Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of communications. Provided are a communication method and a communication apparatus. The method is applied to a terminal device. The method comprises: receiving a first synchronization signal block (SSB) from a first network device, wherein the bandwidth of the first SSB after comb division is greater than the transmission bandwidth of the first SSB; and on the basis of the first SSB, determining position information of a terminal device. The method in the embodiments of the present application can obtain accurate position information and thus can improve the positioning accuracy of systems.

Description

Communication method and communication apparatus

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202411047690.6, filed on July 31, 2024, and entitled "Communication method and communication apparatus", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, in particular to a communication method and a communication apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0003] In a non terrestrial network (NTN) system, a terminal device can determine its own position information based on a reference signal. However, the positioning accuracy of the existing positioning method is not ideal. SUMMARY

[0004] The present application provides a communication method and a communication apparatus, which can obtain accurate position information and improve the positioning accuracy of the system.

[0005] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which is applied to a terminal device or a component (such as a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit, or a functional module, etc.) in the terminal device, and the method comprises:

[0006] receiving a first synchronization signal block (SSB) from a first network device, wherein the bandwidth of the first SSB after being combed is greater than the transmission bandwidth of the first SSB; and determining position information of the terminal device according to the first SSB.

[0007] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device receives a first SSB, and the bandwidth of the first SSB after being combed is greater than the transmission bandwidth of the first SSB. In this way, accurate position information can be obtained according to the first SSB after being combed, so as to improve the positioning accuracy of the system.

[0008] The method in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to an initial access stage and after the initial access.

[0009] There is no positioning reference signal (PRS) in the initial access stage, and the first SSB can provide positioning services for the initial access stage. At the same time, the first SSB after being combed is used for positioning in the initial access stage, so that accurate position information can be obtained, thereby improving the network access performance.

[0010] The first SSB after initial access can be used for positioning, which can improve positioning accuracy and reduce resource overhead of the system (if PRS is used for positioning, additional resource overhead is needed to obtain PRS).

[0011] In some possible implementation manners, intervals between two adjacent SSB-carrying subcarriers on the same symbol of the first SSB are the same.

[0012] In the embodiments of the present application, the intervals between two adjacent SSB-carrying subcarriers are the same, which can reduce implementation complexity and help reduce resource overhead of the system. For example, when the first SSB is configured by the network side, only the interval between the two adjacent SSB-carrying subcarriers needs to be indicated, so that the configuration of the first SSB can be implemented with less resource overhead, thereby helping the network side to dynamically configure the interval between the two adjacent SSB-carrying subcarriers and reducing resource overhead of the system.

[0013] In some possible implementation manners, the interval between the two adjacent SSB-carrying subcarriers is a first value, and the first value is related to at least one of the following: a positioning accuracy requirement of the terminal device, a subcarrier spacing of the first SSB, a number of resource blocks (RBs) occupied by the first SSB, and a signal to noise ratio (SNR) of a communication link between the terminal device and the first network device.

[0014] In the embodiments of the present application, the first value is related to at least one of the above, which can make the interval between the two adjacent SSB-carrying subcarriers more suitable for the terminal device (such as meeting the positioning accuracy requirement of the terminal device), thereby helping to obtain accurate position information according to the first SSB.

[0015] In some possible implementation manners, the SNR of the communication link is the worst SNR of the communication link.

[0016] In the embodiments of the present application, the SNR of the communication link is the worst SNR of the communication link, which can make the first value meet the terminal device with the worst signal, thereby improving the communication quality of the system.

[0017] Optionally, the communication link can be a communication link between the terminal device and the first network device (such as a service link between the terminal device and a satellite).

[0018] Optionally, the worst SNR of the communication link can refer to an SNR at a cell coverage edge (usually the signal quality at the cell coverage edge is the worst).

[0019] In some possible implementation manners, the first value satisfies the following relationship: m = B1 / B2 B2 = 12 x l x n

[0020] wherein m is used to indicate the first value, B1 represents a bandwidth required to meet the positioning accuracy requirement, B2 represents a transmission bandwidth of the first SSB, SNR represents an SNR of a communication link between the terminal device and the first network device, y represents the positioning accuracy requirement, c represents a speed of light, l represents the subcarrier spacing, and n represents a number of RBs occupied by the first SSB.

[0021] In some possible implementation manners, the method further includes: receiving first information from a second network device, where the first information is used to indicate the first value.

[0022] In some possible implementation manners, the first SSB occupies a plurality of symbols in the time domain, and subcarriers carrying SSBs on adjacent symbols in the plurality of symbols are aligned or misaligned.

[0023] In the embodiments of the present application, when the subcarriers carrying SSBs on adjacent symbols in the plurality of symbols are aligned, it is helpful to reduce implementation complexity. For example, if the subcarriers carrying SSBs on adjacent symbols in the plurality of symbols are aligned, the frequency domain starting positions of the first SSB on the plurality of symbols are the same, and only the interval between adjacent subcarriers carrying SSBs needs to be known; if the subcarriers carrying SSBs on adjacent symbols in the plurality of symbols are misaligned, the frequency domain starting positions of the first SSB on different symbols also need to be indicated, which increases implementation complexity and may require additional resource overhead.

[0024] When the subcarriers carrying SSBs on adjacent symbols in the plurality of symbols are misaligned, the frequency domain starting positions of the first SSB on adjacent symbols are different, which can avoid signal interference (also referred to as sidelobe interference) between subcarriers on adjacent symbols, thereby improving the communication quality of the system.

[0025] In some possible implementation manners, the method further includes: determining a time advance TA according to the position information; and sending a physical random access channel PRACH according to the TA.

[0026] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, which is applied to a first network device or a component (such as a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit, or a functional module, etc.) in the first network device, and the method includes:

[0027] sending, to a terminal device, a first synchronization signal block SSB, where a bandwidth of the first SSB after combing is greater than a transmission bandwidth of the first SSB.

[0028] In the embodiment of the present application, the bandwidth of the first SSB after being combed is greater than the transmission bandwidth of the first SSB, and the first SSB is sent to the terminal device, which helps the terminal device to obtain accurate position information according to the first SSB after being combed, thereby helping to improve the positioning accuracy of the system.

[0029] In some possible implementation ways, the interval between the adjacent two SSB-carrying subcarriers on the same symbol of the first SSB after being combed is the same.

[0030] In the embodiment of the present application, the interval between the adjacent two SSB-carrying subcarriers is the same, which can reduce the implementation complexity and help to reduce the resource overhead of the system. For example, when the first SSB is configured by the network side, only the interval between the adjacent two SSB-carrying subcarriers needs to be indicated, so that the configuration of the first SSB can be implemented with only a small amount of resource overhead, thereby helping the network side to dynamically configure the interval between the adjacent two SSB-carrying subcarriers and reducing the resource overhead of the system.

[0031] In some possible implementation ways, the interval between the adjacent two SSB-carrying subcarriers is a first value, and the first value is related to at least one of the following: the positioning accuracy requirement of the terminal device, the subcarrier spacing of the first SSB, the number of resource blocks (RBs) occupied by the first SSB, and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the communication link between the terminal device and the first network device.

[0032] In the embodiment of the present application, the first value is related to at least one of the above, which can make the interval between the adjacent two SSB-carrying subcarriers more suitable for the terminal device (such as meeting the positioning accuracy requirement of the terminal device), thereby helping to obtain accurate position information according to the first SSB.

[0033] In some possible implementation ways, the SNR of the communication link is the worst SNR of the communication link.

[0034] In the embodiment of the present application, the SNR of the communication link is the worst SNR of the communication link, which can make the first value meet the terminal device with the worst signal, thereby improving the communication quality of the system.

[0035] In some possible implementation ways, the first value satisfies the following relationship: m = B1 / B2 B2 = 12 x l x n

[0036] Wherein, m is used to indicate the first value, B1 represents a bandwidth required to meet the positioning accuracy requirement, B2 represents a transmission bandwidth of the first SSB, SNR represents an SNR of a communication link between the terminal device and the first network device, y represents the positioning accuracy requirement, c represents a light speed, l represents the subcarrier spacing, and n represents a number of RBs occupied by the first SSB.

[0037] In some possible implementation manners, the method further includes: receiving first information from a second network device, the first information being used to indicate the first value; and generating the first SSB according to the first value.

[0038] In some possible implementation manners, the first positioning reference signal occupies a plurality of symbols in a time domain, and subcarriers carrying SSBs on adjacent symbols in the plurality of symbols are aligned or misaligned.

[0039] In the embodiments of the present application, when the subcarriers carrying SSBs on adjacent symbols in the plurality of symbols are aligned, it is helpful to reduce implementation complexity. For example, if the subcarriers carrying SSBs on adjacent symbols in the plurality of symbols are aligned, the frequency domain starting positions of the first SSB on the plurality of symbols are the same, and only the interval between the adjacent two subcarriers carrying SSBs needs to be known; if the subcarriers carrying SSBs on adjacent symbols in the plurality of symbols are misaligned, the frequency domain starting positions of the first SSB on different symbols also need to be indicated, which increases implementation complexity and may require additional resource overhead.

[0040] When the subcarriers carrying SSBs on adjacent symbols in the plurality of symbols are misaligned, the frequency domain starting positions of the first SSB on adjacent symbols are different, which can avoid signal interference (also referred to as sidelobe interference) between subcarriers on adjacent symbols, thereby improving the communication quality of the system.

[0041] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided, the method being applied to a second network device or a component (such as a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit, or a functional module, etc.) in the second network device, and the method includes:

[0042] sending first information, the first information being used to indicate a first value; wherein an interval between adjacent two subcarriers carrying SSBs of a first SSB after being combed on a same symbol is the same, the first value representing the interval between the adjacent two subcarriers carrying SSBs, and a bandwidth of the first SSB after being combed is greater than a transmission bandwidth of the first SSB.

[0043] In the embodiments of the present application, the interval between the two adjacent subcarriers carrying SSBs is the same, which can reduce the implementation complexity and help reduce the resource overhead of the system. For example, when the first SSB is configured by the network side, only the interval between the two adjacent subcarriers carrying SSBs needs to be indicated, so that the configuration of the first SSB can be implemented with less resource overhead, thereby helping the network side to dynamically configure the interval between the two adjacent subcarriers carrying SSBs and reducing the resource overhead of the system.

[0044] Meanwhile, the bandwidth of the first SSB after combing is greater than the transmission bandwidth of the first SSB, and the first information indicating the first value is sent to the terminal device, which helps the terminal device to obtain accurate position information according to the first SSB after combing, thereby helping to improve the positioning accuracy of the system.

[0045] In some possible implementation ways, the first value is related to at least one of the following: the positioning accuracy requirement of the terminal device, the subcarrier spacing of the first SSB, the number of resource blocks (RBs) occupied by the first SSB, and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the communication link between the terminal device and the first network device.

[0046] In the embodiments of the present application, the first value is related to at least one of the above, which can make the interval between the two adjacent subcarriers carrying SSBs more suitable for the terminal device (such as meeting the positioning accuracy requirement of the terminal device), thereby helping to obtain accurate position information according to the first SSB.

[0047] In some possible implementation ways, the SNR of the communication link is the worst SNR of the communication link.

[0048] In the embodiments of the present application, the SNR of the communication link is the worst SNR of the communication link, so that the first value can be met by the terminal device with the worst signal, thereby improving the communication quality of the system.

[0049] In some possible implementation ways, the first value satisfies the following relationship: m = B1 / B2 B2 = 12 x l x n

[0050] Wherein, m is used to indicate the first value, B1 represents the bandwidth required to meet the positioning accuracy requirement, B2 represents the transmission bandwidth of the first SSB, SNR represents the SNR of the communication link between the terminal device and the first network device, y represents the positioning accuracy requirement, c represents the speed of light, l represents the subcarrier spacing, and n represents the number of RBs occupied by the first SSB.

[0051] In some possible implementation manners, the first SSB occupies a plurality of symbols in the time domain, and subcarriers carrying the SSB on adjacent symbols in the plurality of symbols are aligned or misaligned.

[0052] In the embodiments of the present application, when the subcarriers carrying the SSB on adjacent symbols in the plurality of symbols are aligned, the implementation complexity is reduced. For example, if the subcarriers carrying the SSB on adjacent symbols in the plurality of symbols are aligned, the frequency domain starting positions of the first SSB on the plurality of symbols are the same, and only the interval between the adjacent subcarriers carrying the SSB needs to be known; if the subcarriers carrying the SSB on adjacent symbols in the plurality of symbols are misaligned, the frequency domain starting positions of the first SSB on different symbols also need to be indicated, which increases the implementation complexity and may require additional resource overhead.

[0053] When the subcarriers carrying the SSB on adjacent symbols in the plurality of symbols are misaligned, the frequency domain starting positions of the first SSB on adjacent symbols are different, which can avoid signal interference (also referred to as sidelobe interference) between the subcarriers on adjacent symbols, thereby improving the communication quality of the system.

[0054] In a fourth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which can be used for the terminal device in the first aspect, and can be the terminal device, a device (for example, a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit, or a processor) in the terminal device, or a device capable of being used with the terminal device, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal device.

[0055] The communication apparatus includes a module corresponding to each of the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect, which can be a hardware circuit, software, or a combination of hardware circuit and software.

[0056] In a fifth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which can be used for the network device in the second aspect, and can be the network device, a device (for example, a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit, or a processor) in the network device, or a device capable of being used with the network device, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the network device.

[0057] The communication apparatus includes a module corresponding to each of the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect, which can be a hardware circuit, software, or a combination of hardware circuit and software.

[0058] In a sixth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which can be used in the network device of the third aspect, can be the network device, can be a device (for example, a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit, or a processor) in the network device, or can be a device capable of being used with the network device, and can also be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the network device.

[0059] The communication apparatus includes a module corresponding to each of the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the third aspect or any possible implementation manner of the third aspect, which can be a hardware circuit, can be software, or can be a combination of hardware circuit and software.

[0060] In a seventh aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which includes a processor and a memory, the processor is coupled to the memory, and the memory is used to store a computer program (which can also be referred to as code or instruction), when the computer program is executed by the processor, the apparatus executes the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect.

[0061] In some possible implementation manners, the apparatus further includes a memory coupled to the processor.

[0062] In some possible implementation manners, the processor is one or more, and / or the memory is one or more.

[0063] In some possible implementation manners, the memory can be integrated with the processor, or the memory is arranged separately from the processor.

[0064] In an eighth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which includes a processor and a memory, the processor is coupled to the memory, and the memory is used to store a computer program (which can also be referred to as code or instruction), when the computer program is executed by the processor, the apparatus executes the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect.

[0065] In some possible implementation manners, the apparatus further includes a memory coupled to the processor.

[0066] In some possible implementation manners, the processor is one or more, and / or the memory is one or more.

[0067] In some possible implementation manners, the memory can be integrated with the processor, or the memory is arranged separately from the processor.

[0068] In a ninth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which comprises a processor and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory being configured to store a computer program (which can also be referred to as code or instructions), and the processor being configured to execute the computer program stored in the memory, so that the apparatus performs the method in the third aspect or any possible implementation manner of the third aspect.

[0069] In some possible implementation manners, the apparatus further comprises a memory coupled to the processor.

[0070] In some possible implementation manners, the processor is one or more, and / or the memory is one or more.

[0071] In some possible implementation manners, the memory can be integrated with the processor, or the memory is arranged separately from the processor.

[0072] In a tenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program (which can also be referred to as code or instructions), and when the computer program is run on a computer, the computer program causes the computer to perform the method in any one of the aspects or any possible implementation manner of any one of the aspects.

[0073] In an eleventh aspect, a computer program product is provided, which comprises a computer program (which can also be referred to as code or instructions), and when the computer program is run on a computer, the computer program causes the computer to perform the method in any one of the aspects or any possible implementation manner of any one of the aspects.

[0074] In a twelfth aspect, a chip is provided, which comprises a processor and a memory, the memory being configured to store a computer program (which can also be referred to as code or instructions), and the processor being configured to invoke and run the computer program stored in the memory, so that an apparatus or device installed with the chip performs the method in any one of the aspects or any possible implementation manner of any one of the aspects.

[0075] In a thirteenth aspect, a communication system is provided, which comprises a communication apparatus (such as a terminal device) for performing the method in the first aspect, and / or a communication apparatus (such as a first network device) for performing the method in the second aspect, and / or a communication apparatus (such as a second network device) for performing the method in the third aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0076] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a wireless communication system suitable for use in the present application.

[0077] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a satellite network architecture in an embodiment of the present application.

[0078] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of another satellite network architecture in an embodiment of the present application.

[0079] FIG. 4 is a schematic flow chart of a positioning procedure in an embodiment of the present application.

[0080] FIG. 5 is a schematic flow chart of an initial access procedure in an embodiment of the present application.

[0081] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a method for determining location information of a UE in an embodiment of the present application.

[0082] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a method for determining location information of a UE in another embodiment of the present application.

[0083] FIG. 8 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0084] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a combing manner provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0085] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of another combing manner provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0086] FIG. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0087] FIG. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication apparatus provided by another embodiment of the present application.

[0088] FIG. 13 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication apparatus provided by yet another embodiment of the present application.

[0089] FIG. 14 is a schematic structural diagram of an apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0090] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0091] In the description of the present application, unless otherwise specified, " / " represents that the objects before and after the correlation are in an "or" relationship, for example, A / B can represent A or B; "and / or" in the present application is only a description of the correlation of the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone, wherein A and B can be singular or plural. And, in the description of the present application, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" means two or more than two. "At least one of the following" or the like means any combination of the items, including any combination of single item or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, or a-b-c, wherein a, b, and c can be single or multiple. In addition, in order to clearly describe the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, "first", "second", and the like are used to distinguish the same items or similar items with basically the same function and role. The skilled in the art can understand that "first", "second", and the like do not limit the quantity and execution order, and "first", "second", and the like do not necessarily mean different. It should be understood that the present application, "in the case of", "if", "when", "if", and the like can be replaced.

[0092] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, for example: 5th generation (5G) system or new radio (NR), long term evolution (LTE) system, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (TDD), satellite and other non-terrestrial communication systems, communication systems combining terrestrial communication and non-terrestrial communication, etc. The technical solutions provided in the present application can also be applied to future communication systems.

[0093] In order to understand the embodiments of the present application, first, the communication system suitable for the embodiments of the present application is described in conjunction with FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system includes a radio access network 100. The radio access network 100 can include at least one network device (such as 110a, 110b, and 110c in FIG. 1), and can also include at least one terminal (such as 120a to 120g in FIG. 1).

[0094] The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application can refer to a user equipment (user equipment, UE), a station, an access terminal, a user unit, a user station, a mobile station, a mobile station (mobile station, MS), a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile terminal (mobile terminal, MT), a user terminal, a terminal (or a terminal device), a wireless communication device, a user agent or a user device, etc., or a device for providing voice or data connectivity to a user, which can also be an Internet of Things device, for example, the terminal device includes a handheld device with wireless connection function, a vehicle-mounted device, etc., which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application can be a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (session initiation protocol, SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (wireless local loop, WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (personal digital assistant, PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a large screen, a vehicle-mounted device (for example, a car, a bicycle, an electric vehicle, an airplane, a ship, a train, a high-speed rail, etc.), a wearable device (for example, a smart watch, a smart bracelet, a pedometer, smart glasses, etc.), a machine type communication (machine type communication, MTC) terminal device, a terminal device in a 5G network or a terminal device in a future evolved public land mobile network (public land mobile network, PLMN), etc., which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application can also be a tablet computer (Pad), a notebook computer, a palm computer, a mobile internet device (MID), a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a smart point of sale (POS) machine, a customer-premises equipment (CPE), a light UE, a reduced capability UE (RedCap UE), a wireless terminal in industrial control, a smart home device (for example, a refrigerator, a television, an air conditioner, an electricity meter, etc.), a smart robot, a mechanical arm, a plant device, a wireless terminal in self driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home, a flight device (for example, a smart robot, a hot air balloon, a drone, an airplane), etc. The terminal device can also be a vehicle device, for example, a whole vehicle device, a vehicle-mounted module, a vehicle-mounted chip, an on board unit (OBU) or a telematics box (T-BOX), etc. The terminal device can also be other devices with terminal functions, for example, the terminal device can also be a device in device to device (D2D) communication.

[0095] In some embodiments, the terminal device can be used to act as a base station. Optionally, the terminal device can act as a scheduling entity to provide sidelink signals between terminal devices in vehicle to everything (V2X) or device to device (D2D) communication, etc. For example, a cellular phone and a car can communicate using the sidelink signals, or a cellular phone and a smart home device can also communicate using the sidelink signals without relaying the communication signals through the base station.

[0096] The network device (or communication apparatus) in the embodiments of the present application can refer to a radio access network (RAN) node (or device) that accesses a terminal device to a wireless network, which can also be referred to as a base station (BS). For example, the network device can be a Node B, an evolved Node B (eNodeB), a next generation Node B (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, a transmission reception point (TRP), an access point (AP), a network device in a non-terrestrial network (NTN) system (such as a satellite), a base station in a future mobile communication system, an access node (AP) in a WiFi system, a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario, a relay station, an access point, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a network device in other communication systems in future evolution, and the like.

[0097] In some embodiments, a terminal device can be assisted by multiple RAN nodes to implement wireless access, and different RAN nodes can respectively implement part of functions of a base station. For example, a RAN node (i.e., a network device in the present application) 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), etc. The CU and the DU can be separately arranged, or can be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna processing unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH). 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 open radio access network (ORAN) system, the CU can also be referred to as an open CU (O-CU), the DU can also be referred to as an open DU (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. Any one of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in the present application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module. It should be understood that the present application does not limit the specific technology and specific device form of the network device.

[0098] In some embodiments, the network device can be fixed or mobile, and the present application does not limit this. For example, a helicopter or a drone can be configured as a mobile network device, and one or more cells can move according to the position of the mobile network device. In other examples, a helicopter or a drone can be configured to serve as a device that communicates with another network device.

[0099] In some embodiments, the network device can be deployed on land or in the air, and the present application does not limit this. For example, the network device can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; can be deployed on the water surface; and can be deployed on an aircraft, a balloon, and a satellite in the air.

[0100] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device or the network device can include a hardware layer, an operating system layer running on the hardware layer, and an application layer running on the operating system layer. The hardware layer includes central processing unit (CPU), memory management unit (MMU), memory (also known as main memory), and the like. The operating system can be any one or more computer operating systems that implement business processing through processes. The application layer includes browsers, address books, word processing software, instant messaging software, and the like. Moreover, the specific structure of the execution subject of the method provided in the embodiments of the present application is not particularly limited, as long as the execution subject can communicate according to the method provided in the embodiments of the present application by running a program in which the code of the method provided in the embodiments of the present application is recorded.

[0101] In addition, various aspects or features of the disclosure can be realized as methods, apparatus, or articles of manufacture using standard programming and / or engineering techniques. The term "article of manufacture" as used in the disclosure encompasses a computer program or other processor-readable instructions stored on or in one or more computer-readable media, such as any type of disk including floppy disks, optical disks, CDs, high definition DVDs, smart cards, flash drives, and the like. Additionally, various storage media described herein can represent one or more devices and / or other machine-readable media for storing information. The term "machine-readable medium" can include, without being limited to, wireless channels and various other media capable of storing, containing, and / or carrying instruction and / or data.

[0102] With the development of communication technology, non-terrestrial network (NTN) systems are increasingly widely used. Compared with terrestrial communication systems, NTN systems have the characteristics of large coverage area and flexible networking. In addition, NTN systems can be used in emergency rescue (such as disaster monitoring and emergency communication), Internet of Things, high-speed mobile (such as high-speed rail and airplane), and the like.

[0103] The network device (which can also be referred to simply as an NTN device) in the NTN system can be a satellite, a high altitude platform station (HAPS), a drone, and other non-ground devices / equipment. The high altitude platform is usually 8-50 km above the ground. The NTN system networked by satellites (such as network devices) can be referred to as a satellite communication system. For ease of description, the NTN system is introduced in the following embodiments taking the satellite communication system as an example.

[0104] In the satellite communication system, according to the orbital height, the satellites can be divided into the following three types: geostationary earth orbit (GEO), medium earth orbit (MEO), and low earth orbit (LEO).

[0105] The orbital height of the GEO satellite is 35786 km. The main advantage is that it can remain relatively stationary with the ground and can provide a large coverage area. However, the GEO satellite also has obvious disadvantages: 1) The GEO satellite is far from the earth in orbit, and the free space propagation loss is large, causing the communication link budget to be tight. In order to increase the transmission / reception gain, a large-diameter antenna needs to be provided for the GEO satellite; 2) The communication transmission delay is large, and the round-trip delay can reach about 500 ms, which cannot meet the demand of real-time services; 3) The orbital resources of the GEO satellite are relatively tight, the launch cost is high, and the GEO satellite cannot provide coverage for the two polar regions of the earth.

[0106] The orbital height of the MEO satellite ranges from 2000 km to 35786 km. The advantage is that global coverage can be achieved with relatively few MEO satellites. However, the orbital height of the MEO satellite is much higher than that of the LEO satellite, and therefore, the transmission delay of the MEO satellite is much larger than that of the LEO satellite. In summary of the advantages and disadvantages of the MEO satellite, the MEO satellite is mainly applied to positioning and navigation.

[0107] The orbital height of the LEO satellite ranges from 300 km to 2000 km. The orbital height of the LEO satellite is lower than that of the MEO satellite and the GEO satellite, and has the advantages of small data propagation delay, small transmission loss, and relatively low launch cost. Therefore, the NTN communication based on the LEO satellite has obtained wide attention in recent years.

[0108] The network architecture of the satellite communication system (may be referred to as a satellite network architecture) can include the following network elements: a gateway, a service link, a feeder link, a base station, a satellite, and an inter-satellite link, etc. Among them, the base station is usually located on the ground and can also be referred to as a satellite base station (which can be understood as a base station in the satellite network); the gateway can be used to connect the satellite and the ground public network, and the number of gateways can be one or more, and the gateway is usually located on the ground; the feeder link can be a link for communication between the gateway and the satellite; the service link can be a link for communication between the terminal device and the satellite; the inter-satellite link can be a link for communication between satellites; the interface between base stations can be an Xn interface, the interface between the base station and the core network can be a next generation (NG) interface, and the interface between the core network and the data network can be an N6 interface.

[0109] The satellite in the satellite communication system can work in different working modes, such as a bent pipe mode and a regenerative mode, etc. When the satellite works in the different working modes described above, the satellite communication system can also implement different network architectures.

[0110] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a satellite network architecture. In this network, the satellite works in a bent pipe mode and can implement the function of relay forwarding, and the gateway can implement all or part of the functions of a base station (gNB), at this time, the satellite and the gateway can be regarded as a remote radio unit (RRU) in a wireless access network. The gNB and the gateway can be located on the ground, and the gNB can be deployed together with (or close to) the gateway, or the gNB can be deployed separately from (or far away from) the gateway. The feeder link in FIG. 2 can be implemented through an air interface (such as a new radio air interface (NR Uu)), and the delay of the feeder link can include the delay of the satellite to the gateway and the delay of the gateway to the gNB.

[0111] For example, in FIG. 2, the new radio air interface signal is transmitted on the feeder link between the gateway and the satellite, when the network side transmits downlink data to the UE, the satellite can copy the transmitted new radio air interface signal on the feeder link to the service link between the UE and the satellite, and when the UE transmits uplink data to the network side, the satellite can copy the transmitted wireless signal on the service link between the UE and the satellite to the feeder link. The gateway can support all the functions necessary for forwarding the air interface signal. Different transmission satellites can be connected to the same gNB.

[0112] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of another satellite network architecture. In this network, the satellite works in a regenerative mode, has data processing capability, and can implement all or part of the functions of a base station (gNB), at which point the satellite can be regarded as a base station (gNB). The feeder link in FIG. 3 can be implemented through an NG interface, at which point the interface between the UE and the satellite can be an air interface.

[0113] For example, in FIG. 3, the satellite can act as a base station, implement regeneration of signals received from the ground, and can include a gNB or a DU. New radio air interface signals are transmitted between the UE and the satellite over the service link, SRI signals are transmitted between the gateway and the satellite over the feeder link, and when the UE transmits uplink data to the network side, the UE can send new radio air interface signals to the satellite, the satellite can transmit data to the gateway through the satellite radio interface (SRI), and the gateway can forward the data to the core network equipment on the ground.

[0114] It should be noted that the satellites in FIGS. 2 and 3 described above can be GEO satellites, MEO satellites, LEO satellites, etc., or other non-ground devices such as HAPS, drones, etc.

[0115] At present, more and more communication scenarios need to use positioning information (such as location information, related information with spatial location characteristics, etc.), therefore, the demand for providing positioning services and quickly and accurately obtaining the location information of terminal devices is becoming increasingly urgent, for example, intelligent navigation, warehouse logistics, hospital equipment management, etc.

[0116] In a terrestrial communication system, a positioning service can be based on a radio access technology (RAT) and performed by measuring some parameters of a wireless signal, such as a transmission time, a signal strength, an angle of arrival, an angle of departure, etc. of the wireless signal, and then determining a position of a terminal device according to a specific positioning technology, such as NR exclusive chip ID (ECID) positioning, uplink time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA) positioning, downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA) positioning, signal strength based positioning, uplink angle of arrival (UL-AoA) positioning, downlink angle of departure (DL-AoD) positioning, multi transmission reception point round trip time (Multi-RTT) positioning, etc.

[0117] FIG. 4 is a schematic flow chart of a positioning procedure in an embodiment of the present application. The positioning procedure in FIG. 4 can include the following steps:

[0118] S410, initiating a location service request.

[0119] The location service request can be used to request a positioning service, and the location service request can be initiated by different network elements.

[0120] For example, the location service request can be initiated by a UE, an access and mobility management function (AMF), and indirectly initiated by a gateway mobile location center (GMLC).

[0121] The steps of initiating the location service request by the three initiators (e.g., the UE, the GMLC, and the AMF) can correspond to S410a, S410b, and S410c in FIG. 4, respectively.

[0122] The three initiators can correspond to three types of positioning procedures in the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) protocol: mobile originated location request (MO-LR), mobile terminated location request (MT-LR), and network induced location request (NI-LR).

[0123] S420, the AMF sends a location service request to a location management function (LMF).

[0124] S430, the UE reports positioning capability information to the LMF.

[0125] This step S430 can be an optional step.

[0126] S440, the LMF selects a positioning method.

[0127] The LMF can select a positioning method according to factors such as the quality of service (QoS) of the positioning service (such as the positioning accuracy and latency required by the application), the positioning method configured by the LMF, and the positioning capability of the UE.

[0128] S450, the LMF obtains positioning information (such as positioning measurement quantities) and assistance data from the UE and the gNB.

[0129] S460, the LMF returns a positioning result to the AMF.

[0130] The positioning result can include positioning success, positioning failure, positioning information (such as the position of the UE), and the error of the positioning information (such as the accuracy of the positioning information).

[0131] S470, the AMF sends a positioning result.

[0132] For different initiators in S410 (such as the UE, the GMLC, or the AMF), steps S470a, S470b, and S470c can correspond, respectively.

[0133] With the continuous development of communication technology, many scenarios in the NTN system also require the positioning information of the terminal device.

[0134] In some communication systems (such as 3GPP Release 18 (R18)), it is proposed to enhance the NTN function of the next generation radio access network (NG-RAN) by verifying the UE location through the network. For example, the network can verify the location information reported by the UE, and if the location information reported by the UE is basically consistent with the location information determined by the network (such as within 5km-10km error), it can be considered that the location information of the UE is verified, so that the location information can be used to distinguish the country and select the appropriate core network to support all regulatory services, such as emergency calls, lawful interception, public warning, billing, etc.

[0135] In the initial access stage of the terminal device, the location information of the terminal device is also very important, and accurate location information can effectively improve the network access performance. In the initial access, the terminal device needs to search for the network that provides services for itself, and then access the network. As shown in FIG. 5, the initial access of the terminal device can include two processes of cell search and random access. These two processes are the basis for the interaction between the terminal device and the base station. Without these two processes, the terminal device cannot access the network and cannot realize wireless communication.

[0136] As shown in FIG. 5, during the cell search, the UE can receive the primary synchronization signal (PSS) and the secondary synchronization signal (SSS) sent by the gNB to achieve downlink synchronization (including time synchronization and frequency synchronization) with the cell; decode the necessary system messages of the cell, such as the master information block (MIB) and the remaining minimum system information (RMSI), to select the cell with the best signal to camp on; finally, the UE will camp on the cell with the best signal and initiate the random access process. As shown in FIG. 5, during the random access, the UE can send a preamble to the gNB, receive a random access response (RAR) sent by the gNB, send a message 3 (Msg3) to the gNB, and receive a message 4 (Msg4) sent by the gNB.

[0137] The main purpose of random access is to synchronize the UE with the cell in uplink, and to achieve uplink synchronization, the UE needs to obtain the timing advance (TA) of uplink transmission. The value of TA needs to be calculated by the UE according to the position of itself and the position of the satellite to obtain the distance and time delay, wherein the position information of the satellite can be obtained through satellite ephemeris, and the position information of the UE is an important factor affecting the calculation of TA and is the key information affecting the network access performance.

[0138] The characteristics of the NTN system (such as a larger coverage area, a farther distance between the satellite and the ground, etc.) will bring some limitations to the positioning method. At present, in the NTN system, the position information of the terminal device can be determined by a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) based positioning method, a radio access technology (RAT) based positioning method (such as Multi-RTT positioning, DL-TDOA positioning, UL-TDOA positioning, etc.).

[0139] Method one: GNSS based positioning method

[0140] GNSS is a system that uses satellite technology to provide positioning, navigation and timing services for global users, and can provide three-dimensional coordinates and speed and time information for users at any location on the earth's surface or near space. The GNSS constellation includes three parts: space segment, control segment and user segment. Among them, the space segment is composed of satellites or spacecraft, which can provide various information required for positioning, including ephemeris (satellite orbit parameters and other information), transmission of ranging signals, etc.; the control segment refers to the ground monitoring station and the master control center, which mainly calculates the ephemeris of the satellite and the modification parameters of the satellite clock according to the monitored GNSS observation data, and feeds back to the satellite, and can control and issue instructions to the satellite, etc.; the user segment refers to the GNSS receiver, which can obtain its own position and time information by receiving satellite signals and performing certain calculations.

[0141] The basic principle of GNSS positioning is based on ranging, that is, the user's (such as the terminal device) own position is calculated according to the distance between the satellite and the user measured.

[0142] Firstly, introduce pseudo-range, the user receives the signal transmitted by the satellite and records the current user's time at the same time, the satellite transmission time is known, so the signal propagation time in space can be obtained, considering the propagation speed of light, the distance measurement between the satellite and the user can be obtained, because the distance measurement has error, it is not the real distance between the satellite and the user, so the distance measurement is also called pseudo-range.

[0143] Next, introduce carrier phase, the carrier phase measurement is not measured based on the signal space propagation time, but measured by the periodicity of electromagnetic wave phase. Because GNSS signal is electromagnetic wave, the phase has periodicity, so the real carrier phase should include N integer phase and a non-integer phase, the non-integer phase part can be obtained accurately by phase-locked loop and other methods, while the integer phase part N is uncertain, which needs to be determined by auxiliary information, N is a positive integer; Next, combined with ephemeris information, the position and velocity of the satellite at each time can be obtained, combined with the satellite position and the distance between the satellite and the user, the position of the UE can be determined by least square method or extended Kalman filter and other methods.

[0144] When positioning based on GNSS, the UE can obtain its own position information through GNSS before initial access; In the initial access process, the UE can calculate TA according to its own position information and ephemeris information of the access satellite, so as to adjust the timing in advance.

[0145] For example, the UE can perform timing estimation through PSS / SSS detection, complete downlink synchronization, obtain cell information and ephemeris information from system information block 1 (SIB1) / system information block 19 (SIB19), and select to reside in the cell; Next, the UE can obtain its own position information through GNSS, and calculate TA through the position information of the UE according to the formula specified by the protocol, make timing advance, send physical random access channel (PRACH), complete uplink synchronization, and realize network access.

[0146] Method two: RAT-based positioning method

[0147] Currently, the RAT-based positioning method can position by measuring the transmission delay, signal strength, direction angle and other information of the positioning signal, wherein the positioning signal can include uplink positioning signal (such as sounding reference signal (SRS)), downlink positioning signal (such as positioning reference signal (PRS)) and the like. For example, Multi-RTT positioning can determine the position information of the UE based on the SRS signal and the PRS signal to measure the round trip time between the two groups of transmission reception points (TRP); UL-TDOA positioning can determine the position information of the UE based on the SRS signal to measure the uplink arrival time difference between the two groups of TRP; DL-TDOA positioning can determine the position information of the UE based on the PRS signal to measure the downlink arrival time difference between the two groups of TRP.

[0148] The first signal received by the UE after starting is the synchronization signal block (SSB), and the SSB includes the PSS, SSS and physical broadcast channel (PBCH) from the cell. Downlink synchronization with the cell can be achieved through the SSB, so in the initial access stage, the UE side can position through the SSB. For example, when the UE receives the SSB, it can determine the time of arrival (TOA) of the SSB at the UE side; then, the UE can determine the position information of the UE through the following two ways (i.e., based on a single SSB and based on multiple SSBs).

[0149] (1) Determine the position information of the UE based on a single SSB

[0150] As shown in FIG. 6, the satellites 620, 630 and 640 are located at different positions, the satellite 620 can send the SSB to the UE 610, the UE 610 can send the PRACH to the satellite 620, the UE 610 can measure the arrival time of the SSB and the sending time of the PRACH, and determine the time difference at the UE side, the satellite 620 can measure the sending time of the SSB and the arrival time of the PRACH, and determine the time difference at the TRP side (i.e., the satellite 620), and the round trip time (RTT) between the UE 610 and the satellite 620 can be obtained according to the time difference at the UE side and the time difference at the TRP side; Similarly, the RTT between the UE 610 and the satellite 630, and the RTT between the UE 610 and the satellite 640 can also be obtained; At this time, using the Multi-RTT positioning method, the position information of the UE 610 can be calculated according to the three RTTs.

[0151] (2) determining the location information of the UE based on multiple SSBs

[0152] As shown in FIG. 7, the satellite 720 is located at different positions at time 1, time 2 and time 3 respectively, and the satellite 720 can send three SSBs to the UE 710 at the three times; the UE 710 can calculate the time difference of arrival (such as reference signal time difference, RSTD) of the SSBs sent by the satellite 720 at different positions at the UE side, and obtain two sets of downlink time difference of arrival (such as the time difference of arrival of the SSB sent by the satellite 720 at time 1 and the SSB sent by the satellite 720 at time 2, and the time difference of arrival of the SSB sent by the satellite 720 at time 1 and the SSB sent by the satellite 720 at time 3); at this time, the DL-TDOA positioning method can be used to calculate the location information of the UE 710.

[0153] However, the above two positioning methods have some problems.

[0154] The GNSS positioning of the above method 1 needs to measure and calculate the signals of multiple high-orbit satellites, and if carrier phase ranging is used for positioning, the satellite signals need to be continuously tracked, which will make the time consumed from the start of the request to the acquisition of the location information of the UE too long, cause the location information of the UE to be out of date, and make the location information inaccurate; further, it will also cause the TA calculated at the UE side to be inaccurate, thereby affecting the initial access performance; and moreover, the location information of the UE usually involves user privacy, and the GNSS positioning method has the risk of leaking user privacy information.

[0155] The above method 2 uses the SSB at the initial stage to determine the time of arrival (TOA) at the UE side, and uses multiple positioning methods to calculate the location information of the UE. Generally, the distance accuracy of TOA is related to the signal bandwidth of SSB. For example, the distance accuracy of TOA can be calculated by the following formula (1):

[0156] wherein, CRB τ is the Cramer-Rao bound, used to represent the distance accuracy of TOA, SNR represents the signal-to-noise ratio of the communication link, c represents the speed of light, and B represents the signal bandwidth of SSB.

[0157] It can be seen from the above formula (1) that the distance accuracy of TOA is inversely proportional to the signal bandwidth B. In theory, the estimation error of TOA can be reduced by increasing the bandwidth of the positioning signal, thereby improving the positioning accuracy. However, in the NTN system, the bandwidth of the SSB signal allocated in the initial access stage is small, which leads to poor positioning accuracy through SSB. For example, if the subcarrier spacing of the SSB is 15 kHz, and the frequency domain resource allocated for the SSB is 20 resource blocks (RBs), the transmission bandwidth of the SSB is 3.6 MB. Assuming that the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the communication link is 2 dB, the theoretical value of the distance accuracy of TOA is 23 meters (m) according to the above formula. The accuracy of the positioning information calculated based on this theoretical value cannot meet the business requirements in many scenarios.

[0158] To solve one or more of the above technical problems, the present application provides a communication method and a communication device, which can obtain accurate position information according to the first SSB after combing, thereby improving the positioning accuracy of the system. The communication method in the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below in conjunction with FIG. 8.

[0159] FIG. 8 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. The method 800 shown in FIG. 8 can include steps S810 and S820, which are as follows.

[0160] S810, the first network device sends a first SSB to a terminal device.

[0161] The first network device can be an NTN device (such as a non-terrestrial network device) in an NTN system. For example, the first network device can be a satellite.

[0162] In some embodiments, the first SSB can be obtained by combing. The combing can mean that the interval between two adjacent (or originally adjacent) subcarriers carrying signals (or carrying signals) in the same symbol is a certain subcarrier, or the originally adjacent two subcarriers carrying signals in the same symbol become non-adjacent. The symbol here can refer to a symbol in the time domain, for example, an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol.

[0163] For example, the time-frequency resource occupied by the first SSB can be as shown in the left part of FIG. 9. In the time domain, it can occupy 4 symbols, and in the frequency domain, it can occupy 20 RBs (RB0 to RB19).

[0164] The first SSB shown in the left part of FIG. 9 can be combed. Taking RB4 (i.e., the 5th RB) occupied by the first SSB as an example, the combing structure (or also referred to as a comb structure) obtained after the RB4 is combed can be as shown in the right part of FIG. 9. It can be seen that the interval between the adjacent two SSB-carrying subcarriers of the combed RB4 in the same symbol is 3 subcarriers (or the difference between the subcarrier numbers of the adjacent two SSB-carrying subcarriers is 4). Here, the SSB-carrying subcarrier can refer to the subcarrier occupied by the SSB in the frequency domain.

[0165] In some embodiments, the bandwidth of the first SSB after being combed can be greater than the transmission bandwidth of the first SSB.

[0166] The transmission bandwidth of the first SSB can be related to the number of subcarriers occupied by the first SSB in the frequency domain, and the bandwidth of the first SSB after being combed can be related to the frequency domain range occupied by the first SSB in the frequency domain.

[0167] For example, taking the first SSB shown in the left part of FIG. 9 as an example, the first SSB can occupy 20 RBs in the frequency domain, each RB contains 12 subcarriers in the frequency domain, and the subcarrier interval between the subcarriers is 0.015mhz (i.e., 15khz). Therefore, the transmission bandwidth of the first SSB is: 12x20x0.015=3.6MB

[0168] It should be noted that the above subcarrier interval is different from the interval between the adjacent two SSB-carrying subcarriers. The subcarrier interval refers to the interval between the adjacent two subcarriers in the frequency domain. The subcarrier interval is only limited in the frequency domain and is not limited on whether the subcarriers carry signals. For example, the subcarrier interval can refer to the interval between subcarrier 0 and subcarrier 1 shown in the left part of FIG. 9.

[0169] As shown in the right part of FIG. 9, the interval between the adjacent two SSB-carrying subcarriers of the combed first SSB in the same symbol is 3 subcarriers, and the frequency domain range occupied by the combed first SSB in the frequency domain is 4 times the frequency domain range occupied by the first SSB (such as the first SSB shown in the left part of FIG. 9) in the frequency domain before being combed. According to the frequency domain range occupied by the first SSB in the frequency domain, the bandwidth of the first SSB after being combed is 14.4MB (3.6x4=14.4MB).

[0170] However, the combing of the first SSB only changes the frequency domain range occupied by the first SSB in the frequency domain, and does not change the number of subcarriers contained in the first SSB (that is, the number of subcarriers occupied by the first SSB in the frequency domain), that is, after being combed, the transmission bandwidth of the first SSB does not change, and is still 3.6 MB, so it can be considered that the bandwidth of the first SSB after being combed is 4 times the transmission bandwidth of the first SSB. In this way, by combing the first SSB, the signal bandwidth of the first SSB (equivalent to increasing the signal bandwidth B in the above formula (1)) can be increased without increasing the actual bandwidth of the first SSB (that is, the transmission bandwidth of the first SSB), so that the accuracy of the positioning information calculated based on the first SSB after being combed can be improved.

[0171] Optionally, since the bandwidth of the first SSB after being combed is calculated according to the frequency domain range occupied by the first SSB in the frequency domain, and is not the actual bandwidth (that is, the transmission bandwidth) of the first SSB, the bandwidth of the first SSB after being combed can also be referred to as the equivalent bandwidth of the first SSB.

[0172] In some embodiments, the interval between the adjacent two SSB-carrying subcarriers of the first SSB after being combed on the same symbol can be the same. For example, the interval between the adjacent two SSB-carrying subcarriers can be a first value.

[0173] In the embodiments of the present application, the interval between the adjacent two SSB-carrying subcarriers is the same, which can reduce the implementation complexity and help reduce the resource overhead of the system. For example, when the first SSB is configured by the network side, only the interval between the adjacent two SSB-carrying subcarriers needs to be indicated, so that the configuration of the first SSB can be implemented with only a small amount of resource overhead, thereby helping the network side to dynamically configure the interval between the adjacent two SSB-carrying subcarriers and reducing the resource overhead of the system.

[0174] Alternatively, the interval between the adjacent two SSB-carrying subcarriers of the first SSB after being combed on the same symbol can also be different.

[0175] For example, the first value can be related to at least one of the following:

[0176] The positioning accuracy requirement of the terminal device, the subcarrier spacing of the first SSB, the number of resource blocks (RBs) occupied by the first SSB, and the SNR of the communication link between the terminal device and the first network device.

[0177] In the embodiments of the present application, the first value is related to the at least one item, and can make the interval between the two adjacent subcarriers carrying the SSBs more suitable for the terminal device (e.g., meet the positioning accuracy requirement of the terminal device), thereby helping to obtain accurate position information according to the first SSB.

[0178] Optionally, the SNR of the communication link can be the worst SNR of the communication link.

[0179] The worst SNR of the communication link can refer to the SNR at the edge of the cell coverage range (generally, the signal quality at the edge of the cell coverage range is the worst).

[0180] In the embodiments of the present application, the SNR of the communication link is the worst SNR of the communication link, so that the first value can be met by the terminal device with the worst signal, thereby improving the communication quality of the system.

[0181] Optionally, the first value can satisfy the following formula (2): m = B1 / B2

[0182] In the formula, m is used to indicate the first value, B1 represents the bandwidth required to meet the positioning accuracy requirement of the terminal device, and B2 represents the transmission bandwidth of the first SSB. For example, m can be equal to the first value plus 1.

[0183] Optionally, m can be a positive even number. For example, if B1 / B2 is not a positive even number, the result of B1 / B2 is rounded up to an even number.

[0184] Optionally, B1 can satisfy the following formula (3), and B2 can satisfy the following formula (4): B2 = 12 x l x n

[0185] In the formula, SNR represents the SNR of the communication link between the terminal device and the first network device, y represents the positioning accuracy requirement of the terminal device, c represents the speed of light, l represents the subcarrier spacing, and n represents the number of RBs occupied by the first SSB.

[0186] In some embodiments, the first value described above can be pre-configured, protocol-defined, or network-configured.

[0187] For example, before step S810, the method 800 can further include step S804, specifically as follows:

[0188] S804a, the second network device sends first information to the first network device.

[0189] In the formula, the first information can be used to indicate the first value.

[0190] S804b, the second network device sends the first information to the terminal device.

[0191] The second network device can be a ground network device in the NTN system, for example, the second network device can be a base station (gNB).

[0192] It should be noted that the execution order of S804a and S804b is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. For example, in the embodiments of the present application, the second network device can send the first information to the first network device and the terminal device at the same time; or the second network device can first send the first information to the first network device, and then send the first information to the terminal device; or the second network device can first send the first information to the terminal device, and then send the first information to the first network device.

[0193] In some embodiments, before step S804, the method 800 can further include step S802, as follows:

[0194] S802, the second network device determines the first information.

[0195] The second network device can calculate the first value by the above formula (2), formula (3) and formula (4) to determine the first information.

[0196] For example, if the positioning accuracy requirement of the terminal device is 10m (i.e. the positioning error needs to be less than 10m), and the worst SNR of the communication link is 2dB, then B1 (i.e. the bandwidth required to meet the positioning accuracy requirement) can be calculated to be 8.7MB by formula (3); if the subcarrier spacing of the first SSB is 0.015mhz, and the first SSB occupies 20 RBs, then B2 (i.e. the transmission bandwidth of the first SSB) can be calculated to be 3.6MB by formula (4); m can be calculated to be 2.416 by formula (4), since 2.416 is not an even number, it can be rounded up to an even number, and m is 4. At this time, the first value is 3 (the first value is equal to m-1).

[0197] Alternatively, m can also be referred to as a comb number, for example, m=4 can be used to represent that the difference between the subcarrier numbers of two adjacent subcarriers carrying SSBs is 4. At this time, the first information can indicate 4 (m is equal to the first value plus 1); or the first information can indicate 3 (the first value is equal to m-1); the first information can also indicate the first value in other ways, as long as it can indicate the interval between the two adjacent subcarriers carrying SSBs of the first SSB after being combed on the same symbol, and the specific indication manner is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0198] For another example, if the positioning accuracy requirement of the terminal device is 4 m (i.e., the positioning error needs to be less than 4 m) and the worst SNR of the communication link is 2 dB, B1 (i.e., the bandwidth required to meet the positioning accuracy requirement) can be calculated by formula (3) to be 20.7 MB; if the subcarrier spacing of the first SSB is 0.015 mhz and the first SSB occupies 20 RBs, B2 (i.e., the transmission bandwidth of the first SSB) can be calculated by formula (4) to be 3.6 MB; m can be calculated by formula (4) to be 5.75, and since 5.75 is not a positive even number, it can be rounded up to an even number to be 6. At this time, the first value is 5 (the first value is equal to m-1).

[0199] In some embodiments, before step S810, method 800 can further include step S806, specifically as follows:

[0200] S806, the first network device generates the first SSB according to the first value.

[0201] The first network device can determine the time-frequency resources occupied by the first SSB according to the first value to generate the comb-shaped first SSB.

[0202] It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present application, the first network device and the second network device can be the same network device. For example, when the NTN system is in the regenerative mode shown in FIG. 3, the satellite (i.e., the first network device) can implement all or part of the functions of the base station (i.e., the second network device), and the first network device and the second network device can be considered as the same network device.

[0203] In the case where the first network device and the second network device are the same network device, method 800 can not include the above S804a. At this time, the steps performed by the second network device in the embodiments of the present application can be considered as performed by the first network device, for example, the above step S802 can be performed by the first network device.

[0204] In some embodiments, the first SSB can occupy a plurality of symbols in the time domain, and the subcarriers carrying the SSB on adjacent symbols in the plurality of symbols can be aligned.

[0205] In the embodiments of the present application, when the subcarriers carrying SSBs on adjacent symbols in the plurality of symbols are aligned, the implementation complexity is reduced. For example, if the subcarriers carrying SSBs on adjacent symbols in the plurality of symbols are aligned, the first SSB has the same frequency domain starting position on the plurality of symbols, and only the interval between the adjacent two subcarriers carrying SSBs needs to be known; if the subcarriers carrying SSBs on adjacent symbols in the plurality of symbols are not aligned, the frequency domain starting position of the first SSB on different symbols also needs to be indicated, which increases the implementation complexity and may require additional resource overhead.

[0206] For example, as shown in the left part of FIG. 9, the first SSB can occupy 4 symbols in the time domain, and the subcarriers of the first SSB after the combing are aligned on adjacent symbols. As shown in FIG. 9, the first SSB after the combing occupies subcarrier 0 on the first symbol, and also occupies subcarrier 0 on the second symbol, the third symbol and the fourth symbol; the first SSB after the combing occupies subcarrier 4 on the first symbol, and also occupies subcarrier 4 on the second symbol, the third symbol and the fourth symbol.

[0207] Alternatively, the combing structure shown in the right part of FIG. 9 can be referred to as an aligned combing structure or an aligned comb structure.

[0208] Alternatively, the subcarriers carrying SSBs on adjacent symbols in the plurality of symbols can also be not aligned.

[0209] When the subcarriers carrying SSBs on adjacent symbols in the plurality of symbols are not aligned, the frequency domain starting positions of the first SSB on adjacent symbols are different, which can avoid signal interference (also referred to as sidelobe interference) between the subcarriers on adjacent symbols, thereby improving the communication quality of the system.

[0210] For example, as shown in the left part of FIG. 10, the first SSB can occupy 4 symbols in the time domain, and the subcarriers of the first SSB after the combing are not aligned on adjacent symbols. As shown in FIG. 10, the first SSB after the combing occupies subcarrier 0 on the first symbol, subcarrier 2 on the second symbol, subcarrier 1 on the third symbol, and subcarrier 3 on the fourth symbol; the first SSB after the combing occupies subcarrier 6 on the first symbol, subcarrier 8 on the second symbol, subcarrier 7 on the third symbol, and subcarrier 9 on the fourth symbol.

[0211] Alternatively, the combing structure shown in the right part of FIG. 10 can be referred to as an interleaved combing structure or an interleaved comb structure.

[0212] S820, determining, by the terminal device, the position information of the terminal device according to the first SSB.

[0213] The terminal device can determine the TOA at the UE side according to the first SSB, and then calculate the position information of the UE based on the TOA by using a plurality of positioning methods. The specific calculation method can refer to the prior art, which will not be described here.

[0214] The method in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to the initial access stage.

[0215] In some embodiments, the terminal device can determine a time advance (TA) for sending the PRACH according to the position information, and then send the PRACH according to the time advance.

[0216] For example, after step S820, the method 800 can further include steps S822 and S824, as follows:

[0217] S822, determining the TA according to the position information.

[0218] S824, sending the PRACH according to the TA.

[0219] There is no PRS in the initial access stage, and the first SSB can be used to provide positioning services for the initial access stage. At the same time, the first SSB after being combed is used for positioning at the initial access stage, and accurate position information can be obtained, so that the network access performance can be improved.

[0220] The method in the embodiments of the present application can be applied after the initial access.

[0221] The first SSB after being combed is used for positioning after the initial access, which not only can improve the positioning accuracy, but also can reduce the resource overhead of the system (if PRS is used for positioning, additional resource overhead is needed to obtain PRS).

[0222] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device receives the first SSB, and the bandwidth of the first SSB after being combed is greater than the transmission bandwidth of the first SSB (equivalent to increasing the signal bandwidth B in the above formula (1)), so that accurate position information can be obtained according to the first SSB after being combed, so that the positioning accuracy of the system can be improved.

[0223] The method embodiments of the present application are described in detail above in combination with FIGS. 1 to 10, and the device embodiments of the present application are described in detail below in combination with FIGS. 11 to 14. It should be understood that the description of the method embodiments and the description of the device embodiments correspond to each other, and therefore, the parts not described in detail can be referred to the foregoing method embodiments.

[0224] FIG. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication apparatus 1000 shown in FIG. 11 can be used in the terminal device in the foregoing embodiments. The communication apparatus 1000 can be a terminal device, a device (for example, a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit, or a functional module, etc.) in a terminal device, or a device capable of being used in a terminal device, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of a terminal device.

[0225] As shown in FIG. 11, the communication apparatus 1000 includes a receiving unit 1110 and a determining unit 1120, which are specifically as follows.

[0226] The receiving unit 1110 is configured to receive a first synchronization signal block (SSB) from a first network device, wherein a bandwidth of the first SSB after being combed is greater than a transmission bandwidth of the first SSB.

[0227] The determining unit 1120 is configured to determine position information of the terminal device according to the first SSB.

[0228] Optionally, intervals between two adjacent SSB-carrying subcarriers of the first SSB after being combed are the same.

[0229] Optionally, the intervals between the two adjacent SSB-carrying subcarriers are a first value, and the first value is related to at least one of the following: a positioning accuracy requirement of the terminal device, a subcarrier spacing of the first SSB, a number of resource blocks (RBs) occupied by the first SSB, and a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of a communication link between the terminal device and the first network device.

[0230] Optionally, the SNR of the communication link is a worst SNR of the communication link.

[0231] Optionally, the first value satisfies the following relationship: m = B1 / B2 B2 = 12 x l x n

[0232] wherein m is used to indicate the first value, B1 represents a bandwidth required to meet the positioning accuracy requirement, B2 represents the transmission bandwidth of the first SSB, SNR represents the SNR of the communication link between the terminal device and the first network device, y represents the positioning accuracy requirement, c represents the speed of light, l represents the subcarrier spacing, and n represents the number of RBs occupied by the first SSB.

[0233] Optionally, the receiving unit 1110 is further configured to receive first information from a second network device, wherein the first information is used to indicate the first value.

[0234] Optionally, the first SSB occupies multiple symbols in the time domain, and subcarriers carrying the SSB on adjacent symbols in the multiple symbols are aligned or misaligned.

[0235] Optionally, the determining unit 1120 is further configured to determine a time advance TA according to the position information, and the apparatus 1100 further includes a sending unit 1130 configured to send a physical random access channel PRACH according to the TA.

[0236] FIG. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application. The communication apparatus 1200 shown in FIG. 12 can be used in the first network device in the foregoing embodiments, and can be the first network device, a device (processor, chip, chip system, circuit, or a functional module, etc.) in the first network device, or an apparatus capable of matching the first network device, and can also be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the first network device.

[0237] As shown in FIG. 12, the communication apparatus 1200 includes a sending unit 1210, specifically as follows.

[0238] The sending unit 1210 is configured to send a first synchronization signal block SSB to a terminal device, and a bandwidth of the first SSB after being interleaved is greater than a transmission bandwidth of the first SSB.

[0239] Optionally, an interval between two adjacent subcarriers carrying the SSB on the same symbol of the first SSB after being interleaved is the same.

[0240] Optionally, the interval between the two adjacent subcarriers carrying the SSB is a first value, and the first value is related to at least one of the following: a positioning accuracy requirement of the terminal device, a subcarrier spacing of the first SSB, a number of resource blocks RB occupied by the first SSB, and a signal-to-noise ratio SNR of a communication link between the terminal device and the first network device.

[0241] Optionally, the SNR of the communication link is a worst SNR of the communication link.

[0242] Optionally, the first value satisfies the following relationship: m = B1 / B2 B2 = 12 x l x n

[0243] wherein m is used to indicate the first value, B1 represents a bandwidth required to meet the positioning accuracy requirement, B2 represents the transmission bandwidth of the first SSB, SNR represents the SNR of the communication link between the terminal device and the first network device, y represents the positioning accuracy requirement, c represents the speed of light, l represents the subcarrier spacing, and n represents the number of RBs occupied by the first SSB.

[0244] Optionally, the apparatus 1200 further includes a receiving unit 1220 and a generating unit 1230, where the receiving unit 1220 is configured to receive first information from a second network device, the first information being used to indicate the first value; and the generating unit 1230 is configured to generate the first SSB according to the first value.

[0245] Optionally, the first positioning reference signal occupies a plurality of symbols in the time domain, and subcarriers carrying SSBs on adjacent symbols in the plurality of symbols are aligned or not aligned.

[0246] FIG. 13 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application. The communication apparatus 1300 shown in FIG. 13 can be used in the second network device in the foregoing embodiments. The communication apparatus 1300 can be the second network device, or a device (processor, chip, chip system, circuit, or a functional module, etc.) in the second network device, or a device capable of matching the second network device, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the second network device.

[0247] As shown in FIG. 13, the communication apparatus 1300 includes a sending unit 1310, specifically as follows.

[0248] The sending unit 1310 is configured to send first information, the first information being used to indicate a first value; where the interval between two adjacent subcarriers carrying SSBs on a same symbol after the first SSB is pectated is the same, the first value representing the interval between the two adjacent subcarriers carrying SSBs, and a bandwidth of the pectated first SSB is greater than a transmission bandwidth of the first SSB.

[0249] Optionally, the first value is related to at least one of the following: a positioning accuracy requirement of the terminal device, a subcarrier spacing of the first SSB, a number of resource blocks (RBs) occupied by the first SSB, and a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of a communication link between the terminal device and the first network device.

[0250] Optionally, the SNR of the communication link is a worst SNR of the communication link.

[0251] Optionally, the first value satisfies the following relationship: m = B1 / B2 B2 = 12 x l x n

[0252] Wherein, m is used to indicate the first value, B1 represents the bandwidth required to meet the positioning accuracy requirement, B2 represents the transmission bandwidth of the first SSB, SNR represents the SNR of the communication link between the terminal device and the first network device, y represents the positioning accuracy requirement, c represents the speed of light, l represents the subcarrier spacing, and n represents the number of RBs occupied by the first SSB.

[0253] Optionally, the first SSB occupies a plurality of symbols in the time domain, and subcarriers carrying SSBs on adjacent symbols in the plurality of symbols are aligned or not aligned.

[0254] FIG. 14 is a schematic structural diagram of an apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application. The dashed line in FIG. 14 indicates that the unit or module is optional. The apparatus 1400 can be used to implement the method described in the foregoing method embodiments. The apparatus 1400 can be a chip or a communication apparatus.

[0255] The apparatus 1400 can include one or more processors 1410. The processor 1410 can support the apparatus 1400 to implement the method described in the foregoing method embodiments. The processor 1410 can be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor. For example, the processor can be a central processing unit (CPU). Alternatively, the processor can also be other general-purpose processors, microprocessor units (MPUs), microcontroller units (MCUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), artificial intelligence processors (AI processors) or neural network processors (NPU), digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor.

[0256] The apparatus 1400 can further include one or more memories 1420. The memories 1420 store programs that can be executed by the processor 1410, so that the processor 1410 performs the methods described in the foregoing method embodiments. The memories 1420 can be independent of the processor 1410 or integrated in the processor 1410. In embodiments of the present application, the memories 1420 can include, but are not limited to, a cache, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), a hard disk drive (HDD), or a solid-state drive (SSD), an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), or a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), and the like.

[0257] The apparatus 1400 can further include a transceiver 1430. The processor 1410 can communicate with other devices or chips through the transceiver 1430. For example, the processor 1410 can perform data transceiving with other devices or chips through the transceiver 1430.

[0258] It should be noted that the information interaction, execution process, and the like between the above apparatus / units, since based on the same concept as the method embodiments of the present application, the specific functions and the technical effects brought by them can be referred to the method embodiments part, and will not be repeated here.

[0259] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, only the division of the above functional units and modules is exemplified, and in actual applications, the above functions can be completed by different functional units and modules according to needs, that is, the internal structure of the apparatus is divided into different functional units or modules to complete all or part of the functions described above. Each functional unit or module in the embodiments can be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit. The above integrated unit can be realized in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional unit. In addition, the specific names of each functional unit or module are only for easy distinction, and do not limit the protection scope of the present application. The specific working process of the unit or module in the system can refer to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0260] The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer readable storage medium, which stores a computer program. When the computer program is run on a computer, the computer is caused to implement the steps in the above various method embodiments.

[0261] The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, which comprises a computer program. When the computer program is run on a computer, the computer is caused to implement the steps in the above various method embodiments.

[0262] The embodiment of the present application further provides a chip, which comprises a processor and a memory. The memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory, so that a device or equipment (such as a communication device) installed with the chip executes the steps in the above various method embodiments.

[0263] The integrated unit, if realized in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the embodiment of the present application realizes all or part of the processes in the above method embodiments, which can be completed by a computer program instructing related hardware. The computer program can be stored in a computer readable storage medium, and the computer program can realize the steps in the above various method embodiments when executed by a processor. The computer program comprises computer program code, which can be in the form of source code, object code, executable file or some intermediate form. The computer readable storage medium at least includes any entity or device capable of carrying the computer program code to a device, recording medium, computer memory, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), electrical carrier signal, telecommunication signal and software distribution medium. For example, U disk, mobile hard disk, magnetic disk or optical disk, etc. In some jurisdictions, according to legislation and patent practice, the computer readable storage medium can not be an electrical carrier signal and a telecommunication signal.

[0264] In the above embodiments, the description of each embodiment has its own focus, and the parts not described or recorded in detail in a certain embodiment can be referred to the relevant description of other embodiments.

[0265] Those skilled in the art can understand that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in combination with the embodiments disclosed herein can be realized in electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether the functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0266] In the embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatuses / devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the above-described apparatus / device embodiments are merely illustrative. For example, the division of the modules or units is merely a logical function division, and there can be another division manner in actual implementation. For example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the displayed or discussed coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the units can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interface, device or unit, and can be electrical, mechanical or in other forms.

[0267] The units described as separate components can or can not be physically separate, and the components shown as units can or can not be physical units, i.e. can be located in one place or distributed on a plurality of network units. Part or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiments.

[0268] The above-described embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, but not to limit them; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments can be modified, or some technical features can be replaced by equivalent replacements; and these modifications or replacements do not make the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and should be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A communication method, the method being applied to a terminal device, characterized by, The method comprises: receiving a first synchronization signal block (SSB) from a first network device, a bandwidth of the first SSB after being combed is greater than a transmission bandwidth of the first SSB; determining position information of the terminal device according to the first SSB.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, Intervals between adjacent two SSB carrying subcarriers of the first SSB after being combed are the same.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The interval between the adjacent two SSB carrying subcarriers is a first value, and the first value is related to at least one of the following: a positioning accuracy requirement of the terminal device, a subcarrier spacing of the first SSB, a number of resource blocks (RBs) occupied by the first SSB, and a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of a communication link between the terminal device and the first network device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, The SNR of the communication link is a worst SNR of the communication link.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The first value satisfies the following relationship: m = B1 / B2 B2 = 12 x 1 x n Wherein, m is used to indicate the first value, B1 represents a bandwidth required to meet the positioning accuracy requirement, B2 represents the transmission bandwidth of the first SSB, SNR represents the SNR of the communication link between the terminal device and the first network device, y represents the positioning accuracy requirement, c represents the speed of light, l represents the subcarrier spacing, and n represents the number of RBs occupied by the first SSB.

6. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that, The method further comprises: receiving first information from a second network device, the first information being used to indicate the first value.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The first SSB occupies a plurality of symbols in the time domain, and SSB carrying subcarriers on adjacent symbols in the plurality of symbols are aligned or not aligned.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The method further comprises: determining a time advance (TA) according to the position information; sending a physical random access channel (PRACH) according to the TA.

9. A communication method, the method being applied to a first network device, characterized in that, The method comprises: sending a first synchronization signal block (SSB) to a terminal device, a bandwidth of the first SSB after being combed is greater than a transmission bandwidth of the first SSB.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, Intervals between adjacent two SSB carrying subcarriers of the first SSB after being combed are the same.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The interval between the adjacent two SSB carrying subcarriers is a first value, and the first value is related to at least one of the following: a positioning accuracy requirement of the terminal device, a subcarrier spacing of the first SSB, a number of resource blocks (RBs) occupied by the first SSB, and a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of a communication link between the terminal device and the first network device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The SNR of the communication link is a worst SNR of the communication link.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that, The first value satisfies the following relationship: m = B1 / B2 B2 = 12 x 1 x n Wherein, m is used to indicate the first value, B1 represents a bandwidth required to meet the positioning accuracy requirement, B2 represents the transmission bandwidth of the first SSB, SNR represents the SNR of the communication link between the terminal device and the first network device, y represents the positioning accuracy requirement, c represents the speed of light, l represents the subcarrier spacing, and n represents the number of RBs occupied by the first SSB.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that, The method further comprises: receiving first information from a second network device, the first information being used to indicate the first value; generating the first SSB according to the first value.

15. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 14, characterized in that, The first positioning reference signal occupies a plurality of symbols in the time domain, and subcarriers carrying SSBs on adjacent symbols in the plurality of symbols are aligned or not aligned.

16. A communication method, the method being applied to a second network device, the method comprising: The method comprises: sending first information, the first information being used to indicate a first value; wherein the first SSB after being combed has the same interval between two adjacent SSB-carrying subcarriers on the same symbol, the first value representing the interval between the two adjacent SSB-carrying subcarriers, and a bandwidth of the first SSB after being combed is greater than a transmission bandwidth of the first SSB.

17. A communications device, characterized by Comprise: A module or unit for performing the method of any one of claims 1 to 16.

18. A communications device, characterized by Comprise: A processor and a memory, the processor being coupled with the memory, the memory being used to store a computer program, the computer program being executed by the processor to make the apparatus perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 16.

19. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium has stored thereon a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 16.

20. A computer program product, characterised in that, Comprise: A computer program, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 16.

21. A chip, characterized by Comprise: A processor and a memory, the memory being used to store a computer program, and the processor being used to invoke and run the computer program stored in the memory, so that an apparatus or device installed with the chip performs the method of any one of claims 1 to 16.

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