SSB information acquisition method, SSB information transmission method, and related apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides an SSB information acquisition method, an SSB information transmission method, and a related apparatus. A terminal receives information which at least indicates the total number of beams and is sent by a network device; on the basis of the information, an SSB pattern suitable for the terminal, and an SSB period, the terminal acquires a beam activation pattern, the beam activation pattern representing a time when the terminal receives an SSB sent by the network device; and the network device sends an SSB on the basis of the beam activation pattern. Hence, on the basis of the information indicated by the network device, the terminal can acquire the beam activation pattern, so as to acquire the time for receiving the SSB; and therefore, when the network device activates the beams in sequence, the terminal can accurately receive the SSB.

Description

Methods and devices for acquiring and transmitting SSB information

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. CN202411219227.5, filed on August 30, 2024, entitled "Method and Apparatus for Acquiring and Transmitting SSB Information", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of satellite communication technology, and in particular to a method and apparatus for acquiring and transmitting SSB information. Background Technology

[0003] With the development of communication networks and the expansion of human exploration areas, higher requirements have been placed on coverage. Simply relying on terrestrial cellular communication systems can no longer meet the needs of increasingly diverse communication scenarios.

[0004] Satellite-based non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication systems have the advantage of being able to cover a wider area. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a method and related apparatus for acquiring and transmitting SSB information to solve the problem of transmitting SSB when beams are activated in turn. The disclosed technical solution is as follows:

[0006] The first aspect of this application provides a method for obtaining synchronization signals and Physical Broadcast Channel Block (SSB) information, applied to a terminal. The method includes: receiving information indicating the total number of beams sent by a network device; and obtaining a beam activation pattern based on the information, the SSB pattern applicable to the terminal, and the SSB period. The beam activation pattern indicates the time at which the terminal receives the SSB sent by the network device. Therefore, the terminal can obtain the beam activation pattern based on the total number of beams indicated by the network device, thereby determining the time of SSB reception. This lays the foundation for the terminal to accurately receive SSBs when network devices activate beams in turn.

[0007] In some implementations, the method for obtaining the beam activation pattern based on the information, the SSB pattern applicable to the terminal, and the SSB period includes: obtaining the maximum number of transmissions K of the SSB pattern within the SSB period; obtaining the number P of beams whose SSB opportunities are activated within one SSB period based on the rounded-up value of the ratio of the total number of beams to K; configuring the correspondence between each SSB opportunity and beam based on P and K; and obtaining the beam activation pattern based on the SSB pattern and the correspondence. This method is easy to implement and compatible with existing communication standards.

[0008] In some implementations, the correspondence between each SSB opportunity and beam is configured based on P and K, including: the index of the beam activated by the Xth SSB opportunity in an SSB cycle includes: X, X+K*1, ..., X+K*(P-1). This method ensures that the beams activated by an SSB opportunity are non-adjacent beams, which can avoid mutual interference between the beams activated by an SSB opportunity. Alternatively, the index of the beam activated by the Xth SSB opportunity in an SSB cycle includes: X*K, X*K+1, ..., X*K+P-1.

[0009] In some implementations, obtaining the maximum number of transmissions K of the SSB pattern within an SSB period includes: obtaining the ratio M of the SSB period to the basic SSB period, and the maximum number of transmissions N of the SSB pattern within the basic SSB period. The basic SSB period is a pre-configured SSB period, and the product of M and N is taken as the maximum number of transmissions K. Existing communication standards stipulate that an SSB period can only contain the SSB opportunities specified by the SSB pattern within one half-frame. That is, the number of SSB opportunities transmitted within an SSB period is relatively small. However, K obtained by configuring the basic period and using the basic period as a reference, under the same SSB pattern, the number of SSB opportunities transmitted within an SSB period is more than the number specified by existing communication standards, that is, M times that specified by existing communication protocols. Therefore, while taking into account both large-area signal coverage and low power consumption of the equipment, it can support more beams and thus cover a larger area.

[0010] In some implementations, receiving information sent by network devices includes at least one of the following methods: broadcasting via System Information Block (SIB), configuring Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, indicating Group Common Downlink Control Information (GC-DCI), indicating Downlink Control Information (DCI), and indicating Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) signaling. This allows for diversity and flexibility in the methods of obtaining indication information from network devices.

[0011] A second aspect of this application provides a method for obtaining synchronization signals and Physical Broadcast Channel Block (SSB) information, applied to a terminal. The method includes: receiving information transmitted by a network device, the information indicating the total number of beams and the number Y of valid SSB opportunities, where Y represents the number of SSB opportunities the network device has to transmit SSBs within one SSB cycle of the terminal; and obtaining a beam activation pattern based on the information and an SSB pattern applicable to the terminal, the beam activation pattern indicating the time at which the terminal receives SSBs transmitted by the network device. Therefore, the terminal can obtain the beam activation pattern based on the total number of beams and the number Y of valid SSB opportunities indicated by the network device, thereby determining the time for receiving SSBs. This lays the foundation for the terminal to accurately receive SSBs when the network device activates beams in turn. Furthermore, the network device can configure Y to save power, in which case the terminal can also accurately receive SSBs.

[0012] In some implementations, obtaining the beam activation pattern based on the information and the SSB pattern applicable to the terminal includes: obtaining the number P of beams that are activated in one SSB cycle based on the rounded value of the ratio of the total number of beams to Y; configuring the correspondence between each SSB opportunity and the beam based on P and Y; and obtaining the beam activation pattern based on the SSB pattern and the correspondence.

[0013] In some implementations, the correspondence between each SSB opportunity and beam is configured based on P and Y, including: the index of the beam activated by the Xth SSB opportunity in an SSB cycle includes: X, X+Y*1, ..., X+Y*(P-1). This method ensures that the beam activated by an SSB opportunity is a beam with non-adjacent indices, which can avoid mutual interference between beams activated by an SSB opportunity, or X*Y, X*Y+1, ..., X*Y+P-1.

[0014] In some implementations, receiving information sent by network devices includes at least one of the following methods: broadcasting via System Information Block (SIB), configuring Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, using Group Common Downlink Control Information (GC-DCI), indicating Downlink Control Information (DCI), and indicating Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) signaling. This method offers diversity and flexibility in receiving information sent by network devices.

[0015] A third aspect of this application provides a method for obtaining synchronization signals and Physical Broadcast Channel Block (SSB) information, applied to a terminal. The method includes: receiving information sent by a network device, the information indicating the total number of beams and the number P of beams where an SSB opportunity may be activated; and obtaining a beam activation pattern based on the information and an SSB pattern applicable to the terminal, the beam activation pattern representing the time at which the terminal receives an SSB sent by the network device. The network device can activate beams in turn and flexibly configure the number P of beams where an SSB opportunity may be activated; under these conditions, the terminal can also accurately receive the SSB.

[0016] In some implementations, obtaining the beam activation pattern based on the information and the SSB pattern applicable to the terminal includes: obtaining the number K of SSB opportunities within the SSB cycle based on the rounded-up value of the ratio of the total number of beams to P; configuring the correspondence between each SSB opportunity and the beam based on P and K; and obtaining the beam activation pattern based on the SSB pattern and the correspondence.

[0017] In some implementations, the correspondence between each SSB opportunity and beam is configured based on P and K, including: when the ratio is an integer, the index of the beam activated by the Xth SSB opportunity within an SSB cycle includes: X, X+K*1, ..., X+K*(P-1); when the ratio is not an integer and X is less than K, the index of the beam activated by the Xth SSB opportunity within an SSB cycle includes: X, X+(K-1)*1, ..., X+(K-1)*(P-1); when the ratio is not an integer and X equals K, the index of the beam activated by the Xth SSB opportunity within an SSB cycle includes: (N-1)*P, (N-1)*P+1, ..., T-1. This method can avoid mutual interference between beams activated by an SSB opportunity and is compatible with both integer and non-integer ratios of the total number of beams to P.

[0018] In some implementations, the correspondence between each SSB opportunity and beam is configured based on P and K, including: the index of the beam activated by the Xth SSB opportunity in an SSB cycle includes: X*N, X*N+1, ..., X*N+P-1.

[0019] In some implementations, receiving information sent by the network device includes at least one of the following methods: broadcasting via System Information Block (SIB), configuring Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, using Group Common Downlink Control Information (GC-DCI), indicating Downlink Control Information (DCI), and indicating Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) signaling.

[0020] The fourth aspect of this application provides a method for transmitting synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel blocks (SSBs), applied to a terminal. The method includes: acquiring a beam activation pattern using the acquisition method for synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel block (SSB) information provided in the first, second, or third aspect of this application; and receiving an SSB based on the beam activation pattern at the time when the beam covering the terminal is activated, thereby achieving the goal of accurately receiving an SSB based on information indicated by network devices, when network devices take turns activating beams.

[0021] Some implementations also include: performing power-saving operations when the coverage terminal's beam is not activated. These power-saving operations include: operating in a specific mode and / or disabling functions. Specific modes include power-saving mode or sleep mode. Functions include listening to system messages, or listening to some system messages, or listening to the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH). Because network devices cannot provide services to terminals when the coverage terminal's beam is not activated, operating specific modes and / or disabling functions during this period helps save terminal overhead without affecting communication with network devices.

[0022] The fifth aspect of this application provides a method for transmitting synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel blocks (SSBs), applied to a network device. The method includes: indicating information to a terminal, the indicated information including the total number of beams, or the total number of beams and the number Y of valid SSB opportunities, or the total number of beams and the number P of beams with one SSB opportunity activated. The indicated information is used by the terminal to acquire a beam activation pattern, the beam activation pattern indicating the time at which the terminal receives SSBs transmitted by the network device, and transmitting SSBs based on the beam activation pattern. By indicating information to the terminal, the network device enables the terminal to accurately receive SSBs even when the network device activates beams in turn, thereby laying the foundation for energy saving by the network device through turn-based beam activation.

[0023] In some implementations, before sending the SSB based on the beam activation pattern, the method may also include: obtaining a pre-configured beam activation pattern, or obtaining the beam activation pattern based on information.

[0024] In some implementations, the information includes: the total number of beams. Obtaining the beam activation pattern based on the information includes: obtaining the maximum number of transmissions K of the SSB pattern within the SSB period; obtaining the number P of beams that are activated in one SSB period based on the rounded-up value of the ratio of the total number of beams to K; configuring the correspondence between each SSB opportunity and the beam based on P and K; and obtaining the beam activation pattern based on the SSB pattern and the correspondence.

[0025] In some implementations, the correspondence between each SSB opportunity and beam is configured based on P and K, including: the index of the beam activated by the Xth SSB opportunity in an SSB cycle includes: X, X+K*1, ..., X+K*(P-1), or X*K, X*K+1, ..., X*K+P-1.

[0026] In some implementations, obtaining the maximum number of transmissions K of the SSB pattern within the SSB period includes: obtaining the ratio M of the SSB period to the basic SSB period, and the maximum number of transmissions N of the SSB pattern within the basic SSB period. The basic SSB period is a pre-configured SSB period, and the product of M and N is used as the maximum number of transmissions K.

[0027] In some implementations, the information includes: the total number of beams and the number of valid SSB opportunities Y. Obtaining the beam activation pattern based on the information includes: obtaining the number of beams P in one SSB cycle that are activated by an SSB opportunity based on the rounded-up value of the ratio of the total number of beams to Y; configuring the correspondence between each SSB opportunity and beam based on P and Y; and obtaining the beam activation pattern based on the SSB pattern and the correspondence.

[0028] In some implementations, the correspondence between each SSB opportunity and beam is configured based on P and Y, including: the index of the beam activated by the Xth SSB opportunity in an SSB cycle includes: X, X+Y*1, ..., X+Y*(P-1) or X*Y, X*Y+1, ..., X*Y+P-1.

[0029] In some implementations, the information includes: the total number of beams and the number P of beams in which an SSB opportunity is activated. Obtaining the beam activation pattern based on the information includes: obtaining the number K of SSB opportunities within the SSB period based on the rounded-up value of the ratio of the total number of beams to P; configuring the correspondence between each SSB opportunity and beam based on P and K; and obtaining the beam activation pattern based on the SSB pattern and the correspondence.

[0030] In some implementations, the correspondence between each SSB opportunity and beam is configured based on P and K, including: when the ratio is an integer, the index of the beam to which the Xth SSB opportunity is activated in one SSB cycle includes: X, X+K*1, ..., X+K*(P-1); when the ratio is not an integer and X is less than K, the index of the beam to which the Xth SSB opportunity is activated in one SSB cycle includes: X, X+(K-1)*1, ..., X+(K-1)*(P-1); when the ratio is not an integer and X is equal to K, the index of the beam to which the Xth SSB opportunity is activated in one SSB cycle includes: (N-1)*P, (N-1)*P+1, ..., T-1.

[0031] In some implementations, the correspondence between each SSB opportunity and beam is configured based on P and K, including: the index of the beam activated by the Xth SSB opportunity in an SSB cycle includes: X*N, X*N+1, ..., X*N+P-1.

[0032] A sixth aspect of this application provides a terminal, comprising: one or more processors, a memory, and a touchscreen; the memory is used to store program code; the processor is used to run the program code, such that the terminal implements the method for acquiring synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel block (SSB) information provided in the first, second, or third aspect of this application, or the method for transmitting synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel blocks (SSBs) provided in the fourth aspect of this application.

[0033] A seventh aspect of this application provides a network device including one or more processors and a processor; the memory is used to store program code; the processor is used to run the program code, such that the network device implements the method for transmitting synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel blocks (SSBs) provided in the fifth aspect of this application.

[0034] The eighth aspect of this application provides a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed on an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform the methods provided in the first, second, third, fourth, or fifth aspects of this application.

[0035] A ninth aspect of this application provides a chip system comprising: at least one processor and an interface, the interface being configured to receive code instructions and transmit them to the at least one processor; the at least one processor executing the code instructions to implement the methods provided in the first, second, third, fourth, or fifth aspects of this application. Attached Figure Description

[0036] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0037] Figure 1 is an example diagram of an NTN system;

[0038] Figure 2 is a flowchart of an SSB transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0039] Figure 3 is an example diagram of the index of beams covering a circular area;

[0040] Figure 4 is an example diagram of the enhanced transmission method of SSB provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0041] Figure 5 is a flowchart of another SSB transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0042] Figure 6 is a flowchart of another SSB transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0043] Figure 7 is a flowchart of another SSB transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0044] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0045] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0046] The terms "first," "second," and "third," etc., used in this application specification, claims, and drawings are used to distinguish different objects, not to limit a specific order. In the embodiments of this application, words such as "in some implementations" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions, and should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs.

[0047] Figure 1 is an example diagram of the NTN system.

[0048] The communication systems shown in Figure 1 include, but are not limited to: Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) systems, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) systems, UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) systems, or GSM EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN) systems of Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) / Enhanced Data Rate for GSM Evolution (EDGE) systems. Furthermore, the technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to any other wireless communication system with similar structure and function, such as Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) systems, 5th Generation (5G) communication systems, communication systems after 5G, New Radio Access Technology (NR) systems, and various future communication systems such as 6th Generation (6G) communication systems, and Vehicle-to-X (V2X) systems.The V2X system may include vehicle-to-network (V2N) systems, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) systems, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) systems, vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) systems, Long Term Evolution-Vehicle (LTE-V) systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) systems, machine-type communication (MTC) systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, Long Term Evolution-Machine (LTE-M) systems, and machine-to-machine (M2M) systems, etc., and this application does not impose any limitations on these embodiments.

[0049] Satellite communication currently mainly includes two mainstream communication modes: relay mode and regeneration mode. In relay mode, the satellite is responsible for relaying uplink data from the terminal to the base station, or relaying downlink data from the base station to the terminal, and does not involve encoding / decoding or related operations. In regeneration mode, some functions of the base station are carried over to the satellite, that is, the satellite undertakes some of the functions of the base station, such as encoding / decoding. After receiving uplink data from the terminal, the satellite performs encoding / decoding operations. In the embodiments of this application, the base station and the satellite that has all or part of the functions of the base station are collectively referred to as network equipment, taking network equipment 1 shown in Figure 1 as an example.

[0050] The satellites in the network equipment can be ultra-dense low earth orbit (LEO) satellites, non-geostationary earth orbit (NGEO) satellites, middle earth orbit (MEO) satellites, or geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellites.

[0051] Base stations in network equipment include, but are not limited to: evolved Node B (NodeB, eNB, or e-NodeB) in LTE, base stations (gNodeB or gNB) or transmission receiving points / transmission reception points (TRPs) in NR, radio access network (RAN) equipment, base stations evolved from 3GPP, access nodes, wireless relay nodes, and wireless backhaul nodes in WiFi systems. Network equipment can also be radio controllers, centralized units (CUs), and / or distributed units (DUs) in cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenarios. Network equipment can also be servers, wearable devices, or vehicle-mounted equipment.

[0052] As shown in Figure 1, network device 1 is used to provide communication services to ground terminals 21, 22 and 23. Terminals can include handheld devices or vehicle-mounted devices with wireless transceiver capabilities, specifically including but not limited to: mobile phones, tablets, PDAs, laptop computers, laptops, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, vehicle-mounted terminal equipment, wireless terminals in self-driving vehicles, wireless terminals in remote medical surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, cellular phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, and personal digital assistants (PDAs). The embodiments of this application do not limit this to personal assistants (PDAs), handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, in-vehicle devices, wearable devices, terminal devices in 5G networks or terminal devices in future evolved public land mobile networks (PLMNs).

[0053] As an example and not a limitation, in this embodiment, the terminal can also be a wearable device. Wearable devices, also known as wearable smart devices, are a general term for devices that utilize wearable technology to intelligently design and develop everyday wearables, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. Wearable devices are portable devices that are worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothing or accessories. Wearable devices are not merely hardware devices, but also achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly speaking, wearable smart devices include those that are feature-rich, large in size, and can achieve complete or partial functions without relying on a smartphone, such as smartwatches, smart helmets, or smart glasses, as well as those that focus on a specific type of application function and require the use of other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0054] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the terminal can also be a terminal device in an Internet of Things (IoT) system. IoT is an important component of the future development of information technology. Its main technical feature is to connect objects to the network through communication technology, thereby realizing an intelligent network of human-machine interconnection and object-to-object interconnection.

[0055] The terminal in this application embodiment may also be referred to as: electronic device, user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), subscriber unit (SU), mobile terminal (MT), access terminal, access terminal equipment, vehicle-mounted terminal, industrial control terminal, UE unit, UE station, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, remote terminal equipment, mobile device, user terminal, UE terminal equipment, terminal, wireless communication equipment, user agent, UE agent, UE device, or user equipment, etc.

[0056] As shown in Figure 1, network device 1 provides network coverage for multiple terminals on the ground, such as terminal 21, terminal 22, and terminal 23. Terminals within the coverage area of ​​network device 1 can receive downlink data sent by network device 1 and can also send uplink data to network device 1.

[0057] Because path loss is very severe in high-frequency communication, beamforming technology is usually used to focus the signal in one direction for transmission, thereby compensating for the severe path loss. In other words, network devices use beams pointing in different directions to cover different areas of the ground. Taking Figure 1 as an example, terminals 21 and 22 are both in area A, while terminal 23 is in another area B. The beams used to cover area A are different from those used to cover area B.

[0058] In practice, to meet the need for covering a large area, each satellite provides thousands of beams. Activating a beam can be understood as using a beam with enough power to provide service to the terminal; that is, using the beam to provide service to the terminal.

[0059] Unlike ground base stations, satellites are primarily powered by solar energy. This power supply method limits the available energy of satellites, making it impossible to activate too many beams simultaneously (at the same time).

[0060] As shown in Figure 1, for any given ground area, terminals in that area can only communicate using network device 1 if the beam covering that area is activated. If the beam covering that area is not activated, terminals in that area cannot communicate using network device 1.

[0061] It is evident that in order to provide communication services to terminals in different areas on the ground, network device 1 needs to follow certain rules to activate the beams in turn. In turn, the rules can be communicated to the terminals, and the terminals can perform any of the services such as cell search and cell handover when the beams covering the ground area where the terminals are located are activated. When the beams covering the ground area where the terminals are located are not activated, the terminals can enter energy-saving mode, which helps to improve the terminal's battery life.

[0062] It is understood that a terminal can only perform services such as voice calls based on a network device after establishing downlink synchronization with the network device. Synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel blocks (SSBs) are used to establish downlink synchronization between the terminal and the network device. Embodiments of this application provide a method for obtaining SSB information and a method for transmitting SSBs, so that the terminal can obtain the SSB from the network device when the network device takes turns activating its beam.

[0063] The method provided in the embodiments of this application is applicable to scenarios where the terminal is in a non-Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection state, that is, when downlink synchronization has not yet been established between the terminal and the network, and is also applicable to scenarios where the terminal is in an RRC connection state and an RRC inactive state.

[0064] The technical solutions proposed in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below.

[0065] Figure 2 is a flowchart of the SSB transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application, including the following steps:

[0066] S11. The network device indicates the total number of beams to the terminal.

[0067] The total number of beams represents the total number of beams used by the satellite. In other words, the total number of beams represents the total number of beams that the satellite can activate. In the embodiments of this application, T is used to represent the total number of beams.

[0068] Network devices indicate the total number of beams to the terminal through at least one of the following methods: System Information Block (SIB) broadcasting, Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling configuration, Group Common Downlink Control Information (GC-DCI) indication, Downlink Control Information (DCI) indication, and Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) signaling. An example of an SIB is SIB19; its definition and transmission timing can be found in communication standards. Other examples of SIBs include those specified in communication standards for NTN.

[0069] It is understandable that a terminal within the coverage area of ​​a certain beam may be in an RRC idle state, an RRC inactive state, or an RRC connected state.

[0070] Terminals in the RRC idle state or RRC inactive state can obtain the total number of beams through SIB broadcast.

[0071] Terminals in RRC connected state can obtain the total number of beams through at least one of the following methods: RRC signaling configuration, MAC CE signaling, GC-DCI, and DCI indication.

[0072] In this embodiment, the triggering conditions or execution timing of S11 are not limited. One possible approach is to carry the total number of beams in the message to be sent when the network device sends SIB, RRC, GC-DCI, DCI or MAC CE in accordance with the communication standard.

[0073] S12. The terminal obtains the maximum number of times N of the applicable SSB pattern can be sent within the SSB period.

[0074] The Synchronization Signal and Physical Broadcast Channel Block (SSB) is a collective term for the Primary Synchronization Signals (PSS), Secondary Synchronization Signals (SSS), and Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH). The SSB is primarily used for downlink synchronization and measurement.

[0075] SSB needs to be transmitted in a specific manner. In the time domain, SSB needs to be transmitted within an SSB period. The SSB period represents a duration, and existing communication protocols specify SSB periods of 5 milliseconds, 10 milliseconds, 20 milliseconds, 40 milliseconds, 80 milliseconds, and 160 milliseconds.

[0076] In addition to the SSB cycle, existing communication protocols also determine the SSB transmission method based on the applicable carrier frequency and the SSB subcarrier spacing. The transmission methods specified by the communication protocols include Case A, Case B, Case C, Case D, Case E, Case F, and Case G, collectively referred to as the SSB pattern. Each SSB pattern corresponds to an applicable frequency band, subcarrier spacing, and the time-domain location of the SSB opportunity used for transmission.

[0077] Existing communication protocols also stipulate that only one half-frame can be used to send an SSB within an SSB cycle, meaning that there is only one opportunity to include an SSB within a single half-frame.

[0078] Taking an 80-millisecond SSB period and Case A as an example, the 80-millisecond period contains 8 system frames, 16 half-frames, or 80 subframes. Case A specifies that the 80-millisecond period contains 4 SSB opportunities, and these 4 SSB opportunities are located in the same half-frame.

[0079] Understandably, different SSB patterns have different numbers of SSB opportunities within an SSB cycle.

[0080] In this embodiment, in order to be compatible with existing communication protocols, the above-mentioned SSB transmission method specified in the existing communication protocols is adopted, and an SSB period of 20 milliseconds is taken as an example.

[0081] Therefore, to obtain the number of SSB opportunities N within an SSB cycle, it is necessary to first obtain the SSB pattern applicable to the terminal.

[0082] One way for a terminal to obtain an applicable SSB pattern is as follows: The SSB pattern information is determined based on the frequency range of the frequency band supported by the terminal. The frequency range of the frequency band refers to the carrier frequency range used by the terminal to communicate with the network device. For example, if the terminal supports band n1, the frequency range of band n1 is the frequency range of the aforementioned frequency band. Based on the frequency range of the frequency band and the rules of existing protocols, an applicable SSB pattern can be determined. For instance, if the terminal supports band n1, according to existing communication standards, the SSB pattern corresponding to band n1 is case A. Based on the frequency range of case A and band n1, it can be determined that the maximum number of SSB opportunities supported within an existing SSB cycle is 4, and these 4 SSB opportunities belong to the same half-frame. Optionally, if the frequency range of the frequency band indicated by the terminal is applicable to multiple SSB patterns, then the SSB used by the network device can be obtained from the applicable multiple SSB patterns through blind SSB detection. For example, if band n5 simultaneously supports SSB patterns Case A and Case B, an SSB pattern can be selected from Case A and Case B for blind detection of the SSB used by the network device.

[0083] In the embodiments of this application, since SSB is not necessarily sent at every SSB opportunity, N obtained based on the SSB pattern is the maximum number of times the SSB pattern is sent within the SSB period, that is, the maximum number of SSB opportunities within an SSB period.

[0084] In this embodiment, taking Case A as the SSB pattern applicable to the terminal and the carrier frequency range not exceeding 3GHz as an example, the number of SSB opportunities within a 20-millisecond SSB period is 4, so N is 4.

[0085] S13. The terminal obtains the number P of beams that will be activated in one SSB cycle based on the rounded value of the ratio of the total number of beams T to the maximum number of transmissions N.

[0086] In accordance with the beam numbering rules, and in order to fully utilize the beams and achieve comprehensive coverage of the ground area, the embodiments of this application use rounding up.

[0087] Right now Assuming the network device has a total of 424 available beams, and N is 4 as mentioned above,

[0088] S14. The terminal configures the correspondence between each SSB opportunity and beam based on P and N.

[0089] Understandably, P represents the number of beams activated for a single SSB opportunity, and N represents the maximum number of SSB opportunities within an SSB cycle. When configured according to the maximum number of SSB opportunities, assigning activated beams to N SSB opportunities allows us to obtain the correspondence between each SSB opportunity and its beam. There are various specific allocation methods, as long as they ensure that the terminal and network equipment obtain a consistent beam activation pattern.

[0090] In this embodiment, to ensure full utilization of the beam and comprehensive coverage of the ground area, the correspondence between each SSB opportunity and the beam is obtained in the following way. In some implementations (referred to as method A1), within one SSB cycle, the index of the beam activated by the Xth SSB opportunity is X, X+N*1, ..., X+N*(P-1).

[0091] In some other implementations (referred to as Method A2), the indices of the beams that are activated for the Xth SSB opportunity within an SSB cycle are X*N, X*N+1, ..., X*N+P-1.

[0092] Continuing with the previous example, taking X=0 as an example, based on method A1, the index of the beam activated for the 0th SSB opportunity is 0, 0+4*1, ..., 0+4*(106-1). The correspondence between the index of the SSB opportunity obtained by method A1 and the index of the activated beam can be seen in Table 1.

[0093] Table 1

[0094] Based on method A2, the indices of the beams activated for the 0th SSB opportunity are 0*4, 0*4+1, ..., 0*4+(106-1). The correspondence between the indices of the SSB opportunities obtained by method A2 and the indices of the activated beams can be found in Table 2.

[0095] Table 2

[0096] Comparing Tables 1 and 2, it can be seen that in the correspondence obtained by method A1, the beam indices corresponding to any SSB opportunity are not continuous; for example, the beam indices corresponding to SSB0 are 0, 4…416, and 420. In the correspondence obtained by method A2, the beam indices corresponding to any SSB opportunity are continuous; for example, the beam indices corresponding to SSB0 are 0, 1, 2…105.

[0097] Taking Figure 3 as an example, multiple beams facing different directions achieve coverage of a circular area. Assuming the index of the beam covering the center of the circle is 0, for each beam covering the edge of the circular area, since the distance from their coverage area to the coverage area of ​​beam 0 is similar, they are typically numbered using consecutive indices, as shown in Figure 3 (indexes 1, 2…I). In this case, if the beams are activated using the correspondence shown in Table 2, the activated beams will be adjacent at the same SSB opportunity. For example, in SSB0, beams 0, 1, 2…105 are all activated. Therefore, if adjacent beams occupy similar frequencies, beam interference may occur. However, in the correspondence shown in Table 1, the activated beams at the same SSB opportunity are not adjacent, so method A1 can suppress interference to a certain extent.

[0098] S15. The terminal obtains the beam activation pattern based on the SSB pattern and its corresponding relationship.

[0099] The beam activation pattern indicates the time when the terminal receives the SSB.

[0100] Understandably, the SSB pattern specifies the time-domain location for transmitting SSBs (i.e., SSB opportunities). Therefore, by combining the activated beam corresponding to each SSB opportunity, the terminal can know the time-domain location of the SSB opportunity corresponding to the beam covering the area where the terminal is located, and can receive the SSB at that time-domain location.

[0101] S16. The network device sends SSB to the terminal using the beams that are activated in turn, based on the beam activation pattern.

[0102] In some implementations, the network device acquires the beam activation pattern in the same way that the terminal acquires the beam activation pattern in S12-S16; that is, the network device and the terminal acquire the beam activation pattern using the same method. In other implementations, the beam activation pattern is pre-configured in the network device to save the network device's computing resources.

[0103] Specifically, network devices transmit SSBs based on SSB cycles and SSB patterns. During transmission, based on the beam activation pattern, SSBs are transmitted using the corresponding activated beam at each SSB opportunity.

[0104] The terminal receives SSB based on the beam activation pattern.

[0105] As shown in Figure 2, the network device indicates the total number of beams to the terminal. Based on the total number of beams, the SSB pattern, and a 20-millisecond SSB period, the terminal obtains the beam activation pattern. This ensures that the terminal accurately receives the SSB even when the network device activates beams in turn. Because a 20-millisecond SSB period is used, it is compatible with existing communication standards.

[0106] Figure 5 illustrates another SSB transmission method provided by an embodiment of this application. The difference from the above embodiments is that an enhanced SSB transmission method is proposed. Under the condition that the SSB time-frequency structure is compatible with existing communication standards, the longer the period, the more SSB opportunities can be supported.

[0107] Figure 5 includes the following steps:

[0108] S21. The network device indicates the total number of beams T to the terminal.

[0109] For details on the implementation, please refer to S11.

[0110] S22. The terminal obtains the beam activation pattern based on the total number of beams T, the SSB pattern, and the SSB period.

[0111] The terminal obtains the SSB period in the following ways: In some implementations, such as before initial access, the terminal uses the default SSB period, such as the 20 milliseconds specified in the communication standard. In other implementations, such as when the terminal is in RRC connected state, the network device indicates the SSB period to the terminal; or when the terminal is in idle state, the network device can indicate the SSB period to the terminal via SIB broadcast. Examples of SSB periods indicated by the network device are 5 milliseconds, 20 milliseconds, 40 milliseconds, 80 milliseconds, or 160 milliseconds, etc.

[0112] As mentioned earlier, existing communication standards stipulate that only one half-frame can be used to transmit SSBs within an SSB cycle; that is, only one half-frame contains an SSB opportunity. The number of SSB opportunities contained in a half-frame is determined by the SSB pattern.

[0113] This embodiment proposes an enhanced transmission method for SSB, which can also be understood as an enhanced coverage method for satellite communication. The enhanced transmission method refers to an improvement upon the basic method.

[0114] The basic method is the SSB transmission method for terrestrial or cellular networks as specified in existing communication standards. That is, within one SSB cycle, there is only one half-frame containing an SSB opportunity. The number of SSB opportunities contained in one half-frame is determined by the SSB pattern.

[0115] Using the example from the previous embodiment, taking an 80-millisecond SSB period and Case A as an example, the 80-millisecond period contains 8 system frames, 16 half-frames, or 80 subframes. Case A specifies that the 80-millisecond period contains 4 SSB opportunities, and these 4 SSB opportunities are located in the same half-frame.

[0116] In this embodiment, the SSB period of the basic mode (hereinafter referred to as the basic SSB period) is set to 20 milliseconds to be compatible with different versions of the communication standard. However, the basic SSB period is not limited to 20 milliseconds. For example, it can also be other SSB periods specified in the communication standard.

[0117] With a basic SSB period of 20 milliseconds, the basic approach is that within 20 milliseconds, there is only one half-frame opportunity to contain the number of SSBs determined by the SSB pattern. The SSB pattern is the pattern used by the network device to send SSBs, and it is also the SSB pattern applicable to the terminal. See S12 for how to obtain the SSB pattern.

[0118] The improvement to the basic method is as follows: calculate the ratio M of the SSB period used in this embodiment to the basic SSB period, and obtain the number of SSB opportunities N of the SSB pattern applicable to the terminal within one basic SSB period. The product of M and N is used as the maximum number of SSB transmissions K within one SSB period used in this embodiment, that is, the maximum number of SSB opportunities K = M * N.

[0119] Taking an SSB period of 80 milliseconds as an example, 80 / 20 = 4. Taking Case A as an example, a basic SSB period of 20 milliseconds contains 4 SSB opportunities, so the number of SSB opportunities contained in an 80 millisecond SSB period is 4*4 = 16.

[0120] Compared to the basic approach, which includes 4 SSB opportunities within 80 milliseconds, the enhanced approach includes 16 SSB opportunities within 80 milliseconds.

[0121] Figure 4 shows an example of enhanced transmission mode under an 80-millisecond SSB cycle, which includes SFN0-SFN7 (SFN represents the cell system frame number counter). Starting from SFN0, every two SFNs occupy 20 milliseconds, such as SFN0-SFN1 occupying 20 milliseconds.

[0122] Each 20 milliseconds segment comprises a half-frame, such as SFN0-SFN1 comprising four half-frames. For the 15kHz subcarrier space (SCS) specified in Case A, each half-frame comprises five slots. In the first two slots, slot 0 and slot 1, each slot includes two opportunities to transmit an SSB, referred to as an SSB occasion. For example, slot 0 includes two SSB occasions, denoted as SSB0 and SSB1, and slot 1 includes SSB2 and SSB3. One SSB can be transmitted during each SSB occasion.

[0123] SFN2-SFN3, SFN4-SFN5, and SFN6-SFN7 each contain 4 SSB opportunities, see SFN0-SFN1, thus there are a total of 16 SSB opportunities within 80 milliseconds.

[0124] Compared to the basic method, the enhanced method can support more beams within one SSB cycle, which is beneficial for covering large areas.

[0125] It is understandable that the embodiment shown in Figure 2 can be considered as the case where M=1.

[0126] After obtaining K, the beam activation pattern is obtained using the following method:

[0127] Based on the rounded (e.g., rounded up) value of the ratio of the total number of beams T to the maximum number of transmissions K, the number P of beams that can be activated in one SSB period is obtained.

[0128] In this embodiment, the specific method for configuring the correspondence between each SSB opportunity and the beam based on P and K is as follows:

[0129] In method A3, within one SSB cycle, the index of the beam activated by the Xth SSB opportunity is X, X+M*N*1, ..., X+M*N*(P-1). Assuming a total of 1058 beams, an SSB cycle of 80 milliseconds, and Case A corresponding to frequencies below 3 GHz with N=4, then M=80 / 20=4. The number of SSB opportunities is 4*4=16. The correspondence between SSB opportunities and beams, that is, the correspondence between SSB opportunity index and beam index, is shown in Table 3.

[0130] Table 3

[0131] In method A4, within one SSB cycle, the indices of the beams activated by the Xth SSB opportunity are X*M*N, X*M*N+1, ..., X*M*N+P-1. Assuming the total number of beams is 1058, the SSB cycle is 80 milliseconds, and Case A for frequencies below 3 GHz corresponds to N=4, then M=80 / 20=4. One SSB cycle includes 4*4=16 SSB opportunities, and the correspondence between SSB opportunities and beams is shown in Table 4.

[0132] Table 4

[0133] Compared with Tables 1 and 2, it can be seen that methods A3 and A4 can support a larger number of beams. Compared with Table 4, Table 3 shows a certain degree of anti-interference capability.

[0134] After obtaining the correspondence between SSB opportunities and beams as shown in Table 4 or Table 5, beam activation patterns can be obtained based on the SSB patterns.

[0135] S23. The network device transmits SSBs using the beams that are activated in turn, based on the beam activation pattern.

[0136] For details, please refer to S13.

[0137] S24. The terminal receives SSB based on the beam activation pattern during the time when the beam covering the area where the terminal is located is activated.

[0138] S25. When the terminal is not in RRC connection mode, it performs energy-saving operation based on the beam activation pattern during the time when the beam covering the area where the terminal is located is not activated.

[0139] One way to perform energy-saving operations is to run in a specific mode, such as energy-saving mode, micro-sleep mode, or deep sleep mode. Each of these modes has a pre-configured corresponding operation, and in any mode, the operation corresponding to that mode is executed. For example, deep sleep mode is pre-configured to disable NTN, so when the terminal enters deep sleep mode, NTN is automatically disabled.

[0140] Another way to perform energy-saving operations is to disable certain functions, including: listening to system messages, listening to some system messages, or listening to the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH). Some system messages can be pre-configured; for example, some system messages are NTN-related system messages.

[0141] It is understandable that both of the above-mentioned methods for performing energy-saving operations can be executed, for example, running in energy-saving mode and disabling the listening for system messages.

[0142] The execution order of S24 and S25 is not limited. It is also possible that S15 will not be executed. The process shown in Figure 5, while taking into account both large-area signal coverage and low power consumption of the equipment, can support more beams, thereby covering a larger area. Furthermore, the terminal can perform energy-saving operations based on the beam activation pattern, achieving the goal of reducing power consumption and improving battery life.

[0143] Furthermore, the rule that the number of SSB opportunities in one SSB cycle is M*N is based on the premise that the time-frequency structure of the SSB signal in the communication standard is adopted to improve the compatibility of the method provided in this embodiment with the communication standard.

[0144] It is understandable that N or K above represents the maximum number of SSB opportunities corresponding to a certain SSB pattern. In order to save energy, some SSB opportunities may not send SSB signals. In this case, the SSB opportunities used to send SSB signals are called valid SSB opportunities.

[0145] Figure 6 illustrates another method disclosed in an embodiment of this application. The difference from the previous embodiment is that the network device also indicates the number of valid SSB opportunities to the terminal, and the number of valid SSB opportunities is also used as the basis for obtaining the beam activation pattern.

[0146] Figure 6 includes the following steps:

[0147] S31. The network device indicates to the terminal the total number of beams T and the number of valid SSB opportunities.

[0148] In this embodiment, the number of valid SSB opportunities is denoted as Y. It can be understood that Y is no greater than the maximum number of SSB opportunities K within an SSB cycle.

[0149] The network device indicates to the terminal the total number of beams T and the number of valid SSB opportunities Y through at least one of the following methods: SIB broadcast, RRC signaling configuration, GC-DCI indication, DCI indication, and MAC CE signaling.

[0150] Terminals in RRC idle or RRC inactive state can obtain the total number of beams and Y via SIB broadcast.

[0151] A terminal in RRC connected state can obtain the total number of beams and Y using at least one of the following methods: RRC signaling configuration, MAC CE signaling, and DCI indication. In some implementations, the same method is used to indicate the total number of beams and Y to the terminal; for example, sending a DCI message to the terminal that includes the total number of beams and Y. In other implementations, different methods are used to indicate the total number of beams and Y to the terminal; for example, sending an RRC configuration message to the terminal that includes the total number of beams, and then sending a DCI message to the terminal that includes Y.

[0152] S32. The terminal obtains the beam activation pattern based on the total number of beams T, the number of valid SSB opportunities Y, and the SSB pattern.

[0153] In this embodiment, the ratio of the total number of beams T to Y is rounded up to obtain the number P of beams that are activated in a single SSB opportunity. In mode B1, within one SSB cycle, the index of the beam activated by the Xth SSB opportunity is X, X+Y*1, ..., X+Y*(P-1). In mode B2, within one SSB cycle, the index of the beam activated by the Xth SSB opportunity is X*Y, X*Y+1, ..., X*Y+P-1.

[0154] For example, with a total beam count of 1058 and a Y value of 10, the number of beams that a single SSB opportunity needs to activate is:

[0155] The indices of the beams activated for the Xth SSB opportunity obtained based on method B1 are: X, X+10*1, ..., X+10*(106-1), as detailed in Table 5.

[0156] Table 5

[0157] The indices of the beams activated for the Xth SSB opportunity obtained based on method B2 are: X*10, X*10+1, ..., X*10+105, as detailed in Table 6.

[0158] Table 6

[0159] It is understandable that the correspondence shown in Table 5 has a certain degree of resistance to interference compared to the correspondence shown in Table 6.

[0160] Based on the correspondence between the beam index and the SSB opportunity index, as well as the SSB pattern, the terminal can obtain the beam activation pattern, as shown in S15.

[0161] S33. The network device transmits SSBs using the beams that are activated in turn, based on the beam activation pattern.

[0162] S34. When the terminal is not in RRC connection mode, it performs energy-saving operation based on the beam activation pattern during the time when the beam covering the area where the terminal is located is not activated.

[0163] S35. The terminal receives SSB based on the beam activation pattern during the time when the beam covering the area where the terminal is located is activated.

[0164] In some scenarios, the terminal performs at least one operation—cell search, time-frequency synchronization, and cell measurement—based on the received SSB, in order to further establish an RRC connection with the network equipment. In other scenarios, the terminal is in RRC connected state, and performs cell measurement and time-frequency synchronization based on the found SSB, laying the foundation for subsequent cell handover or time-frequency synchronization operations.

[0165] Understandably, it's possible that a terminal might not receive an SSB during the time the beam covering its area is activated. In this case, the terminal detects the SSB at a preset frequency with a default period, a process known as fallback SSB detection or blind SSB detection. The default period can be pre-configured in the terminal; examples of default periods are 20 milliseconds, 40 milliseconds, 80 milliseconds, or 160 milliseconds. The preset frequency can also be pre-configured in the terminal.

[0166] The method provided in this embodiment enables network devices to refrain from transmitting SSB signals during certain SSB opportunities, thereby reducing satellite energy consumption. In this case, the number of valid SSB opportunities for transmitting SSB signals is indicated to the terminal, allowing the terminal to obtain the index of the beam activated in the valid SSB opportunities. This further reduces energy consumption while achieving accurate SSB transmission.

[0167] Figure 7 illustrates another SSB transmission method disclosed in an embodiment of this application. The difference from the above embodiments is that the network device informs the terminal of the number of beams that a single SSB may be activated and the total number of beams, so that the terminal can obtain the beam activation pattern.

[0168] Figure 7 includes the following steps:

[0169] S41. The network device indicates to the terminal the total number of beams T and the number of beams P that a single SSB opportunity can activate.

[0170] To save power consumed by the control channel, satellites specify the number of beams P that can be activated in a single SSB. It can be understood that P is no greater than the number of beams that the satellite payload can support to be lit simultaneously.

[0171] The specific methods by which network devices send the total number of beams T and P to terminals, and the specific methods by which terminals in each state receive the total number of beams T and P, can be found in the above embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0172] S42. The terminal obtains the beam activation pattern based on the total number of beams T, the number of beams P that will be activated in a single SSB opportunity, and the SSB pattern.

[0173] In this embodiment, the ratio of the total number of beams T to the number of beams P activated by a single SSB opportunity is rounded up to obtain K. K represents the number of SSB opportunities required to activate a total of T beams, assuming each SSB opportunity activates P beams. It is understood that K does not exceed the maximum number of SSB opportunities that an SSB cycle can support.

[0174] In some implementations (method C1), the ratio of T to P is an integer, and the beam index for the Xth SSB opportunity to be activated within an SSB cycle is X, X+K*1, ..., X+K*(P-1). In other implementations, the ratio of T to P is not an integer. For the Xth SSB opportunity within an SSB cycle, if X is less than K, the beam index for the Xth SSB opportunity to be activated within an SSB cycle is X, X+(K-1)*1, ..., X+(K-1)*(P-1). If X equals K, the beam index for the Xth SSB opportunity to be activated within an SSB cycle is (K-1)*P, (K-1)*P+1, ..., T-1.

[0175] For example, if the total number of beams T in the satellite coverage area is 1058, and the number of beams P that can be activated by a single SSB opportunity is 80, then the required number of SSB opportunities is... Since the ratio of 1058 to 80 is not an integer, when X is less than 14, the beam indices that need to be lit for the Xth SSB opportunity are X, X+13, ..., X+13*79, and the beam indices that need to be lit for the 14th SSB opportunity are 1040, 1041, ..., 1057, as shown in Table 7.

[0176] Table 7

[0177] In some other implementations (method C2), the index of the beam activated by the Xth SSB opportunity within an SSB cycle is X*N, X*N+1, ..., X*N+P-1. Taking a total number of beams T in the satellite coverage area of ​​1058 and a single SSB opportunity activating 80 beams as an example, the SSB opportunity index corresponding to each beam index is shown in Table 8.

[0178] Table 8

[0179] It is understandable that the correspondence described in Table 7 has a certain degree of resistance to interference compared to Table 8.

[0180] Based on the correspondence between beam index and SSB opportunity index, as well as the SSB pattern, the terminal can obtain the beam activation pattern.

[0181] S43. The network device transmits SSBs using the beams that are activated in turn, based on the beam activation pattern.

[0182] S44. The terminal performs the corresponding operation based on the beam activation pattern.

[0183] For details on the implementation of S44, please refer to S24-S25 or S34-S35.

[0184] The method provided in this embodiment allows the network device to send the number of beams that can be activated for a single SSB to the terminal, so that the terminal can receive the SSB when the network device activates the beams in turn.

[0185] Figure 8 is a structural example diagram of a terminal disclosed in an embodiment of this application. Taking a mobile phone as an example, it includes a processor 310, an external memory interface 320, an internal memory 321, a display screen 330, a camera 340, an antenna 1, an antenna 2, a mobile communication module 350, and a wireless communication module 360, etc.

[0186] It is understood that the structure illustrated in this embodiment does not constitute a specific limitation on the terminal. In other embodiments, the terminal may include more or fewer components than illustrated, or combine some components, or split some components, or have different component arrangements. The illustrated components may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0187] Processor 310 may include one or more processing units, such as: application processor (AP), modem processor, graphics processing unit (GPU), image signal processor (ISP), controller, video codec, digital signal processor (DSP), baseband processor, and / or neural network processing unit (NPU), etc. Different processing units may be independent devices or integrated into one or more processors.

[0188] The external storage interface 320 can be used to connect an external storage card, such as a Micro SD card, to expand the terminal's storage capacity. The external storage card communicates with the processor 310 through the external storage interface 320 to perform data storage functions. For example, music, video, and other files can be saved on the external storage card.

[0189] Internal memory 321 can be used to store executable program code, including instructions. Processor 310 executes various terminal functions and data processing by running the instructions stored in internal memory 321. Internal memory 321 may include a program storage area and a data storage area. The program storage area may store the operating system, at least one application program required for a function (such as sound playback, image playback, etc.), etc. The data storage area may store data created during terminal use (such as audio data, phonebook, etc.). Furthermore, internal memory 321 may include high-speed random access memory and may also include non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device, flash memory device, universal flash storage (UFS), etc. Processor 310 executes various terminal functions and data processing by running instructions stored in internal memory 321 and / or instructions stored in memory located within the processor.

[0190] The terminal's wireless communication function can be implemented through antenna 1, antenna 2, mobile communication module 350, wireless communication module 360, modem processor, and baseband processor.

[0191] Antenna 1 and antenna 2 are used to transmit and receive electromagnetic wave signals. Each antenna in the terminal can be used to cover one or more communication frequency bands. Different antennas can also be reused to improve antenna utilization. For example, antenna 1 can be reused as a diversity antenna for a wireless local area network. In some other embodiments, the antennas can be used in conjunction with a tuning switch.

[0192] The mobile communication module 350 can provide solutions for wireless communication applications including 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G in terminals. The mobile communication module 350 may include at least one filter, switch, power amplifier, low noise amplifier (LNA), etc. The mobile communication module 350 can receive electromagnetic waves via antenna 1, and perform filtering, amplification, and other processing on the received electromagnetic waves before transmitting them to a modem processor for demodulation. The mobile communication module 350 can also amplify the signal modulated by the modem processor and convert it into electromagnetic waves for radiation via antenna 1. In some embodiments, at least some functional modules of the mobile communication module 350 may be housed in the processor 310. In some embodiments, at least some functional modules of the mobile communication module 350 and at least some modules of the processor 310 may be housed in the same device.

[0193] In some embodiments, the terminal initiates or receives call requests via the mobile communication module 350 and the antenna 1.

[0194] In addition, an operating system runs on top of the aforementioned components. Examples include iOS, Android, and Windows. Applications can be installed and run on this operating system.

[0195] Figure 9 is a structural example diagram of a network device 900 disclosed in an embodiment of this application, including part 910, part 920 and part 930.

[0196] Section 910 is primarily used for baseband processing and control; section 910 is typically the control center of the network device, often referred to as a processor, used to control the network device to perform processing operations on the network device side in the above method embodiments. Section 920 is primarily used to store computer program code and data. Section 930 is primarily used for the transmission and reception of radio frequency (RF) signals and the conversion between RF signals and baseband signals; section 930 is often referred to as a transceiver module, transceiver, transceiver circuit, or transceiver unit. The transceiver module of section 930, also referred to as a transceiver or transceiver unit, includes an antenna 933 and an RF circuit (not shown in the figure), where the RF circuit is mainly used for RF processing. Optionally, the device in section 930 used to implement the receiving function can be considered as a receiver, and the device used to implement the transmitting function can be considered as a transmitter; that is, section 930 includes a receiver 932 and a transmitter 931. The receiver can also be referred to as a receiving module, receiver circuit, or receiving circuit, and the transmitter can be referred to as a transmitting module, transmitter, or transmitting circuit, etc.

[0197] Sections 910 and 920 may include one or more single boards, each of which may include one or more processors and one or more memories. The processors are used to read and execute programs in the memories to implement baseband processing functions and control network devices. If multiple single boards exist, they can be interconnected to enhance processing capabilities. As an alternative implementation, multiple single boards may share one or more processors, multiple single boards may share one or more memories, or multiple single boards may simultaneously share one or more processors.

[0198] For example, in one implementation, the transceiver module in section 930 is used to execute the transceiver-related processes performed by the network device in the above embodiments. The processor in section 910 is used to execute the processing-related processes performed by the network device in the above embodiments.

[0199] It should be understood that Figure 9 is merely an example and not a limitation, and the network devices described above, including processors, memory, and transceivers, may not depend on the structure shown in Figure 9.

[0200] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for acquiring synchronization signals and Physical Broadcast Channel Block (SSB) information, characterized in that, Applied to a terminal, the method includes: Receive information sent by a network device, the information indicating the total number of beams; Based on the information, the SSB pattern applicable to the terminal, and the SSB period, a beam activation pattern is obtained, which indicates the time when the terminal receives the SSB sent by the network device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of obtaining a beam activation pattern based on the information, the SSB pattern applicable to the terminal, and the SSB period includes: Obtain the maximum number of times K of the SSB pattern is transmitted within the SSB period; Based on the rounded-up value of the ratio of the total number of beams to K, the number P of beams that will be activated in one SSB cycle is obtained. Based on P and K, configure the correspondence between each SSB opportunity and the beam; Based on the SSB pattern and the corresponding relationship, the beam activation pattern is obtained.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The configuration of the correspondence between each SSB opportunity and beam based on P and K includes: The index of the beam that is activated for the Xth SSB opportunity within a SSB cycle includes: X, X+K*1, ..., X+K*(P-1), or X*K, X*K+1, ..., X*K+P-1.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The step of obtaining the maximum number of transmissions K of the SSB pattern within the SSB period includes: Obtain the ratio M of the SSB period to the basic SSB period, and the maximum number of times N of the SSB pattern is transmitted within the basic SSB period, wherein the basic SSB period is a pre-configured SSB period; The product of M and N is taken as the maximum number of transmissions K.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The information received from the network device includes: The system receives information from network devices through at least one of the following methods: System Information Block (SIB) broadcast, Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling configuration, Group Common Downlink Control Information (GC-DCI) indication, Downlink Control Information (DCI) indication, and Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) signaling indication.

6. A method for acquiring synchronization signals and Physical Broadcast Channel Block (SSB) information, characterized in that, Applied to a terminal, the method includes: The terminal receives information sent by a network device, the information indicating the total number of beams and the number of valid SSB opportunities Y, where Y represents the number of SSB opportunities that the network device has to send an SSB within one SSB cycle of the terminal; Based on the information and the SSB pattern applicable to the terminal, a beam activation pattern is obtained, wherein the beam activation pattern represents the time when the terminal receives the SSB sent by the network device.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The step of obtaining a beam activation pattern based on the information and the SSB pattern applicable to the terminal includes: Based on the rounded-up value of the ratio of the total number of beams to Y, the number P of beams that will be activated in one SSB cycle is obtained. Based on P and Y, configure the correspondence between each SSB opportunity and the beam; Based on the SSB pattern and the corresponding relationship, the beam activation pattern is obtained.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The configuration of the correspondence between each SSB opportunity and beam based on P and Y includes: The index of the beam in which the Xth SSB opportunity is activated within a said SSB cycle includes: X, X+Y*1, ..., X+Y*(P-1) or X*Y, X*Y+1, ..., X*Y+P-1.

9. The method according to any one of claims 6-8, characterized in that, The information received from the network device includes: The system receives information from network devices through at least one of the following methods: System Information Block (SIB) broadcast, Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling configuration, Group Common Downlink Control Information (GC-DCI), Downlink Control Information (DCI) indication, and Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) signaling indication.

10. A method for acquiring synchronization signals and Physical Broadcast Channel Block (SSB) information, characterized in that, Applied to a terminal, the method includes: Receive information sent by the network device, the information indicating the total number of beams and the number P of beams P in which an SSB opportunity is activated; Based on the information and the SSB pattern applicable to the terminal, a beam activation pattern is obtained, wherein the beam activation pattern represents the time when the terminal receives the SSB sent by the network device.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The step of obtaining a beam activation pattern based on the information and the SSB pattern applicable to the terminal includes: The number of SSB opportunities K within an SSB cycle is obtained by rounding up the ratio of the total number of beams to P. Based on P and K, configure the correspondence between each SSB opportunity and the beam; Based on the SSB pattern and the corresponding relationship, the beam activation pattern is obtained.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The configuration of the correspondence between each SSB opportunity and beam based on P and K includes: When the ratio is an integer, the index of the beam in which the Xth SSB opportunity is activated within one SSB cycle includes: X, X+K*1, ..., X+K*(P-1); When the ratio is not an integer and X is less than K, the index of the beam in which the Xth SSB opportunity is activated within one SSB cycle includes: X, X+(K-1)*1, ..., X+(K-1)*(P-1); When the ratio is not an integer and X equals K, the indices of the beams in which the Xth SSB opportunity is activated within one SSB cycle include: (N-1)*P, (N-1)*P+1, ..., T-1.

13. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The configuration of the correspondence between each SSB opportunity and beam based on P and K includes: The indices of the beams in which the Xth SSB opportunity is activated within one SSB cycle include: X*N, X*N+1, ..., X*N+P-1.

14. The method according to any one of claims 10-13, characterized in that, The information received from the network device includes: The system receives information from network devices through at least one of the following methods: System Information Block (SIB) broadcast, Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling configuration, Group Common Downlink Control Information (GC-DCI), Downlink Control Information (DCI) indication, and Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) signaling indication.

15. A method for transmitting synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel blocks (SSBs), characterized in that, Applied to a terminal, the method includes: The beam activation pattern is obtained using the method for obtaining synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (SSB) information as described in claims 1-14. Based on the beam activation pattern, SSB is received during the time when the beam covering the terminal is activated.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The method further includes: When the beam covering the terminal is not activated, power-saving operations are performed, including: operating in a specific mode and / or disabling functions, the specific modes including power-saving mode or sleep mode, the functions including listening to system messages, or listening to partial system messages, or listening to the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH).

17. A method for transmitting a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel block (SSB), characterized in that, Applied to network devices, the method includes: The terminal is given information, which includes the total number of beams, or the total number of beams and the number of valid SSB opportunities Y, or the total number of beams and the number of beams with an SSB opportunity activated P. The information is used by the terminal to obtain a beam activation pattern, which indicates the time when the terminal receives an SSB sent by the network device. SSB is transmitted based on the beam activation pattern.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that, Before transmitting the SSB based on the beam activation pattern, the method further includes: Obtain the pre-configured beam activation pattern, or obtain the beam activation pattern based on the information.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, The information includes: the total number of beams; The step of obtaining the beam activation pattern based on the information includes: Obtain the maximum number of times K of the SSB pattern is transmitted within the SSB period; Based on the rounded-up value of the ratio of the total number of beams to K, the number P of beams that will be activated in one SSB cycle is obtained. Based on P and K, configure the correspondence between each SSB opportunity and the beam; Based on the SSB pattern and the corresponding relationship, the beam activation pattern is obtained.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, The configuration of the correspondence between each SSB opportunity and beam based on P and K includes: The index of the beam that is activated for the Xth SSB opportunity within a SSB cycle includes: X, X+K*1, ..., X+K*(P-1), or X*K, X*K+1, ..., X*K+P-1.

21. The method according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that, The step of obtaining the maximum number of transmissions K of the SSB pattern within the SSB period includes: Obtain the ratio M of the SSB period to the basic SSB period, and the maximum number of times N of the SSB pattern is transmitted within the basic SSB period, wherein the basic SSB period is a pre-configured SSB period; The product of M and N is taken as the maximum number of transmissions K.

22. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, The information includes: the total number of beams and the number of valid SSB opportunities Y; The step of obtaining the beam activation pattern based on the information includes: Based on the rounded-up value of the ratio of the total number of beams to Y, the number P of beams that will be activated in one SSB cycle is obtained. Based on P and Y, configure the correspondence between each SSB opportunity and the beam; Based on the SSB pattern and the corresponding relationship, the beam activation pattern is obtained.

23. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that, The configuration of the correspondence between each SSB opportunity and beam based on P and Y includes: The index of the beam in which the Xth SSB opportunity is activated within a said SSB cycle includes: X, X+Y*1, ..., X+Y*(P-1) or X*Y, X*Y+1, ..., X*Y+P-1.

24. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, The information includes: the total number of beams and the number P of beams that have an SSB opportunity to be activated; The process of obtaining the beam activation pattern based on the information includes: The number of SSB opportunities K within an SSB cycle is obtained by rounding up the ratio of the total number of beams to P. Based on P and K, configure the correspondence between each SSB opportunity and the beam; Based on the SSB pattern and the corresponding relationship, the beam activation pattern is obtained.

25. The method according to claim 24, characterized in that, The configuration of the correspondence between each SSB opportunity and beam based on P and K includes: When the ratio is an integer, the index of the beam in which the Xth SSB opportunity is activated within one SSB cycle includes: X, X+K*1, ..., X+K*(P-1); When the ratio is not an integer and X is less than K, the index of the beam in which the Xth SSB opportunity is activated within one SSB cycle includes: X, X+(K-1)*1, ..., X+(K-1)*(P-1); When the ratio is not an integer and X equals K, the indices of the beams in which the Xth SSB opportunity is activated within one SSB cycle include: (N-1)*P, (N-1)*P+1, ..., T-1.

26. The method according to claim 24, characterized in that, The configuration of the correspondence between each SSB opportunity and beam based on P and K includes: The indices of the beams in which the Xth SSB opportunity is activated within one SSB cycle include: X*N, X*N+1, ..., X*N+P-1.

27. A terminal, characterized in that, include: One or more processors, a memory, and a touchscreen; the memory is used to store program code; The processor is used to run the program code, causing the terminal to implement the method for obtaining synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel block (SSB) information as described in any one of claims 1 to 14, or the method for transmitting synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel blocks (SSBs) as described in any one of claims 15 to 16.

28. A network device, characterized in that, The device includes one or more processors; the memory is used to store program code; the processor is used to run the program code, causing the network device to implement the method for transmitting synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel blocks (SSBs) as described in any one of claims 17 to 26.

29. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, It stores instructions that, when executed on an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 26.

30. A chip system, characterized in that, include: At least one processor and an interface, the interface being used to receive code instructions and transmit them to the at least one processor; The at least one processor executes the code instructions to implement the method according to any one of claims 1-26.

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