Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and an apparatus, for use in improving NTN positioning accuracy. The method may comprise: a terminal device receives a comb number for comb-partitioning frequency-domain resources of a random access signal, wherein the random access signal is used for positioning of the terminal device; and the terminal device sends the random access signal, wherein a frequency-domain position for sending the random access signal is determined on the basis of the comb number and the frequency-domain resources. On the basis of the communication method, comb-partitioning the frequency-domain resources of the random access signal expands an equivalent bandwidth of the random access signal, thereby improving the positioning accuracy and reducing positioning errors.

Description

A communication method and apparatus

[0001] Cross-reference to Related Applications

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese Patent Application No. 202411104149.4, filed on August 12, 2024, and entitled “A communication method and apparatus”, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

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

[0004] Non-terrestrial networks (NTN) refers to a network that uses radio frequency resources on a satellite platform, a drone platform, or a high-altitude communication platform to provide communication services. The ground 5th generation (5G) network and satellite network are integrated with each other to meet the diverse business needs of users everywhere.

[0005] These business needs include obtaining the location information of a terminal device quickly and accurately. SUMMARY

[0006] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus to improve the positioning accuracy of NTN.

[0007] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a communication apparatus. The communication apparatus can be a terminal device, or a component (such as a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit, an assembly, a module, or a functional module) in a terminal device. The method can include: receiving a number of frequency domain resources for combing a random access signal, the random access signal being used for positioning of a terminal device; and transmitting the random access signal, a frequency domain location of the random access signal being determined based on the number of frequency domain resources and the number of combing.

[0008] Based on the above communication method, the equivalent bandwidth of the random access signal can be expanded by combing the frequency domain resources of the random access signal, which can improve the positioning accuracy and reduce the positioning error.

[0009] In one possible design, the number of combing can be received by: receiving the number of combing from a ground network device; or receiving the number of combing from a non-terrestrial network (NTN) network device. In this way, the terminal device can flexibly obtain the number of combing.

[0010] In a possible design, the comb number is determined based on a first bandwidth and a second bandwidth, the first bandwidth is determined based on a positioning accuracy, and the second bandwidth is a transmission bandwidth of the first signal configured; or the comb number is determined based on a first mapping relationship, the first mapping relationship includes a mapping relationship between the comb number and at least one of a subcarrier spacing, a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), or the positioning accuracy. In this way, the comb number can be flexibly and accurately determined.

[0011] In a possible design, a frequency domain position at which the random access signal is sent is determined according to the comb number, a starting frequency domain position of the random access signal, and a number of resource blocks included in the frequency domain resource of the random access signal configured. In this way, the terminal device can accurately determine the frequency domain position at which the random access signal is sent after combing.

[0012] In a possible design, the frequency domain position at which the random access signal is sent includes frequency domain positions on multiple time domain symbols, a starting frequency domain position of adjacent time domain symbols is the same, or starting frequency domain positions of different time domain symbols are different; and the random access signal occupies adjacent frequency domain positions spaced by N subcarriers on any time domain symbol, where N is less than 1. In this way, the terminal device can flexibly select a suitable combing manner based on a positioning accuracy and a positioning implementation complexity.

[0013] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be applied to a communication device, which can be a satellite or a component (for example, a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit, an assembly, a module, or a functional module) in a satellite. The method can include determining a comb number of frequency domain resources of a random access signal, the random access signal being used for positioning of a terminal device; and receiving the random access signal, a frequency domain position of the random access signal being determined based on the comb number and the frequency domain resources.

[0014] Based on the above communication method, the equivalent bandwidth of the random access signal is expanded by combing the frequency domain resources of the random access signal, so that the positioning accuracy can be improved and the positioning error can be reduced.

[0015] In a possible design, the comb number can be determined by the following methods: directly determining the comb number; or receiving the comb number from a ground network device. In this way, the acquisition manner of the comb number can be flexibly selected based on a regenerative or transparent transmission situation of the satellite.

[0016] In a possible design, the comb number is sent to the terminal device. In this way, in the case where the satellite directly determines the comb number, the comb number can be sent to the terminal device.

[0017] In a possible design, the combing number is determined based on a first bandwidth and a second bandwidth, the first bandwidth is determined based on the positioning accuracy, and the second bandwidth is a transmission bandwidth of the first signal configured; or the combing number is determined based on a first mapping relationship, the first mapping relationship includes a mapping relationship between the combing number and at least one of the following: a subcarrier spacing, a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), or the positioning accuracy. In this way, the combing number can be flexibly and accurately determined.

[0018] In a possible design, a frequency domain position for receiving the random access signal is determined according to the combing number, a starting frequency domain position of the random access signal, and a number of resource blocks included in the frequency domain resource of the random access signal configured. In this way, the satellite can accurately determine the frequency domain position for receiving the random access signal after combing.

[0019] In a possible design, the frequency domain position for receiving the random access signal includes frequency domain positions on multiple time domain symbols, a starting frequency domain position of adjacent time domain symbols is the same, or starting frequency domain positions of different time domain symbols are different; the random access signal occupies adjacent frequency domain positions with an interval of N subcarriers on any time domain symbol, and the N is less than 1 of the combing number. In this way, the satellite can flexibly select a suitable combing manner based on the positioning accuracy and positioning implementation complexity.

[0020] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be applied to a communication apparatus, which can be an access network device, or can be a component (for example, a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit, an assembly, a module, or a functional module) in an access network device. The method can include determining a combing number for combing a frequency domain resource of a random access signal, the random access signal being used for positioning of a terminal device; and sending the combing number to a satellite and the terminal device.

[0021] Based on the above method, the terminal device and the satellite can expand an equivalent bandwidth of the random access signal by combing the frequency domain resource of the random access signal, and the positioning accuracy can be improved and the positioning error can be reduced.

[0022] In a possible design, the combing number is determined based on a first bandwidth and a second bandwidth, the first bandwidth is determined based on the positioning accuracy, and the second bandwidth is a transmission bandwidth of the first signal configured; or the combing number is determined based on a first mapping relationship, the first mapping relationship includes a mapping relationship between the combing number and at least one of the following: a subcarrier spacing, a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), or the positioning accuracy. In this way, the combing number can be flexibly and accurately determined.

[0023] In a fourth aspect, the present application also provides a communication apparatus, which can be a terminal device, or can be a component (e.g., a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit, a component, a module, or a functional module, etc.) in a terminal device. The communication apparatus has the function of implementing the method in the first aspect or in any possible design example of the first aspect. The function can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0024] In a possible design, the communication apparatus can include a processing unit, and optionally, a transceiver unit. The units can perform the functions of the method in the first aspect or in any possible design example of the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0025] In a possible design, the communication apparatus can include one or more processors, and optionally, a memory and / or a transceiver. The transceiver is configured to transceive data, messages, information, etc., and to perform communication interaction with other devices in a system. The processor is configured to support the communication apparatus to perform corresponding functions in the first aspect or in any possible design example of the first aspect. The memory is coupled to the processor, and stores necessary program instructions and data of the communication apparatus.

[0026] In a fifth aspect, the present application also provides a communication apparatus, which can be a satellite, or can be a component (e.g., a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit, a component, a module, or a functional module, etc.) in a satellite. The communication apparatus has the function of implementing the method in the second aspect or in any possible design example of the second aspect. The function can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0027] In a possible design, the communication apparatus can include a processing unit, and optionally, a transceiver unit. The units can perform the functions of the method in the second aspect or in any possible design example of the second aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0028] In a possible design, the communication apparatus can include one or more processors, and optionally, a memory and / or a transceiver. The transceiver is configured to transceive data, messages, information, etc., and to perform communication interaction with other devices in a system. The processor is configured to support the communication apparatus to perform corresponding functions in the second aspect or in any possible design example of the second aspect. The memory is coupled to the processor, and stores necessary program instructions and data of the communication apparatus.

[0029] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication apparatus, which can be an access network device, or can be a component (for example, a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit, a component, a module or a functional module, etc.) in an access network device. The communication apparatus has the function of implementing the method in the third aspect or in any possible design example of the third aspect. The function can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0030] In a possible design, the structure of the communication apparatus can include a processing unit, and optionally further include a transceiving unit. The units can perform the functions of the method in the third aspect or in any possible design example of the third aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0031] In a possible design, the structure of the communication apparatus includes one or more processors, and optionally further includes a memory and / or a transceiver. The transceiver is configured to transceive data, messages or information, etc., and to perform communication interaction with other devices in a system. The processor is configured to support the communication apparatus to perform the corresponding functions in the third aspect or in any possible design example of the third aspect. The memory is coupled with the processor, and stores necessary program instructions and data of the communication apparatus.

[0032] In a seventh aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a communication system, which can include a terminal device and a satellite. The terminal device can be configured to implement the method in the first aspect or in any possible design example of the first aspect. The satellite can be configured to implement the method in the second aspect or in any possible design example of the second aspect.

[0033] In an eighth aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a communication system, which can include a terminal device, a satellite and an access network device. The terminal device can be configured to implement the method in the first aspect or in any possible design example of the first aspect. The satellite can be configured to implement the method in the second aspect or in any possible design example of the second aspect. The access network device can be configured to implement the method in the third aspect or in any possible design example of the third aspect.

[0034] In a ninth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions is provided. The program instructions, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof, or the method of the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof, or the method of the third aspect and any possible implementation thereof. For example, the computer-readable storage medium can be any available media that can be accessed by the computer. For example, but not limited to, the computer-readable medium can include a non-transitory computer-readable medium, a random-access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an electrically EPROM (EEPROM), a CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by the computer.

[0035] In a tenth aspect, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product includes a computer program or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are executed on a computer, the method of the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof, or the method of the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof, or the method of the third aspect or any possible implementation thereof is performed.

[0036] In an eleventh aspect, a chip or chip system is provided. The chip or chip system includes one or more processors coupled with at least one memory for reading and executing program instructions stored in the memory, so that the chip or chip system implements the method of the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof, or the method of the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof, or the method of the third aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0037] The above-mentioned various aspects of the fourth aspect to the eleventh aspect and the technical effects that can be achieved by the various aspects are described above with respect to the first aspect or various possible implementations of the first aspect, or the second aspect or various possible implementations of the second aspect, or the third aspect or various possible implementations of the third aspect. Therefore, the description will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0038] FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system provided by the present disclosure;

[0039] FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of another architecture of a communication system provided by the present disclosure;

[0040] FIG. 1C is a schematic diagram of another architecture of a communication system provided in the present disclosure;

[0041] FIG. 1D is a schematic diagram of another architecture of a communication system provided in the present disclosure;

[0042] FIG. 1E is a schematic diagram of another architecture of a communication system provided in the present disclosure;

[0043] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a communication method provided in the present disclosure;

[0044] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of another communication method provided in the present disclosure;

[0045] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of another communication method provided in the present disclosure;

[0046] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a frequency domain resource for combing a random access signal provided in the present disclosure;

[0047] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a communication apparatus provided in the present disclosure;

[0048] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a communication apparatus provided in the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method and apparatus to improve NTN positioning accuracy. The method and apparatus described in the present disclosure are based on the same technical concept. Since the principles of the method and apparatus for solving problems are similar, the implementation of the apparatus and the method can be mutually referred to, and the repeated parts will not be described again.

[0050] In the description of the present disclosure, the words "first", "second", etc. are only used for the purpose of distinguishing the description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance, nor indicating or implying sequence.

[0051] In the description of the present disclosure, "at least one" means one or more, and more means two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions means any combination of these items, including any combination of single or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a and b and c, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0052] In the description of the present disclosure, "and / or" describes the association relationship between the associated objects, which means that there can be three kinds of relationships, for example, A and / or B, which means that A exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. " / " means "or", for example, a / b means a or b.

[0053] To make the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the communication method and device provided by the embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0054] The communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied to a non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication scenario. In the NTN communication scenario, non-terrestrial access network devices such as unmanned aerial vehicles, high altitude platform stations (HAPS), satellites, etc. can provide data transmission, voice communication and other services for terminal devices. In addition, the NTN communication scenario can also include other non-terrestrial access network devices, which are not limited by the present application. The NTN communication scenario can also support various mobile communication systems, such as new radio (NR) systems, long term evolution (LTE) systems or future communication systems, etc., which are not limited here.

[0055] The communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied to, but not limited to, at least one of the following communication systems: a fourth generation (4th generation, 4G) communication system (for example, an LTE system), a fifth generation (5th generation, 5G) communication system (for example, an NR system), or various future communication networks. The communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to the fields of vehicle to everything (V2X) communication, Internet of Vehicles, autonomous driving or assisted driving, etc.

[0056] Exemplarily, FIG. 1A is a possible communication system to which the embodiments of the present application are applicable. As shown in FIG. 1A, the communication system can include at least one access network device (such as 110a, 110b, 110c in FIG. 1A), and can also include at least one terminal device (such as 120a-120g in FIG. 1A). Among them, the terminal device can be mobile or fixed. Each access network device can provide communication coverage for a specific geographical region, and can communicate with terminal devices located in the coverage area. The access network device and the access network device, the access network device and the terminal device, and the terminal device and the terminal device can be connected to each other through wired or wireless means. FIG. 1A is only a schematic diagram, and the communication system can also include other devices, such as wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices, etc.

[0057] The embodiments of the present application can be applied to a communication system in which a terrestrial communication system and a non-terrestrial communication system are integrated, which can also be referred to as an NTN communication system.

[0058] The ground communication system can be, for example, an LTE system, a 5G communication system, or various communication systems in the future, and is not limited herein.

[0059] The NTN communication system has a wider coverage range than a conventional communication system, and can overcome natural geographical obstacles such as oceans, deserts, and mountains. In order to overcome the shortcomings of the conventional communication system, the NTN communication system can be an effective supplement to the conventional communication system. According to the different orbital heights, the satellite communication system can be divided into three types as follows: a GEO (geostationary earth orbit) satellite communication system, a MEO (medium earth orbit) satellite communication system, and a LEO (low earth orbit) satellite communication system. The GEO satellite communication system can also be referred to as a synchronous orbit satellite system or a stationary orbit satellite communication system. Generally, compared with terrestrial communication, the NTN has different channel characteristics (for example, large transmission delay, large Doppler frequency offset, etc.). Exemplarily, the round-trip delay of the GEO satellite communication system is 238-270 ms, and the round-trip delay of the LEO satellite communication system is 8-20 ms.

[0060] In NTN communication, the working mode of the NTN network device can include a transparent mode and a regenerative mode. According to the working mode of the NTN network device, the architecture of the NTN communication can be divided into two categories: one is a transparent architecture, in which the NTN network device can be a relay or an amplifier, and can perform radio frequency filtering, amplification, etc., to regenerate the physical layer signal. The NTN network device can be responsible for layer 1 (L1) relay, used for physical layer forwarding, and is invisible to the upper layer. The other is a regenerative architecture, in which the NTN network device has the processing function of the access network device, for example, the NTN network device has the functions of modulation or coding, demodulation or decoding, switching or routing, etc., in addition to the functions of radio frequency filtering, frequency conversion, and amplification. Exemplarily, the satellite in the regenerative working mode can be divided into a regenerative satellite without an inter-satellite link (ISL), i.e., there is no ISL between satellites; or a regenerative satellite with an ISL, i.e., there is an interface between satellites for direct data interaction, wherein the ISL is an Xn interface; or a regenerative satellite with the distributed unit (DU) processing function of the access network device, in which case the satellite acts as a DU.

[0061] The NTN communication system described in the present application can have various architectures. For example, the architecture of the NTN system can be any one of the architectures shown in FIGS. 1B-1E.

[0062] FIG. 1B shows a schematic diagram of an NTN communication system architecture applicable to embodiments of the present application, which can be a transparent satellite communication architecture. In the architecture shown in FIG. 1B, a terminal device can communicate with a 5G core network (CN) through an access network, and in turn can connect to a data network (DN) through the 5G CN. A satellite and an NTN gateway can serve as a relay device between a terminal device and an access network device or as a radio remote unit (RRU) of an access network device. The role of the satellite is radio frequency filtering, frequency conversion and amplification, that is, the satellite mainly acts as an L1 relay, regenerates the physical layer number, and does not have other higher protocol layers. In the transparent satellite communication architecture, the link between the satellite and the terminal device can be referred to as a service link, and the link between the satellite and the NTN gateway or base station can be referred to as a feeder link. In FIG. 1B, the satellite duplicates the NR Uu wireless interface signal from the feeder link (between the NTN gateway and the satellite) to the service link (between the satellite and the UE), and vice versa. The satellite wireless interface transmission on the feeder link is the NR-Uu interface signal, that is, the satellite does not terminate the NR Uu interface signal, but duplicates the signal. The NTN gateway supports all necessary functions for forwarding all NR-Uu interface signals.

[0063] FIG. 1C shows a schematic diagram of another NTN communication system architecture applicable to embodiments of the present application, which can be a regenerative communication architecture. In the architecture shown in FIG. 1C, the satellite can act as an access network device, and together with the NTN gateway, form an access network, and communicate with the core network through the NTN gateway. The satellite radio interface (SRI) interface is a feeder link between the NTN gateway and the satellite, and in FIG. 1C, the SRI interface can implement communication interaction between the satellite base station and the core network as part of the next generation (NG) interface. In addition, the satellite can also provide wireless access services for terminal devices, and the terminal devices and the satellite transmit NR Uu wireless interface signals. In FIG. 1C, a regenerative satellite architecture without an inter-satellite link is exemplarily shown, which has the processing function of a base station, and in this architecture, the satellite acts as a base station.

[0064] FIG. 1D shows another NTN communication system architecture applicable to the embodiments of the present application, which has a regenerative satellite with inter-satellite links, with the processing function of the base station. In this scenario, the satellite acts as a base station, and there is an inter-satellite link ISL. Among them, in the regenerative architecture, the link between the satellite and the terminal device is called a service link, and the link between the satellite and the NTN gateway can be called a feeder link.

[0065] FIG. 1E shows another NTN communication system architecture applicable to the embodiments of the present application, which has a regenerative satellite with the DU processing function of the base station (NG-RAN with a regenerative satellite based on gNB-DU); in this scenario, the satellite acts as a DU.

[0066] In addition, the embodiments of the present application can also be applicable to the scenario of a base station with integrated access and backhaul (IAB) function (gNB processed payload based on relay-like architectures), and the satellite acts as integrated access and backhaul IAB, which is not illustrated by the present application.

[0067] It should be noted that the number of satellites and NTN gateways shown in FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E is only an example and is not a limitation of the present application. In actual use, multiple satellites and / or multiple NTN gateways can be adopted according to the needs. Among them, each satellite can provide service to one or more terminal devices, each NTN gateway can correspond to one or more satellites, and each satellite can correspond to one or more NTN gateways, which are not specifically limited by the embodiments of the present application. In addition, FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E are only examples of NTN communication architecture, and the NTN communication architecture can also include other specific devices, which are not limited by the present application.

[0068] In the present application, the terminal device can also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, mobile station (MS), remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal device, wireless communication device, user agent, or user equipment, etc.

[0069] The terminal device can be a device that provides a wireless communication function, for example, a handheld device, a vehicle-mounted device, and the like that has a wireless connection function. Currently, some examples of terminals are a mobile phone, a satellite mobile terminal, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a palm computer, a mobile internet device (MID), a wearable device (for example, a smart watch, a smart bracelet, a pedometer, smart glasses, and the like), a vehicle-mounted device (for example, a car, a bicycle, an electric vehicle, an airplane, a ship, a train, a high-speed rail, and the like), a satellite terminal, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a smart point of sale (POS) machine, a customer-premises equipment (CPE), a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home (for example, a refrigerator, a television, an air conditioner, an electric meter, and the like), a smart robot, a mechanical arm, a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with a wireless communication function, a computing device, or another processing device connected to a wireless modem, a flight device (for example, a smart robot, a hot air balloon, a drone, an airplane), a terminal in a 5G network, or a terminal in a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN), and the like. For the convenience of introduction, the terminal device is taken as an example to introduce the scheme in the present application, and in actual application, the terminal device can be replaced by each of the above terminals or devices.

[0070] Embodiments of the present application do not limit the form of the terminal device, and the device for implementing the function of the terminal device can be a terminal device; or can be a device capable of supporting the terminal device to implement the function, such as a module or a chip system. The device can be installed in the terminal device or used with the terminal device. In embodiments of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0071] In the present application, the access network device can be an access network device in the following communication systems: a 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) related cellular system, for example, a 4G, 5G mobile communication system, or a future-oriented evolution system. The access network device can also be an access network device in an open access network (open RAN, O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a WiFi system. The access network device can also be an access network device in a communication system that combines two or more of the above systems.

[0072] The access network device is a device that can provide wireless communication functions for the terminal device, and the terminal device can communicate with the core network device through the access network device. The access network device, as a node in the radio access network, can also be called a base station, a radio access network (RAN) node (or device), an access point (AP). The communication system can include one or more access network devices, which can be nodes of the same type or nodes of different types. In some scenarios, the roles of the access network device and the terminal device are relative, for example, the network element #A can be a helicopter or a drone, which can be configured as a mobile base station, access the RAN through the network element #B, and for those terminal devices that access the RAN through the network element #A, the network element #A is a base station; but for the network element #B, the network element #A is a terminal device.

[0073] In a possible scenario, the access 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, an access node in a satellite, a high altitude platform, or a WiFi system, etc. The access network device can be a macro base station, a micro base station, or an indoor station, a relay node or a donor node, or a wireless controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, the access network device can also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or a vehicle-mounted device, etc. For example, the access network device in vehicle to everything (V2X) technology can be a road side unit (RSU). All or part of the functions of the access network device in this application can also be implemented by software functions running on hardware, or by virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (such as a cloud platform). The access network device in this application can also be a logical node, a logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the access network device.

[0074] In another possible scenario, multiple access network devices cooperate to assist a terminal device to implement wireless access, and different access network devices respectively implement part of the functions of a base station. For example, the access network device can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU), etc. The CU and the DU can be separately arranged, or can be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna processing unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0075] In different systems, the CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU can also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, the CU can also be referred to as an open CU (O-CU), the DU can also be referred to as an open DU (O-DU), the CU-CP can also be referred to as an open CU-CP (O-CU-CP), the CU-UP can also be referred to as an open CU-UP (O-CU-UP), and the RU can also be referred to as an open RU (O-RU). Any of the CUs (or CU-CPs, CU-UPs), DUs and RUs in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0076] In the embodiments of the present application, the form of the access network device is not limited, and the device for implementing the function of the access network device can be the access network device; or it can be a device capable of supporting the access network device to implement the function, such as a module or a chip system. The device can be installed in the access network device or used in combination with the access network device.

[0077] The access network device and the terminal device can be fixed in position or movable. The access network device and the terminal device can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; can also be deployed on the water surface; and can also be deployed on aircraft, balloons and artificial satellites in the air. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the application scenarios of the access network device and the terminal device.

[0078] The communication system and the service scenario (or application scenario) described in the embodiments of the present application are for more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application. Those skilled in the art can know that, with the evolution of network architecture and the appearance of new service scenarios (or new application scenarios), the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0079] The related terms involved in the embodiments of the present application will be explained first. It should be noted that these explanations are to make the embodiments of the present application easier to understand, and should not be regarded as a limitation on the scope of protection required by the present application.

[0080] 1) Comb: When a signal occupies frequency domain resources, it does not occupy all resource elements (REs), and some REs are regularly left out like a comb. By using combing, resources can be shared on the same symbol, and the signal quality of the full band can be reflected by occupying some REs. According to the number of REs left out, it can be marked as N-comb, for example: 2-comb, 4-comb, which respectively represent that the number of blank REs between the REs occupied by the connected signals is 1, 3.

[0081] 2) Subcarrier: In an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) system, the frequency domain resources are divided into a plurality of sub-resources, and each sub-resource on the frequency domain can be referred to as a subcarrier. The subcarrier can also be understood as the smallest granularity of the frequency domain resource.

[0082] 3) Subcarrier spacing (SCS): In an OFDM system, the interval value between the center positions or peak positions of two adjacent subcarriers in the frequency domain. For example, the subcarrier spacing in the LTE system is 15 kilohertz (kHz), and the subcarrier spacing in the 5G NR system can be 15 kHz, or 30 kHz, or 60 kHz, or 120 kHz, etc.

[0083] 4) Resource block (RB): Also referred to as a physical resource block (PRB), it is the basic unit of frequency resources in an OFDM system. One resource block is generally composed of N resource elements (REs), and one resource element is also referred to as one subcarrier. Wherein N is generally 12.

[0084] At present, in the NTN communication system, the demand for quickly and accurately obtaining the position information of the terminal device and providing the position service is becoming increasingly urgent. However, the NTN positioning accuracy is low, and the positioning error is large. Based on this, the embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which expands the equivalent bandwidth of the random access signal by combing the frequency domain resources of the random access signal, so as to improve the positioning accuracy and reduce the positioning error.

[0085] In the following embodiments, the communication method provided by the present application is described in detail taking a terminal device, an access network device, and a satellite as examples. It should be understood that the operations performed by the terminal device can also be implemented by a processor, or a chip or chip system, or a functional module, component or module, etc. in the terminal device. The operations performed by the access network device can also be implemented by a processor, or a chip or chip system, or a functional module, component or module, etc. in the access network device, and the present application does not limit this. The operations performed by the satellite can also be implemented by a processor, or a chip or chip system, or a functional module, component or module, etc. in the satellite, and the present application does not limit this.

[0086] Based on the above description, the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be referred to Figure 2. The flow of the method can include:

[0087] Step 201: The satellite determines a number of combs (comb number) of frequency domain resources for combing random access signals, the random access signals being used for positioning of the terminal device.

[0088] The random access signal can also be described as a physical random access channel (PRACH) signal, which can be understood as a signal transmitted through the PRACH. For example, the random access signal can be a reference signal in the PRACH in the random access process, such as a random access preamble. The random access signal of the embodiments of the present application can be used in a 4-step random access process or a 2-step random access process.

[0089] In an optional implementation a1, the satellite can be a transparent satellite. In this case, the satellite determines the number of combs can be as shown in step 301 in Figure 3, that is, the satellite receives the number of combs from the access network device, that is, the access network device sends the number of combs to the satellite. Wherein, the access network device refers to a ground network device, that is, the access network device is located on the ground.

[0090] In this implementation a1, before the access network device sends the number of combs to the satellite, the access network device performs step 300 as shown in Figure 3: the access network device determines the number of combs of the frequency domain resources for combing the random access signals.

[0091] In a possible way b1, the number of combs can be determined based on a first bandwidth and a second bandwidth, wherein the first bandwidth is determined based on the positioning accuracy, and the second bandwidth is the transmission bandwidth of the configured first signal.

[0092] Typically, during the initial access phase, the location of the terminal device can be determined using the random access signal and the synchronization signal block (SSB). For example, the device performing the positioning measurement (such as a location management function (LMF) network element) first determines the time of arrival (TOA) of the random access signal to the satellite based on the random access signal. Then, combining this with the TOA of the SSB, the location of the terminal device is determined using a multi-round trip time (Multi-RTT) algorithm. The distance accuracy of the TOA (also known as TOA delay resolution, distance accuracy, or positioning accuracy) conforms to the following formula:

[0093] Among them, CRB τ For positioning accuracy, c is the speed of light, SNR is the worst SNR of the communication link, which can also be understood as the SNR at the edge of the cell coverage area (because the signal quality is usually the worst at the edge of the cell coverage area), and B is the bandwidth of the random access signal.

[0094] For example, in this method b1, the access network device determines the comb score by combining the worst SNR of the communication link with ephemeris information based on the positioning accuracy of the service or scenario.

[0095] Optionally, the access network device can determine the first bandwidth based on the positioning accuracy and the worst SNR using the aforementioned formula 1. The first bandwidth can also be understood as the bandwidth required to meet the current positioning accuracy.

[0096] For example, suppose the required positioning accuracy is... If the value is less than y meters (m), then combining this with Formula 1 above, we can obtain the first bandwidth B1 as follows:

[0097] Access network equipment can determine the second bandwidth based on the subcarrier spacing and the number of resource blocks included in the frequency domain resources of the random access signal.

[0098] For example, assuming the subcarrier spacing is 1 kilohertz (kHz) and the number of resource blocks included in the frequency domain resources is n RB, the second bandwidth B2 can be determined as follows: B2 = 12 × 1 × n.

[0099] Furthermore, the access network equipment can determine the comb score based on the first bandwidth and the second bandwidth.

[0100] For example, access network devices can determine the comb score in the following way: in, This represents the function for rounding up.

[0101] In a possible manner b2, the comb number can be determined based on a first mapping relationship, and the first mapping relationship can include a mapping relationship between the comb number and at least one of the following: a subcarrier spacing, a signal noise ratio (SNR), or a positioning accuracy, and the like.

[0102] In the manner b2, the access network device stores the first mapping relationship. The access network device can look up the corresponding comb number in the first mapping relationship based on at least one of the following: a subcarrier spacing, an SNR, or a positioning accuracy, and the like. In this way, the access network device can directly look up the comb number without real-time calculation, thereby improving the efficiency of determining the comb number.

[0103] Optionally, the access network device can pre-store the first mapping relationship based on the method in the foregoing manner b1.

[0104] In an example, one example of the first mapping relationship can be as shown in Table 1.

[0105] Table 1

[0106] In Table 1, L RA represents the total number of subcarriers included in the frequency domain resource of the random access signal, PRACHΔf RA represents a subcarrier spacing of the random access signal, PUSCHΔf represents a subcarrier spacing of a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), represents the number of RBs included in the frequency domain resource of the random access signal, represents a subcarrier offset, N comb represents the comb number.

[0107] In this implementation a1, after the access network device determines the comb number based on the manner b1 or the manner b2, the access network device can send the comb number to the satellite.

[0108] In an optional implementation a2, the satellite can be a regenerative satellite. In this case, the satellite can directly determine the comb number, as shown in step 401 in FIG. 4. That is, in this case, the satellite can determine the comb number by itself without obtaining it from other devices.

[0109] Optionally, the method for determining the comb number by the satellite is similar to the method for determining the comb number by the access network device, which can be referred to the foregoing manner b1 and manner b2, and will not be described here again.

[0110] Step 202: The terminal device receives a comb number of a frequency domain resource of a combed random access signal.

[0111] In some embodiments, the terminal device can receive the comb number from the ground network device (i.e., the aforementioned access network device), as shown in step 302 in FIG. 3.

[0112] It can be understood that, in the aforementioned implementation a1, after determining the comb number, the access network device sends the comb number to the terminal device in addition to sending the comb number to the satellite.

[0113] It should be understood that the order in which the access network device sends the comb number to the satellite and the terminal device is not limited in the present application.

[0114] In yet some embodiments, the terminal device can receive the comb number from the NTN network device (here, the satellite), as shown in step 402 in FIG. 4.

[0115] It can be understood that, in the aforementioned implementation a2, after determining the comb number, the satellite sends the comb number to the terminal device.

[0116] Step 203: The terminal device sends the random access signal, and the frequency domain position at which the random access signal is sent is determined based on the comb number and the frequency domain resource. Correspondingly, the satellite receives the random access signal, and the frequency domain position at which the random access signal is received is determined based on the comb number and the frequency domain resource.

[0117] In an optional implementation, the terminal device can determine the frequency domain position at which the random access signal is sent according to the comb number, the starting frequency domain position of the random access signal, and the number of resource blocks included in the configured frequency domain resource of the random access signal.

[0118] Optionally, the terminal device can first determine the starting frequency domain position of the random access signal and the number of resource blocks included in the frequency domain resource to determine the position of the frequency domain resource of the random access signal, and further perform comb division on the frequency domain resource of the random access signal in combination with the comb number.

[0119] For example, the terminal device first determines the number of resource blocks included in the frequency domain resource based on a frequency domain resource lookup table of the random access signal, and further determines the number of subcarriers included in the frequency domain resource, and then the terminal device acquires a subcarrier offset based on the frequency domain resource lookup table, and further determines the position of the subcarriers of the frequency domain resource.

[0120] For example, the frequency domain resource lookup table includes the sequence length and the subcarrier spacing of the frequency domain resource of the random access signal, and the terminal device can determine the number of resource blocks included in the frequency domain resource based on the sequence length and the subcarrier spacing.

[0121] Optionally, the number of resource blocks included in the frequency domain resource can comply with:

[0122] Supposing that the sequence length of the random access signal is 839, the subcarrier spacing of the random access signal is 1.25 kHz, and the PUSCH subcarrier spacing is 15, the obtained RB number can be

[0123] Further, the terminal device determines the number of subcarriers included in the frequency domain resource based on the number of RBs included in the frequency domain resource and the subcarrier spacing.

[0124] Optionally, the number of subcarriers included in the frequency domain resource can comply with:

[0125] Supposing that the number of RBs included in the frequency domain resource is 6, the subcarrier spacing of the random access signal is 1.25 kHz, and the PUSCH subcarrier spacing is 15, the obtained number of subcarriers can be For example, 864 subcarriers in ascending order can be denoted as RE#0-RE#863.

[0126] It should be understood that the number of subcarriers included in the frequency domain resource can be understood as the total number of subcarriers that can be occupied by the random access signal, and the total number of subcarriers can be greater than or equal to the sequence length of the random access signal.

[0127] For example, the terminal device determines that the subcarrier offset is 7 by querying the frequency domain resource lookup table, and the terminal device can determine that the positions of the 839 subcarriers of the random access signal with the sequence length of 839 are RE#7-RE#845. That is, relative to the total number of subcarriers 864, the remaining 864-839=25 REs do not transmit signals (i.e., RE#0-RE#6 and RE#846-RE#863 do not transmit signals).

[0128] For example, based on the above method, the terminal device determines that the frequency domain positions of the 839 subcarriers of the random access signal are RE#7-RE#845 as shown in FIG. 5.

[0129] The terminal device performs combing on the frequency domain positions of the subcarriers corresponding to the frequency domain resource of the random access signal based on the comb number, that is, the frequency domain positions for transmitting the random access signal can be obtained.

[0130] Optionally, the frequency domain positions for transmitting the random access signal can include frequency domain positions on multiple time domain symbols, wherein the starting frequency domain positions of adjacent time domain symbols are the same, or the starting frequency domain positions of different time domain symbols are different; the random access signal occupies adjacent frequency domain positions with an interval of N subcarriers on any time domain symbol, and N is less than the comb number by 1.

[0131] The adjacent frequency domain positions occupied by the random access signal on any one time domain symbol are spaced by N subcarriers, which can also be described as the adjacent frequency domain positions occupied by the random access signal on any one time domain symbol being offset by N subcarriers. It can be understood that the starting frequency domain positions of the adjacent frequency domain positions are spaced by N subcarriers, or the ending frequency domain positions of the adjacent frequency domain positions are spaced by N subcarriers.

[0132] For example, when the comb number is 4 and N is 3, assuming that the adjacent frequency domain positions on one time domain symbol are subcarrier 0 and subcarrier 3, subcarrier 0 and subcarrier 3 are spaced by 3 subcarriers.

[0133] When the terminal device performs combing on the frequency domain positions of the subcarriers, the combing can be implemented by an aligned combing manner and an interleaved combing manner. When the terminal device adopts the aligned combing manner, the starting frequency domain positions of adjacent time domain symbols are the same, that is, the starting subcarriers of adjacent symbols are on the same RE, and the intervals of adjacent subcarriers on the same time domain symbol are the same. When the terminal device adopts the interleaved combing manner, the starting frequency domain positions of different time domain symbols are different, that is, the starting subcarriers on different time domain symbols are on different REs, and the intervals of adjacent subcarriers on the same time domain symbol are the same.

[0134] The starting frequency domain position in the aligned combing manner and the starting frequency domain position on each time domain symbol in the interleaved manner can be predefined or configured.

[0135] Optionally, the combing manner adopted by the terminal device can be received at the same time as the comb number in step 202.

[0136] For example, taking the comb number as 4 and the terminal device combing RE#7-RE#845 shown in FIG. 5 as an example, the frequency domain position corresponding to mode one in FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the frequency domain position of the random access signal transmitted in the aligned combing manner, and the frequency domain position corresponding to mode two in FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the frequency domain position of the random access signal transmitted in the interleaved combing manner.

[0137] Correspondingly, the satellite can determine the frequency domain position of the random access signal received according to the comb number, the starting frequency domain position of the random access signal, and the number of resource blocks included in the configured frequency domain resource of the random access signal.

[0138] The method for the satellite to determine the frequency domain position of the random access signal received is similar to the method for the terminal device to determine the frequency domain position of the random access signal transmitted, and can be mutually referred to, which will not be described herein.

[0139] The frequency domain position of the received random access signal comprises a plurality of frequency domain positions on time domain symbols, wherein the starting frequency domain positions of adjacent time domain symbols are the same, or the starting frequency domain positions of different time domain symbols are different; the random access signal occupies adjacent frequency domain positions spaced by N subcarriers on any time domain symbol, and N is less than the comb number by 1.

[0140] For example, the frequency domain position of the received random access signal can still be as shown in FIG. 5.

[0141] It can be understood that the satellite determines the frequency domain position of the received random access signal, and it can also be understood that the satellite demodulates the received random access signal based on the frequency domain position of the received random access signal.

[0142] Based on the above communication method, the frequency domain resource of the random access signal is combed before the random access preamble is sent, so as to expand the equivalent bandwidth of the random access signal, improve the positioning accuracy in the random access process, and reduce the positioning error. Moreover, after the satellite obtains the position of the terminal device, the satellite can know the distribution of the terminal device, and then adjust the signal transmission direction to improve the performance in the data transmission stage and improve the data transmission capability.

[0143] Based on the above embodiments, the embodiments of the present application further provide a communication device. Referring to FIG. 6, the communication device 600 can comprise a transceiver unit 601 and a processing unit 602. The transceiver unit 601 is configured to perform communication of the communication device 600, such as receiving information (signal or data) or sending information (signal or data). The processing unit 602 is configured to control and manage the actions of the communication device 600. The processing unit 602 can also control the steps performed by the transceiver unit 601.

[0144] For example, the communication device 600 can be a terminal device, a processor of the terminal device, a chip, a chip system, or a component, a module, a functional module, etc. in the above embodiments. Alternatively, the communication device 600 can be a satellite, a processor of the satellite, a chip, a chip system, or a component, a module, a functional module, etc. in the above embodiments. Alternatively, the communication device 600 can be an access network device, a processor of the access network device, a chip, a chip system, or a component, a module, a functional module, etc. in the above embodiments.

[0145] In an embodiment, when the communication apparatus 600 is configured to implement the functions of the terminal device in the above embodiments, the transceiver 601 can be configured to receive a comb number of frequency domain resources for combing a random access signal, the random access signal being used for positioning of the terminal device, and transmit the random access signal, a frequency domain position of the random access signal being determined based on the comb number and the frequency domain resources. The processor 602 can be configured to control the operation of the transceiver 601.

[0146] In an optional implementation, when the transceiver 601 receives the comb number, the transceiver 601 can be configured to receive the comb number from a ground network device, or receive the comb number from a non-terrestrial network (NTN) network device.

[0147] Optionally, the comb number is determined based on a first bandwidth and a second bandwidth, the first bandwidth being determined based on a positioning accuracy, and the second bandwidth being a transmission bandwidth of the first signal configured; or the comb number is determined based on a first mapping relationship, the first mapping relationship comprising a mapping relationship between the comb number and at least one of a subcarrier spacing, a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), or a positioning accuracy.

[0148] In some embodiments, the processor 602 can be further configured to determine the frequency domain position of the random access signal based on the comb number, a starting frequency domain position of the random access signal, and a number of resource blocks included in the frequency domain resources of the random access signal configured.

[0149] For example, the frequency domain position of the random access signal comprises frequency domain positions on a plurality of time domain symbols, wherein starting frequency domain positions of adjacent time domain symbols are the same, or starting frequency domain positions of different time domain symbols are different; the random access signal occupies adjacent frequency domain positions with an interval of N subcarriers, and the N is less than 1 of the comb number.

[0150] In another embodiment, when the communication apparatus 600 is configured to implement the functions of the satellite in the above embodiments, the processor 602 can be configured to determine a comb number of frequency domain resources for combing a random access signal, the random access signal being used for positioning of a terminal device, and the transceiver 601 can be configured to receive the random access signal, a frequency domain position of the random access signal being determined based on the comb number and the frequency domain resources.

[0151] In an optional implementation, when the processor 602 determines the comb number, the processor 602 can be configured to control the transceiver 601 to receive the comb number from a ground network device.

[0152] Optionally, the transceiver 601 can be further configured to transmit the comb number to the terminal device.

[0153] In some embodiments, the comb number is determined based on a first bandwidth and a second bandwidth, the first bandwidth is determined based on a positioning accuracy, and the second bandwidth is a transmission bandwidth of the first signal configured; or the comb number is determined based on a first mapping relationship, the first mapping relationship includes a mapping relationship between the comb number and at least one of a subcarrier spacing, a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), or the positioning accuracy.

[0154] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 602 can be further configured to determine a frequency domain position of receiving the random access signal according to the comb number, a starting frequency domain position of the random access signal, and a number of resource blocks included in the frequency domain resource of the random access signal configured.

[0155] For example, the frequency domain position of receiving the random access signal includes frequency domain positions on multiple time domain symbols, wherein starting frequency domain positions of adjacent time domain symbols are the same, or starting frequency domain positions of different time domain symbols are different; the random access signal occupies adjacent frequency domain positions with an interval of N subcarriers on any time domain symbol, and the N is less than 1 of the comb number.

[0156] In yet another embodiment, when the communication apparatus 600 is configured to implement the functions of the satellite in the above embodiments, the processing unit 602 can be configured to determine a comb number of a frequency domain resource of a combed random access signal, the random access signal being used for positioning of a terminal device; and the transceiver unit 601 can be further configured to send the comb number to the satellite and the terminal device.

[0157] For example, the comb number is determined based on a first bandwidth and a second bandwidth, the first bandwidth is determined based on a positioning accuracy, and the second bandwidth is a transmission bandwidth of the first signal configured; or the comb number is determined based on a first mapping relationship, the first mapping relationship includes a mapping relationship between the comb number and at least one of a subcarrier spacing, a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), or the positioning accuracy.

[0158] It should be noted that the division of units in the embodiments of the present application is illustrative, and is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, another division mode can be used. The function units in the embodiments of the present application can be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit can be physically present alone, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of a software function unit.

[0159] The integrated unit, if implemented in the form of a software function unit and sold or used as an independent product, can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solutions of the present application essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art or the whole or part of the technical solutions can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes a number of instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) or a processor to perform all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and various program code storage media.

[0160] Based on the above embodiments, the embodiments of the present application also provide a communication device. Referring to FIG. 7, the communication device 700 can include one or more processors 702. Optionally, the communication device 700 can also include one or more transceivers 701. Optionally, the communication device 700 can also include at least one memory 703. The memory 703 can be arranged inside the communication device 700, and can also be arranged outside the communication device 700. The processor 702 can control the transceiver 701 to receive and send information, messages or data, etc.

[0161] Specifically, the processor 702 can be a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), or a combination of the CPU and the NP. The processor 702 can further include a hardware chip. The hardware chip can be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD) or a combination thereof. The PLD can be a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a generic array logic (GAL) or any combination thereof.

[0162] The transceiver 701, the processor 702 and the memory 703 are connected with each other. Optionally, the transceiver 701, the processor 702 and the memory 703 are connected with each other through a bus 704. The bus 704 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 the convenience of indication, only one thick line is used in FIG. 7, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0163] In an optional implementation, the memory 703 is configured to store programs, etc. Specifically, the programs can include program codes including computer operation instructions. The memory 703 can include a RAM, and can also include a non-volatile memory such as one or more disk memories. The processor 702 executes the programs stored in the memory 703 to implement the above functions, thereby implementing the functions of the communication apparatus 700.

[0164] For example, the communication apparatus 700 can specifically implement the functions of the terminal device, the satellite or the access network device in the above embodiments.

[0165] In one embodiment, when the communication apparatus 700 implements the functions of the terminal device in the above method embodiments, the transceiver 701 can implement the transceiving operations performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments, and the processor 702 can implement the operations other than the transceiving operations performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments. For specific descriptions, refer to the related descriptions in the above method embodiments, which will not be described in detail here.

[0166] In another embodiment, when the communication apparatus 700 implements the functions of the terminal device in the above method embodiments, the processor 702 can implement the operations performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments. For specific descriptions, refer to the related descriptions in the above method embodiments, which will not be described in detail here.

[0167] In yet another embodiment, when the communication apparatus 700 implements the functions of the satellite in the above method embodiments, the transceiver 701 can implement the transceiving operations performed by the satellite in the above method embodiments, and the processor 702 can implement the operations other than the transceiving operations performed by the satellite in the above method embodiments. For specific descriptions, refer to the related descriptions in the above method embodiments, which will not be described in detail here.

[0168] In yet another embodiment, the communication apparatus 700, when implementing the functions of the satellite in the foregoing method embodiments, the processor 702 can implement the operations performed by the satellite in the foregoing method embodiments. For specific details, please refer to the relevant description in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be described in detail here.

[0169] In yet another embodiment, the communication apparatus 700, when implementing the functions of the access network device in the foregoing method embodiments, the transceiver 701 can implement the transceiving operations performed by the access network device in the foregoing method embodiments; the processor 702 can implement the operations performed by the access network device in the foregoing method embodiments other than the transceiving operations. For specific details, please refer to the relevant description in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be described in detail here.

[0170] In yet another embodiment, the communication apparatus 700, when implementing the functions of the access network device in the foregoing method embodiments, the processor 702 can implement the operations performed by the access network device in the foregoing method embodiments. For specific details, please refer to the relevant description in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be described in detail here.

[0171] Based on the above embodiments, the embodiments of the present application provide a communication system, which can include the terminal device, the satellite, and the access network device, etc. involved in the above embodiments.

[0172] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication system, which can include the terminal device, the satellite, and the access network device, etc. involved in the above embodiments.

[0173] The embodiments of the present application also provide a computer readable storage medium for storing a computer program or instructions, which, when executed by a computer, can implement the communication method provided by the above method embodiments.

[0174] The embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program product for storing a computer program or instructions, which, when executed by a computer, can implement the communication method provided by the above method embodiments.

[0175] The embodiments of the present application also provide a chip or chip system, which includes a logic circuit for executing the communication method provided by the above method embodiments.

[0176] The embodiments of the present application also provide a chip or chip system, which includes one or more processors coupled with at least one memory for calling a program in the memory so that the chip or chip system implements the communication method provided by the above method embodiments.

[0177] The embodiments of the present application also provide a chip or chip system coupled with at least one memory, which is used to implement the communication method provided by the method embodiments.

[0178] Those skilled in the art should understand that the embodiments of the present application can be provided as a method, a system, or a computer program product. Therefore, the present application can take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Moreover, the present application can take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROMs, optical storage devices, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0179] The present application is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the method, device (system), and computer program product according to the present application. It should be understood that each flow and / or block in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams, as well as a combination of flows and / or blocks in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus generate means for implementing the functions specified in one or more flows in the flowcharts and / or one or more blocks in the block diagrams.

[0180] These computer program instructions can also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to work in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce a manufactured product including instruction means, which implements the functions specified in one or more flows in the flowcharts and / or one or more blocks in the block diagrams.

[0181] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, so that a series of operation steps are performed on the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process, so that the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more flows in the flowcharts and / or one or more blocks in the block diagrams.

[0182] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the present application without departing from the scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application is also intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: receiving a comb number of frequency domain resources for combing a random access signal, the random access signal being used for positioning of a terminal device; transmitting the random access signal, a frequency domain position of the random access signal being determined based on the comb number and the frequency domain resources.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The receiving of the comb number comprises: receiving the comb number from a ground network device; or receiving the comb number from a non-terrestrial network (NTN) network device.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein, The comb number is determined based on a first bandwidth and a second bandwidth, the first bandwidth being determined based on a positioning accuracy, and the second bandwidth being a transmission bandwidth of the first signal configured; or The comb number is determined based on a first mapping relationship, the first mapping relationship comprising a mapping relationship between the comb number and at least one of a subcarrier spacing, a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), or a positioning accuracy.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The method further comprises: determining the frequency domain position of the random access signal based on the comb number, a starting frequency domain position of the random access signal, and a number of resource blocks included in the frequency domain resources of the random access signal configured.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein The frequency domain position of the random access signal comprises frequency domain positions on a plurality of time domain symbols, wherein starting frequency domain positions of adjacent time domain symbols are the same, or starting frequency domain positions of different time domain symbols are different; and the random access signal occupies adjacent frequency domain positions with an interval of N subcarriers on any time domain symbol, the N being less than 1 than the comb number.

6. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: determining a comb number of frequency domain resources for combing a random access signal, the random access signal being used for positioning of a terminal device; receiving the random access signal, a frequency domain position of the random access signal being determined based on the comb number and the frequency domain resources.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, The determining of the comb number comprises: receiving the comb number from a ground network device.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein, The method further comprises: transmitting the comb number to the terminal device.

9. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein, The comb number is determined based on a first bandwidth and a second bandwidth, the first bandwidth being determined based on a positioning accuracy, and the second bandwidth being a transmission bandwidth of the first signal configured; or The comb number is determined based on a first mapping relationship, the first mapping relationship comprising a mapping relationship between the comb number and at least one of a subcarrier spacing, a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), or a positioning accuracy.

10. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that, The method further comprises: determining the frequency domain position of the random access signal based on the comb number, a starting frequency domain position of the random access signal, and a number of resource blocks included in the frequency domain resources of the random access signal configured.

11. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 10, wherein, The frequency domain position of the random access signal comprises frequency domain positions on a plurality of time domain symbols, wherein starting frequency domain positions of adjacent time domain symbols are the same, or starting frequency domain positions of different time domain symbols are different; and the random access signal occupies adjacent frequency domain positions with an interval of N subcarriers on any time domain symbol, the N being less than 1 than the comb number.

12. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: determining a comb number of frequency domain resources for combing a random access signal, the random access signal being used for positioning of a terminal device; transmitting the comb number to a satellite and the terminal device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, The comb number is determined based on a first bandwidth and a second bandwidth, the first bandwidth is determined based on a positioning accuracy, and the second bandwidth is a transmission bandwidth of the first signal configured. The comb number is determined based on a first mapping relationship, and the first mapping relationship includes a mapping relationship between the comb number and at least one of a subcarrier spacing, a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), or a positioning accuracy.

14. A communications device, characterized by The computer program product includes a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed by a computer, the method according to any one of claims 1-5 is implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 6-11 is implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 12-13 is implemented.

15. A communications device, characterized by The computer program product includes a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed by a computer, the method according to any one of claims 1-5 is implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 6-11 is implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 12-13 is implemented.

16. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer program product includes a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed by a computer, the method according to any one of claims 1-5 is implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 6-11 is implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 12-13 is implemented.

17. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer program product includes a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed by a computer, the method according to any one of claims 1-5 is implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 6-11 is implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 12-13 is implemented.

18. A chip, characterized by The computer program product includes a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed by a computer, the method according to any one of claims 1-5 is implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 6-11 is implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 12-13 is implemented.

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