Cell access method and related apparatus

Abstract

Provided are a cell access method and a related apparatus. The method can be applied to NTN communications, and comprises: on the basis of environmental information, determining a first service duration, wherein the first service duration is the length of time during which a terminal can obtain a service from a target cell, and the environmental information includes information about loss caused by obstruction in a transmission path between an NTN device and the terminal; and when the first service duration is greater than or equal to a threshold value, accessing the target cell. For the terminal, the impact of the environment where the terminal is located on signal reception is fully considered, such that the accuracy of the first service duration is higher, and the terminal is more likely to receive a signal within the first service duration, thereby facilitating the improvement in communication efficiency.

Description

Method for accessing cell and related apparatus

[0001] The present application claims priority from the Chinese patent application No. 202411052864.8 filed on July 31, 2024, and entitled "Method for accessing cell and related apparatus", the content of which is incorporated herein in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

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

[0003] Non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication has advantages of wide coverage and flexible networking. In NTN communication, a terminal can consider the service duration of a cell before accessing the cell. For example, a network device can directly indicate the service time of the cell to the terminal, such as the service start time and the service end time, or the service end time. The terminal accesses the cell when the remaining service duration of the cell is greater than or equal to a threshold.

[0004] However, although the network device can transmit signals to the terminal at the above service time, the terminal may fail to receive the signals due to blockage, resulting in low communication efficiency. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application provides a method for accessing a cell and related apparatus to improve communication efficiency.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides a method for accessing a cell, which can be executed by a communication apparatus. The communication apparatus can be a terminal, a component (such as a chip, a chip system, etc.) configured in the terminal, or a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the terminal, and the present application does not make any limitation in this regard.

[0007] For example, the method can be applied in NTN communication. The method comprises: determining a first service duration based on environment information, the first service duration being the length of time during which the terminal can obtain service from a target cell, and the environment information including information causing the transmission path between the NTN device and the terminal to have loss due to blockage; and accessing the target cell when the first service duration is greater than or equal to a threshold.

[0008] In the technical solution, when determining the length of time (denoted as a first service duration) during which the terminal can obtain service from the target cell, the terminal fully considers the influence of the environment in which the terminal is located on the received signal. In this way, the first service duration is more accurate, and the terminal is more likely to receive a signal within the first service duration, thereby facilitating improvement of communication efficiency.

[0009] In the present application, one cell can correspond to one service duration. For ease of distinction, the service duration corresponding to the target cell can be denoted as a first service duration. The target cell can be a cell searched by the terminal, for example, the terminal obtains cell 1 through frequency scanning, synchronization signal detection, and the like. Further, based on the environment information, the terminal determines the service duration corresponding to cell 1. In the case where the service duration is greater than or equal to a threshold, the terminal accesses cell 1. The target cell can also be a cell other than the searched cell, for example, a neighboring cell (such as cell 2) of the searched cell. The present application does not limit the target cell. Optionally, the environment information can also be referred to as visible information, attenuation information of a certain frequency point, attenuation information other than free space loss of a certain frequency point, long-time communication quality information perceived by the terminal, and the like. The present application does not limit the name of the environment information. For example, the environment information includes whether there is an obstruction (or obstacle) in the transmission path between the NTN device and the terminal, the loss caused by the obstruction, and the like. The obstruction in the transmission path between the NTN device and the terminal can be an obstruction caused by vegetation, a building, or a terrain.

[0010] In addition, the first service duration refers to the length of time during which the terminal can obtain service from the target cell, and is a period of time, but this should not constitute any limitation on the present application. For example, in the present application, the service duration can be replaced by a service time. The service time can be a time point, for example, a service end time point. The service time can also be a time interval, for example, the time interval can be from a current time point (or a service start time point) to a service end time point. It can be understood that the terminal can calculate the service end time point according to the service duration and the current time point, or calculate the service duration according to the current time point and the service end time point.

[0011] It should be noted that in the present application, the first service duration can be a remaining service duration, which can be understood as the length of time during which the terminal can obtain service from the target cell in the future.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, in some possible implementation manners of the first aspect, the first service duration is a length of time during which the first parameter is greater than 0 and / or the second parameter is greater than 0. The first parameter is used to indicate the signal strength of the received signal of the terminal, and the second parameter is used to indicate the signal quality of the received signal of the terminal.

[0013] In a possible implementation, the first parameter may be, for example, a received signal strength value (Srxlev) in the S criterion, and the second parameter may be, for example, a received signal quality value (Squal) in the S criterion.

[0014] With reference to the first aspect, in some possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate that the terminal determines the first service duration based on the environment information.

[0015] That is, the NTN device may indicate the terminal to determine the first service duration corresponding to the target cell based on the environment information, that is, the influence of the environment information on the first service duration needs to be considered when determining the first service duration corresponding to the target cell, so as to improve the accuracy of the first service duration, and further reduce the possibility of cell switching and cell reselection, and improve the communication efficiency.

[0016] In the present application, the NTN device sending indication information (such as the first indication information, the second indication information, etc.) can be understood as the NTN device forwarding the indication information from a network device (such as a base station). The network device can be deployed on the NTN device or on the ground, and the present application does not limit the deployment location of the network device. For example, the network device is deployed on the ground, and the NTN device can receive the indication information from the network device and forward the indication information to the terminal.

[0017] With reference to the first aspect, in some possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate the first area; and wherein the determining the first service duration based on the environment information includes: determining the first service duration based on the environment information in a case where the terminal is located in the first area.

[0018] The NTN device may indicate the terminal the first area, and the terminal in the first area may have a shielding risk, or in other words, there is a risk of shielding in the transmission path between the terminal and the NTN device in the first area. If the terminal is located in the first area, the terminal needs to consider the environment information when calculating the service duration. In this way, for the terminal not located in the first area, or in other words, for the terminal in the area without shielding risk, the influence of the environment information on the service duration can not be considered when calculating the service duration, which is beneficial to reduce the power consumption of the terminal.

[0019] With reference to the first aspect, in some possible implementation of the first aspect, the determining the first service duration based on the environment information includes: determining the first service duration based on the environment information, trajectory information of the NTN device, and a change rule of the radiation energy of the NTN device.

[0020] The NTN device may be, for example, a satellite, a high-altitude platform, or a UAV, and the like. The type of NTN device is not limited in the present application. The trajectory information of the NTN device indicates the motion trajectory of the NTN device, and the change rule of the radiation energy of the NTN device indicates the radiation energy of the NTN device at different times in the future period of time. For example, the NTN device is a satellite, and the change rule of the radiation energy of the NTN device may be the change rule of the transmission power of the satellite in the direction of the terminal during the motion of the satellite.

[0021] Optionally, the above-mentioned environmental information, the trajectory information of the NTN device, or the change rule of the radiation energy of the NTN device may be indicated by the NTN device. By indicating the above-mentioned information by the NTN device, the accuracy is higher, and the power consumption of the terminal is reduced. It can be understood that the environmental information may also be detected or calculated by the terminal. For example, the terminal may be photographed by a camera, or the terminal may be detected by a sensor, or the terminal may be calculated by pre-stored terrain data and terminal position information. By detecting the environmental information by the terminal, the signaling overhead is reduced.

[0022] In combination with the first aspect, in some possible implementation manners of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving third indication information, the third indication information indicating the threshold.

[0023] That is, the threshold corresponding to the first service duration may be indicated by the NTN device, and the threshold may be carried in the broadcast signal of the target cell. In the case that the NTN device indicates the threshold, the threshold is flexibly configured.

[0024] The threshold may also be predefined, which reduces the signaling overhead.

[0025] In combination with the first aspect, in some possible implementation manners of the first aspect, in the case that the first service duration is greater than or equal to the threshold, accessing the target cell includes: in the case that the first service duration is greater than or equal to the threshold and the first service duration is the maximum in a plurality of service durations, accessing the target cell, the plurality of service durations corresponding to a plurality of cells, each service duration being the length of time during which the terminal can obtain service from the corresponding cell, and the plurality of cells including the target cell.

[0026] In the above scheme, one cell can correspond to one service duration, and the terminal can determine the service duration corresponding to each of the plurality of cells, and access the cell with the longest service duration and the service duration greater than or equal to a threshold. For example, the plurality of cells include cell 1, cell 2, and cell 3, cell 1, cell 2, and cell 3 correspond to the same threshold of the service duration, the service duration of cell 1 is service duration 1, the service duration of cell 2 is service duration 2, and the service duration of cell 3 is service duration 3. Assuming that the service durations of cell 1 and cell 2 are both greater than the threshold, and service duration 1 is greater than service duration 2, the terminal accesses cell 1.

[0027] It should be understood that the plurality of cells can correspond to the same threshold, or can correspond to different thresholds. When different cells correspond to different thresholds, the terminal needs to compare with the threshold corresponding to the cell when judging whether the service duration is greater than or equal to the threshold. It can be understood that different thresholds can be configured based on the busy degree of the cell, for example, the more busy the cell is, the greater the corresponding threshold is.

[0028] In a second aspect, the present application provides a method for accessing a cell, which can be executed by a communication device. The communication device can be an NTN device, or a component (such as a chip, a chip system, etc.) configured in the NTN device, or a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the NTN device, which is not limited in the present application.

[0029] For example, the method is applied in NTN communication, and the method comprises: determining first indication information, the first indication information being used to instruct the terminal to determine a first service duration based on environment information, the first service duration being a length of time during which the terminal can obtain service from a target cell, and the environment information comprising information causing a transmission path between the NTN device and the terminal to have loss due to obstruction; and sending the first indication information.

[0030] In the above technical solution, the NTN device can instruct the terminal to determine the first service duration corresponding to the target cell based on the environment information, that is, the influence of the environment information on the first service duration needs to be considered when determining the first service duration corresponding to the target cell, thereby improving the accuracy of the service duration, and reducing the possibility of cell switching and cell reselection, and improving the communication efficiency.

[0031] In a third aspect, the present application provides a method for accessing a cell, which can be executed by a communication device. The communication device can be an NTN device, or a component (such as a chip, a chip system, etc.) configured in the NTN device, or a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the NTN device, which is not limited in the present application.

[0032] Exemplarily, the method is applied to NTN communication, and the method comprises: determining second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate that a terminal in a first area determines a first service duration based on environment information, the first service duration being a length of time during which the terminal can obtain service from a target cell, and the environment information comprising information causing a transmission path between the NTN device and the terminal to have loss due to obstruction; and transmitting the second indication information.

[0033] In the above technical solution, the NTN device can indicate the first area to the terminal, and terminals in the first area can have a risk of obstruction, or in other words, there is a risk of obstruction in the transmission path between the terminals and the NTN device within the first area. If the terminal is located within the first area, the terminal needs to consider the environment information when calculating the service duration. In this way, for terminals not located within the first area, or in other words, for terminals in an area that does not have a risk of obstruction, the influence of the environment information on the service duration can not be considered when calculating the service duration, which is beneficial to reducing the power consumption of the terminal.

[0034] In combination with the second aspect and the third aspect, in some possible implementation manners, the above method further comprises: transmitting third indication information, the third indication information being used to indicate a threshold corresponding to the first service duration.

[0035] The threshold corresponding to the first service duration can be indicated by the NTN device, and exemplarily, the threshold can be carried in a broadcast signal of the target cell. In the case where the NTN device indicates the threshold, it is beneficial to flexibly configure the threshold.

[0036] The threshold can also be predefined, which is beneficial to reducing signaling overhead.

[0037] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication apparatus, which can implement the method in the first aspect to the third aspect and any possible implementation manner of the first aspect to the third aspect. The apparatus comprises corresponding modules for executing the above method. The modules included in the apparatus can be implemented in a software and / or hardware manner.

[0038] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication apparatus, which comprises a processor, and the processor can be used to execute a computer program in a memory to implement the method in the first aspect to the third aspect and any possible implementation manner of the first aspect to the third aspect.

[0039] Optionally, the apparatus further comprises a communication interface, and the processor is coupled with the communication interface. The communication interface is used to receive a signal from another communication apparatus outside the apparatus and transmit the signal to the processor, or send a signal from the processor to another communication apparatus outside the apparatus. Exemplarily, the communication interface can be a transceiver, a circuit, a bus, a module, a pin, or another type of communication interface.

[0040] Optionally, the apparatus further includes a memory, and the processor is coupled to the memory. The memory is configured to store program instructions and data. The memory is coupled to the processor, and the processor implements the method described in any of the aspects above when the processor executes the instructions stored in the memory.

[0041] In a sixth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed, the method described in the first aspect to the third aspect and any possible implementation manner of the first aspect to the third aspect is implemented.

[0042] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes instructions, and when the instructions are executed, the method described in the first aspect to the third aspect and any possible implementation manner of the first aspect to the third aspect is implemented.

[0043] In an eighth aspect, a chip system is provided, which includes at least one processor configured to support the functions described in the first aspect to the third aspect and any possible implementation manner of the first aspect to the third aspect, such as receiving or processing data involved in the above method.

[0044] In a possible design, the chip system further includes a memory configured to store program instructions and data, and the memory is located in or outside the processor.

[0045] In a possible design, the chip system further includes an interface circuit configured to transmit data and / or a power supply circuit configured to supply power to the chip system.

[0046] The chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0047] In a ninth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes a terminal and an NTN device, wherein the terminal is configured to implement the method described in the first aspect and any possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the NTN device is configured to implement the method described in the second aspect and any possible implementation manner of the second aspect, or the NTN device is configured to implement the method described in the third aspect and any possible implementation manner of the third aspect.

[0048] It should be understood that the fourth aspect to the ninth aspect of the present application correspond to the technical solutions of the first aspect to the third aspect of the present application, and the beneficial effects obtained by each aspect and the corresponding possible implementation manner are similar, which will not be described again. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0049] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a coordinate system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture for NTN communication according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of another network architecture for NTN communication according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0052] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture for NTN and terrestrial network integration according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0053] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of another network architecture for NTN and terrestrial network integration according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0054] FIG. 6 is a schematic flowchart of a method for accessing a cell according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0055] FIG. 7 is a detailed schematic flowchart of a method for accessing a cell according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] FIG. 8 is another detailed schematic flowchart of a method for accessing a cell according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0057] FIG. 9 is yet another detailed schematic flowchart of a method for accessing a cell according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of satellite distribution according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] FIG. 11 is a schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] FIG. 12 is another schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] FIG. 13 is yet another schematic diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0062] The technical solutions in the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0063] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions provided in the present application, the following points are first explained:

[0064] First, in the present application, the terms “comprise” and “have” and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, for example, an apparatus, system, product or device comprising a series of modules, modules or units does not have to be limited to only those clearly listed, but can include other modules, modules or units not clearly listed or inherent to the apparatus, system, product or device.

[0065] Secondly, in the present application, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. The "and / or" describes the association relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can represent the following three cases: A exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally represents an "or" relationship between the associated objects before and after it, but does not rule out the case that the associated objects before and after it represent an "and" relationship. The specific meaning can be understood in combination with the context. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions means any combination of these items, including any combination of single or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c; a and b; a and c; b and c; or a and b and c. Where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0066] Thirdly, in the present application, "sending" and "receiving" represent the direction of signal transmission. For example, "sending information to a terminal" can be understood as that the destination of the information is the terminal, which can include direct sending through the air interface, or indirect sending through the air interface by other units or modules. "Receiving information from an NTN device" can be understood as that the source of the information is the NTN device, which can include direct receiving from the NTN device through the air interface, or indirect receiving from the NTN device through the air interface from other units or modules. "Sending" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receiving" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface.

[0067] In other words, sending and receiving can be between devices, such as between an NTN device and a terminal, or within a device, such as between components, modules, chips, software modules or hardware modules within a device through a bus, wire or interface.

[0068] Fourthly, in the present application, "when", "if" and "if" all mean that the device will make corresponding processing under certain objective circumstances, not limited by time, and also does not require the device to have a judgment action when it is implemented. It also does not mean that there are other limitations.

[0069] Fifthly, in the present application, the words "example", "exemplarily", "for example", "such as" and the like are used to mean by way of example, illustration or description. Any embodiment or design scheme described as "example", "exemplarily", "for example" or "such as" in the present application should not be interpreted as more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Rather, the words "example", "exemplarily", "for example" or "such as" are intended to present the relevant concept in a specific way.

[0070] Sixth, in this application, the terminal can also be referred to as a terminal device, a terminal equipment, a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a mobile terminal, etc. The terminal can include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a mixed reality (MR) device, an extended reality (XR) device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a vehicle-mounted device, a wireless terminal in unmanned driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical treatment, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, a wearable device, a video player, a full-system projector, etc. The specific type of the terminal is not limited in this application.

[0071] Seventh, in this application, the network device can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a base station in a future mobile communication system, etc. The type of the network device is not limited in this application.

[0072] Eighth, the method of the embodiments of this application can be applied in an NTN system or a long term evolution (LTE) system, and can also be applied in a 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system or a new radio access technology (NR) system, or a future mobile communication system.

[0073] Ninth, in the present application, the position coordinates of a satellite can be represented based on an earth-centered earth-fixed (ECEF) coordinate system. Conversion from the ECEF coordinate system to an east-north-up (ENU) coordinate system (also known as a station-centered coordinate system) can be converted into a local coordinate system that is consistent with the common human understanding of geographical positions. The ENU coordinate system is a local geographical coordinate system commonly used in geographic information systems, navigation, remote sensing, and other geospatial applications. The origin of the ENU coordinate system is usually set at a certain geographical position, such as a station or observation point. The ENU coordinate system and the ECEF coordinate system will be explained below in conjunction with FIG. 1.

[0074] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a coordinate system according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0075] As shown in FIG. 1, in the ENU coordinate system, the E-axis points east, usually consistent with the positive direction of geographical longitude, the N-axis points north, usually consistent with the positive direction of geographical latitude, and the U-axis points up, perpendicular to the earth's surface, usually opposite to the direction of gravity. In the ECEF coordinate system, the origin of the coordinates is located at the center of the earth. ecef The X-axis points to the intersection of the prime meridian (0 degrees of longitude) and the equator (0 degrees of latitude). The Z-axis points to the intersection of the prime meridian (0 degrees of longitude) and the equator (0 degrees of latitude). ecef The Y-axis points to the North Pole through the origin. The Y-axis points to the North Pole through the origin. ecef The Y-axis points to the North Pole through the origin. The Y-axis points to the North Pole through the origin. In the ECEF coordinate system, a point can also be represented by a longitude-latitude-altitude coordinate system (longitude, latitude, and altitude), where longitude is represented by λ and latitude is represented by φ. Conversion from the ECEF coordinate system to the ENU coordinate system can be performed in accordance with known techniques, which will not be described in detail herein.

[0076] Tenth, in the present application, unless otherwise specified, the "region" in the following embodiments refers to a geographical region. The region is fixed relative to the earth, or understood as a geographical region fixed relative to the earth. For example, the region can have at least one of the following properties: shape, contour, size, radius, area, geographical position, etc. In addition, the "region" can also have a height attribute, i.e., the region can be understood as a geographical region at a given height or within a range of heights. For example, the region can refer to a geographical region with an altitude of 0 km or within a range of 0 km ± 2 km, or a geographical region with an average altitude, or a geographical region at a specific height, such as an altitude of 10 km or within a range of 10 km ± 3 km.

[0077] In a possible implementation, the above-mentioned area fixed relative to the earth can also be referred to as a "wave position", a "geographical area", and the like. Of course, there can be other names, and the name of the area fixed relative to the earth is not specifically limited in this application.

[0078] The shapes, contours, sizes, radii, and areas of different areas can or can not be the same. Different areas have different geographical positions. There can or can not be overlap between different areas.

[0079] In a possible implementation, the area fixed relative to the earth can be understood as: the contour, size, or geographical position of the area is unchanged, for example, the contour, size, or geographical position of the area does not change with time. Alternatively, the area fixed relative to the earth can be understood as: the contour of the area and the points in the area can be described by a fixed coordinate system of the earth, or the coordinates of each point on the contour of the area in the fixed coordinate system of the earth are fixed and unchanged.

[0080] In a possible implementation, the shape of the area can be a regular hexagon, or other shapes such as a regular pentagon, a circle, an ellipse, and the like. Alternatively, the shape of the area can also be irregular, which is not limited.

[0081] For example, the shape of the area can be defined by a protocol, or can be defined by a network device. The shapes of the areas defined by different network devices can be the same or different. The same network device can also define multiple shapes of the area. Similarly, the size, radius, and area of the area can also be defined by a protocol, or can be defined by a network device. The sizes, radii, and areas of the areas defined by different network devices can be the same or different. The same network device can also define multiple sizes of the area, multiple radii of the area, or multiple areas.

[0082] In order to more clearly understand the method provided by the embodiments of the application, the NTN communication will be explained in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0083] Compared with terrestrial communication, NTN communication has the advantages of large coverage area and flexible networking. NTN communication includes networking using unmanned aerial vehicles, high-altitude platforms, satellites and other devices to provide data transmission, voice communication and other services for terminals. The high-altitude platform (HAPS) device is generally 8-50 km above the ground. According to the orbital height of the satellite, the satellite communication system can be divided into three types: geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite communication system, also known as synchronous orbit satellite system; medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite communication system and low earth orbit (LEO) satellite communication system. The orbital height of GEO satellite is 35786 km, and the advantage of GEO satellite communication is that it can remain relatively stationary on the ground and provide a larger coverage area. The orbital height of MEO satellite is between 2000 km and 35786 km, and the advantage of MEO satellite communication is that global coverage can be achieved with relatively fewer satellites. MEO satellites are mainly used for positioning and navigation. The orbital height of LEO satellite is between 300 km and 2000 km. LEO satellite has a lower orbital height than MEO satellite and GEO satellite, and has the advantages of small data propagation delay, small transmission loss and relatively low launch cost. Therefore, LEO satellite communication has also attracted widespread attention in recent years.

[0084] The common network architecture in NTN communication will be described below in combination with FIG. 2 and FIG. 3.

[0085] FIG. 2 is a network architecture diagram of NTN communication provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0086] As shown in FIG. 2, in the process of communication between the terminal and the base station (gNB), the satellite communicates with the gateway through the NR Uu interface, the base station communicates with the 5th-generation core network (5G CN) through the next generation (NG) interface, and the 5G CN communicates with the data network through the N6 interface. Among them, the network communication segment between the terminal and the base station is called the remote radio unit (RRU), and the NG-radio access network (RAN) node is used to ensure the normal communication between the terminal and the 5G CN. When the satellite works in the transparent mode, it can be used as a relay for radio frequency filtering, frequency conversion and amplification to regenerate the physical layer signal, so that the physical layer signal is invisible to the protocol layer above the physical layer. The base station can be deployed on the ground.

[0087] FIG. 3 is another network architecture diagram of NTN communication provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0088] As shown in FIG. 3, when the satellite works in the regenerative mode, the satellite has data processing capability, has the function of a base station or part of the function of a base station, at this time, the satellite can be regarded as a base station, or in other words, the base station can be deployed on the satellite, or in other words, the function or part of the function of the base station is integrated on the satellite. The satellite can interconnect and communicate with the terminal through the NR Uu interface, the satellite interconnects and communicates with the 5G CN through the NG interface, and the 5G CN interconnects and communicates with the data network through the N6 interface; wherein, in the process of interconnecting and communicating with the 5G CN, the gateway is used to connect the network segments using different protocols to ensure normal communication, in the satellite-gateway network segment, the NG interface is the NG interface deployed in the satellite radio interface (SRI), and the NG-RAN node is used to ensure the normal communication between the terminal and the 5G CN.

[0089] Optionally, in the network architecture shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3, the satellite can be a GEO satellite, a MEO satellite, or a LEO satellite, and the satellite can also be replaced by a HAPS device, a drone or other NTN device, and the type of the NTN device is not limited in the present application.

[0090] The network architecture of the fusion of the ground network and the NTN will be described below in combination with FIG. 4 and FIG. 5. In the network architecture shown in FIG. 4, the NTN device works in the transparent mode, and in the network architecture shown in FIG. 5, the NTN device works in the regenerative mode. In the network architecture shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the NTN device can be a GEO satellite, a MEO satellite, a LEO satellite, a HAPS device, or a drone, and the type of the NTN device is not limited in the present application.

[0091] FIG. 4 is a network architecture diagram of the fusion of the NTN and the ground network provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0092] As shown in FIG. 4, the base stations of the NTN and the ground network (referred to as ground base stations in FIG. 4) can be interconnected through a common core network for communication, or can be interconnected through an interface defined between the base stations for higher timeliness assistance and interconnection. The NTN devices (such as GEO satellites, LEO satellites, and unmanned aerial vehicles in FIG. 4) can be interconnected with the gateway stations through an NR Uu interface, and the base stations in the NTN (referred to as satellite base stations to distinguish from the base stations in the ground network) can be interconnected with the core network through an NG interface. The satellite base stations can be deployed on the ground. More specific descriptions of NTN communication can be referred to FIG. 2, which will not be described in detail here. The link between the NTN device and the user terminal is referred to as a service link, and the link between the satellite and the gateway station is referred to as a feeder link.

[0093] FIG. 5 is another network architecture diagram of the fusion of the NTN and the ground network provided by the embodiments of the present application.

[0094] As shown in FIG. 5, unlike FIG. 4, the base stations in the NTN are deployed on the NTN devices (referred to as air base stations), at this time, the NTN device can be regarded as a base station, and more specific descriptions of NTN communication can be referred to FIG. 3. The base stations of the NTN and the ground network (referred to as ground base stations in FIG. 5) can be interconnected through a common core network for communication, or can be interconnected through an interface defined between the base stations for higher timeliness assistance and interconnection.

[0095] Currently, in NTN communication, the terminal can determine whether to access a cell through any of the following methods.

[0096] Method one: the terminal can access the cell according to S criteria, that is, after detecting the cell, the terminal device can access (or reside in) the cell only when it is determined that the cell meets the S criteria. The S criteria can be understood as that the cell selection received signal strength value (Srxlev) and the cell selection received signal quality value (Squal) are both greater than 0. Srxlev is usually a negative value, indicating the strength level of the received signal, and the larger the value, the stronger the signal. Srxlev meets the following formula: Srxlev = Q rxlevmeas -(Q rxlevmin + Q rxlevminoffset )- P compensation -Q offsettemp , wherein Q rxlevmeas is a measured cell signal reception level value, which can also be referred to as a received signal power, etc., used to indicate the strength of the received signal measured by the terminal, which can also be understood as the reference signal received power (RSRP) measured by the terminal device; Q rxlevminQ is a minimum value of the cell signal reception level value, that is, a minimum required signal reception level value in the measured cell; rxlevminoffset P is a first offset value, that is, an offset value of the cell signal reception level value when the terminal switches from a visited public land mobile network (VPLMN) to a public land mobile network (PLMN) with a higher priority; compensation P is a first power or a first compensation power. For a low frequency band (FR1), if the terminal supports a maximum transmission power additionally provided in a maximum transmission power list in a non-standalone mode in 5G NR to meet a specific requirement or condition, in a system information block 1 (SIB 1), SIB 2, and SIB 4, P compensation satisfies the following equation:

[0097] P compensation = max(P EMAX1 -P PowerClass , 0) - (min(P EMAX2 , P PowerClass ) - min(P EMAX1 , P PowerClass )) (dB).

[0098] Otherwise, P compensation satisfies the following equation:

[0099] P compensation = max(P EMAX1 -P PowerClass , 0) dB.

[0100] P EMAX1 and P EMAX2 are maximum transmission powers used by the terminal when performing uplink transmission, and if the terminal uses a supplementary uplink carrier frequency, P EMAX2 is applied. P PowerClass is a maximum carrier frequency transmission power of the terminal.

[0101] For a high frequency band (FR2), P compensation is 0.

[0102] Q offsettemp is a second offset value, that is, an offset value of the cell signal reception level value when the terminal device selects a cell signal reception level value of a measured cell within a first time duration in case of a connection failure with the measured cell.

[0103] It should be understood that the low frequency band can also be represented by FR1, for example, a Sub-6 GHz frequency band; the high frequency band can be represented by FR2, for example, a millimeter wave frequency band, which is not limited in the present application.

[0104] Squal is generally a negative value, representing the quality of the received signal, and the larger the value, the better the signal quality.

[0105] Squal satisfies the following formula: Squal = Q qualmeas -(Q qualmin +Q qualminoffset )-Q offsettemp .

[0106] Wherein, Q qualmeas is a measured cell signal reception quality value, used to represent the quality of the received signal measured by the terminal, which can also be understood as the signal reception quality (reference signal received quality, RSRQ) measured by the terminal in the cell; Q qualmin is the minimum value of the cell signal reception quality value, that is, the minimum required cell signal reception quality value in the measured cell; Q qualminoffset is a third offset value, that is, the offset value of the cell signal reception quality value when the terminal device switches from the VPLMN to the PLMN with higher priority; Q offsettemp is a fourth offset value, that is, the offset value of the cell signal reception quality value of the selected measurement cell within the second time period in the case of failure to establish a connection between the terminal and the measurement area.

[0107] It should be understood that the Q rxlevmeas , Q qualmeas , Q rxlevmin and other symbols involved in the above formula are all examples, and the various parameters involved in the cell signal reception level value formula can also be represented by other letters or symbols, for example, the cell signal reception level value can also be represented by Q1, and the like, which is not limited in the present application.

[0108] In the above two formulas, Q rxlevmin , Q rxlevminoffset , P compensation , Q offsettemp , Q qualmin , Q qualminoffset and Q offsettemp are values configured by the network device to the terminal, which can also be referred to as cell selection parameters. Q rxlevmeas and Q qualmeas are values measured by the terminal. Therefore, whether the terminal can camp on the cell needs to be determined according to the values measured by the terminal and the cell selection parameters.

[0109] Manner two: the terminal can consider the service duration of the cell before accessing the cell, for example, the network device can directly indicate the service time of the cell to the terminal, such as the service start time and the service end time, or the service end time, and the terminal accesses the cell in the case that the remaining service duration of the terminal in the cell is greater than or equal to a threshold.

[0110] However, although the network device can transmit signals to the terminal in the above service time, the terminal may not be able to receive signals in the above service time, so the terminal may need to frequently switch and reselect cells, thereby causing low communication efficiency.

[0111] Therefore, the present application provides a method for accessing a cell, when determining the length of time (denoted as the first service duration) that the terminal can obtain service from the target cell, the terminal fully considers the influence of the environment where the terminal is located on receiving signals, so that the accuracy of the first service duration is higher, and the possibility of the terminal receiving signals in the above first service duration is greater, thereby facilitating to improve the communication efficiency.

[0112] The method for accessing a cell provided by the present application will be described in detail below in combination with the accompanying drawings.

[0113] The method provided by the present application can be applied to the NTN shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3, can also be applied to the NTN and the network integrating the ground network shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5, and can also be applied to other networks, as long as it is used for NTN communication, which is not limited in the present application.

[0114] The following describes the method provided by the embodiments of the present application in detail with the terminal or NTN device as the execution subject. The specific forms and quantities of the devices shown are only examples and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation of the method provided by the present application. In the embodiments shown below, the terminal can also be replaced by a component (such as a chip, a chip system, a processor, etc.) configured in the terminal, or a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the terminal. The NTN device can also be replaced by a component (such as a chip, a chip system, a processor, etc.) configured in the NTN device, or a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the NTN device. It should be noted that in the present application, the step of the NTN device sending information can essentially be forwarding information from the network device, for example, the NTN device determines the first indication information and sends the first indication information, in fact, the network device determines the first indication information and sends it to the NTN device, and the NTN device determines the first indication information and forwards it to the terminal. For another example, the network device configures the threshold value and can send it to the NTN device, and the NTN device forwards it to the terminal. For another example, the NTN device indicates the environment information, which can be that the network device indicates the environment information to the NTN device, and the NTN device forwards it to the terminal. The above network device can be, for example, a base station in NTN communication in the network architecture shown in FIGS. 2 to 5. The base station can be deployed on the ground or on the NTN device, and the present application does not limit this.

[0115] FIG. 6 is a schematic flowchart of a method 600 of accessing a cell provided by the embodiments of the present application.

[0116] The method 600 shown in FIG. 6 includes steps 610 and 620. The following describes each step in the method 600 in detail.

[0117] In step 610, a first service duration is determined based on environment information.

[0118] The first service duration is the length of time during which the terminal can obtain service from the target cell, and the environment information includes information that causes the transmission path between the NTN device and the terminal to have loss due to obstruction.

[0119] In the present application, one cell can correspond to one service duration, which is the length of time that the terminal can obtain service from the corresponding cell. For ease of distinction, the service duration corresponding to the target cell can be referred to as the first service duration. The target cell can be a cell searched by the terminal, for example, the terminal obtains cell 1 through frequency scanning, synchronization signal detection, etc. Further, based on the environment information, it is determined that the service duration corresponding to cell 1 is greater than or equal to a threshold, and the terminal accesses cell 1. The target cell can also be a neighbor cell (such as cell 2) of the cell searched by the terminal, and the present application does not limit this.

[0120] The above-mentioned environment information can also be referred to as visible information, attenuation information of a certain frequency point, attenuation information other than free space loss of a certain frequency point, long-time communication quality information perceived by the terminal, etc. The present application does not limit the name of the environment information. Exemplarily, the above-mentioned environment information can include whether there is an obstruction (or obstacle) in the transmission path between the NTN device and the terminal, and / or the loss caused by the obstruction. The obstruction in the transmission path between the NTN device and the terminal can be caused by vegetation, buildings, or terrain, etc.

[0121] In addition, the first service duration refers to the length of time that the terminal can obtain service from the target cell, which is a period of time, but this should not constitute any limitation on the present application. Exemplarily, in the present application, the service duration can be replaced by service time, which can be a time point, for example, the time point when the service ends; the service time can also be a time interval, for example, the time interval can be the current time (or the service start time) to the service end time. It can be understood that the terminal can calculate the service end time according to the service duration and the current time, or calculate the service duration according to the current time and the service end time.

[0122] It should be noted that in the present application, the above-mentioned service duration can be the remaining service duration, which can be understood as the length of time that the terminal can obtain service from the above-mentioned cell in the future (or after the current time (which can also include the current time)).

[0123] Optionally, the above-mentioned environment information can be indicated by the NTN device, or can be detected or calculated by the terminal.

[0124] The environment information detected by the terminal can be obtained by a camera, or can be detected by a sensor, or can be calculated by the terminal based on pre-stored 3D terrain data and terminal position information.

[0125] In an example, the network device sends a broadcast message carrying the environment information, and the NTN device forwards the broadcast message. In another example, the terminal determines that there is an obstruction in the transmission path between the NTN device and the terminal by shooting through a camera. In another example, the terminal determines that there is an obstruction in the transmission path between the NTN device and the terminal by detecting through a sensor. In yet another example, the terminal determines that there is an obstruction in the transmission path between the NTN device and the terminal by calculating based on pre-stored 3D terrain data and the location of the terminal itself.

[0126] In step 620, in a case where the first service duration is greater than or equal to a threshold, the terminal accesses the target cell.

[0127] The threshold can be indicated by the NTN device. In an example, the NTN device sends third indication information for indicating the threshold. Accordingly, the terminal receives the third indication information. The threshold can also be predefined, which is not limited in the present application.

[0128] It should be noted that the threshold can be a positive number, and the terminal accesses the target cell in a case where the first service duration is greater than or equal to the threshold, but this should not constitute any limitation on the present application, and simple variations of the above relationship should also be included in the protection scope of the present application. For example, if the threshold is a negative number, the terminal can also access the target cell in a case where the first service duration is less than the inverse of the threshold.

[0129] As mentioned above, the service duration can be replaced by a service time. In one possible design, the terminal can determine the service duration of cell 1 based on the environment information, the service duration being the length of time during which the terminal can obtain service from cell 1, and the terminal accesses cell 1 in a case where the service duration is greater than or equal to a first threshold. The first threshold can be a specific time length, such as 5 minutes. In another possible design, the terminal can determine the service time of cell 1, such as the service end time, based on the environment information, and the terminal accesses cell 1 in a case where the service time is no later than (or equal to or earlier than) a second threshold. The second threshold can be a specific time, such as 10:00. It can be understood that the above two possible designs are only examples and should not constitute any limitation on the present application. For example, the terminal can determine the service duration of cell 1 based on the environment information, and further determine the service end time based on the current time and the service duration, and the terminal accesses cell 1 in a case where the service end time is no later than the second threshold. For another example, the terminal can determine the service end time of cell 1 based on the environment information, and further determine the service duration based on the current time and the service end time, and the terminal accesses cell 1 in a case where the service duration is greater than or equal to the first threshold.

[0130] In the technical solution, when determining the length of time (denoted as a first service duration) during which the terminal can obtain service from the target cell, the terminal fully considers the influence of the environment in which the terminal is located on the received signal, so that the first service duration is more accurate, and the terminal is more likely to receive a signal within the first service duration, thereby facilitating improvement of communication efficiency.

[0131] Optionally, the first service duration is a length of time during which the first parameter is greater than 0 and / or the second parameter is greater than 0, the first parameter is used to indicate a signal strength of the received signal of the terminal, and the second parameter is used to indicate a signal quality of the received signal of the terminal.

[0132] In a possible implementation, the first parameter is a received signal strength value (Srxlev) in the S criterion, and the second parameter is a received signal quality value (Squal) in the S criterion. For the Srxlev and the Squal, refer to the foregoing explanation, and details are not described herein again.

[0133] In an example, the first service duration is a length of time during which an expected (or future) Srxlev is greater than 0, in other words, the first service duration is a length of time during which the Srxlev is greater than 0 after the current time (which can also include the current time).

[0134] In another example, the first service duration is a length of time during which an expected (or future) Squal is greater than 0, in other words, the first service duration is a length of time during which the Squal is greater than 0 after the current time (which can also include the current time).

[0135] In yet another example, the first service duration is a length of time during which an expected (or future) Srxlev is greater than 0 and an expected (or future) Squal is greater than 0, in other words, the first service duration is a length of time during which the Srxlev is greater than 0 and the Squal is greater than 0 after the current time (which can also include the current time).

[0136] Optionally, the determining of the first service duration based on the environment information includes determining the first service duration based on the environment information, trajectory information of the NTN device, and a change rule of radiation energy of the NTN device.

[0137] The NTN device can be, for example, a satellite, a high-altitude platform, or a UAV, and the like. The type of the NTN device is not limited in the present application. The trajectory information of the NTN device is used to indicate a motion trajectory of the NTN device, and the change rule of the radiation energy of the NTN device is used to indicate radiation energy of the NTN device at different times in a future period of time. For example, when the NTN device is a satellite, the change rule of the radiation energy of the NTN device can be a change rule of a transmission power of the satellite in a direction of the terminal during motion of the satellite.

[0138] The trajectory information of the NTN device, or the change rule of the radiation energy of the NTN device can be indicated by the NTN device.

[0139] For example, the NTN device is a satellite, and the terminal can determine the service duration of the target cell based on the satellite ephemeris, the change rule of the satellite transmit power during the satellite movement, and the environment information. For example, at the current moment, the satellite is at position 1, the transmit power is m1, the terminal measures the signal strength and signal quality of the received signal, calculates Srxlev according to the calculation formula of Srxlev, and calculates Squal according to the calculation formula of Squal. The terminal further determines whether Srxlev is greater than 0 and whether Squal is greater than 0 at the current moment. If both are greater than 0, according to the satellite ephemeris, it can be determined that the satellite moves to position 2 at the next moment, and the transmit power is m2 according to the change rule of the transmit power, so as to determine the change amount of the transmit power compared with the current moment. According to the difference between the satellite positions at the current moment and the next moment, the change amount of the free space loss compared with the current moment is calculated, and the change amount of the environmental loss at the current moment is calculated, that is, the expected signal strength and signal quality of the received signal at the next moment is calculated, and then the Srxlev and Squal at the next moment are calculated. Until Srxlev is less than or equal to 0 and / or Squal is less than or equal to 0, the length of time when Srxlev is greater than 0 and Squal is greater than 0 is determined, that is, the service duration. It can be understood that the terminal cannot actually measure the signal strength and signal quality of the received signal at the future moment, therefore, the terminal can calculate (or predict) the signal quality and signal strength of the received signal at the future moment based on the environment information, the satellite ephemeris, and the change rule of the satellite transmit power during the satellite movement, and then determine the Srxlev and Squal at the future moment.

[0140] It should be understood that the above examples are described by taking the service duration as an example of the length of time when the first parameter is greater than 0 and / or the second parameter is greater than 0, but this should not constitute any limitation on the present application.

[0141] Optionally, before determining the first service duration based on the environment information, the terminal can further receive first indication information, the first indication information being used to instruct the terminal to determine the first service duration based on the environment information.

[0142] The first indication information can be explicit indication, for example, 1 indicates that the terminal determines the service duration based on the environment information, and 0 indicates that the terminal does not need to determine the service duration based on the environment information. The first indication information can also be implicit indication, for example, configuration of environment information indicates that the terminal determines the service duration based on the environment information, and configuration of no environment information indicates that the terminal does not need to determine the service duration based on the environment information.

[0143] In the present application, the NTN device sending indication information (such as the first indication information, the second indication information, etc.) can be understood as the NTN device forwarding the indication information from the network device (such as the base station). The network device can be deployed on the NTN device or on the ground. The present application does not limit the deployment location of the network device. For example, the network device is deployed on the ground, and the NTN device can receive the indication information from the network device and forward the indication information to the terminal.

[0144] Optionally, the method further includes receiving second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate the first area; and wherein the determining the first service duration based on the environment information includes determining the first service duration based on the environment information in a case that the terminal is located in the first area.

[0145] The NTN device can indicate the first area to the terminal. The terminal in the first area may have a risk of being blocked, or in other words, there is a risk of blockage in the transmission path between the terminal in the first area and the NTN device. If the terminal is located in the first area, the terminal needs to consider the environment information when calculating the service duration.

[0146] The first area can be a geographical location area. The geographical location area can be directly represented by latitude and longitude, or represented by a grid. Representing the geographical location area by a grid is a common method for dividing the geographical space into regular grid cells for data management, analysis and visualization. For example, a latitude and longitude grid divides the earth's surface into regular rectangular grid cells based on the earth's latitude and longitude coordinate system. Each grid cell is composed of a certain range of longitude and latitude. For another example, an equal-area grid divides the earth's surface into grid cells with equal areas.

[0147] In a possible implementation, the NTN device can directly indicate the geographical location area to the terminal, for example, by latitude and longitude, or grid, etc. to indicate the geographical location area.

[0148] In another possible implementation, the earth surface can be divided into multiple regions, and the multiple regions can be indexed (e.g., numbered). The numbering manner of the regions (e.g., whether to start from 1 or from 0) and the correspondence between the regions and the indexes can be agreed in advance. Alternatively, the protocol can define the numbering manner of the regions and the correspondence between the regions and the indexes. Based on the index of the region, the geographical position and other information of the region can be determined.

[0149] Optionally, in the case that the first service duration is greater than or equal to the threshold, the accessing the target cell comprises: in the case that the first service duration is greater than or equal to the threshold and the first service duration is the maximum among the multiple service durations, the accessing the target cell, the multiple service durations correspond to multiple cells, and each service duration is a length of time during which the terminal can obtain service from a corresponding cell, and the multiple cells include the target cell.

[0150] Optionally, in the case that the first service duration is greater than or equal to the threshold, the accessing the target cell comprises: in the case that the first service duration is greater than or equal to the threshold and the first service duration is the maximum among the multiple service durations, the accessing the target cell, the multiple service durations correspond to multiple cells, and each service duration is a length of time during which the terminal can obtain service from a corresponding cell, and the multiple cells include the target cell.

[0151] Optionally, in the case that the first service duration is greater than or equal to the threshold, the accessing the target cell comprises: in the case that the first service duration is greater than or equal to the threshold and the first service duration is the maximum among the multiple service durations, the accessing the target cell, the multiple service durations correspond to multiple cells, and each service duration is a length of time during which the terminal can obtain service from a corresponding cell, and the multiple cells include the target cell.

[0152] It should be understood that the multiple cells can correspond to the same threshold, or can correspond to different thresholds. When different cells correspond to different thresholds, the terminal needs to compare with the threshold corresponding to the cell when judging whether the service duration is greater than or equal to the threshold. It can be understood that different thresholds can be configured based on the busy degree of the cell, for example, the more busy the cell is, the greater the corresponding threshold is.

[0153] The detailed flow of the method of accessing a cell will be described below from the perspective of the interaction between the terminal and the NTN device with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9.

[0154] FIG. 7 is a detailed flowchart of the method of accessing a cell according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0155] In step 710, the NTN device sends first indication information, which is used to instruct the terminal to determine a service duration based on environment information. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the first indication information.

[0156] In step 720, the NTN device sends third indication information, which is used to indicate a threshold corresponding to the service duration. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the third indication information.

[0157] In step 730, the NTN device sends fourth indication information, which is used to indicate the satellite ephemeris and the change rule of the transmission power in the satellite movement process. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the fourth indication information.

[0158] It can be understood that the first indication information, the third indication information, and the fourth indication information can be carried in the same signaling or in different signaling, which is not limited in the present application. For example, the network device can send a broadcast message carrying the first indication information, the third indication information, and the fourth indication information, and the NTN device forwards the broadcast message to the terminal.

[0159] In step 740, the terminal acquires environment information.

[0160] For example, after receiving the first indication information, the terminal can determine that the service duration needs to be determined according to the environment information. Further, the terminal acquires the environment information. The terminal can acquire the environment information in the manner shown in FIG. 6, which will not be described here in detail.

[0161] In step 750, the terminal determines the service duration of the cell 1 according to the satellite ephemeris, the change rule of the transmission power in the satellite movement process, and the environment information.

[0162] If the service duration is greater than or equal to the threshold, the terminal accesses the cell 1; if the service duration is less than the threshold, the terminal does not access the cell 1. For example, the terminal can continue to detect cells and further calculate the service duration of the detected cells to determine whether to access.

[0163] FIG. 8 is another detailed flowchart of a method for accessing a cell according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0164] In step 810, the NTN device sends second indication information, which is used to indicate a first area. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the second indication information.

[0165] In step 820, the NTN device sends third indication information, which is used to indicate a threshold corresponding to the service duration. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the third indication information.

[0166] In step 830, the NTN device sends fourth indication information, which is used to indicate the satellite ephemeris and the change rule of the transmission power in the satellite movement process. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the fourth indication information.

[0167] It can be understood that the first indication information, the third indication information, and the fourth indication information can be carried in the same signaling or in different signaling, which is not limited in the present application.

[0168] In step 840, the terminal determines whether to be located in the first area according to the location of the terminal and the first area.

[0169] If the terminal is located in the first area, the terminal continues to perform step 850 and step 860. If the terminal is not located in the first area, the terminal does not need to consider the influence of the environment information on the service duration.

[0170] In step 850, the terminal acquires the environment information.

[0171] For example, after the terminal receives the first indication information, it can be determined that the service duration needs to be determined according to the environment information. Then the terminal acquires the environment information. The way in which the terminal acquires the environment information can refer to FIG. 6, which will not be described in detail here.

[0172] In step 860, the terminal determines the service duration of the cell 1 according to the satellite ephemeris, the change rule of the transmission power in the satellite motion process, and the environment information.

[0173] If the service duration is greater than or equal to the threshold value, the terminal accesses the above-mentioned cell 1; if the service duration is less than the threshold value, the terminal does not access the above-mentioned cell 1. For example, the terminal can continue to detect cells and further calculate the service duration of the detected cells to determine whether to access.

[0174] FIG. 9 is another detailed flowchart of a method for accessing a cell according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0175] In step 910, the NTN device sends first indication information, which is used to indicate that the terminal determines the service duration based on the environment information. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the above-mentioned first indication information.

[0176] In step 920, the NTN device sends third indication information, which is used to indicate a threshold value corresponding to the service duration. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the above-mentioned third indication information.

[0177] The above-mentioned threshold value can be a threshold value corresponding to a plurality of cells, that is, a same threshold value corresponding to a plurality of cells, and the plurality of cells can be the detected cells and the neighboring cells of the terminal.

[0178] In step 930, the NTN device sends fifth indication information, which is used to indicate the identity of each cell in the above-mentioned plurality of cells, the satellite ephemeris of each cell, and the change rule of the transmission power in the satellite motion process. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the fifth indication information.

[0179] Exemplarily, the terminal searches for the cell 1 through frequency point scanning, and the NTN device can indicate the terminal with the identity of the cell 1 and each of the neighboring cells (such as the cell 2 and the cell 3), the satellite ephemeris of each of the cells, and the change rule of the transmission power in the satellite movement process, and can also indicate the terminal with the threshold corresponding to the above cells. It can be understood that one cell can correspond to one threshold, or multiple cells correspond to one threshold, or part of the multiple cells correspond to one threshold, and the remaining cells correspond to different thresholds, which is not limited in the present application.

[0180] In step 940, the terminal acquires the environment information.

[0181] In step 950, the terminal calculates the service duration corresponding to each cell, and selects the cell with the longest service duration greater than or equal to the threshold to access.

[0182] Exemplarily, the terminal detects the cell 1, and the NTN device can indicate the terminal with the satellite ephemeris of the cell 1 and the neighboring cells (such as the cell 2 and the cell 3), and the change rule of the transmission power in the satellite movement process. The terminal determines the service duration corresponding to the cell 1 according to the satellite ephemeris of the cell 1, the change rule of the transmission power in the satellite movement process, and the environment information. Similarly, the terminal calculates the service duration of the cell 2 and the cell 3. Further, the terminal selects the cell with the longest service duration greater than or equal to the threshold to access.

[0183] Alternatively, step 950 can also be replaced by: the terminal calculates the service duration corresponding to each cell in turn until the cell with the service duration greater than or equal to the threshold is found, and then accesses the cell. For example, after the terminal calculates the service duration corresponding to the cell 1, it is determined that the service duration is greater than the threshold, and then the cell 1 is accessed without further calculating the service duration of the cell 2 and the cell 3.

[0184] FIG. 10 is a satellite distribution diagram provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0185] As shown in FIG. 10, the terminal determines the service duration corresponding to the satellite 1, the satellite 2, and the satellite 3 based on the environment information, selects the cell served by the satellite with the longest service duration greater than or equal to the threshold to access. It can be seen that the service duration of the satellite 1 is the longest, and the terminal can access the cell served by the satellite 1.

[0186] The above describes in detail the method for accessing a cell provided by an embodiment of the present application in combination with the drawings. The following describes in detail the communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application in combination with the drawings.

[0187] It should be understood that the apparatuses shown in FIGS. 11-13 can be used to implement the functions of the terminal or the NTN device in the above-mentioned method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects possessed by the above-mentioned method embodiments. In embodiments of the present application, the apparatus can be a terminal in any of the method embodiments shown in FIGS. 6-9, or a component (such as a chip, a chip system, a processor, etc.) configured in the terminal, or a logic module or software capable of implementing part or all of the functions of the terminal; or the apparatus can be an NTN device in any of the method embodiments shown in FIGS. 6-10, or a component (such as a chip, a chip system, a processor, etc.) configured in the NTN device, or a logic module or software capable of implementing part or all of the functions of the NTN device.

[0188] FIG. 11 is a schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus 1100 provided by embodiments of the present application.

[0189] As shown in FIG. 11, the apparatus 1100 includes a determination module 1110 and an access module 1120. The apparatus 1100 can be used to implement the functions of the terminal or the NTN device in any of the above-mentioned method embodiments shown in FIGS. 6-9.

[0190] When the apparatus 1100 is used to implement the functions of the terminal in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the determination module 1110 can be used to determine, based on environment information, a first service duration, the first service duration being a length of time during which the terminal can obtain service from a target cell, the environment information including information causing a transmission path between the NTN device and the terminal to have a loss due to an obstruction; and the access module 1110 can be used to access the target cell in a case where the first service duration is greater than or equal to a threshold value.

[0191] Optionally, the first service duration is a length of time during which a first parameter is greater than 0 and / or a second parameter is greater than 0, the first parameter being used to indicate a signal strength of a received signal of the terminal, and the second parameter being used to indicate a signal quality of the received signal of the terminal.

[0192] Optionally, the apparatus further includes a transceiver module 1130 configured to receive first indication information, the first indication information being used to instruct the terminal to determine, based on environment information, a first service duration.

[0193] Optionally, the transceiver module 1130 is further configured to receive second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate a first region; and the determination module 1110 is specifically configured to determine, based on the environment information, the first service duration in a case where the terminal is located in the first region.

[0194] Optionally, the determination module 1110 is specifically configured to determine, based on the environment information, trajectory information of the NTN device, and a change rule of radiant energy of the NTN device, the first service duration.

[0195] Optionally, the transceiving module 1130 is further configured to receive third indication information, the third indication information being used to indicate the threshold.

[0196] Optionally, the accessing module 1120 is specifically configured to access the target cell in a case that the first service duration is greater than or equal to the threshold and the first service duration is the maximum in the plurality of service durations, the plurality of service durations corresponding to the plurality of cells, each service duration being a length of time during which the terminal can obtain service from a corresponding cell, and the plurality of cells including the target cell.

[0197] Optionally, the environment information is indicated by the NTN device, or the environment information is detected by the terminal.

[0198] For more detailed descriptions of the above modules, refer to the descriptions of the method embodiments shown in FIG. 6.

[0199] It should be understood that the division of the modules in the embodiments of the present application is illustrative, and is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, another division manner can be used. In addition, each functional module in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated in one processor, or can be physically separated, or two or more modules can be integrated in one module. The integrated module can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional module.

[0200] FIG. 12 is another schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus 1200 provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0201] The apparatus 1200 can be a chip system, or can be a device configured with a chip system to implement the method described in the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0202] As shown in FIG. 12, the apparatus 1200 can include a processor 1210, which can be used to execute computer programs or instructions in the memory to implement the steps performed by the terminal or the steps performed by the NTN device in any of the method embodiments shown in FIGS. 6 to 9.

[0203] Optionally, the apparatus 1200 further includes a communication interface 1220. The communication interface 1220 can be configured to communicate with other devices through a transmission medium, thereby enabling the apparatus 1200 to communicate with other devices. The communication interface 1220 can be, for example, a transceiver, an interface, a bus, a circuit, or a combination of devices that enable communication. The processor 1210 can input / output data via the communication interface 1220 and can be configured to implement the methods of any of the embodiments of FIGS. 6-9. Specifically, the apparatus 1200 can be configured to perform the functions of the terminal or NTN device of the methods described above.

[0204] Optionally, the apparatus 1200 further includes at least one memory 1230 configured to store program instructions and / or data. The memory 1230 is coupled to the processor 1210. The coupling between the processor 1210 and the memory 1230 in the embodiments of the present application is indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses, units or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms, for information interaction between apparatuses, units or modules. The processor 1210 can operate in conjunction with the memory 1230. The processor 1210 can execute program instructions stored in the memory 1230.

[0205] In the present application, the memory 1230 can be integrated into the processor 1210, and the processor 1210 and the memory 1230 can also be separately established, which is not limited in the present application.

[0206] It should be understood that the coupling in the embodiments of the present application is indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses, units or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms, for information interaction between apparatuses, units or modules. The processor 1210 can operate in conjunction with the memory 1230. The specific connection medium between the processor 1210, the communication interface 1220 and the memory 1230 is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. In FIG. 12, the processor 1210, the communication interface 1220 and the memory 1230 are connected through the bus 1240. The bus 1240 is represented by a thick line in FIG. 12, and the connection mode between other components is only schematically illustrated and is not limited. The bus can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For convenience of representation, only one thick line is used to represent the bus in FIG. 12, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0207] FIG. 13 is another schematic diagram of a communication apparatus 1300 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0208] As shown in FIG. 13, the communication apparatus 1300 includes at least one processor 1310. The at least one processor 1310 can be configured to execute computer programs or instructions in the memory to implement the steps performed by the terminal or the steps performed by the NTN device in any of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 6-9.

[0209] Optionally, the communication apparatus 1300 can further include at least one memory 1320 configured to store instructions executed by the processor 1310 or store input data required by the processor 1310 to run the instructions or store data generated after the processor 1310 runs the instructions. The at least one processor 1310 and the at least one memory 1320 can be separately arranged. For example, each memory can be connected with one or more processors, so that the connected processor can read information from the memory, store and / or write information in the memory. Alternatively, the at least one processor 1310 and the at least one memory 1320 can be integrated together, for example, one or more memories can be integrated in one processor.

[0210] Optionally, the communication apparatus 1300 further includes an interface circuit 1330 configured to transmit data and / or signaling. The at least one processor 1310 and the interface circuit 1330 are coupled with each other. It can be understood that the interface circuit 1330 can be a transceiver, an input / output circuit, a bus, a module, a pin or other types of communication interfaces, wherein the input circuit in the input / output circuit can be configured to receive, and the output interface can be configured to send.

[0211] Optionally, the communication apparatus 1300 further includes a power supply circuit 1340 configured to supply power to the communication apparatus 1300.

[0212] It can be understood that when the communication apparatus 1200 is a communication device, the interface circuit 1330 can be a transceiver, specifically including a transmitter configured to send signals and a receiver configured to receive signals. When the communication apparatus 1300 is a chip applied to a communication device, the interface circuit 1330 can be an input / output circuit, a bus, a module, a pin or other types of communication interfaces, wherein the input circuit in the input / output circuit can be configured to receive, and the output interface can be configured to send.

[0213] It should also be understood that the coupling in the embodiments of the present application is an indirect coupling or a communication connection between devices, units or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms, for information interaction between devices, units or modules. The specific connection medium between the at least one processor 1310, the at least one memory 1320, the interface circuit 1330 and the power supply circuit 1340 in the embodiments of the present application is not limited. In FIG. 13, the processor 1310, the memory 1320, the interface circuit 1330 and the power supply circuit 1340 are connected through the bus 1350. The bus 1350 is represented by a thick line in FIG. 13, and the connection mode between other components is only schematically illustrated and is not limited. The bus can be a PCI bus or an EISA bus, etc. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For convenience of representation, only one thick line is used to represent the bus in FIG. 13, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0214] The present application also provides a computer program product, which comprises a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions), which, when executed, can implement the steps performed by the terminal or the steps performed by the NTN device in the method of any one of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 6-9.

[0215] The present application also provides a computer readable storage medium storing a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions). When the computer program is executed, the steps performed by the terminal or the steps performed by the NTN device in the method of any one of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 6-9 can be implemented.

[0216] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication system, which comprises a terminal and an NTN device as described above.

[0217] It should be understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application can be an integrated circuit chip with a processing capability of signals. In the implementation process, each step of the method embodiments described above can be completed by the integrated logic circuit of hardware or the instruction in the form of software in the processor. The processor described above can be a general processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component. Each method, step and logic block diagram disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented or executed. The general processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as a hardware code processor for execution, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the code processor. The software module can be located in a random memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory or an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register or other mature storage medium in the art. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory, and combines the hardware to complete the steps of the above method.

[0218] It should also be understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application can be a volatile memory or a nonvolatile memory, or can include both volatile and nonvolatile memory. Among them, the nonvolatile memory can be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically EPROM (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory can be a random access memory (RAM) used as an external cache. By way of example, and not limitation, many forms of RAM can be used, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the system and method described herein is intended to include, but not be limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0219] The terms "unit", "module" and the like used in the specification can be used to represent a computer-related entity, hardware, firmware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. The units and modules in the embodiments of the present application have the same meaning and can be used interchangeably.

[0220] Those of skill would further appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. The choice of hardware or software, or combinations of both, would be dependent on the specific application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans can implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present application. In several embodiments provided in the present application, it will be apparent that the disclosed devices, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the described device embodiments are merely illustrative, and the division into units is merely a logical function division, and actual implementation can have another division, for example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be omitted or not implemented. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the units shown or discussed can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, and can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0221] 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 can be distributed to multiple network units. Part or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiments.

[0222] In addition, the functional units in each of the embodiments of the present application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can be physically present separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0223] In the above embodiments, the functions of the various functional units can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, the software can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions (programs). When the computer program instructions (programs) are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are wholly or partially generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another, for example, the computer instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server or data center to another via wired (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) manner. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. integrated with one or more available media. The available media can be magnetic media (for example, floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), optical media (for example, digital video disc (DVD)), or semiconductor media (for example, solid state disk (SSD)) and the like.

[0224] The functions, if implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the present application essentially or the parts that make a contribution to the technology or parts of the technical solutions can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium and includes a number of instructions to make a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, ROM, RAM, magnetic disk or optical disk and various media that can store program codes.

[0225] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be covered within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method of accessing a cell, characterized by, The method is applied to non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication, and comprises: determining a first service duration based on environment information, the first service duration being a length of time during which a terminal can obtain service from a target cell, the environment information including information causing a transmission path between an NTN device and the terminal to have a loss due to obstruction; in a case where the first service duration is greater than or equal to a threshold, accessing the target cell.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first service duration is a length of time during which a first parameter is greater than 0 and / or a second parameter is greater than 0, the first parameter being used to indicate a signal strength of a received signal of the terminal, and the second parameter being used to indicate a signal quality of the received signal of the terminal.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving first indication information, the first indication information being used to instruct the terminal to determine the first service duration based on the environment information.

4. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate a first region; wherein the determining the first service duration based on the environment information comprises: in a case where the terminal is located in the first region, determining the first service duration based on the environment information.

5. The method of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, The determining the first service duration based on the environment information comprises: determining the first service duration based on the environment information, trajectory information of the NTN device, and a change rule of radiated energy of the NTN device.

6. The method of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving third indication information, the third indication information being used to indicate the threshold.

7. The method of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, The accessing the target cell in the case where the first service duration is greater than or equal to the threshold comprises: in a case where the first service duration is greater than or equal to the threshold and the first service duration is the maximum of a plurality of service durations, accessing the target cell, the plurality of service durations corresponding to a plurality of cells, each service duration being a length of time during which the terminal can obtain service from a corresponding cell, the plurality of cells including the target cell.

8. The method of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein, The environment information is indicated by the NTN device, or the environment information is detected by the terminal.

9. A method of accessing a cell, characterized by, The method is applied to non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication, and comprises: an NTN device determining first indication information, the first indication information being used to instruct a terminal to determine a first service duration based on environment information, the first service duration being a length of time during which the terminal can obtain service from a target cell, the environment information including information causing a transmission path between the NTN device and the terminal to have a loss due to obstruction; the NTN device sending the first indication information.

10. A method of accessing a cell, characterized by, The method is applied to non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication, and comprises: an NTN device determining second indication information, the second indication information being used to instruct a terminal in a first region to determine a first service duration based on environment information, the first service duration being a length of time during which the terminal can obtain service from a target cell, the environment information including information causing a transmission path between the NTN device and the terminal to have a loss due to obstruction; the NTN device sending the second indication information.

11. The method of claim 9 or 10, wherein, The method further comprises: transmit third indication information, the third indication information being used for indicating a threshold value corresponding to the first service duration.

12. A communications device, characterized by comprise a module for implementing the method of any one of claims 1 to 8, or a module for implementing the method of any one of claims 9 to 11.

13. A communications device, characterized by comprise a processor and a memory, the memory is configured to store a computer program; the processor is configured to invoke the computer program, so that the apparatus implements the method of any one of claims 1 to 8, or implements the method of any one of claims 9 to 11.

14. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium has a computer program or instructions stored therein, and when the computer program or instructions are executed by a computer, the method of any one of claims 1 to 8 is implemented, or the method of any one of claims 9 to 11 is implemented.

15. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer program product comprises instructions, and when the instructions are executed by a computer, the method of any one of claims 1 to 8 is implemented, or the method of any one of claims 9 to 11 is implemented.

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