of signals of the first forwarding mode, the accuracy of transmission of signals of the first forwarding mode can be improved.

[0023] In one possible design, the third information is received, where the third information is used to indicate a third uplink time domain location and a third downlink time domain location reserved by the satellite, the third uplink time domain location is used to transmit the uplink signal of the first repeating mode, and the third downlink time domain location is used to transmit the downlink signal of the first repeating mode; the first uplink time domain location is determined based on the third uplink time domain location, and the first downlink time domain location is determined based on the third downlink time domain location. In this way, the network device can determine the uplink and downlink time domain locations reserved by the network device to transmit the signal of the first repeating mode based on the uplink and downlink time domain locations reserved by the satellite to transmit the signal of the first repeating mode, so that the signal of the first repeating mode can be located within the time domain locations reserved by the satellite when reaching the satellite, and interference to the signal of the second repeating mode can be avoided.

[0024] In one possible design, a time length of the first uplink time domain location is smaller than a time length of the third uplink time domain location, and a time length of the first downlink time domain location is smaller than a time length of the third downlink time domain location. In this way, the signal of the first repeating mode can be located within the time domain locations reserved by the satellite when reaching the satellite, and interference to the signal of the second repeating mode can be avoided.

[0025] In one possible design, the fourth information is sent, where the fourth information is used to indicate the first uplink time domain location and the first downlink time domain location. In this way, the satellite can determine the uplink and downlink time domain locations reserved by the satellite to transmit the signal of the first repeating mode based on the uplink and downlink time domain locations reserved by the network device to transmit the signal of the first repeating mode, so that the signal of the first repeating mode can be located within the time domain locations reserved by the satellite when reaching the satellite, and interference to the signal of the second repeating mode can be avoided.

[0026] In one possible design, the second information is sent, where the second information is used to indicate a second uplink time domain location and a second downlink time domain location, the second uplink time domain location is used to transmit the uplink signal of the first repeating mode in a second period, the second downlink time domain location is used to transmit the downlink signal of the first repeating mode in the second period, and the second period is different from the first period. In this way, the signal of the first repeating mode can be transmitted using the uplink and downlink time domain locations that meet the requirements in different periods.

[0027] In one possible design, the second information is further used to indicate a start time of the second period, so that the uplink signal of the first repeating mode is transmitted according to the second uplink time domain location indicated by the second information, and the downlink signal of the first repeating mode is transmitted according to the second downlink time domain location, starting from the start time of the second period.

[0028] In a possible design, the first period and the second period have different time lengths. In this way, different periods can be set based on the change of transmission delay caused by the change of distance between the network device and the satellite.

[0029] In a possible design, a time offset between a start position of the first uplink time domain position and a start position of the first period is different from a time offset between a start position of the second uplink time domain position and a start position of the second period; and / or, a time offset between a start position of the first downlink time domain position and a start position of the first period is different from a time offset between a start position of the second downlink time domain position and a start position of the second period. In this way, the first repeating mode signal can be transmitted in different uplink / downlink time domain positions in different periods based on the distance between the network device and the satellite, so that the first repeating mode signal does not interfere with the second repeating mode signal when reaching the satellite.

[0030] In a possible design, a first sub-uplink time domain position in the first uplink time domain position in the first period and / or a first sub-downlink time domain position in the first downlink time domain position are used to transmit the first signal, and a second sub-uplink time domain position in the second uplink time domain position in the second period and / or a second sub-downlink time domain position in the second downlink time domain position are used to transmit the first signal; a time offset between a start position of the first sub-uplink time domain position and a start position of the first uplink time domain position is the same as a time offset between a start position of the second sub-uplink time domain position and a start position of the second uplink time domain position; and / or, a time offset between a start position of the first sub-downlink time domain position and a start position of the first downlink time domain position is the same as a time offset between a start position of the second sub-downlink time domain position and a start position of the second downlink time domain position. In this way, the time domain offset of the first signal in each period can be ensured to be the same.

[0031] In a possible design, the first signal includes one or more of the following: a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel block (SSB), a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), a sounding reference signal (SRS), or a signal transmitted in a random access channel occasion.

[0032] In a possible design, the first period includes N sub-periods, and / or the second period includes M sub-periods, the N and the M are positive integers, and the N and the M are different; each sub-period is used to transmit the first repeating mode signal and the second repeating mode signal. In this way, the two modes of signals can be transmitted by using the satellite that supports both the transparent repeating mode and the regenerative repeating mode.

[0033] In one possible design, the satellite also supports the second repeating mode. This can enable the satellite to simultaneously transmit signals of the first repeating mode and signals of the second repeating mode, and there can be no interference between the signals of the first repeating mode and the signals of the second repeating mode at the satellite, so that the transmission of the signals of the first repeating mode and the signals of the second repeating mode based on the satellite can be more accurate.

[0034] In one possible design, the second repeating mode is a regenerative repeating mode.

[0035] In one possible design, the first repeating mode is a transparent repeating mode.

[0036] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be applied to a communication apparatus that communicates with a network device (e.g., an access network device) via a satellite. The communication apparatus can be a terminal device, or can be a component (e.g., a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit, or a functional module) in a terminal device. The method can include receiving fifth information, where the fifth information is used to indicate a third uplink time domain position and a third downlink time domain position, the third uplink time domain position is used to transmit an uplink signal of a first repeating mode, the third downlink time domain position is used to transmit a downlink signal of the first repeating mode, and the first repeating mode is a repeating mode supported by the satellite.

[0037] Based on the above method, a terminal device that needs to transmit a signal of a second repeating mode can determine an uplink time domain position and a downlink time domain position corresponding to the signal of the second repeating mode, so as to accurately transmit the signal of the second repeating mode and avoid interference with a signal of a first repeating mode.

[0038] In one possible design, an uplink signal of a second repeating mode is transmitted at a time domain position other than the third uplink time domain position, and a downlink signal of the second repeating mode is transmitted at a time domain position other than the third downlink time domain position. This can enable a terminal device that needs to transmit a signal of the second repeating mode to accurately transmit the signal of the second repeating mode and avoid interference with a signal of a first repeating mode.

[0039] In one possible design, the satellite also supports the second repeating mode. This can enable the satellite to simultaneously transmit signals of the first repeating mode and signals of the second repeating mode, and there can be no interference between the signals of the first repeating mode and the signals of the second repeating mode at the satellite, so that the transmission of the signals of the first repeating mode and the signals of the second repeating mode based on the satellite can be more accurate.

[0040] In one possible design, the second repeating mode is a regenerative repeating mode.

[0041] In a possible design, the first forwarding mode is a transparent forwarding mode.

[0042] In a fourth aspect, this application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a communication device, which can be a satellite (or other equipment), or can be a component (e.g., a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit, or a functional module, etc.) in a satellite (or other equipment); or the communication device can be a satellite, or can be a component (e.g., a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit, or a functional module, etc.) in a satellite. The method can include: sending fifth information, where the fifth information is used to indicate a third uplink time domain position and a third downlink time domain position, the third uplink time domain position is used to transmit an uplink signal of a first forwarding mode, the third downlink time domain position is used to transmit a downlink signal of the first forwarding mode, and the first forwarding mode is a forwarding mode supported by the satellite.

[0043] Based on the above method, a terminal device that needs to transmit a signal of a second forwarding mode can determine the uplink and downlink time domain positions corresponding to the signal of the second forwarding mode, so as to accurately transmit the signal of the second forwarding mode and avoid interference between the signal of the first forwarding mode and the signal of the second forwarding mode.

[0044] In a possible design, the third information is sent, where the third information is used to indicate the third uplink time domain position and the third downlink time domain position reserved by the satellite. In this way, a network device can determine the uplink and downlink time domain positions that need to be reserved by the network device to transmit a signal of a first forwarding mode based on the uplink and downlink time domain positions reserved by the satellite to transmit the signal of the first forwarding mode, so as to ensure that the signal of the first forwarding mode is located in the time domain positions reserved by the satellite and avoid interference on a signal of a second forwarding mode.

[0045] In a possible design, the fourth information is received, where the fourth information is used to indicate a first uplink time domain position and a first downlink time domain position, the first uplink time domain position is used to transmit an uplink signal of a first forwarding mode in a first period, and the first downlink time domain position is used to transmit a downlink signal of the first forwarding mode in the first period; the third uplink time domain position is determined according to the first uplink time domain position, and the third downlink time domain position is determined according to the first downlink time domain position. In this way, a satellite can determine the uplink and downlink time domain positions that need to be reserved by the satellite to transmit a signal of a first forwarding mode based on the uplink and downlink time domain positions reserved by a network device to transmit the signal of the first forwarding mode, so as to ensure that the signal of the first forwarding mode is located in the time domain positions reserved by the satellite when reaching the satellite and avoid interference on a signal of a second forwarding mode.

[0046] In one possible design, the time length of the first uplink time domain location is less than the time length of the third uplink time domain location, and the time length of the first downlink time domain location is less than the time length of the third time domain location. This can ensure that the signal of the first repeating mode can be located in the time domain location reserved by the satellite when reaching the satellite, so as to avoid causing interference to the signal of the second repeating mode.

[0047] In one possible design, the uplink signal of the second repeating mode is transmitted in a time domain location other than the third uplink time domain location, and the downlink signal of the second repeating mode is transmitted in a time domain location other than the third downlink time domain location. This can ensure that there is no interference between the signal of the first repeating mode and the signal of the second repeating mode.

[0048] In one possible design, the satellite also supports the second repeating mode. This can enable the satellite to transmit the signal of the first repeating mode and the signal of the second repeating mode at the same time, and there is no interference between the signal of the first repeating mode and the signal of the second repeating mode at the satellite, so that the transmission of the signal of the first repeating mode and the signal of the second repeating mode based on the satellite is more accurate.

[0049] In one possible design, the second repeating mode is a regenerative repeating mode.

[0050] In one possible design, the first repeating mode is a transparent repeating mode.

[0051] In a fifth aspect, the present application also provides a communication apparatus, which can be a terminal device, or a component (e.g., a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit, or a functional module, etc.) in a terminal device. The communication apparatus has the function of implementing the method in the first aspect or in any of the possible design examples of the first aspect, or the method in the third aspect or in any of the possible design examples of the third aspect. The function can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0052] In one possible design, the communication apparatus can include a processing unit, and optionally a transceiving unit, which can perform the function of the method in the first aspect or in any of the possible design examples of the first aspect, or the method in the third aspect or in any of the possible design examples of the third aspect, and details are not repeated here.

[0053] In an example, the communication device includes one or more processors, optionally includes a memory, and / or optionally includes a transceiver configured to transmit and receive data, messages, or information, and configured to communicate with other devices in a system. The one or more processors are configured to support the communication device to perform the corresponding functions of the first aspect or any of the possible design examples of the first aspect, or the third aspect or any of the possible design examples of the third aspect. The memory is coupled to the processor(s) and stores program instructions and data for the communication device.

[0054] In an example, the communication device includes one or more processors, optionally includes a memory, and / or optionally includes a transceiver configured to transmit and receive data, messages, or information, and configured to communicate with other devices in a system. The one or more processors are configured to support the communication device to perform the corresponding functions of the first aspect or any of the possible design examples of the first aspect, or the third aspect or any of the possible design examples of the third aspect. The memory is coupled to the processor(s) and stores program instructions and data for the communication device.

[0055] In an example, the communication device includes one or more processors, optionally includes a memory, and / or optionally includes a transceiver configured to transmit and receive data, messages, or information, and configured to communicate with other devices in a system. The one or more processors are configured to support the communication device to perform the corresponding functions of the first aspect or any of the possible design examples of the first aspect, or the third aspect or any of the possible design examples of the third aspect. The memory is coupled to the processor(s) and stores program instructions and data for the communication device.

[0056] In an example, the communication device includes one or more processors, optionally includes a memory, and / or optionally includes a transceiver configured to transmit and receive data, messages, or information, and configured to communicate with other devices in a system. The one or more processors are configured to support the communication device to perform the corresponding functions of the first aspect or any of the possible design examples of the first aspect, or the third aspect or any of the possible design examples of the third aspect. The memory is coupled to the processor(s) and stores program instructions and data for the communication device.

[0057] In an example, the communication device includes one or more processors, optionally includes a memory, and / or optionally includes a transceiver configured to transmit and receive data, messages, or information, and configured to communicate with other devices in a system. The one or more processors are configured to support the communication device to perform the corresponding functions of the first aspect or any of the possible design examples of the first aspect, or the third aspect or any of the possible design examples of the third aspect. The memory is coupled to the processor(s) and stores program instructions and data for the communication device.

[0058] In a possible design, the communication apparatus can include a processing unit, and optionally further include a transceiver unit, which can perform the functions of the method in the fourth aspect or in various possible design examples of the fourth aspect. Details are not repeated here.

[0059] In a possible design, the communication apparatus can include one or more processors, and optionally further include a memory and / or a transceiver, where the transceiver is configured to receive and / or transmit data, messages, information, and the like, and to perform communication interaction with other devices in a system, and the processor is configured to support the communication apparatus to perform corresponding functions in the fourth aspect or in various possible design examples of the fourth aspect. The memory is coupled to the processor, and stores program instructions and data necessary for the communication apparatus.

[0060] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, which can include a network device, a terminal device, and a satellite. The terminal device can be configured to implement the method in the first aspect or in various possible design examples of the first aspect, or in the third aspect or in various possible design examples of the third aspect. The network device can be configured to implement the method in the second aspect or in various possible design examples of the second aspect. The satellite can be configured to implement the method in the fourth aspect or in various possible design examples of the fourth aspect.

[0061] In a ninth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores program instructions. When the program instructions are executed on a computer, the computer is caused to perform the method in the first aspect and any possible design thereof, or the method in the second aspect and any possible design thereof, or the method in the third aspect and any possible design thereof, or the method in the fourth aspect and any possible design thereof. Exemplarily, the computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. For example but not limited to: the computer-readable medium can include a non-transitory computer-readable medium, a random-access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an electrically EPROM (EEPROM), a CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer.

[0062] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, including a computer program or instructions, which, when executed on a computer, causes the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect, or the method in the third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect, or the method in the fourth aspect or any possible implementation of the fourth aspect to be performed.

[0063] In an eleventh aspect, the present application also provides a chip or chip system, including one or more processors coupled with at least one memory for reading and executing program instructions stored in the memory, so that the chip or chip system implements the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect, or the method in the third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect, or the method in the fourth aspect or any possible implementation of the fourth aspect.

[0064] The technical effects of each of the above-mentioned fourth to eleventh aspects and each possible implementation of the aspects can refer to the technical effects of the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, or the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect, or the third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect, or the fourth aspect or any possible implementation of the fourth aspect, which will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0065] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system provided by the present application;

[0066] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a satellite transmitting signals in a transparent repeating mode provided by the present application;

[0067] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a satellite transmitting signals in a regenerative repeating mode provided by the present application;

[0068] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a satellite supporting transparent repeating mode and regenerative repeating mode provided by the present application;

[0069] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of uplink and downlink time reference points provided by the present application;

[0070] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of time reference point setting provided by the present application;

[0071] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a communication method provided by the present application;

[0072] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a first forwarding mode signal and a second forwarding mode signal transmitted by time division multiplexing (TDM) according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0073] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a time domain position of a transparent forwarding mode signal transmitted according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0074] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a time domain position of a transparent forwarding mode signal transmitted according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0075] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0076] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0077] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus for transmitting a signal by a satellite supporting a transparent forwarding mode and a regenerative forwarding mode simultaneously. The method and apparatus described in the present application are based on the same technical concept. Since the principles of the method and apparatus for solving problems are similar, the implementation of the apparatus and the method can be referred to each other, and the repeated parts will not be described again.

[0078] In the description of the present application, the words "first", "second", etc. are only used for distinguishing the purpose of description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance, nor indicating or implying order.

[0079] In the description of the present application, "at least one" means one or more, and more means two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions means any combination of these items, including any combination of single or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b or c can mean a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a and b and c, where a, b, c can be single or multiple.

[0080] In the description of the present application, "and / or" describes the association relationship between the associated objects, which means that there can be three kinds of relationships, for example, A and / or B can mean that A exists alone, A and B exist together, B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. " / " means "or", for example, a / b means a or b.

[0081] In order to more clearly describe the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the communication method and apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0082] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) system, a 4th generation (4G) mobile communication system (such as a long term evolution (LTE) system), a 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system (such as a new radio (NR) system), and a future communication network.

[0083] For example, FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an architecture of a possible communication system to which the embodiments of the present application are applied. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system can include at least one terminal device (two terminal devices, i.e., terminal device 1 and terminal device 2, are shown in FIG. 1 as an example), a satellite, a gateway station, an access network device, and at least one core network (two core networks, i.e., core network 1 and core network 2, are shown in FIG. 1 as an example).

[0084] The terminal device, also referred to as user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc., is a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to users. For example, the terminal device can include a handheld device having wireless connection capability, a car-mounted device, etc. Currently, the terminal device can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a palm computer, a mobile internet device (MID), a wearable device, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, an extended reality (XR) device, a mixed reality (MR) device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, or a wireless terminal in smart home, etc. The terminal device can also be a device-to-device (D2D) terminal device, a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication terminal device, a smart vehicle, a telematics box (TBOX), a machine-to-machine / machine-type communications (M2M / MTC) terminal device, an internet of things (IoT) terminal device. For example, the terminal device can be a vehicle, a ship, or an aircraft, etc. a carrier or a terminal type road unit, or a communication module or chip built-in a vehicle or a road unit. For example, the terminal device can be a vehicle-mounted module. The terminal device can also be a road side unit (RSU).

[0085] In this application, the terminal device can also be a functional module, a chip or a chip system. Optionally, the functional module, the chip or the chip system can be arranged in the terminal device.

[0086] A gateway station, which can also be understood as a satellite gateway (also known as a hub or concentrator), is a ground station that transmits data from the satellite to a local area network. The gateway station can house antennas and equipment that convert radio frequency (RF) signals to internet protocol (IP) signals for ground connections.

[0087] An access network device is a device for providing access for a terminal device. The access network device can include a radio access network (RAN) device, such as a base station. In this application, the access network device is located on the ground, and an example access network device can also be referred to as a ground station. The access network device can be a base station, an evolved Node B (eNB or e-NodeB) in a long term evolution (LTE) system or a long term evolution-advanced (LTE-A), 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, and the like, and can also be an access network device in an open RAN (ORAN) system, and the like. Optionally, the access network device can also be a module or unit that completes part of the functions of a base station, for example, the access network device can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU), and the like. Here, the CU completes the functions of the radio resource control protocol and the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) of the base station, and can also complete the function of the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP); the DU completes the functions of the radio link control layer and the medium access control (MAC) layer of the base station, and can also complete part of the functions of the physical layer or all the functions of the physical layer. In different systems, the CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or 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, the DU can also be referred to as an open (O)-DU, the CU-CP can also be referred to as an O-CU-CP, the CU-UP can also be referred to as an O-CU-UP, and the RU can also be referred to as an O-RU.

[0088] The access network device can be a macro base station, a micro base station (also referred to as a small station) or an indoor station, and can also be a relay node or a donor node, etc. The access network device can also be a radio network controller (RNC), a Node B (NB), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a home base station (for example, a home evolved NodeB or a home Node B, HNB), a baseband unit (BBU) or a remote radio unit (RRU), or a wireless fidelity (Wifi) access point (AP), or a baseband pool (BBU pool) and an RRU in a cloud radio access network (CRAN), etc. Embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form of the access network device.

[0089] In the present application, the access network device can also be a functional module, a chip or a chip system. Optionally, the functional module, the chip or the chip system can be arranged in the access network device.

[0090] The satellite can also be referred to as a space base station. The satellite plays the role of a relay node, amplifies the signal of a sending terminal at a certain geographical position on the earth's surface, and sends it to a receiving terminal at another geographical position. For example, the satellite can send the signal of the terminal device to the access network device. For example, the satellite can be, but is not limited to, a high-altitude aircraft, a drone, a high-altitude platform station (HAPS) or other devices. In the present application, the satellite supports transparent forwarding mode and regenerative forwarding mode.

[0091] Different services, different standards or different terminal devices can use different forwarding modes. For example, the forwarding mode suitable for the signal of standard 1 and the signal of standard 2 in FIG. 1 can be different.

[0092] In the present application, the satellite can schedule services using the regenerative forwarding mode for transmission. The access network device on the ground can schedule services using the transparent forwarding mode for transmission. The satellite and the access network device can negotiate information through the Xn interface, such as negotiating bandwidth part (BWP) allocation, BWP switching of the terminal device, time domain location reserved for the transparent forwarding mode, etc.

[0093] The core network can include a plurality of core network elements. For example, taking the 5G core network as an example, the 5G core network can include an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, a session management function (SMF) network element, a user plane function (UPF) network element, a policy control function (PCF) network element, a unified data management (UDM) network element, and the like. It should be understood that the 5G core network can also include other core network elements, which are not listed here one by one.

[0094] The UPF is responsible for user plane functions of the core network, including providing user message forwarding, processing, connection with a data network (DN), session anchor, quality of service (QoS) policy implementation, and the like.

[0095] The AMF is mainly used for mobility management and access management, etc., for example, the AMF can have mobility management, access authentication or authorization, and the like. In addition, the AMF is also responsible for delivering user policies between the terminal device and the PCF network element.

[0096] The SMF is used to implement session management, including providing session management for UE sessions (such as session establishment, modification, release), execution of control policies issued by the PCF, selection and control of the UPF, IP address allocation of the UE, and the like.

[0097] The PCF is used to be responsible for policy control functions, including being responsible for charging, QoS bandwidth guarantee, mobility policy management, terminal device access policy, and the like, at the session and service flow level.

[0098] The UDM is responsible for unified data management functions, including subscription management, access authorization, authentication information generation, and the like.

[0099] It should be understood that the above only takes the 5G core network as an example for explanation, and in future communication networks, the core network elements can also have other names, which are not limited by the present application.

[0100] The communication system described in the embodiments of the present application is used to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application. Those skilled in the art can know that with the evolution of network architecture and the appearance of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0101] The following first explains the related terms or technologies involved in the embodiments of the present application. It should be noted that these explanations are to make the embodiments of the present application easier to understand, and should not be regarded as limiting the scope of protection required by the present application.

[0102] 1) Transparent forwarding mode

[0103] The so-called transparent forwarding mode refers to that the satellite only performs frequency conversion and amplification and the like on the received signal, and then transmits the processed signal to the receiving end.

[0104] For example, FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a satellite transmitting a signal in the transparent forwarding mode. It is assumed that a ground station (here, the transmitting end) transmits a signal to a terminal device (here, the receiving end). The ground station transmits the signal to be transmitted on a feeder link. The feeder link refers to a communication channel at a certain frequency used by the satellite and the ground station for communication. For example, it is assumed that the frequency of the feeder link is 15 gigahertz (GHz), and the ground station up-converts the signal to the 15 GHz communication channel and transmits it to the satellite.

[0105] After the satellite receives the signal of the feeder link through the receiving antenna, a transponder is used to perform the transparent forwarding mode processing. It should be noted that a communication system of a satellite usually includes multiple transponders, and different transponders use different frequencies and beam directions. Here, only one transponder is taken as an example for illustration.

[0106] For example, the transponder in the satellite performs low noise amplification (LNA) and radio frequency (RF) filtering (such as RF band filter) on the signal received by the satellite through the receiving antenna, and then down-converts the signal to an intermediate frequency through a mixer 1. At the intermediate frequency, the transponder performs intermediate frequency amplification, filtering and the like on the signal, and then the transponder up-converts the signal to the frequency of a service link through a mixer 2. The service link refers to a communication channel at a certain frequency used by the satellite and the terminal device for communication. For example, it is assumed that the frequency of the service link is 2 GHz, and the mixer 2 up-converts the signal to 2 GHz. The transponder amplifies the up-converted signal through a high-power amplifier, and then transmits the final processed signal to the transmitting antenna to transmit it to the terminal device on the service link.

[0107] From the above, the transponder in the satellite only performs frequency conversion, filtering, amplification and other analog domain signal processing on the signal, and does not demodulate and decode the signal sent by the ground station, and is therefore referred to as a transparent repeating mode. The transparent repeating mode can also be referred to as a transparent repeating mode and other descriptions. The present application takes the transparent repeating mode as an example for illustration.

[0108] 2) Regenerative repeating mode

[0109] The so-called regenerative repeating mode refers to that the satellite not only performs frequency conversion, amplification and other analog domain signal processing on the received signal, but also performs demodulation and decoding processing, and then regenerates the signal and sends it to the receiving end.

[0110] For example, FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a satellite transmitting a signal in a regenerative repeating mode. It is assumed that a ground station (here, the sending end) sends a signal to a terminal device (here, the receiving end). The ground station sends the signal to be sent on the feeder link. Among them, the feeder link refers to a communication channel at a certain frequency used by the satellite to communicate with the ground station. For example, it is assumed that the frequency of the feeder link is 15 GHz, and the ground station will up-convert the signal to a 15 GHz communication channel and send it to the satellite.

[0111] After the satellite receives the signal on the feeder link through the receiving antenna, a transponder is used to perform regenerative repeating mode processing. It should be noted that a communication system in a satellite usually includes multiple transponders, and different transponders use different frequencies and beam directions. Here, only one transponder is taken as an example for illustration.

[0112] For example, a transponder in a satellite receives a signal through a receive antenna, and performs low noise amplification and radio frequency filtering on the received signal. The transponder then performs down conversion on the signal through a mixer 1 to convert the signal to an intermediate frequency. At the intermediate frequency, the transponder performs intermediate frequency amplification, filtering, and other processing on the signal. The transponder then converts the intermediate frequency signal to a baseband (BB), and performs demodulation and decoding (e.g., decoding of forward error correction code (FEC)) on the received signal to obtain information bits transmitted by a ground station. The transponder then determines a beam direction, a resource to be used, a modulation and coding rate, and the like for the retransmission of the signal through on board processing (OBP). The transponder then re-encodes and modulates the information bits, and converts the signal to a frequency of a service link through a mixer 2. The service link refers to a communication channel at a certain frequency used by the satellite to communicate with a terminal device. For example, assuming that the frequency of the service link is 2 GHz, the mixer 2 converts the signal to 2 GHz. The transponder amplifies the converted signal through a high power amplifier, and transmits the processed signal to a transmit antenna to transmit the signal to the terminal device over the service link.

[0113] As described above, the transponder in the satellite not only performs analog domain signal processing such as frequency conversion, filtering, and amplification, but also restores the signal transmitted by the ground station to a bit sequence through demodulation and decoding, and then re-encodes and modulates the bit sequence before transmitting the bit sequence. This is referred to as a regenerative retransmission mode.

[0114] Compared to the transparent retransmission mode, the satellite in the regenerative retransmission mode can perform scheduling and beam direction selection more flexibly, and the demodulation performance is usually higher. Compared to the regenerative retransmission mode, the transparent retransmission mode has the following advantages: forward compatibility (i.e., any signal can be retransmitted, so that an operator can use other communication protocols in its business without re-launching the satellite), and lower latency in some service configurations (because, compared to the regenerative mode, there is no need to perform demodulation and decoding, scheduling, re-encoding and modulation, and the like).

[0115] 3) Simultaneously supporting the transparent retransmission mode and the regenerative retransmission mode

[0116] In order to take into account the advantages of the transparent retransmission mode and the regenerative retransmission mode, the satellite can simultaneously support the transparent retransmission mode and the regenerative retransmission mode.

[0117] For example, FIG. 4 shows a transmission diagram of a satellite supporting transparent forwarding mode and regenerative forwarding mode. In the diagram, the transponder of the satellite includes a regenerative mode branch and a transparent mode branch, i.e., the satellite can transmit signals through the regenerative mode branch and the transparent mode branch. In the following, the regenerative mode branch can be referred to as the regenerative branch for simplicity, and the transparent mode branch can be referred to as the transparent branch for simplicity. The two branches can share a receiving end radio frequency part, a transmitting end radio frequency part, and other parts, and are connected in parallel. For example, the transparent branch and the regenerative branch shown in FIG. 4 can share a low noise amplifier, a radio frequency band pass filter, a mixer 1, a crystal oscillator 1, and an intermediate frequency amplifier, and share a mixer 2, a crystal oscillator 2, and a high power amplifier.

[0118] For the down-converted signals, the regenerative branch and the transparent branch use respective intermediate frequency filters to filter out respective corresponding signals. The regenerative branch performs intermediate frequency amplification, filtering, and other processing on the signals, and then converts the intermediate frequency signals to a baseband to demodulate and decode the received signals to obtain information bits sent by the ground station. Further, the regenerative branch determines a beam direction, a resource, a modulation and coding rate, and the like used for forwarding signals through on-board processing, and then re-encodes and modulates the information bits.

[0119] The transparent branch only performs filtering processing on the signals.

[0120] The signals generated by the transparent branch and the regenerative branch are combined together through a combining module (not shown in FIG. 4), are converted to a frequency used in a service link through a mixer 2, are amplified through a high power amplifier, and are transmitted to a transmitting antenna to be sent to terminal devices in the service link.

[0121] It should be understood that FIG. 4 is only an example, and the regenerative branch and the transparent branch can also be implemented in other manners, which are not limited in the present application.

[0122] In a communication system, there is generally a concept of "uplink and downlink time reference points". The so-called time reference point refers to a physical location in the communication system, at which the time slot boundaries of uplink and downlink signals are aligned or have a fixed offset.

[0123] For example, in a communication system including a satellite supporting the regenerative repeating mode, the location of the satellite can be taken as a time reference point (hereinafter, the location of the satellite is taken as a time reference point is referred to as the satellite as a time reference point), i.e. the time slot boundaries of the uplink and downlink signals at the satellite are aligned or have a fixed offset. For example, in order to make the time slot boundaries of the uplink and downlink signals at the satellite aligned or keep a fixed offset, timing adjustment at the terminal device is needed. At the terminal device, the time slot boundaries of the uplink and downlink signals are not aligned and the offset is not fixed. The following description takes the time slot boundaries of the uplink and downlink signals aligned as an example, i.e. the fixed offset is 0. As shown in FIG. 5, it is assumed that the distance between the satellite and the terminal device is 650 kilometers (km). Then the electromagnetic wave needs to propagate 2.2 milliseconds (ms) from the satellite to the terminal device (i.e. the one-way time delay is 2.2 ms). Then the satellite is taken as the time reference point of the uplink and downlink signals, and the time slot boundaries of the uplink and downlink signals are aligned at the satellite, as shown in the time slots at the satellite in FIG. 5. Because of the propagation time delay, the downlink signal arrives at the terminal device with a time delay of 2.2 ms. In order to make the time slot boundaries of the uplink and downlink signals aligned at the satellite, the terminal device needs to send the signal in advance, and in the example shown in FIG. 5, the terminal device needs to advance the sending time of the signal by 2.2 x 2 = 4.4 ms (i.e. the timing advance is 2.2 x 2 = 4.4 ms), so that the time slot boundaries of the uplink signal arriving at the satellite can be aligned with the time slot boundaries of the downlink signal.

[0124] However, if a satellite in a communication system supports both the transparent repeating mode and the regenerative repeating mode, how to set the satellite as the time reference point of the signal in the regenerative repeating mode and also make the access network device as the time reference point of the signal in the transparent repeating mode is not clear at present.

[0125] However, if a satellite in a communication system supports both the transparent repeating mode and the regenerative repeating mode, how to set the satellite as the time reference point of the signal in the regenerative repeating mode and also make the access network device as the time reference point of the signal in the transparent repeating mode is not clear at present.

[0126] For example, as shown in the example of FIG. 6, the satellite supports both regenerative and transparent modes of signal transmission, and on the service link, the satellite is 650 km away from the terminal device, and the one-way delay is 2.2 ms. On the feeder link, the satellite is 1000 km away from the access network device, and the one-way delay is 3.3 ms. It is assumed that on the service link, a number of slots as shown in FIG. 6 are periodically reserved for the transmission of signals in the transparent mode, and the other slots are used for the transmission of signals in the regenerative mode. It is assumed that the signals in the regenerative mode use the satellite as the time reference point, that is, at the satellite, the uplink and downlink slot boundaries of the signals in the regenerative mode are aligned (as shown by the slots occupied by the signals in the regenerative mode at the satellite in FIG. 6), and thus the signals in the transparent mode also need to be aligned at the satellite (as shown by the slots occupied by the signals in the transparent mode at the satellite in FIG. 6), that is, the terminal device using transparent services needs to advance the uplink signal relative to the downlink signal by 4.4 ms, so that the uplink and downlink slot boundaries of the signals in the transparent mode are aligned at the satellite. In this way, the satellite is the time reference point for both the signals in the regenerative mode and the signals in the transparent mode. At this time, the signals in the transparent mode cannot be aligned at the access network device, that is, the access network device is not the time reference point for the signals in the transparent mode. For example, in the example of FIG. 6, because the transmission delay of the feeder link is 3.3 ms, the uplink signal (the feeder link is from the satellite to the access network device) arrives at the access network device with a delay of 3.3 ms relative to the satellite, and the downlink signal (the feeder link is from the access network device to the satellite) needs to be sent at the access network device in advance by 3.3 ms. In this way, at the access network device, there is a 6.6 ms deviation between the uplink and downlink signals, and the deviation between the uplink and downlink slot boundaries is 0.6 ms.

[0127] In this way, in the example shown in FIG. 6, although the signals in the transparent mode are scheduled by the access network device, the access network device cannot be the time reference point for the uplink and downlink signals, which brings great challenges to the design of the access network device and the communication system. In addition, for a non-geosynchronous satellite, the distance of the feeder link changes over time, that is, the distance between the satellite and the access network device changes as the satellite moves. At this time, if the access network device cannot be the time reference point for the signals in the transparent mode, the deviation between the uplink and downlink signal slot boundaries will also change accordingly, which will further increase the difficulty of the design of the communication system.

[0128] Based on this, an embodiment of the present application proposes a communication method, which can make the satellite the time reference point for the signals in the regenerative mode and the access network device the time reference point for the signals in the transparent mode, and the signals in the transparent mode and the signals in the regenerative mode do not interfere with each other, when the satellite transmits signals in both the transparent mode and the regenerative mode.

[0129] In the following embodiments, the communication method provided by the present application is described in detail taking a certain device as an example. It should be understood that the operations performed by the device can also be implemented by a processor in the device, or a chip or chip system, or a functional module, and the present application does not limit this.

[0130] Based on the above description, the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be referred to Figure 7. The flow of the method can include:

[0131] Step 701: The access network device sends first information. Correspondingly, the first terminal device receives the first information.

[0132] The first information is used to indicate the first uplink time domain position and the first downlink time domain position. The first uplink time domain position is used to transmit the uplink signal of the first forwarding mode in the first period. The first downlink time domain position is used to transmit the downlink signal of the first forwarding mode in the first period. The first forwarding mode is a satellite supported forwarding mode.

[0133] In the first period, the access network device serves as a time reference point of the signal of the first forwarding mode, and schedules the signal of the first forwarding mode to be transmitted in the first uplink time domain position and the first downlink time domain position.

[0134] In some embodiments, the first information can be system information. The first information can be broadcast by the access network device. For example, the first information can be carried on a system information block (SIB), or the first information can also be a SIB.

[0135] In some embodiments, the access network device can communicate with the first terminal device through a satellite.

[0136] The first terminal device receiving the first information is a terminal device using the first forwarding mode for communication. The first terminal device using the first forwarding mode for communication is using a satellite or a satellite supported first forwarding mode for communication. Of course, other terminal devices or the first terminal device can also use the satellite or the satellite supported second forwarding mode for communication, and the present application does not limit this.

[0137] The satellite can support the first forwarding mode and the second forwarding mode. For example, different forwarding modes can support the transmission of signals of different communication systems. For example, the second forwarding mode can support signals of the first communication system, and the first forwarding mode can support signals of the second communication system. For example, the first communication system is a 5G communication system, and the second communication system can be a 6G communication system. The satellite transmits signals of different systems through different forwarding modes, which can reduce the cost.

[0138] Optionally, the first forwarding mode is a transparent forwarding mode, and the second forwarding mode is a regenerative forwarding mode.

[0139] For example, as shown in FIG. 8, in a period, A time slots can be used to transmit the signal of the second forwarding mode, and B time slots can be used to transmit the signal of the first forwarding mode, where A and B are positive integers.

[0140] It should be understood that the arrangement order of the A time slots and the B time slots shown in FIG. 8 is only illustrative, and the arrangement order of the A time slots and the B time slots is not limited in the present application.

[0141] It should be understood that the arrangement order of the A time slots and the B time slots shown in FIG. 8 is only illustrative, and the arrangement order of the A time slots and the B time slots is not limited in the present application.

[0142] It should be understood that the A time slots are not necessarily consecutive time slots, and the B time slots are not necessarily consecutive time slots, which are not limited in the present application.

[0143] In an optional embodiment, the first period can include N sub-periods, each of which can be used to transmit the signals of the first forwarding mode and the second forwarding mode, and N is a positive integer.

[0144] In an example, each of the sub-periods can be as shown in FIG. 8.

[0145] In some embodiments, although each period can be used to transmit the signals of the first forwarding mode and the second forwarding mode, only one of the first forwarding mode or the second forwarding mode can exist in some of the sub-periods, that is, only one of the first forwarding mode or the second forwarding mode can be transmitted in some of the sub-periods.

[0146] It can be understood that the first uplink time domain position is used to transmit the uplink signal of the first forwarding mode in the first period, which can be understood as the first uplink time domain position in each of the sub-periods of the first period being used to transmit the uplink signal of the first forwarding mode. The first downlink time domain position is used to transmit the downlink signal of the first forwarding mode in the first period, which can be understood as the first downlink time domain position in each of the sub-periods of the first period being used to transmit the downlink signal of the first forwarding mode.

[0147] In some examples, when the first information indicates the first uplink time domain position and the first downlink time domain position, the first information can indicate a first uplink time slot number and a first downlink time slot number. The first uplink time slot number can include one or more time slot numbers, and the first downlink time slot number can include one or more time slot numbers.

[0148] That is, a time slot corresponding to the first uplink time slot number in each sub-period of the first period transmits the uplink signal of the first forwarding mode, and a time slot corresponding to the first downlink time slot number in each sub-period of the first period transmits the downlink signal of the first forwarding mode.

[0149] Optionally, the first uplink time slot number and the first downlink time slot number can be different.

[0150] In some possible designs, the first terminal device can perform uplink time synchronization according to a first timing advance (TA) corresponding to the first forwarding mode and the first uplink time domain position; and / or perform downlink time synchronization according to the first downlink time domain position. In this way, the uplink and downlink time slot boundaries of the signal of the first forwarding mode can be aligned at the access network device.

[0151] It should be understood that the time slots described herein are only exemplary descriptions of time domain positions, and other descriptions can also be used, which are not limited in the present application.

[0152] In an optional implementation, the first information can also be used to indicate a starting moment of the first period, so that the uplink signal of the first forwarding mode is transmitted according to the first uplink time domain position indicated by the first information, and the downlink signal of the first forwarding mode is transmitted according to the first downlink time domain position, starting from the starting moment of the first period. It can also be understood that the first information indicates the effective moment of the first uplink time domain position and the first downlink time domain position.

[0153] In some embodiments, the access network device receives third information before sending the first information, and accordingly, the satellite sends the third information, and then the access network device determines the first uplink time domain position according to the third uplink time domain position, and determines the first downlink time domain position according to the third downlink time domain position.

[0154] The third information is used to indicate the third uplink time domain position and the third downlink time domain position reserved by the satellite, the third uplink time domain position is used to transmit the uplink signal of the first forwarding mode, and the third downlink time domain position is used to transmit the downlink signal of the first forwarding mode.

[0155] Here, the third uplink time domain position can be an uplink time domain position reserved by the satellite for transmitting the uplink signal of the first forwarding mode in the first period, and the third downlink time domain position can be a downlink time domain position reserved by the satellite for transmitting the downlink signal of the first forwarding mode in the first period.

[0156] Optionally, the third uplink time domain position and the third downlink time domain position can be the same or different, which is not limited in the present application.

[0157] That is, the satellite first reserves an uplink time domain position for transmitting the uplink signal of the first repeating mode in the first period and a downlink time domain position for transmitting the downlink signal of the first repeating mode in the first period, and the access network device determines the first uplink time domain position based on the third uplink time domain position reserved by the satellite and determines the first downlink time domain position based on the third downlink time domain position reserved by the satellite, so as to ensure that the signal of the first repeating mode is located in the time domain position reserved by the satellite when reaching the satellite.

[0158] Optionally, the satellite can reserve the third uplink time domain position and the third downlink time domain position in a static or semi-static manner.

[0159] In the case where the satellite reserves the third uplink time domain position and the third downlink time domain position in a static manner, it can be understood that the third uplink time domain position and the third downlink time domain position take effect immediately after the satellite sends information indicating the third uplink time domain position and the third downlink time domain position. Optionally, the information indicating the third uplink time domain position and the third downlink time domain position can be radio resource control (RRC) information.

[0160] In the case where the satellite reserves the third uplink time domain position and the third downlink time domain position in a semi-static manner, it can be understood that the satellite sends information indicating the third uplink time domain position and the third downlink time domain position, and then sends information indicating activation of the third uplink time domain position and the third downlink time domain position, so as to make the third uplink time domain position and the third downlink time domain position take effect. Optionally, the satellite can further send information indicating deactivation of the third uplink time domain position and the third downlink time domain position, so as to make the third uplink time domain position and the third downlink time domain position not take effect. Optionally, the information indicating the third uplink time domain position and the third downlink time domain position can be RRC information, and the information indicating activation or deactivation of the third uplink time domain position and the third downlink time domain position can be media access control (MAC) information.

[0161] In a possible manner, the time length of the first uplink time domain position is less than the time length of the third uplink time domain position, and the time length of the first downlink time domain position is less than the time length of the third downlink time domain position. In this way, it can be ensured that the signal of the first repeating mode scheduled by the access network device can be located in the time domain position reserved by the satellite when reaching the satellite, and the signal of the first repeating mode will not interfere with the signal of the second repeating mode.

[0162] In some embodiments, the access network device can determine the first uplink time domain position and the first downlink time domain position, and then transmit fourth information, the fourth information being used to indicate the first uplink time domain position and the first downlink time domain position. Accordingly, the satellite receives the fourth information, and determines the third uplink time domain position according to the first uplink time domain position, and determines the third downlink time domain position according to the first downlink time domain position.

[0163] Step 702: The satellite transmits fifth information, the fifth information being used to indicate the third uplink time domain position and the third downlink time domain position. Accordingly, the second terminal device receives the fifth information.

[0164] The third uplink time domain position and the third downlink time domain position can be determined by the satellite itself, or can be determined based on the fourth information of the access network device. For details, please refer to the foregoing description, which will not be described in detail here.

[0165] The second terminal device is a terminal device that transmits the second forwarding mode signal.

[0166] Optionally, the first terminal device and the second terminal device in the present application can be the same terminal device, or can be different terminal devices, which are not limited in the present application. In some examples of the present application, the terminal device is taken as an example for description, and it should be understood that the terminal device includes the first terminal device and / or the second terminal device.

[0167] In some embodiments, the satellite and the second terminal device transmit the uplink signal of the second forwarding mode at a time domain position other than the third uplink time domain position, and transmit the downlink signal of the second forwarding mode at a time domain position other than the third downlink time domain position. That is, the satellite, as a time reference point of the signal of the second forwarding mode, schedules the uplink signal of the second forwarding mode to be transmitted at a time domain position other than the third uplink time domain position, and schedules the downlink signal of the second forwarding mode to be transmitted at a time domain position other than the third downlink time domain position.

[0168] In some examples, when the satellite indicates the third uplink time domain position and the third downlink time domain position through the third information and the second information, the satellite can indicate a third uplink time slot number and a third downlink time slot number. The third uplink time slot number can include one or more time slot numbers, and the third downlink time slot number can include one or more time slot numbers.

[0169] It should be understood that the order of steps 701 and 702 is not limited in the present application.

[0170] For example, taking the first forwarding mode as the transparent forwarding mode and the second forwarding mode as the regenerative forwarding mode as an example, as shown in FIG. 9, it is assumed that the distance between the satellite and the terminal device (service link) is 650 km, and the one-way delay is 2.2 ms; the distance between the satellite and the access network device (feed link) is 1000 km, and the one-way delay is 3.3 ms. In FIG. 9, one sub-period in the first period is taken as an example, and one sub-period includes 16 time slots, as shown in time slots 0-15 in FIG. 9.

[0171] In FIG. 9, the access network device (i.e., the ground station) schedules the signal in the transparent forwarding mode, and the access network device serves as the uplink and downlink time reference point of the signal in the transparent forwarding mode, that is, the uplink and downlink time slot boundaries of the signal in the transparent forwarding mode are aligned at the access network device. In the case where the access network device performs signal transmission in the first forwarding mode, the access network device broadcasts system information (i.e., transmits the first information), indicating the uplink and downlink time slot numbers (i.e., the first uplink time slot number and the first downlink time slot number) for signal transmission in the transparent forwarding mode. In the example shown in FIG. 9, the access network device indicates time slots 2-4 as the transmission time slots of the downlink signal in the transparent forwarding mode, that is, as the downlink (the direction from the access network device to the satellite) time slots, and indicates time slots 9-11 as the transmission time slots of the uplink signal in the transparent forwarding mode, that is, as the uplink (the direction from the satellite to the access network device) time slots.

[0172] The satellite schedules the signal in the regenerative forwarding mode, and the satellite serves as the uplink and downlink time reference point of the signal in the regenerative forwarding mode, that is, the uplink and downlink time slot boundaries of the signal in the regenerative forwarding mode are aligned at the satellite. The satellite indicates, in a static or semi-static manner, that some time slots are reserved for signal transmission in the transparent forwarding mode. For example, in FIG. 9, the satellite reserves time slots 5-8 in time slots 0-15 for signal transmission in the transparent forwarding mode.

[0173] The time slot length reserved by the satellite for transmitting the transparent forwarding mode signal is greater than the time slot length indicated by the access network device for transmitting the transparent forwarding mode signal. For example, in FIG. 9, the satellite reserves 4 time slots (i.e., time slots 5-8) for uplink and downlink, respectively, while the access network device indicates 3 time slots for uplink and downlink, respectively (i.e., uplink time slots 9-10 and downlink time slots 2-4). In this way, the resource reserved by the satellite is greater than the resource actually used by the access network device, so as to ensure that the transparent forwarding mode signal uses the access network device as the time reference point and avoid interference of the transparent forwarding mode signal to the regenerative forwarding mode signal. In the example shown in FIG. 9, because the time delay of the feeder link is 3.3 ms, the downlink signal of the transparent forwarding mode arrives at the satellite within the time slots 5-8 reserved by the satellite, and there is a guard interval on both sides of the signal, so as not to interfere with the regenerative forwarding mode signal. When the uplink signal of the transparent forwarding mode arrives at the satellite from the terminal device, it is also within the time slots 5-8 reserved by the satellite, and there is a guard interval on both sides of the signal, so as not to interfere with the regenerative forwarding mode signal.

[0174] It can be understood that if the number of time slots reserved by the satellite and the number of time slots used by the transparent forwarding mode signal are exactly equal, then unless the time delay of the feeder link is exactly an integer number of time slots, the transparent forwarding mode signal will inevitably interfere with the regenerative forwarding mode signal.

[0175] The terminal device uses the TA of the first forwarding mode for time synchronization, and uses the access network device as the uplink and downlink time reference point, so as to ensure that the signal of the first forwarding mode is aligned at the uplink and downlink time slot boundary at the access network device.

[0176] As described above, the example shown in FIG. 9 can be implemented, the satellite is used as the time reference point of the regenerative forwarding mode signal, the access network device is used as the time reference point of the transparent forwarding mode signal, and the transparent forwarding mode signal and the regenerative forwarding mode signal do not interfere with each other.

[0177] In some embodiments, the distance between the satellite and the access network device is continuously changing when the satellite is a non-geosynchronous satellite. As described above, the satellite reserves some uplink and downlink time domain positions for transmitting the signals of the first repeating mode, so that the uplink and downlink signals of the first repeating mode scheduled by the access network device are located in the uplink and downlink time domain positions reserved by the satellite. However, as the distance between the satellite and the access network device changes, the transmission delay also changes. After a certain period of time, the signals of the first repeating mode scheduled by the access network device will not be located in the uplink and downlink time domain positions reserved by the satellite, and will interfere with the signals of the second repeating mode. Therefore, the access network device needs to adjust the resources (i.e., the uplink and downlink time domain positions used for transmitting the signals of the first repeating mode) used for transmitting the signals of the first repeating mode in time before the interference occurs according to the change of the transmission delay of the feeder link.

[0178] In an optional implementation, the access network device sends second information, and the first terminal device receives the second information. The second information is used to indicate a second uplink time domain position and a second downlink time domain position. The second uplink time domain position is used for transmitting the uplink signals of the first repeating mode in a second period, and the second downlink time domain position is used for transmitting the downlink signals of the first repeating mode in the second period. The second period is different from the first period.

[0179] Optionally, the second period can be the next period of the first period, or can be a period after the first period and spaced apart from the first period by a plurality of periods, or can be a period before the first period, and the application does not limit this.

[0180] If the first period is before the second period, it can be understood that the second period is the updated period, and if the first period is after the second period, it can be understood that the first period is the updated period.

[0181] For example, the second period includes M sub-periods, and M is a positive integer. Each sub-period is used for transmitting the signals of the first repeating mode and the second repeating mode.

[0182] Optionally, M and N are different. The time length of a sub-period in the first period can be the same as or different from the time length of a sub-period in the second period.

[0183] For example, the time length of the first period is different from the time length of the second period.

[0184] Optionally, when the second information indicates the second uplink time domain position and the second downlink time domain position, the second information can indicate a second uplink time slot number and a second downlink time slot number. The second uplink time slot number can include one or more time slot numbers, and the second downlink time slot number can include one or more time slot numbers.

[0185] That is, the uplink signal of the first forwarding mode is transmitted in the time slot corresponding to the second uplink time slot number in each sub-period of the second period, and the downlink signal of the first forwarding mode is transmitted in the time slot corresponding to the second downlink time slot number in each sub-period of the second period.

[0186] In some examples, the second information can also be used to indicate a starting moment of the second period, so that the uplink signal of the first forwarding mode is transmitted according to the second uplink time domain position indicated by the second information, and the downlink signal of the first forwarding mode is transmitted according to the second downlink time domain position, starting from the starting moment of the second period. It can also be understood that the second information indicates the second uplink time domain position and the effective moment of the second uplink time domain position.

[0187] Optionally, the access network device can calculate the starting moment of the second period through ephemeris information of the satellite.

[0188] In some embodiments, the time offset between the starting position of the first uplink time domain position and the starting position of the first period is different from the time offset between the starting position of the second uplink time domain position and the starting position of the second period; and / or, the time offset between the starting position of the first downlink time domain position and the starting position of the first period is different from the time offset between the starting position of the second downlink time domain position and the starting position of the second period. For example, taking the time domain position as a time slot, it can be understood that the first uplink time slot number in the first period is different from the second uplink time slot number in the second period, and / or the first downlink time slot number in the first period is different from the second downlink time slot number in the second period.

[0189] For example, taking the second period as the next period of the first period as an example. The transmission of the signal of the first forwarding mode in the first period still uses the example shown in FIG. 9. If the satellite is not a geostationary satellite, it is assumed that after a period of time, the distance of the feeder link is reduced from 1000km to 700km, and the one-way time delay is reduced from 3.3ms to 2.3ms. At this time, if the time domain position shown in FIG. 9 is still used for transmission (i.e., the downlink signal of the first forwarding mode is transmitted according to time slots 2-4, and the uplink signal of the first forwarding mode is transmitted according to time slots 9-11), the signal of the transparent forwarding mode at the satellite will interfere with the signal of the regenerative forwarding mode. Therefore, in order to avoid interference, the access network device needs to indicate the uplink and downlink time domain positions for transmitting the signal of the transparent forwarding mode in the second period.

[0190] For example, as shown in FIG. 10, one sub-period includes 16 time slots, for example, time slots 0-15 shown in FIG. 10. The access network device calculates the starting time of the second period (here, t1) and indicates time slots 3-5 in the second period as transmission time slots of the downlink signal in the transparent forwarding mode, i.e., as downlink (access network device to satellite) time slots, and indicates time slots 8-10 as transmission time slots of the uplink signal in the transparent forwarding mode, i.e., as uplink (satellite to access network device) time slots. When reaching the time t1, the transmission time domain position in the first period is changed to the transmission time domain position in the second period, i.e., from transmitting the downlink signal in the first forwarding mode according to time slots 2-4 and transmitting the uplink signal in the first forwarding mode according to time slots 9-11 to transmitting the downlink signal in the first forwarding mode according to time slots 3-5 and transmitting the uplink signal in the first forwarding mode according to time slots 8-10. In this way, when the downlink signal in the transparent forwarding mode reaches the satellite, it is located in the time slots 5-8 reserved by the satellite, and there are guard intervals on both sides of the signal, so as not to interfere with the signal in the regenerative forwarding mode. When the uplink signal in the transparent forwarding mode reaches the satellite from the terminal device, it is also located in the time slots 5-8 reserved by the satellite, and there are guard intervals on both sides of the signal, so as not to interfere with the signal in the regenerative forwarding mode.

[0191] In some embodiments, the access network device and the first terminal device can transmit the first signal in a first sub-uplink time domain position in the first uplink time domain position and / or in a first sub-downlink time domain position in the first downlink time domain position in the first period, and transmit the first signal in a second sub-uplink time domain position in the second uplink time domain position and / or in a second sub-downlink time domain position in the second downlink time domain position in the second period, wherein the time offset between the starting position of the first sub-uplink time domain position and the starting position of the first uplink time domain position is the same as the time offset between the starting position of the second sub-uplink time domain position and the starting position of the second uplink time domain position, and / or the time offset between the starting position of the first sub-downlink time domain position and the starting position of the first downlink time domain position is the same as the time offset between the starting position of the second sub-downlink time domain position and the starting position of the second downlink time domain position.

[0192] It can be understood that the time offset can also be described as a time offset, a time domain offset, a time domain offset, or a distance between time domain positions, etc.

[0193] For example, it is assumed that in the first period, the first uplink time domain position includes time slots 2-4, the first sub-uplink time domain position includes time slot 3, the first downlink time domain position includes time slots 9-11, and the first sub-downlink time domain position includes time slot 10. In the second period, the second uplink time domain position includes time slots 3-5, the second sub-uplink time domain position includes time slot 4, the second downlink time domain position includes time slots 8-10, and the second sub-downlink time domain position includes time slot 9. It can be seen that the time domain offset of the time domain position occupied by the first signal in the first period is 1 time slot, and the time domain offset of the time domain position occupied by the first signal in the second period is 1 time slot. Optionally, the access network device can indicate that the downlink signal in the first signal is moved backward by a time domain offset (such as one time slot) when the time domain position of the downlink signal in the first signal changes from the time domain position in the first period to the time domain position in the second period, and indicate that the uplink signal in the first signal is moved forward by a time domain offset (such as one time slot) when the time domain position of the uplink signal in the first signal changes from the time domain position in the first period to the time domain position in the second period.

[0194] For example, the first signal includes one or more of the following: a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel block (SSB), a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), a sounding reference signal (SRS), or a signal transmitted in a random access channel occasion, etc.

[0195] Based on the above communication method, the satellite transmission signal supporting both the transparent forwarding mode and the regenerative forwarding mode can be realized, and the transparent forwarding mode signal and the regenerative forwarding mode signal can be prevented from interfering with each other.

[0196] In some scenarios, in the scenario where the satellite only supports the transparent forwarding mode, the access network device can also indicate the uplink and downlink time domain positions of the signal of the first forwarding mode through the first information, which is not limited in the present application.

[0197] Based on the above embodiments, the present application further provides a communication device. Referring to FIG. 11, the communication device 1100 can include a transceiver unit 1101 and a processing unit 1102. The transceiver unit 1101 is configured to perform communication, such as receiving information (signals or data) or transmitting information (signals or data), and the processing unit 1102 is configured to control and manage the actions of the communication device 1100. The processing unit 1102 can also control the steps performed by the transceiver unit 1101.

[0198] Exemplarily, the communication apparatus 1100 can be specifically a terminal device (e.g., a first terminal device or a second terminal device), a processor of the terminal device, or a chip, or a chip system, or a functional module, etc. in the above-described embodiments. Alternatively, the communication apparatus 1100 can be specifically an access network device, a processor of the access network device, or a chip, or a chip system, or a functional module, etc. in the above-described embodiments. Alternatively, the communication apparatus 1100 can be specifically a satellite (or other communication apparatus supporting transparent forwarding mode and regenerative forwarding mode), a processor of the satellite (or other communication apparatus supporting transparent forwarding mode and regenerative forwarding mode), or a chip, or a chip system, or a functional module, etc. in the above-described embodiments.

[0199] In one embodiment, when the communication apparatus 1100 is used to implement the functions of the first terminal device in the above-described embodiments, the transceiver 1101 can be configured to receive first information, the first information being used to indicate a first uplink time domain position and a first downlink time domain position, the first uplink time domain position being used to transmit an uplink signal of a first forwarding mode in a first period, the first downlink time domain position being used to transmit a downlink signal of the first forwarding mode in the first period, the first forwarding mode being a forwarding mode supported by the satellite. The processing unit 1102 can be configured to control the operation of the transceiver 1101.

[0200] In an optional implementation, the processing unit 1102 can be further configured to perform uplink time synchronization according to a first timing advance TA corresponding to the first forwarding mode and the first uplink time domain position; and / or perform downlink time synchronization according to the first downlink time domain position.

[0201] In some embodiments, the transceiver 1101 can be further configured to receive second information, the second information being used to indicate a second uplink time domain position and a second downlink time domain position, the second uplink time domain position being used to transmit the uplink signal of the first forwarding mode in a second period, the second downlink time domain position being used to transmit the downlink signal of the first forwarding mode in the second period, the second period being different from the first period.

[0202] Optionally, the second information is further used to indicate a starting moment of the second period.

[0203] Exemplarily, the first period and the second period have different time lengths.

[0204] In some possible implementations, a time offset between a starting position of the first uplink time domain position and a starting position of the first period is different from a time offset between a starting position of the second uplink time domain position and a starting position of the second period; and / or, a time offset between a starting position of the first downlink time domain position and a starting position of the first period is different from a time offset between a starting position of the second downlink time domain position and a starting position of the second period.

[0205] In some embodiments, the transceiver 1101 can be further configured to transmit the first signal in a first sub-uplink time domain position in the first uplink time domain position and / or in a first sub-downlink time domain position in the first downlink time domain position in the first period, and in a second sub-uplink time domain position in the second uplink time domain position and / or in a second sub-downlink time domain position in the second downlink time domain position in the second period, wherein a time offset between a starting position of the first sub-uplink time domain position and a starting position of the first uplink time domain position is the same as a time offset between a starting position of the second sub-uplink time domain position and a starting position of the second uplink time domain position; and / or, a time offset between a starting position of the first sub-downlink time domain position and a starting position of the first downlink time domain position is the same as a time offset between a starting position of the second sub-downlink time domain position and a starting position of the second downlink time domain position.

[0206] In some examples, the first signal comprises one or more of: a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel block (SSB), a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), a sounding reference signal (SRS), or a signal transmitted in a random access channel occasion.

[0207] Optionally, the first period comprises N sub-periods, and / or the second period comprises M sub-periods, the N and the M are positive integers, and the N and the M are different; wherein each sub-period is used to transmit the signals in the first forwarding mode and the second forwarding mode.

[0208] In an example, the satellite further supports the second forwarding mode.

[0209] In an example, the second forwarding mode is a regenerative forwarding mode.

[0210] In an example, the first forwarding mode is a transparent forwarding mode.

[0211] In another embodiment, the communication device 1100 is configured to implement the functions of the access network device in the above embodiments, the transceiver 1101 can be configured to send first information, the first information being used to indicate a first uplink time domain position and a first downlink time domain position, the first uplink time domain position being used to transmit an uplink signal of a first forwarding mode in a first period, the first downlink time domain position being used to transmit a downlink signal of the first forwarding mode in the first period, the first forwarding mode being a forwarding mode supported by the satellite. The processing unit 1102 can be configured to control the operation of the transceiver 1101.

[0212] In some embodiments, the transceiver 1101 can also be configured to receive third information, the third information being used to indicate a third uplink time domain position and a third downlink time domain position reserved by the satellite, the third uplink time domain position being used to transmit an uplink signal of the first forwarding mode, the third downlink time domain position being used to transmit a downlink signal of the first forwarding mode; the processing unit 1102 can also be configured to determine the first uplink time domain position according to the third uplink time domain position, and determine the first downlink time domain position according to the third downlink time domain position.

[0213] Optionally, a time length of the first uplink time domain position is less than a time length of the third uplink time domain position, and a time length of the first downlink time domain position is less than a time length of the third time domain position.

[0214] In yet some embodiments, the transceiver 1101 can also be configured to send fourth information, the fourth information being used to indicate the first uplink time domain position and the first downlink time domain position.

[0215] In an optional implementation, the transceiver 1101 can also be configured to send second information, the second information being used to indicate a second uplink time domain position and a second downlink time domain position, the second uplink time domain position being used to transmit an uplink signal of the first forwarding mode in a second period, the second downlink time domain position being used to transmit a downlink signal of the first forwarding mode in the second period, the second period being different from the first period.

[0216] Optionally, the second information is also used to indicate a starting time of the second period.

[0217] Illustratively, a time length of the first period and a time length of the second period are different.

[0218] In some embodiments, a time offset between a starting position of the first uplink time domain position and a starting position of the first period is different from a time offset between a starting position of the second uplink time domain position and a starting position of the second period; and / or, a time offset between a starting position of the first downlink time domain position and a starting position of the first period is different from a time offset between a starting position of the second downlink time domain position and a starting position of the second period.

[0219] In some possible manners, the transceiver 1101 can be further configured to transmit the first signal in a first sub-uplink time domain position in the first uplink time domain position and / or in a first sub-downlink time domain position in the first downlink time domain position in the first period, and transmit the first signal in a second sub-uplink time domain position in the second uplink time domain position and / or in a second sub-downlink time domain position in the second downlink time domain position in the second period; wherein a time offset between a starting position of the first sub-uplink time domain position and a starting position of the first uplink time domain position is the same as a time offset between a starting position of the second sub-uplink time domain position and a starting position of the second uplink time domain position; and / or, a time offset between a starting position of the first sub-downlink time domain position and a starting position of the first downlink time domain position is the same as a time offset between a starting position of the second sub-downlink time domain position and a starting position of the second downlink time domain position.

[0220] For example, the first signal includes one or more of the following: a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel block SSB, a channel state information reference signal CSI-RS, a sounding reference signal SRS, or a signal transmitted in a random access channel occasion.

[0221] Optionally, the first period includes N sub-periods, and / or the second period includes M sub-periods, the N and M are positive integers, and the N and the M are different; wherein each sub-period is used to transmit the signals in the first and second forwarding modes.

[0222] In some embodiments, the satellite also supports the second forwarding mode.

[0223] In an example, the second forwarding mode is a regenerative forwarding mode.

[0224] In an example, the first forwarding mode is a transparent forwarding mode.

[0225] In yet another embodiment, the communication apparatus 1100 is configured to implement the functions of the second terminal device in the above embodiments, and the transceiver 1101 can be configured to receive fifth information, the fifth information being used to indicate a third uplink time domain position and a third downlink time domain position, the third uplink time domain position being used to transmit an uplink signal of a first repeating mode, the third downlink time domain position being used to transmit a downlink signal of the first repeating mode, the first repeating mode being a repeating mode supported by the satellite. The processor 1102 can be configured to control the operation of the transceiver 1101.

[0226] In a possible implementation, the transceiver 1101 can be further configured to transmit an uplink signal of a second repeating mode at a time domain position other than the third uplink time domain position, and transmit a downlink signal of the second repeating mode at a time domain position other than the third downlink time domain position.

[0227] For example, the satellite further supports the second repeating mode.

[0228] For example, the second repeating mode is a regenerative repeating mode.

[0229] For example, the first repeating mode is a transparent repeating mode.

[0230] In yet another embodiment, the communication apparatus 1100 is configured to implement the functions of the satellite in the above embodiments, and the transceiver 1101 can be configured to send fifth information, the fifth information being used to indicate a third uplink time domain position and a third downlink time domain position, the third uplink time domain position being used to transmit an uplink signal of a first repeating mode, the third downlink time domain position being used to transmit a downlink signal of the first repeating mode, the first repeating mode being a repeating mode supported by the satellite. The processor 1102 can be configured to control the operation of the transceiver 1101.

[0231] In an optional implementation, the transceiver 1101 can be further configured to send third information, the third information being used to indicate the third uplink time domain position and the third downlink time domain position reserved by the satellite.

[0232] In another optional implementation, the transceiver 1101 can be further configured to receive fourth information, the fourth information being used to indicate a first uplink time domain position and a first downlink time domain position, the first uplink time domain position being used to transmit an uplink signal of the first repeating mode in a first period, the first downlink time domain position being used to transmit a downlink signal of the first repeating mode in the first period; and the processor 1102 can be further configured to determine the third uplink time domain position according to the first uplink time domain position, and determine the third downlink time domain position according to the first downlink time domain position.

[0233] Optionally, the time length of the first uplink time domain position is less than the time length of the third uplink time domain position, and the time length of the first downlink time domain position is less than the time length of the third time domain position.

[0234] In some embodiments, the transceiver unit 1101 can also be configured to transmit an uplink signal of a second forwarding mode at a time domain position other than the third uplink time domain position, and transmit a downlink signal of the second forwarding mode at a time domain position other than the third downlink time domain position.

[0235] For example, the satellite also supports the second forwarding mode.

[0236] For example, the second forwarding mode is a regenerative forwarding mode.

[0237] For example, the first forwarding mode is a transparent forwarding mode.

[0238] It should be noted that the division of units in the embodiments of the present application is illustrative, and is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, another division manner can be used. The functional units in the embodiments of the present application can be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit can be physically present independently, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit. The integrated unit can be realized in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional unit.

[0239] When the integrated unit is realized in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the present application essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art or the whole or 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 to make a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) or a processor execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the embodiments of the present application. The foregoing storage medium includes: a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and various program code storage media.

[0240] Based on the above embodiments, the embodiments of the present application further provide a communication device. Referring to FIG. 12, the communication device 1200 can include one or more processors 1202. Optionally, the communication device 1200 can further include a transceiver 1201. Optionally, the communication device 1200 can further include at least one memory 1203. The memory 1203 can be arranged inside the communication device 1200, or arranged outside the communication device 1200. The processor 1202 can control the transceiver 1201 to receive and send information, messages or data.

[0241] Specifically, the processor 1202 can be a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), or a combination of CPU and NP. The processor 1202 can further include a hardware chip. The hardware chip can be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD) or a combination thereof. The PLD can be a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a generic array logic (GAL) or any combination thereof.

[0242] The transceiver 1201, the processor 1202 and the memory 1203 are connected with each other. Optionally, the transceiver 1201, the processor 1202 and the memory 1203 are connected with each other through a bus 1204. The bus 1204 can be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For convenience, only one thick line is shown in FIG. 12, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0243] In an optional implementation, the memory 1203 is configured to store programs and the like. Specifically, the programs can include program codes including computer operation instructions. The memory 1203 can include a RAM, and can further include a non-volatile memory such as one or more disk memories. The processor 1202 executes the application programs stored in the memory 1203 to implement the above functions, thereby implementing the functions of the communication apparatus 1200.

[0244] For example, the communication apparatus 1200 can specifically implement the functions of the access network device, the terminal device (the first terminal device or the second terminal device), or the satellite in the above embodiments.

[0245] In one embodiment, when the communication apparatus 1200 implements the functions of the first terminal device in the above method embodiments, the transceiver 1201 can implement the transceiving operations performed by the first terminal device in the above method embodiments, and the processor 1202 can implement other operations performed by the first terminal device in the above method embodiments other than the transceiving operations. For specific descriptions, reference can be made to the related descriptions in the above method embodiments, which will not be described in detail here.

[0246] In another embodiment, when the communication apparatus 1200 implements the functions of the access network device in the above method embodiments, the transceiver 1201 can implement the transceiving operations performed by the access network device in the above method embodiments, and the processor 1202 can implement other operations performed by the access network device in the above method embodiments other than the transceiving operations. For specific descriptions, reference can be made to the related descriptions in the above method embodiments, which will not be described in detail here.

[0247] In another embodiment, when the communication apparatus 1200 implements the functions of the second terminal device in the above method embodiments, the transceiver 1201 can implement the transceiving operations performed by the second terminal device in the above method embodiments, and the processor 1202 can implement other operations performed by the second terminal device in the above method embodiments other than the transceiving operations. For specific descriptions, reference can be made to the related descriptions in the above method embodiments, which will not be described in detail here.

[0248] In another embodiment, when the communication apparatus 1200 implements the functions of the satellite in the above method embodiments, the transceiver 1201 can implement the transceiving operations performed by the satellite in the above method embodiments, and the processor 1202 can implement other operations performed by the satellite in the above method embodiments other than the transceiving operations. For specific descriptions, reference can be made to the related descriptions in the above method embodiments, which will not be described in detail here.

[0249] Based on the above embodiments, the embodiments of the present application provide a communication system, which can include the access network device, the terminal device (the first terminal device and the second terminal device), and the satellite, etc. involved in the above embodiments.

[0250] The embodiments of the present application further provide a computer readable storage medium for storing a computer program or instructions, which, when executed by a computer, can enable the computer to implement the communication method provided by the above method embodiments.

[0251] The embodiments of the present application further provide a computer program product for storing a computer program or instructions, which, when executed by a computer, can enable the computer to implement the communication method provided by the above method embodiments.

[0252] The embodiments of the present application further provide a chip or chip system, which includes a logic circuit configured to execute the communication method provided by the above method embodiments.

[0253] The embodiments of the present application further provide a chip or chip system, which includes one or more processors coupled to at least one memory, configured to invoke a program in the memory to enable the chip or chip system to implement the communication method provided by the above method embodiments.

[0254] The embodiments of the present application further provide a chip or chip system coupled to at least one memory, configured to implement the communication method provided by the above method embodiments.

[0255] Those skilled in the art should understand that the embodiments of the present application can be provided as a method, a system, or a computer program product. Therefore, the present application can take the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Moreover, the present application can take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0256] The computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks.

[0257] These computer program instructions can also be stored in a computer- readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the function specified in the flowchart block or blocks.

[0258] The computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks.

[0259] Obviously, numerous modifications and variations of the present application are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the claims and their equivalents, the application can be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: A terminal device for communicating with a network device via a satellite, comprising: receiving first information, the first information being used for indicating a first uplink time domain position and a first downlink time domain position, the first uplink time domain position being used for transmitting an uplink signal of a first repeating mode in a first period, the first downlink time domain position being used for transmitting a downlink signal of the first repeating mode in the first period, the first repeating mode being a repeating mode supported by the satellite.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: performing uplink time synchronization according to a first timing advance TA corresponding to the first repeating mode and the first uplink time domain position; and / or performing downlink time synchronization according to the first downlink time domain position.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving second information, the second information being used for indicating a second uplink time domain position and a second downlink time domain position, the second uplink time domain position being used for transmitting the uplink signal of the first repeating mode in a second period, the second downlink time domain position being used for transmitting the downlink signal of the first repeating mode in the second period, the second period being different from the first period.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, The second information is further used for indicating a starting time of the second period.

5. The method of claim 3 or 4, wherein, The first period and the second period have different time lengths.

6. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein, A time offset between a starting position of the first uplink time domain position and a starting position of the first period is different from a time offset between a starting position of the second uplink time domain position and a starting position of the second period; and / or A time offset between a starting position of the first downlink time domain position and a starting position of the first period is different from a time offset between a starting position of the second downlink time domain position and a starting position of the second period. The method further comprises:

7. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein, transmitting a first signal in a first sub-uplink time domain position in the first uplink time domain position and / or in a first sub-downlink time domain position in the first downlink time domain position in the first period; transmitting the first signal in a second sub-uplink time domain position in the second uplink time domain position and / or in a second sub-downlink time domain position in the second downlink time domain position in the second period; wherein a time offset between a starting position of the first sub-uplink time domain position and a starting position of the first uplink time domain position is the same as a time offset between a starting position of the second sub-uplink time domain position and a starting position of the second uplink time domain position; and / or a time offset between a starting position of the first sub-downlink time domain position and a starting position of the first downlink time domain position is the same as a time offset between a starting position of the second sub-downlink time domain position and a starting position of the second downlink time domain position. The first signal comprises one or more of the following: a synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block SSB, a channel state information reference signal CSI-RS, a sounding reference signal SRS, or a signal transmitted in a random access channel occasion.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, ​ 9. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 8, wherein, The first period comprises N sub-periods, and / or the second period comprises M sub-periods, the N and M are positive integers, and the N and the M are different; wherein each sub-period is used for transmitting signals of the first forwarding mode and the second forwarding mode.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The satellite also supports the second forwarding mode.

11. The method of claim 9 or 10, wherein, The second forwarding mode is a regenerative forwarding mode.

12. The method of any one of claims 1-11, wherein, The first forwarding mode is a transparent forwarding mode.

13. A communication method characterized by comprising: A network device applied to communication with a terminal device through a satellite, comprising: sending first information, the first information being used for indicating a first uplink time domain position and a first downlink time domain position, the first uplink time domain position being used for transmitting an uplink signal of a first forwarding mode in a first period, the first downlink time domain position being used for transmitting a downlink signal of the first forwarding mode in the first period, the first forwarding mode being a forwarding mode supported by the satellite.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving third information, the third information being used for indicating a third uplink time domain position and a third downlink time domain position reserved by the satellite, the third uplink time domain position being used for transmitting an uplink signal of the first forwarding mode, the third downlink time domain position being used for transmitting a downlink signal of the first forwarding mode; determining the first uplink time domain position according to the third uplink time domain position, and determining the first downlink time domain position according to the third downlink time domain position.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, The time length of the first uplink time domain position is less than the time length of the third uplink time domain position, and the time length of the first downlink time domain position is less than the time length of the third time domain position.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein, The method further comprises: sending fourth information, the fourth information being used for indicating the first uplink time domain position and the first downlink time domain position.

17. The method of any one of claims 13-16, wherein, The method further comprises: sending second information, the second information being used for indicating a second uplink time domain position and a second downlink time domain position, the second uplink time domain position being used for transmitting an uplink signal of the first forwarding mode in a second period, the second downlink time domain position being used for transmitting a downlink signal of the first forwarding mode in the second period, the second period being different from the first period.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein, The second information is also used for indicating a starting time of the second period.

19. The method of claim 17 or 18, wherein, The time length of the first period and the second period is different.

20. The method of any one of claims 17-19, wherein, The time offset between the starting position of the first uplink time domain position and the starting position of the first period is different from the time offset between the starting position of the second uplink time domain position and the starting position of the second period; And / or The time offset between the starting position of the first downlink time domain position and the starting position of the first period is different from the time offset between the starting position of the second downlink time domain position and the starting position of the second period.

21. The method of any one of claims 17-20, wherein, The method further comprises: transmitting a first signal in a first sub-uplink time domain position in the first uplink time domain position in the first period, and / or in a first sub-downlink time domain position in the first downlink time domain position; transmit the first signal in a second sub-uplink time domain position in the second uplink time domain position in the second period, and / or in a second sub-downlink time domain position in the second downlink time domain position; wherein a time offset between a starting position of the first sub-uplink time domain position and a starting position of the first uplink time domain position is same as a time offset between a starting position of the second sub-uplink time domain position and a starting position of the second uplink time domain position; and / or a time offset between a starting position of the first sub-downlink time domain position and a starting position of the first downlink time domain position is same as a time offset between a starting position of the second sub-downlink time domain position and a starting position of the second downlink time domain position.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein, The first signal comprises one or more of: a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel block (SSB), a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), a sounding reference signal (SRS), or a signal transmitted in a random access channel occasion.

23. The method of any one of claims 17-22, wherein, The first period comprises N sub-periods, and / or the second period comprises M sub-periods, the N and M are positive integers, and the N and the M are different; wherein each sub-period is used for transmitting signals of the first and second forwarding modes.

24. A method of communication, comprising: applicable to a satellite, comprising: transmitting fifth information, the fifth information being used for indicating a third uplink time domain position and a third downlink time domain position, the third uplink time domain position being used for transmitting an uplink signal of the first forwarding mode, the third downlink time domain position being used for transmitting a downlink signal of the first forwarding mode, the first forwarding mode being a forwarding mode supported by the satellite.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein, The method further comprises: transmitting third information, the third information being used for indicating the third uplink time domain position and the third downlink time domain position reserved by the satellite.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving fourth information, the fourth information being used for indicating a first uplink time domain position and a first downlink time domain position, the first uplink time domain position being used for transmitting an uplink signal of the first forwarding mode in a first period, the first downlink time domain position being used for transmitting a downlink signal of the first forwarding mode in the first period; determining the third uplink time domain position according to the first uplink time domain position, and determining the third downlink time domain position according to the first downlink time domain position.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein, A time length of the first uplink time domain position is less than a time length of the third uplink time domain position, and a time length of the first downlink time domain position is less than a time length of the third downlink time domain position.

28. The method of any one of claims 24-27, wherein, The method further comprises: transmitting an uplink signal of a second forwarding mode in a time domain position other than the third uplink time domain position, and transmitting a downlink signal of the second forwarding mode in a time domain position other than the third downlink time domain position.

29. A communications device, characterized by comprising units or modules for performing the method of any of claims 1-12, or comprising units or modules for performing the method of any of claims 13-23, or comprising units or modules for performing the method of any of claims 24-28.

30. A communications device, characterized by A computer program product comprising computer programs or instructions, which, when executed by a computer, cause the method of any one of claims 1-12 to be implemented, or the method of any one of claims 13-23 to be implemented, or the method of any one of claims 24-28 to be implemented.

31. A computer readable storage medium, characterized in that, A computer readable storage medium having stored therein computer programs or instructions, which, when executed by a communication device, cause the method of any one of claims 1-12 to be implemented, or the method of any one of claims 13-23 to be implemented, or the method of any one of claims 24-28 to be implemented.

32. A computer program product, characterised in that, A computer program product comprising computer programs or instructions, which, when executed by a computer, cause the method of any one of claims 1-12 to be implemented, or the method of any one of claims 13-23 to be implemented, or the method of any one of claims 24-28 to be implemented.

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