Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

Provided are a communication method and a communication apparatus, which are applicable to the field of communications. In the communication method, a network device sends first instruction information, so as to instruct a terminal device to send first reporting information, and then receives the first reporting information (which is used for indicating that the terminal device is in an area in which the first instruction information can be received) sent by the terminal device, such that a network learns of a distribution situation of the terminal device. At least the following technical effects can be achieved: using and / or updating a beam-hopping scheme in a targeted manner, giving full play to satellites, and thus achieving more efficient utilization of network resources. Alternatively, the network device sends event configuration information, and then receives second reporting information sent by the terminal device after an event is met, such that the network can also learn of the distribution situation of the terminal device, thereby achieving the foregoing technical effects.

Description

Communication method and communication apparatus

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202411270957.8, filed on September 10, 2024, and entitled "Communication method and communication apparatus", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

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

[0003] Since the traditional ground network cannot provide seamless coverage, especially in places such as the sea, desert, air, etc. where base stations cannot be deployed, satellite communication is considered an important aspect of the future development of wireless communication technology. The coverage of non-terrestrial network (NTN) satellites is very wide. One feature of the NTN communication system is that the distribution of user equipment (UE) and the traffic of the UE is unbalanced at different times and / or areas. For example, in sparsely populated areas such as the ocean and desert, the number of users is small, and accordingly, the traffic demand of the users is low; while for densely populated areas such as cities, the number of users is large, and accordingly, the traffic demand of the users is high. For another example, for the same area, the traffic demand of the users is high during the day; while at night, the traffic demand of the users is low. In order to alleviate the contradiction between small satellite load and wide coverage, the beam hopping (BH) satellite communication system has emerged.

[0004] However, in the NTN beam hopping scenario, the current technology cannot match the unbalanced distribution of user traffic in the time and spatial dimensions, and thus cannot fully utilize the capacity of the satellite, resulting in low system efficiency. SUMMARY

[0005] Therefore, the present application provides a communication method, a communication apparatus, a chip system, a computer readable storage medium, a computer program product and a communication system, so that the network can obtain the distribution of the terminal device, which helps to fully utilize the capacity of the satellite and improve the system efficiency.

[0006] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a network device, or can be executed by a component (such as a circuit, a chip or a chip system, etc.) configured in the network device, and can also be implemented by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the network device. The present application does not make any limitation in this regard. For example, the network device is an access network device.

[0007] Specifically, the method comprises: the network device sending first indication information, the first indication information being used to instruct the terminal device to send reporting information; and receiving first reporting information sent by the terminal device, the first reporting information being used to indicate that the terminal device is in a first area, the first area being an area in which the first indication information can be received.

[0008] Based on the above technical solution, in the embodiment of the present application, the network device sends first indication information, so that the terminal device capable of receiving the first indication information sends first reporting information to the network device. After receiving the first reporting information sent by the terminal device, the network device can obtain the distribution of the terminal device, which helps to fully exert the capability of the satellite and improve the system efficiency.

[0009] For example, the network device uses or updates the hop-beam scheme based on the distribution of the terminal device, which can improve the system efficiency.

[0010] The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific form of the first indication information sent by the network device, or the message or signaling in which the first indication information is located. For example, the network device sends the first indication information, comprising: sending system information block (SIB) signaling, the SIB signaling carrying the first indication information; or sending a paging message, the paging message carrying the first indication information; or sending downlink control information (DCI), the DCI carrying the first indication information.

[0011] It should be understood that the above examples do not limit the embodiment of the present application. For example, the first indication information can be carried by newly introduced message or signaling.

[0012] In some embodiments, when the terminal device is in a non-connected state, the network cannot know the area or location information where the terminal device is located, and thus cannot obtain the distribution of the terminal device. Optionally, the terminal device in the non-connected state comprises: the terminal device in an idle state or an inactive state. Based on the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application, the network device can obtain the distribution of the terminal device for the terminal device in the non-connected state.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the method further comprises: the network device sending first configuration information, the first configuration information being used to configure related information when the terminal device sends reporting information; or the first configuration information being predefined. Therefore, the network device can also issue configuration information about the terminal device sending reporting information, so that the terminal device reports based on the first configuration information.

[0014] It can be understood that, in addition to the network configuration, the first configuration information can also be predefined (for example, predefined by a protocol).

[0015] The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific content in the first configuration information. Optionally, the first configuration information comprises one or more of the following: time-frequency resources for the terminal device to send the reported information, and a bearing format of the reported information.

[0016] For example, the first configuration information comprises a first bearing mode, which indicates that the reported information is borne in a random access preamble (such as a physical random access channel (PRACH) preamble, or a random access preamble); the network device receives the random access preamble sent by the terminal device, and the random access preamble bears the first reported information.

[0017] Therefore, the network device can obtain the first reported information when receiving the random access preamble, and thus knows the distribution of the terminal device.

[0018] For example, the first configuration information comprises first time-frequency resources; the network device receives the first reported information sent by the terminal device at the first time-frequency resources.

[0019] In order to avoid frequent responses of the terminal device, a first timer can be introduced. In a possible implementation, the first configuration information further comprises configuration information of the first timer; the first timer is used to start after the terminal device sends the reported information, and allows the terminal device to send the reported information again after the first timer has expired. Therefore, by introducing the first timer, the terminal device does not need to frequently send the first reported information to the network device, which helps to save the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0020] The embodiment of the present application can also agree on the response time of the terminal device. In a possible implementation, the first configuration information further comprises configuration information of a second timer. For example, the first reported information is sent by the terminal device during the running of the second timer.

[0021] In a possible implementation, the first configuration information further comprises configuration information of a response time; the response time is a periodic time window, and each time window of the periodic time window comprises a first window.

[0022] For example, the first reported information is sent by the terminal device in the first window, and the first window is a time period during which the information is allowed to be sent; or the response time is a single time window, and the first reported information is sent by the terminal device in the single time window.

[0023] Optionally, a starting position of the single time window is related to a time when the terminal device receives the first indication information, and a time length of the single time window is predefined or configured by the network device.

[0024] Optionally, in the case of a periodic time window for the response time, the configuration information of the response time includes one or more of the following: a starting position of the periodic time window, a time length of the periodic time window, a starting position of the first window in each time window, an ending position of the first window in each time window, a time length of the first window in each time window, and a number of time windows corresponding to the periodic time window.

[0025] Optionally, after receiving the first report information, the method further includes: determining, by the network device, one or more of the following information of the transmission signal corresponding to the first area according to the first report information: a transmission period, a starting position, an ending position, and a transmission time length. Transmission can be understood as "receiving" or "sending".

[0026] It can be understood that the network device can receive the first report information sent by one or more terminal devices. Based on the first report information sent by one or more terminal devices, the network device can determine the distribution of the terminal devices, so as to maximize the use of system resources by adjusting and / or adopting the beam hopping scheme.

[0027] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a terminal device, or can be executed by a component (such as a circuit, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) configured in the terminal device, and can also be executed by a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the terminal device. The present application does not limit this. For example, the terminal device is a user equipment (UE).

[0028] Specifically, the method includes: receiving, by the terminal device, first indication information sent by a network device, the first indication information being used to instruct the terminal device to send first report information; and sending, by the terminal device, the first report information to the network device, the first report information being used to indicate that the terminal device is in a first area, the first area being an area in which the first indication information can be received.

[0029] Based on the above technical solutions, in the terminal device in the embodiments of the present application, the first report information is sent to the network device in the case of receiving the first indication information sent by the network device. In this way, after the network device receives the first report information sent by the terminal device, the distribution of the terminal device can be obtained, which helps to fully exert the capacity of the satellite and improve the system efficiency.

[0030] For part of the terms, descriptions, or technical effects appearing in the second aspect, reference can be made to the description in the first aspect. For the sake of brevity, this will not be repeated here.

[0031] In a possible implementation, the terminal device receives first indication information sent by the network device, including: receiving system information block (SIB) signaling sent by the network device, the SIB signaling carrying the first indication information; or receiving a paging message sent by the network device, the paging message carrying the first indication information; or receiving downlink control information (DCI) sent by the network device, the DCI carrying the first indication information.

[0032] In a possible implementation, the terminal device is in a non-connected state; the terminal device being in the non-connected state includes: the terminal device being in an idle state or an inactive state.

[0033] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: the terminal device receiving first configuration information sent by the network device, the first configuration information being used to configure related information when the terminal device sends the report information; or the first configuration information being predefined.

[0034] In a possible implementation, the first configuration information includes one or more of the following: time-frequency resources at which the terminal device sends the report information, a bearer format of the report information.

[0035] In a possible implementation, the first configuration information includes a first bearer mode, the first bearer mode indicating that the report information is borne in a random access preamble sequence; the terminal device sending a random access preamble sequence to the network device, the random access preamble sequence bearing the first report information.

[0036] In a possible implementation, the first configuration information includes first time-frequency resources. Illustratively, the terminal device sending the first report information to the network device includes: sending the first report information to the network device at the first time-frequency resources.

[0037] In a possible implementation, the first configuration information further includes configuration information of a first timer; after the terminal device sends the first report information to the network device, the terminal device starts the first timer, and after the first timer expires, the terminal device is allowed to send the first report information to the network device again.

[0038] In a possible implementation, the first configuration information further includes configuration information of a second timer; during running of the second timer, the terminal device sends the first report information to the network device.

[0039] In a possible implementation, the first configuration information further includes configuration information of a response time; the response time is a periodic time window, each time window of the periodic time window includes the first window; and the sending of the first report information to the network device includes: sending the first report information to the network device in the first window of each time window of the periodic time window.

[0040] Alternatively, in a possible implementation, the response time is a single time window. Illustratively, the sending of the first report information to the network device by the terminal device includes: sending the first report information to the network device in the single time window.

[0041] In a possible implementation, a start position of the single time window is related to a time when the terminal device receives the first indication information, and a time length of the single time window is predefined or configured by the network device.

[0042] In a possible implementation, in the case where the response time is a periodic time window, the configuration information of the response time includes one or more of the following: a start position of the periodic time window, a time length of the periodic time window, a start position of the first window in each time window, an end position of the first window in each time window, a time length of the first window in each time window, and a number of time windows corresponding to the periodic time window.

[0043] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a network device, or can be executed by a component (such as a circuit, a chip or a chip system, etc.) configured in the network device, and can also be executed by a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the network device. The present application does not limit this. For example, the network device is an access network device.

[0044] Specifically, the method includes: the network device sends second configuration information, the second configuration information including a report event that needs to be met by the terminal device when sending report information to the network device; and receiving second report information sent by the terminal device, the second report information being used to indicate that the terminal device meets the report event.

[0045] Based on the above technical solutions, in the embodiments of the present application, the network device sends second configuration information (including report event configuration information) to make the terminal device send first report information to the network device when the terminal device meets the report event. After receiving the second report information sent by the terminal device, the network device can obtain the distribution of the terminal device, which helps to fully exert the capacity of the satellite and improve the system efficiency.

[0046] Illustratively, the report event includes one or more of the following events:

[0047] a first event, the first event indicating that the terminal device enters the second area;

[0048] a second event, the second event indicating that the terminal device moves out of the third area;

[0049] a third event, the third event indicating that the terminal device moves out of the third area and enters the second area;

[0050] a fourth event, the fourth event indicating that a SSB in which the terminal device camps changes, and an index of the changed SSB belongs to the first SSB index set;

[0051] a fifth event, the fifth event indicating that a SSB in which the terminal device camps changes, and an index of the changed SSB belongs to the second SSB index set;

[0052] a sixth event, the sixth event indicating that a SSB in which the terminal device camps changes, and an index of the changed SSB belongs to the second SSB index set, and an index of the changed SSB belongs to the first SSB index set.

[0053] It should be understood that the above reporting events are only example descriptions, and embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. In fact, the above reporting events can also be replaced by other conditions, reporting conditions or preset conditions that need to be met, and the like, which are not specifically limited. For example, the network device can configure the conditions or events that need to be met for the terminal device to send the reporting information based on actual needs.

[0054] In some embodiments, when the terminal device is in a non-connected state, the network cannot know the area or location information of the terminal device, and thus cannot obtain the distribution of the terminal device. Optionally, the terminal device in the non-connected state includes that the terminal device is in an idle state or an inactive state. Based on the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, for the terminal device in the non-connected state, the network device can know the distribution of the terminal device.

[0055] Similarly to the first aspect, the network device can also send the first configuration information to the terminal device, so as to configure the terminal device to report based on the first configuration information.

[0056] In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: the network device sends first configuration information, the first configuration information being used for configuring related information when the terminal device sends the reporting information; or the first configuration information being predefined.

[0057] The description of the first configuration information can refer to the description in the first aspect, and is not repeated here for brevity.

[0058] It should be understood that the first configuration information and the second configuration information can be sent through the same message or signaling, or can be sent through different messages or signaling, and no specific limitation is made thereto.

[0059] Optionally, the first configuration information comprises one or more of the following: a time-frequency resource for the terminal device to send the report information, a bearing format of the report information.

[0060] In a possible implementation, the first configuration information comprises a first bearing mode, and the first bearing mode indicates that the report information is borne in a random access preamble sequence; the network device receives the random access preamble sequence sent by the terminal device, and the random access preamble sequence bears the second report information.

[0061] Exemplarily, the first configuration information comprises a second time-frequency resource; the network device receives the second report information sent by the terminal device at the second time-frequency resource. It should be understood that the term "second" in the term "second time-frequency resource" is not specially limited, and is introduced only for distinguishing from the "first time-frequency resource" in the foregoing first aspect, and does not constitute a limitation on the embodiments of the present application.

[0062] In a possible implementation, the first configuration information further comprises configuration information of a first timer; the first timer is used for the terminal device to start after sending the report information, and to send the report information again after the first timer has expired.

[0063] In a possible implementation, the first configuration information further comprises configuration information of a second timer; the second report information is sent by the terminal device during running of the second timer.

[0064] In a possible implementation, the first configuration information further comprises configuration information of a response time; the response time is a periodic time window, each time window of the periodic time window comprises a first window, the second report information is sent by the terminal device in the first window, and the first window is a time period during which the information is allowed to be sent; or the response time is a single time window, and the second report information is sent by the terminal device in the single time window.

[0065] In a possible implementation, a starting position of the single time window is related to a time when the terminal device receives the second configuration information, and a time length of the single time window is predefined or determined by the network device.

[0066] In a possible implementation, in the case that the response time is a periodic time window, the configuration information of the response time comprises one or more of the following: a start position of the periodic time window, a time length of the periodic time window, a start position of a first window in each time window, an end position of the first window in each time window, a time length of the first window in each time window, and a number of time windows corresponding to the periodic time window.

[0067] In a possible implementation, after receiving the second report information, the method further comprises: determining, according to the second report information, one or more of the following information of the transmission signal corresponding to different areas: a transmission period, a start position, an end position, and a transmission time length. The transmission can be understood as “receiving” or “sending”.

[0068] It can be understood that the network device can receive the second report information sent by one or more terminal devices. Based on the second report information sent by the one or more terminal devices, the network device can determine the distribution of the terminal devices, so as to maximize the use of system resources by adjusting and / or adopting the hop beam scheme in a targeted manner.

[0069] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be executed by a terminal device, or can be executed by a component (such as a circuit, a chip, or a chip system) configured in the terminal device, and can also be implemented by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the terminal device. The present application does not limit this. For example, the terminal device is a user equipment (UE).

[0070] Specifically, the method comprises: receiving, by the terminal device, second configuration information sent by a network device, the second configuration information comprising a report event that needs to be met when the terminal device sends report information to the network device; and sending, by the terminal device, second report information to the network device in the case that the report event is met.

[0071] Based on the above technical solutions, in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device receives the second configuration information (including the report event) sent by the network device, and sends the second report information to the network device in the case that the report event is met. In this way, after the network device receives the second report information sent by the terminal device, the distribution of the terminal device can be obtained, which helps to fully exert the capacity of the satellite and improve the system efficiency.

[0072] For part of the terms, descriptions, or technical effects appearing in the fourth aspect, reference can be made to the description in the third aspect. For the sake of brevity, this will not be repeated here.

[0073] Exemplarily, the report event comprises one or more of the following events:

[0074] a first event, the first event indicating that the terminal device enters the second area;

[0075] a second event, the second event indicating that the terminal device moves out of the third area;

[0076] a third event, the third event indicating that the terminal device moves out of the third area and enters the second area;

[0077] a fourth event, the fourth event indicating that a SSB in which the terminal device camps changes, and an index of the changed SSB belongs to the first SSB index set;

[0078] a fifth event, the fifth event indicating that a SSB in which the terminal device camps changes, and an index of the changed SSB belongs to the second SSB index set;

[0079] a sixth event, the sixth event indicating that a SSB in which the terminal device camps changes, and an index of the changed SSB belongs to the second SSB index set, and an index of the changed SSB belongs to the first SSB index set.

[0080] In a possible implementation, the terminal device is in the non-connected state, including: the terminal device is in an idle state or an inactive state.

[0081] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: the terminal device receives first configuration information sent by the network device, the first configuration information being used for configuring related configurations when the terminal device sends the reporting information; or, the first configuration information is predefined.

[0082] In a possible implementation, the first configuration information includes one or more of the following: a time-frequency resource at which the terminal device sends the reporting information, a bearing format of the reporting information.

[0083] In a possible implementation, the first configuration information includes a first bearing mode, the first bearing mode indicating that the reporting information is borne in a random access preamble sequence; the terminal device sends a random access preamble sequence to the network device, the random access preamble sequence bearing the second reporting information.

[0084] Exemplarily, the first configuration information includes a second time-frequency resource; the terminal device sends the second reporting information to the network device at the second time-frequency resource.

[0085] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device actively sends the second reporting information to the terminal device after judging that the reporting event is met. In order to avoid frequent responses of the terminal device, configuration information about the first timer is introduced in the above first configuration information.

[0086] In a possible implementation, the first configuration information further comprises configuration information of a first timer; after the terminal device sends the second report information to the network device, the terminal device starts the first timer, and after the first timer expires, the terminal device sends the second report information to the network device again when the report event is met.

[0087] In a possible implementation, the first configuration information further comprises configuration information of a second timer; during running of the second timer, the terminal device sends second report information to the network device.

[0088] In a possible implementation, the first configuration information further comprises configuration information of a response time; the response time is a periodic time window, each time window of the periodic time window comprises a first window; the terminal device sends second report information to the network device in the first window of each time window of the periodic time window; or the response time is a single time window; wherein the sending of the second report information to the network device comprises: sending the second report information to the network device in the single time window.

[0089] In a possible implementation, a starting position of the single time window is related to a time when the terminal device meets the report event, and a time length of the single time window is predefined or determined by the network device.

[0090] In a possible implementation, in a case where the response time is a periodic time window, the configuration information of the response time comprises one or more of the following: a starting position of the periodic time window, a time length of the periodic time window, a starting position of the first window in each time window, an ending position of the first window in each time window, a time length of the first window in each time window, and a number of time windows corresponding to the periodic time window.

[0091] In a fifth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which comprises various modules or units for performing the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect or the third aspect.

[0092] In a design, the communication apparatus can comprise a module corresponding to each of the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the various aspects, which can be a hardware circuit, software, or a combination of hardware circuit and software.

[0093] In a design, the communication apparatus is a communication chip, which can comprise an input circuit or interface for sending information or data, and an output circuit or interface for receiving information or data.

[0094] In an alternative design, the communication apparatus is a communication device, which can include a transmitter for transmitting information or data, and a receiver for receiving information or data.

[0095] In an alternative design, the communication apparatus is configured in the network device, or is the network device itself, and is used to perform the method in any possible implementation manner of the first aspect or the third aspect.

[0096] Optionally, the network device can be an access network device (e.g., a gNB).

[0097] In a sixth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which includes various modules or units for performing the method in any possible implementation manner of the second aspect or the fourth aspect.

[0098] In one design, the communication apparatus can include a module corresponding to each of the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the various aspects, which can be implemented in hardware circuit, software, or combination of hardware circuit and software.

[0099] In one design, the communication apparatus is a communication chip, which can include an input circuit or interface for transmitting information or data, and an output circuit or interface for receiving information or data.

[0100] In an alternative design, the communication apparatus is a communication device, which can include a transmitter for transmitting information or data, and a receiver for receiving information or data.

[0101] In an alternative design, the communication apparatus is configured in the terminal device, or is the terminal device itself, and is used to perform the method in any possible implementation manner of the second aspect or the fourth aspect.

[0102] In a seventh aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which includes a processor. The processor is coupled with a memory, and is configured to execute instructions or data in the memory to implement the method in any possible implementation manner of the first aspect or the third aspect. Optionally, the communication apparatus further includes the memory. Optionally, the communication apparatus further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled with the communication interface.

[0103] In one implementation manner, the communication interface can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0104] In an alternative implementation manner, the communication apparatus is a chip configured in the network device. When the communication apparatus is a chip configured in the network device, the communication interface can be an input / output interface.

[0105] In an eighth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which includes a processor. The processor is coupled with a memory and is configured to execute instructions or data stored in the memory to implement the method in any possible implementation of the second aspect or the fourth aspect. Optionally, the communication apparatus further includes the memory. Optionally, the communication apparatus further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled with the communication interface.

[0106] In an implementation, the communication interface can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface.

[0107] In another implementation, the communication apparatus is a chip configured in a terminal device. When the communication apparatus is a chip configured in a terminal device, the communication interface can be an input / output interface.

[0108] In a ninth aspect, a processor is provided, which includes an input circuit, an output circuit and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive a signal through the input circuit and transmit a signal through the output circuit, so that the processor performs the method in any possible implementation of any aspect.

[0109] In a specific implementation, the processor can be one or more chips, the input circuit can be an input pin, the output circuit can be an output pin, and the processing circuit can be a transistor, a gate circuit, a flip-flop, various logic circuits, etc. The input signal received by the input circuit can be received and input by, for example but not limited to, a receiver, the output signal output by the output circuit can be output to and transmitted by, for example but not limited to, a transmitter, and the input circuit and the output circuit can be the same circuit, which is used as the input circuit and the output circuit at different times. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0110] In a tenth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which includes a processor and a memory. The processor is configured to read instructions stored in the memory, and can receive a signal through a receiver and transmit a signal through a transmitter to perform the method in any possible implementation of any aspect.

[0111] Optionally, the processor is one or more, and the memory is one or more.

[0112] Optionally, the memory can be integrated with the processor, or the memory and the processor are separately arranged.

[0113] In a practical implementation process, the memory can be a non-transitory memory, for example, a read only memory (ROM), which can be integrated on the same chip as the processor, or can be separately arranged on different chips. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the type of memory and the arrangement mode of the memory and the processor.

[0114] It should be understood that the related data interaction process, for example, the sending of the indication information, can be a process of outputting the indication information from the processor, and the receiving of the capability information can be a process of receiving the input capability information by the processor. Specifically, the data output by the processor can be output to the transmitter, and the input data received by the processor can come from the receiver. The transmitter and the receiver can be collectively referred to as a transceiver.

[0115] The processing device in the tenth aspect can be one or more chips. The processor in the processing device can be implemented by hardware or software. When implemented by hardware, the processor can be a logic circuit, an integrated circuit, etc. When implemented by software, the processor can be a general-purpose processor, which realizes by reading software codes stored in a memory. The memory can be integrated in the processor or exist independently outside the processor.

[0116] In a eleventh aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions), which, when executed, causes a computer to perform the method in any possible implementation manner of any one of the preceding aspects.

[0117] In a twelfth aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions), which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method in any possible implementation manner of any one of the preceding aspects.

[0118] In a thirteenth aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a chip system, which includes one or more processors for calling and executing instructions stored in a memory, so that the method in each aspect or any possible implementation manner of each aspect is executed. The chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0119] The chip system can include an input circuit or interface for sending information or data, and an output circuit or interface for receiving information or data.

[0120] In a fourteenth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes the network device and one or more terminal devices described above.

[0121] Optionally, the communication system can further include other devices in communication with the network equipment and / or the terminal equipment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0122] FIG. 1 is an example diagram of a communication system;

[0123] FIG. 2 is an example diagram of a scenario of a hop beam according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0124] FIG. 3 is an example diagram of an interaction of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0125] FIG. 4 is an example diagram of a periodic time window according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0126] FIG. 5 is another example diagram of an interaction of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0127] FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0128] FIG. 7 is another schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0129] FIG. 8 is an example diagram of a structure of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0130] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0131] In the embodiments of the present application, “multiple” can be understood as “at least two”, and “multiple items” can be understood as “at least two items”.

[0132] The present application can be applied to a communication system. The mobile communication system includes, but is not limited to, the following systems, for example: a long term evolution (LTE) system, a universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, a 5th generation (5G) system or new radio (NR), a 5.5G system or a 6th generation (6G) system, and future mobile communication systems, vehicle-to-X (V2X), which can include vehicle to network (V2N), vehicle to vehicle (V2V), vehicle to infrastructure (V2I), vehicle to pedestrian (V2P), etc., long term evolution-vehicle (LTE-V), vehicle networking, machine type communication (MTC), internet of things (IoT), long term evolution-machine (LTE-M), machine to machine (M2M), etc.

[0133] FIG. 1 shows an example diagram of a communication system of the present application. As shown in (1) of FIG. 1, the communication system includes a terminal device (such as a user equipment (UE)), a first network device, and a second network device.

[0134] The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific forms of the first network device and the second network device in FIG. 1. As an example, the first network device can be an access network device. The second network device can be a core network device. The access network device communicates with the terminal device through a Uu interface.

[0135] Here, as an example, the terminal device in the embodiments of the present application can be the terminal device shown in (1) of FIG. 1. The network device can be the first network device or the second network device shown in (1) of FIG. 1.

[0136] It should be understood that the Uu interface involved above can be an air interface or a wireless interface of a 3GPP protocol specification such as an LTE air interface, an NR air interface, a RedCap air interface, etc., and the present application does not limit this.

[0137] The terminal device of the embodiments of the present application can also be referred to as a UE, a very small aperture terminal (VSAT), a station (STA), a mobile station (MS), a mobile terminal (MT), an access terminal, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a mobile terminal, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent, or a user equipment, etc.

[0138] The UE can be a device that provides voice / data connectivity to a user, such as a handheld device with wireless connectivity, a vehicle-mounted device, etc. Currently, some examples of terminals are: a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a palm computer, a mobile internet device (MID), a wearable device, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal for cloud gaming, a wireless terminal in self driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, 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 wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a 5G network, or a terminal device in a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN), etc., and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0139] By way of example and not limitation, in embodiments of the present application, the UE can also be a wearable device. The wearable device can also be referred to as a wearable smart device, which is a general term for devices that are designed and developed by applying wearable technology to daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. The wearable device is a portable device that is directly worn on the body or integrated into the clothes or accessories of the user. The wearable device is not only a hardware device, but also a powerful function achieved through software support and data interaction and cloud interaction. The general wearable smart device includes a full function, a large size, and can realize complete or partial functions without relying on a smart phone, such as a smart watch or smart glasses, and focuses on a certain application function and needs to cooperate with other devices such as a smart phone, such as various smart wristbands and smart jewelry for monitoring vital signs.

[0140] In addition, in embodiments of the present application, the UE can also be a terminal device in an internet of things (IoT) system. The IoT is an important part of future information technology development, and its main technical feature is to connect objects through communication technology and network to realize the interconnection of man and machine and the intelligent network of interconnection of things. Embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the terminal device.

[0141] In embodiments of the present application, the UE includes a hardware layer, an operating system layer running on the hardware layer, and an application layer running on the operating system layer. The hardware layer includes a central processing unit (CPU), a memory management unit (MMU), and a memory (also referred to as main memory) and other hardware. The operating system can be any one or more computer operating systems that implement business processing through processes, such as a Linux operating system, a Unix operating system, an Android operating system, an iOS operating system, or a windows operating system. The application layer includes a browser, an address book, word processing software, instant messaging software, and the like. Moreover, embodiments of the present application do not particularly limit the specific structure of the execution subject of the method provided in embodiments of the present application, as long as the execution subject can communicate according to the method provided in embodiments of the present application by running a program in which the code of the method provided in embodiments of the present application is recorded. For example, the execution subject of the method provided in embodiments of the present application can be a terminal device, or a functional module in the terminal device that can call and execute a program.

[0142] The network device (such as the first network device (1) in FIG. 1) in the embodiments of the present application refers to a radio access network (RAN) node (or device) that accesses a terminal to a wireless network, which can also be referred to as a base station. For example, the network device can be an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, a base station in a next generation communication 6G system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, an access node (AP) in a WiFi system, a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario, a relay station, an access point, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a network device in a future evolution of other communication systems, and the like. For another example, the network device can also be a module or unit that completes part of the functions of the base station, for example, a centralized unit (CU) or a distributed unit (DU). The present application does not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the network device.

[0143] The core network device (such as the second network device (1) in FIG. 1) in the embodiments of the present application is a general term for various functional entities for managing users, data transmission, and network device configuration. The core network device can include one or more network elements. For example, in a 5G system, the core network device can include an access and mobility management function (AMF), a user plane function (UPF), and a session management function (SMF).

[0144] The present application can be applied to a system in which a mobile communication system is integrated with a satellite communication system. The satellite communication system includes, but is not limited to, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) system such as a high altitude platform station (HAPS) communication, for example, a global navigation satellite system (GNSS), and the like. Optionally, the satellite communication system includes a geostationary earth orbit (GEO) and a none-geostationary earth orbit (NGEO); or various terrestrial network (TN) systems.

[0145] The following briefly introduces the non-terrestrial network NTN.

[0146] The NTN communication can include satellite communication, which can refer to deploying a base station or part of the base station function on a satellite to provide coverage for a terminal. Satellite communication has the advantages of global coverage, long-distance transmission, flexible networking, easy deployment, and no geographical location restrictions, and has been widely used in many fields such as maritime communication, positioning and navigation, disaster relief, scientific experiments, video broadcasting, and earth observation.

[0147] According to the height of the satellite, that is, the orbit height of the satellite, the satellite system can be divided into highly elliptical orbiting (HEO), geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite, medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite, and low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite. Among them, the GEO satellite is also called the stationary satellite, and its movement speed is the same as the earth's rotation speed, so the GEO satellite remains stationary relative to the ground. Correspondingly, the cell of the GEO satellite is also stationary. The coverage of the GEO satellite cell is large, and generally the diameter of the cell is 500 kilometers (Km). The LEO satellite moves relatively fast relative to the ground, about 7 Km per second, so the service coverage area provided by the LEO satellite also moves. Generally speaking, the higher the orbit of the satellite, the larger its coverage area, but the longer its communication delay.

[0148] In addition, the NTN communication can also include high altitude platform station (HAPS) communication, which refers to deploying a base station or part of the base station function on a high altitude platform to provide coverage for a terminal.

[0149] The system described in (2) in FIG. 1 is an example of an NTN system. As shown in (2) in FIG. 1, there are multiple UEs in the coverage of a satellite. The link between a UE and a satellite can be referred to as a service link; the link between a satellite and a ground station can be referred to as a feeder link. The satellite can connect to a core network through the ground station.

[0150] The NTN supports two modes, namely, a transparent forwarding mode (which can also be referred to simply as a transparent mode) and a regenerative mode. The transparent forwarding mode can be understood as follows: The satellite forwards information (for example, information reported by a UE to the satellite) to a base station, that is, the control information on the network side is controlled by the base station, and the satellite plays a forwarding role in the process of information transmission.

[0151] The regenerative mode can also be understood as follows: Part or all of the functions of the base station are on the satellite (or part or all of the functions of the base station are integrated on the satellite). In the regenerative mode, the satellite has the ability to receive and process data of the base station, that is, part or all of the control information on the network side is controlled by the satellite.

[0152] It should be uniformly noted that, as another example, the terminal device in the embodiments of the present application can be any UE shown in (2) in FIG. 1. The network device can also be a device in the satellite, the ground station, or the core network shown in (2) in FIG. 1.

[0153] As can be seen from (2) in FIG. 1, there are a large number of UEs in the coverage of a satellite. The large number of UEs have a demand for transmitting data. However, these UEs are distributed in different areas and are unevenly distributed, that is, the number of UEs is relatively large in some areas, and the number of UEs is relatively small in some areas. For example, only two UEs are included in area 1 shown in (2) in FIG. 1, and a large number of UEs are included in area 2.

[0154] It should be understood that the scenario shown in FIG. 1 is only an example, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0155] It can be understood that the coverage of a single satellite is relatively wide, for example, the coverage radius of a satellite can reach tens of thousands of kilometers, and the coverage of a single beam can reach tens or even thousands of kilometers at a minimum. In order to support wide-area coverage, a single satellite usually needs to be equipped with a large number of beams. This brings great challenges to the payload of the satellite. At present, the contradiction between the small satellite payload and the wide coverage in the NTN network is alleviated by introducing beam hopping (BH) communication.

[0156] Specifically, in a beam hopping satellite system, a single satellite can support thousands of beams, but only a small number of beams (such as tens of beams) are supported for activation within a period of time, and the satellite serves different areas in time periods through time division multiplexing of beams.

[0157] Referring to FIG. 2, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a hopping beam satellite communication system according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 2, after the satellite adopts the hopping beam communication, the service area of the beam constantly changes in the entire coverage area of the satellite, and is activated in a time-division manner. In other words, the beams corresponding to each sub-area in the coverage area of the satellite are activated in a time-division manner. For example, at T1, the activated beam covers area 1; at T2, the activated beam covers area 2; and at T3, the activated beam covers area 3.

[0158] Each service area covered by the beam can also be referred to as a beam position. The hopping beam pattern can be formed by covering different service areas in different system frames or sub-frames or time slots.

[0159] However, there is no solution at present, so that the NTN network cannot know the distribution of the terminal device, and thus cannot more efficiently utilize the resources.

[0160] Therefore, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which reports information to a network device by designing a reporting mechanism, so that the network can know the distribution of the terminal device. Based on the distribution of the terminal device, the network can adopt and / or update the hopping beam scheme in a targeted manner, fully utilize the capacity of the satellite, and thus more efficiently utilize the network resources.

[0161] The scheme provided by the present application will be described in detail below in combination with the corresponding flowchart. It can be understood that the main devices (such as terminal devices and network devices) in the illustrative flowchart are taken as examples of the execution subject of the interaction, but the present application does not limit the execution subject of the interaction. For example, the devices (such as terminal devices and network devices) in the illustrative flowchart can also be chips, chip systems, or processors supporting the implementation of the method by the devices, and can also be logical modules or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the devices.

[0162] Here, it is uniformly stated that the messages or signaling interactions involved in the interaction flow of the embodiments of the present application can adopt the messages or signaling in the standards or newly introduced messages or signaling, and the embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations.

[0163] FIG. 3 is an example flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 3, the method at least includes the following steps:

[0164] In step 310, the network device sends first indication information to the terminal device, the first indication information being used to instruct the terminal device to send first reporting information, and the terminal device being in a non-connected state. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first indication information.

[0165] It should be noted that the number of terminal devices is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. The network device can send the first indication information to one or more terminal devices. The terminal devices that can receive the first indication information can send the first reporting information to the network device, so that the network can learn the distribution of the terminal devices.

[0166] Here, it is uniformly stated that the terminal device in the non-connected state can be understood as the terminal device not in the RRC connected state. When the terminal device is in the non-connected state, the terminal device can receive a downlink common signal or a common channel, and cannot send an uplink signal. In addition, the network device cannot learn the specific area where the terminal device is located, or in other words, cannot learn the specific distribution of the terminal device in the non-connected state. In view of this, the network device sends the first indication information to the terminal device in the present application, in order to instruct the terminal device to send the reporting information.

[0167] Exemplarily, the terminal device in the non-connected state includes an idle state (idle) and an inactive state (inactive). The definition of the idle state and the inactive state can be referred to the description of the 3GPP related protocol, which is not described here.

[0168] It should be understood that only the idle state (idle) and the inactive state (inactive) are described as examples here, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. For example, with the evolution of the standard protocol version, if other states similar to the idle state (idle) and the inactive state (inactive) are defined, the embodiments of the present application are still applicable.

[0169] The message or signaling carrying the first indication information is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application. The first indication information can be carried in system information, a paging message or downlink control information. Different implementation modes are described below.

[0170] Mode one

[0171] Optionally, as a possible implementation mode, the step 310 includes that the network device sends an SIB signaling to the terminal device, and the SIB signaling includes the first indication information. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the SIB signaling.

[0172] Exemplarily, the network device enables the terminal device to send the reporting information using the SIB signaling, so as to instruct the terminal device to report.

[0173] Mode two

[0174] Optionally, as another possible implementation mode, the step 310 includes that the network device sends a paging message to the terminal device, and the paging message carries the first indication information. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the paging message.

[0175] Exemplarily, the network device scrambles corresponding downlink control information (DCI) and a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) based on a specific radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) to achieve the purpose of instructing the UE to report. The specific RNTI includes a paging RNTI (P-RNTI). The definition of the P-RNTI can refer to the description of the 3GPP related protocol, which is not described herein.

[0176] Exemplarily, the network device uses a reserve bit in the paging message to instruct the UE to report.

[0177] It should be noted that the paging message can be directed to (or correspond to) one or more terminal devices. The granularity or dimension of the one or more terminal devices to which the paging message is directed is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0178] Optionally, the paging message can be directed to all terminal devices in a certain receiving area. That is, the terminal devices in the receiving area can receive the paging message. The receiving area can be understood as an area that can receive the first indication information (carried in the paging message).

[0179] Optionally, the paging message can be directed to one or more groups of terminal devices in a certain receiving area; each group of terminal devices corresponds to an area. This case can be applicable to the case of combination of wide and narrow beams, for example, sending a common channel or a common signal through a wide beam; sending a traffic channel through a narrow beam.

[0180] Method three

[0181] Optionally, as a possible implementation, the step 310 includes: the network device sends a DCI to the terminal device, and the DCI carries the first indication information. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the DCI.

[0182] The DCI can be directed to one or more terminal devices. For example, the DCI can be a common DCI or a group DCI. The granularity or dimension of the one or more terminal devices to which the DCI is directed is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0183] Optionally, the DCI can be for all terminal devices in a certain receiving area. That is, the terminal devices in the receiving area can receive the DCI. The receiving area can be understood as an area capable of receiving the first indication information (carried in the DCI).

[0184] Optionally, the DCI can be for one or more groups of terminal devices in a certain receiving area; each group of terminal devices corresponds to an area. For example, this case can be applicable to the case of combining wide beams and narrow beams, such as transmitting common channels or common signals through wide beams; transmitting traffic channels through narrow beams.

[0185] Optionally, as a possible implementation manner, before step 310, the method further includes:

[0186] In step 300, the network device transmits first configuration information, and the first configuration information is used for configuring related information when the terminal device transmits the reported information. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first configuration information.

[0187] The specific content included in the first configuration information of the embodiment of the present application is not limited. Optionally, the first configuration information includes one or more of the following: time-frequency resources of the terminal device for transmitting the reported information, and a bearing format of the reported information. The time-frequency resources refer to time domain resources and / or frequency domain resources for transmitting the reported information.

[0188] Here, it is uniformly stated that the present application does not limit the specific form or granularity of the minimum time domain resource unit corresponding to the time domain resource used by the terminal device for transmitting the reported information. For example, but not limited to, the following time granularity: one or more radio frames, one or more subframes, one or more slots, one or more mini slots, one or more sub slots, or one or more OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) symbols, etc. The present application does not limit this.

[0189] Here, it is uniformly stated that the present application does not limit the specific form of the frequency domain resource unit. For example, the frequency domain resource unit can be a subcarrier, an RB, etc. The present application does not limit this.

[0190] Exemplarily, the time-frequency resources of the terminal device for transmitting the reported information can be a certain specific time-frequency resource; the specific time-frequency resource can be understood as a time-frequency resource for receiving or transmitting the reported information. Specifically, the terminal device transmits the reported information at the specific time-frequency resource; the network device detects or receives the reported information transmitted by the terminal device at the specific time-frequency resource.

[0191] Exemplarily, the random access preamble sequence used by the terminal device to send the report information is a specific sequence, i.e., the terminal device uses a specific random access preamble sequence to send the report information.

[0192] Optionally, in a possible implementation, the location of the time-frequency resource used by the terminal device to send the report information can have a correlation with a synchronization signal and PBCH block (SSB) index. For example, one SSB index corresponds to one time-frequency resource location. For another example, multiple SSB indexes correspond to the same time-frequency resource.

[0193] The SSB is composed of a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH). The SSB is an important basis for the terminal device to complete cell selection, time-frequency synchronization, RRM measurement, and the like.

[0194] Exemplarily, the first configuration information includes a first bearing mode, and the first bearing mode indicates that the report information is borne in a specific random access preamble sequence. That is, when sending the report information to the network device, the terminal device can bear the report information in the random access preamble sequence.

[0195] The random access preamble sequence can be a physical random-access channel (PRACH) preamble. For the related explanation of the PRACH preamble, reference can be made to the description in the standard protocol TS 38.211, which will not be repeated here for brevity.

[0196] For the case where the network device sends the first configuration information, the embodiments of the present application do not limit the message or signaling in which the first configuration information is located. Optionally, step 300 includes: the network device sends system information, and the system information includes the first configuration information. For example, the system information is SIB signaling.

[0197] In addition, the embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitation on whether the first configuration information in step 300 and the first indication information in step 310 are carried in the same message or signaling. The first configuration information and the first indication information can be sent through the same message or signaling, or can be sent through different messages or signaling. For example, the first configuration information and the first indication information are both carried in the SIB signaling. For another example, the first configuration information is carried in the SIB signaling, and the first indication information is carried in the paging message or the DCI.

[0198] It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application do not make limitation on the manner in which the terminal device obtains the first configuration information. As described above, the terminal device can receive the first configuration information sent by the network device, or the terminal device can also directly use the predefined first configuration information.

[0199] Here, it is uniformly stated that the specific implementation manner of "predefined" can include any one of the following: protocol predefined, or manufacturer specification of the communication device (such as the terminal device or the network device), or communication operator defined, or pre-stored in the communication device when the communication device is manufactured, or other conventionally agreed manner.

[0200] In step 320, the terminal device sends the first reporting information to the network device, where the first reporting information is used to indicate that the terminal device is in the first area, and the first area is an area in which the first indication information can be received. Correspondingly, the network device receives the first reporting information.

[0201] The first reporting information used to indicate that the terminal device is in the first area includes the case of explicit indication and the case of implicit indication.

[0202] The "explicit indication" can be understood as directly indicating that the terminal device is in the first area through the first reporting information (or the content indicated by the first reporting information itself). Alternatively, the first reporting information is used by the terminal device to indicate to the network device that the terminal device is in the first area. For example, when the value of the first reporting information is 1, it directly indicates that the terminal device is in the first area; the network device can know that the terminal device is in the first area by demodulating the content of the first reporting information.

[0203] The "implicit indication" can be understood as indirectly indicating that the terminal device is in the first area through the first reporting information. Alternatively, the first reporting information is a response message of the first indication information sent by the network device. For example, after receiving the first reporting information, the network device can consider that the terminal device is in the first area, without the need to demodulate the content in the information. For another example, when the terminal device sends information on a resource agreed with the network device, if the network device receives the first indication information on the agreed resource, the network device can determine that the terminal device is in the first area, without the need to demodulate the content in the information.

[0204] That is, the terminal device can send the first report information to the network device in the case of receiving the first indication information. As described above, the first indication information is sent by the network device to the terminal device in a specific area (such as the first area); the terminal device can receive the first indication information, which indicates that the terminal device is located in the specific area. The specific area is explained in the foregoing, which is not repeated here. The terminal device sends the first report information to the network device, which helps the network device to understand the distribution of the terminal device.

[0205] Optionally, the first configuration information includes the first time-frequency resource; and the terminal device sends the first report information to the network device in the first time-frequency resource. Correspondingly, the network device receives or detects the first report information in the first time-frequency resource.

[0206] Optionally, for the case that the network device configures multiple available resources, the terminal device selects a certain available resource for sending according to a specific rule. The specific rule includes: selecting a resource for sending with equal probability from the available time-frequency resources. The available resources include: time-frequency resources and / or random preambles. For example, the network device allocates N resources for SSB1; after receiving SSB1, the terminal device can select a resource for sending the report information with equal probability from N resources and M preamble sequences. In this way, for multiple terminal devices, the probability of conflict can be reduced.

[0207] In the embodiment of the application, the terminal device sends the first report information to the network device after receiving the first indication information sent by the network device. In order to avoid the terminal device responding frequently, the configuration information of the first timer is introduced in the above-mentioned first configuration information. The first timer is used to agree that the minimum time interval from the last sending of the report information each time the terminal device sends the report information (for example, for the method of FIG. 3, the report information here can be the second report information). Or, the first timer is used to start after the terminal device sends the report information, and to send the report information again after the first timer has expired (for example, it can be understood that after the first timer expires and the first indication information sent by the network device is received, the first report information can be sent again).

[0208] Exemplarily, the configuration information of the first timer includes one or more of the following: the starting time of the first timer, the running duration of the first timer, etc.

[0209] Exemplarily, if the first timer has not expired, the terminal device does not send the report information; if the first timer has expired, the terminal device can send the report information again and restart the first timer.

[0210] The naming of the first timer in the embodiments of the present application is not specifically limited. For example, the first timer can also be referred to as a prohibition timer, for example, used to agree on the time length during which the terminal device prohibits sending the first report information. Through the first timer, the terminal device can be prevented from frequently sending the first report information to the network device, which helps to save the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0211] Optionally, the first configuration information can include configuration information of a response time. The response time is used to agree on the terminal device sending the report information within a certain time range. For example, the implementation form of the response time can be a single time window or a periodic time window.

[0212] It can be understood that, as uniformly described herein, the time window appearing in the embodiments of the present application is only one implementation manner, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. For example, the time window can also be a concept of an effective time length.

[0213] For the single time window, the terminal device can send the first report information in the single time window. The starting position of the single time window is related to the time when the terminal device receives the first indication information. The first configuration information includes one or more of the following: the duration of the single time window, the starting position (or starting time) of the single time window, and time offset information. The time offset information can be an offset value relative to the time when the terminal device receives the first indication information.

[0214] It can be understood that the starting time and the ending time corresponding to the single time window can be understood as the boundary values of the time window. The duration corresponding to the single time window can include the boundary values or can not include the boundary values, which is not limited. For example, the terminal device sending the report information in the single time window can be: sending the report information within the single time window; or sending the report information at the boundary value of the single time window.

[0215] For example, the starting position of the single time window is related to the time when the terminal device receives the first indication information, including: the starting position of the single time window is the time when the terminal device receives the first indication information; or the starting position of the single time window is to increase a time offset on the basis of the time when the terminal device receives the first indication information.

[0216] Alternatively, optionally, the single time window can also be implemented in the form of a timer. The first configuration information includes configuration information of a second timer. The configuration information of the second timer includes one or more of the following: the starting time of the second timer, the running duration of the second timer, and the like.

[0217] For example, after receiving the first indication information, the terminal device starts the second timer, and reports the first report information to the network device during the running of the second timer.

[0218] It can be understood that the duration of the timer (such as the first timer or the second timer) in the present application is flexibly selected based on actual needs, and the present application embodiment does not specifically limit the duration of the timer.

[0219] It can also be understood that the present application embodiment does not limit whether the duration between the second timer and the first timer is the same. Both can be the same or different.

[0220] For the periodic time window, the first configuration information includes one or more of the following: the duration of each time window, the starting position of the periodic time window. The periodic time window can correspond to the case of triggering multiple reports at a time, specifically, the network device sends the first indication information once, and the terminal device can periodically send the first report information multiple times.

[0221] Each time window in the periodic time window can further include a small window. Optionally, each time window of the periodic time window includes a first window, and the first window is a time interval that allows information to be sent. The first configuration information includes the duration of the first window. The first report information sent by the terminal device can be sent in the first window.

[0222] For example, the first configuration information includes the following information: the starting time of the periodic event window is time 0; each time window lasts 5ms, and each time window further includes a small window with a duration of 2ms, which is a window that allows the sending of report information. As shown in FIG. 4, the terminal device can obtain the time windows in the following order: [time 0 to time 5), [time 5 to time 10), [time 10 to time 15), …, and so on, and the corresponding small windows are [time 0 to time 2], [time 5 to time 7], [time 10 to time 12], …, and so on. Then, when the terminal device sends the first report information to the network device, it can send in these small windows.

[0223] In the present application embodiment, the network device sends the first indication information to instruct the terminal device to send the report information; after receiving the first indication information, the terminal device can send the first report information to the network device, so that the network device can obtain the distribution of the terminal device, in order to make further decisions based on the distribution of the terminal device. For example, based on the distribution of the terminal device, it is decided whether to perform a beam hopping scheme. For example, based on the distribution of the terminal device, it is decided whether to adjust or update the specific implementation of the beam hopping scheme.

[0224] It should be noted that the foregoing is only an example of a terminal device to describe the implementation process of the network device obtaining the reported information. In fact, the network device can obtain the reported information sent by one or more terminal devices. Then, the distribution of the terminal devices can be counted based on the reported information sent by one or more terminal devices. Subsequently, the transmission mode of the signal can be determined based on the distribution of the terminal devices, so as to maximize the use of system resources and improve system efficiency.

[0225] Optionally, in step 330, the network device determines, according to the first reported information, one or more of the following information of the transmission signal corresponding to the first region: transmission period, starting position, ending position, and transmission duration. That is, the network device determines whether to adjust or update the specific implementation of the hop-beam scheme based on the first reported information.

[0226] That is, after receiving the first reported information sent by the terminal device, the network device can count the distribution of the terminal devices, and then determine or adjust the transmission mode of the signal based on the distribution of the terminal devices.

[0227] Optionally, step 330 includes: the network device determines, according to the first reported information, the distribution of the terminal devices in the first region; and determines, according to the distribution, the transmission period, starting position, ending position, and transmission duration of the transmission signal corresponding to the region. That is, the network device determines whether to adjust or update the specific implementation of the hop-beam scheme.

[0228] The embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations on the transmission signal corresponding to the first region. Optionally, the transmission signal can be a reference signal (such as DMRS), a synchronization signal, or a physical layer channel (such as PDCCH), and the like.

[0229] For example, for the case where the terminal devices are less distributed or the density of the terminal devices is small, the network device can increase the transmission period of the signal and reduce the transmission duration of the signal; for the case where the terminal devices are more distributed or the density of the terminal devices is large, the network device can reduce the transmission period of the signal and increase the transmission duration of the signal, so that the hop-beam scheme can be targetedly adopted and updated, thereby more efficiently utilizing network resources.

[0230] FIG. 3 shows an implementation manner in which the network device triggers the terminal device to report information through first indication information. The embodiments of the present application also provide another implementation manner in which the network device configures event information for the terminal device, so that the terminal device reports information based on the event. The difference between FIG. 5 and FIG. 3 is that the trigger condition for the terminal device to send the reported information is different. Specifically, in FIG. 5, the terminal device does not send the reported information based on the indication information of the network device, but the terminal device actively sends the reported information to the network device after judging that the reporting event is met.

[0231] The following is described in combination with the interaction process in FIG. 5. It should be noted that some terms or concepts involved in FIG. 5 are the same as those in FIG. 3, and the related explanations or descriptions can refer to the descriptions in FIG. 3. The method shown in FIG. 5 at least includes the following steps:

[0232] Step 410, the network device sends second configuration information, wherein the second configuration information includes a reporting event that needs to be met when the terminal device sends the reporting information to the network device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second configuration information.

[0233] Optionally, the reporting event includes one or more of the following events:

[0234] A first event (which can be represented as A1), the first event indicates that the terminal device enters the second area;

[0235] A second event (which can be represented as A2), the second event indicates that the terminal device moves out of the third area;

[0236] A third event (which can be represented as A3), the third event indicates that the terminal device moves out of the third area and enters the second area; that is, the third event includes the first event and the second event at the same time;

[0237] A fourth event (which can be represented as B1), the fourth event indicates that the SSB in which the terminal device resides changes, and the index of the changed SSB belongs to the first SSB index set; that is, the terminal device moves into the coverage range of one or more beams, and the one or more beams correspond to the beams represented by the first SSB index set;

[0238] A fifth event (which can be represented as B2), the fifth event indicates that the SSB in which the terminal device resides changes, and the index of the changed SSB belongs to the second SSB index set; that is, the terminal device moves out of the coverage range of one or more beams, and the one or more beams correspond to the beams represented by the second SSB index set;

[0239] A sixth event (which can be represented as B3), the sixth event indicates that the SSB in which the terminal device resides changes, and the index of the changed SSB belongs to the second SSB index set, and the index of the changed SSB belongs to the first SSB index set; that is, the sixth event includes the fourth event and the fifth event at the same time.

[0240] As to the first event, the second event and the third event, the second area and the third area are different areas. Embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitation on the division manner or granularity of the area. For example, the area can be divided according to tracking area (TA), including a first TA and a second TA. For another example, the area can be divided according to cell granularity, including a first cell and a second cell, and the cell IDs of the two cells are different. For another example, the area can be divided according to cell set, including a first cell set and a second cell set, and the two cell sets respectively include one or more cells. For another example, the area can be divided according to geographical range, including a first geographical range (which can be represented by latitude and longitude information) and a second geographical range, and the two geographical ranges respectively correspond to different geographical positions.

[0241] As to the fourth event, the fifth event and the sixth event, the first SSB index set and the second SSB index set are different SSB index sets. The first SSB index set includes one or more SSB indexes, and each SSB corresponds to a beam. The second SSB index set includes one or more SSB indexes, and each SSB corresponds to a beam.

[0242] It can be understood that the terminal device camping on an SSB means that the terminal selects a certain SSB and receives the corresponding system information. It can be understood that the terminal device camping on a cell and the terminal device camping on an SSB are descriptions of different granularities. For example, a cell includes multiple beams, and each beam corresponds to an SSB; if the terminal device selects SSB1 and receives the system information corresponding to SSB1, it can be understood that the terminal device camps on SSB1. When the terminal device camps on SSB1, it can perform data transmission and reception based on SSB1. It can be understood that the terminal device can select the SSB corresponding to the beam with better signal quality when selecting the SSB to camp on.

[0243] It should be understood that the above reporting events are only example descriptions, and embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. In fact, the above reporting events can also be replaced by reporting conditions or preset conditions that need to be met, and the like, which are not specifically limited. For example, the network device can configure the conditions or events that need to be met when the terminal device sends the reporting information based on actual needs.

[0244] Similarly, in the method shown in FIG. 5, the network device can also send the first configuration information to the terminal device, so as to configure the related information of the terminal device when sending the reporting information.

[0245] Optionally, as a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: step 400, the network device sends first configuration information to the terminal device, and the first configuration information is used to configure the related information of the terminal device when sending the reporting information (such as the second reporting information). Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first configuration information.

[0246] It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit the order of steps 400 and 410. Steps 400 and 410 can be sent at the same time, step 400 can be sent first and step 410 can be sent later, or step 410 can be sent first and step 400 can be sent later.

[0247] It should also be understood that in the method shown in FIG. 5, the first configuration information and the second configuration information can be sent through the same message or signaling, or can be sent through different messages or signaling, and no specific limitation is made.

[0248] The description of the first configuration information can refer to the description of step 300 in the foregoing, and for the sake of brevity, the description will not be expanded here.

[0249] In step 420, the terminal device sends second reporting information to the network device, and the second reporting information is used to indicate that the terminal device meets the reporting event. Correspondingly, the network device receives the second reporting information. Alternatively, the terminal device sends the second reporting information to the network device in the case of meeting the reporting event.

[0250] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device will actively send the second reporting information to the network device after judging that the reporting event is met. In order to avoid frequent responses of the terminal device, the configuration information of the first timer is introduced in the above-mentioned first configuration information. The first timer is used to agree on the minimum time interval of the terminal device each time sending the reporting information (for example, for the method of FIG. 5, the reporting information here can be the second reporting information) from the last time sending the reporting information. Alternatively, the first timer is used for the terminal device to start after sending the reporting information, and to send the reporting information again after the first timer has expired.

[0251] It can be understood that the terminal device meeting the reporting event means that the terminal device meets one or more of the foregoing first event to the sixth event.

[0252] It should also be understood that the terminal device can decide whether to meet the reporting event based on one or more of the following: its own position information, information of the cell it is in, information of the cell group it is in, SSB index information it is camped on, cell information it is switched to, and the like.

[0253] Exemplarily, the configuration information of the first timer includes one or more of the following: a starting time of the first timer, a running duration of the first timer, and the like.

[0254] Exemplarily, if the first timer has not expired, the terminal device does not send the reporting information; if the first timer has expired, the terminal device can send the reporting information again in the case of meeting the reporting event, and restart the first timer.

[0255] The naming of the first timer is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application. For example, the first timer can also be referred to as a prohibition timer, which is used to determine the time length during which the terminal device is prohibited from sending the second report information. Through the first timer, the terminal device can be prevented from frequently sending the second report information to the network device, which helps to save the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0256] Similarly, for the method in FIG. 5, the first configuration information can also include configuration information of a response time. The response time is used to determine that the terminal device sends the report information within a certain time range. For example, the implementation form of the response time can be a single time window or a periodic time window. The part of the configuration information of the response time can be referred to the description of FIG. 3.

[0257] For the single time window, the terminal device can send the second report information in the single time window. The starting position of the single time window is related to the time when the terminal device occurs the report event. For example, if the A1 event (or the first event) occurs at T0, T0 can be used as the starting time of the single time window. The preset time length of the single time window can be obtained in the first configuration information.

[0258] It can be understood that the A1 event is described herein, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. For other report events, the examples of the A1 event can be referred to.

[0259] Alternatively, the single time window can also be implemented by a timer. The first configuration information includes configuration information of a second timer. For example, the terminal device starts the second timer when the report event occurs, and reports the second report information to the network device during the running of the second timer.

[0260] Alternatively, for the periodic time window, the periodic time window can be determined according to one or more of the following: the time when the report event occurs, the system frame number, the time slot number, and the offset value.

[0261] Alternatively, in step 430, the network device determines, according to the second report information, one or more of the following information of the transmission signal corresponding to the first area: the transmission period, the starting position, the ending position, and the transmission time length of the signal.

[0262] Alternatively, step 430 includes: the network device determines, according to the second report information, the distribution of the terminal devices in different areas; and determines, according to the distribution, one or more of the following information of the signal corresponding to the first area: the transmission period, the starting position, the ending position, and the transmission time length of the signal. That is, the specific implementation of deciding whether to adjust or update the beam hopping scheme.

[0263] In the embodiments of the present application, the network device reports event information through configuration, so that the terminal device actively sends the report information when the report event is met; thereby the network device can learn the distribution of the terminal device, so as to perform further decision based on the distribution of the terminal device. For example, based on the distribution of the terminal device, it is decided whether to perform the beam hopping scheme. For another example, based on the distribution of the terminal device, it is decided whether to adjust or update the specific implementation of the beam hopping scheme.

[0264] It should be noted that the schemes shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5 can be combined for implementation, or can be independently implemented, and no specific limitation is made in this regard. Exemplarily, when combined for implementation, the network device can send the first indication information to a part of the terminal devices, so that the part of the terminal devices sends the first report information when the first indication information is received; and can also send the second configuration information to another part of the terminal devices, so that the another part of the terminal devices sends the second report information when the report event is met. Optionally, when combined for implementation, the network device can send the first configuration information to all terminal devices, and the first configuration information is used to configure the related information when the terminal device sends the report information, that is, the first configuration information can be common to all terminal devices.

[0265] It should be understood that the various interaction processes shown above are only exemplary descriptions, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. In fact, the various embodiments described above can be independently implemented, or can be reasonably combined for implementation, and the embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitation in this regard.

[0266] It should also be understood that the flowcharts or scenario diagrams shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 5 are only for easy understanding, and are not intended to limit the embodiments of the present application to the examples in the drawings. In fact, based on the examples in FIG. 1 to FIG. 5, those skilled in the art can make equivalent transformations to obtain more implementation manners.

[0267] The communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application is described in detail above in combination with FIG. 1 to FIG. 5. The device embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below in combination with FIG. 6 to FIG. 8. It should be understood that the communication device of the embodiments of the present application can perform the various communication methods of the foregoing embodiments of the present application, that is, the specific working processes of the following various products can refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0268] In the embodiments, the network device can perform some or all of the steps in the embodiments; the terminal device can perform some or all of the steps in the embodiments. The steps or operations are only examples, and the embodiments of the present application can also perform other operations or variations of various operations. In addition, the various steps can be performed in different orders according to the embodiments presented, and it is possible that not all operations in the embodiments of the present application are performed. Moreover, the magnitude of the serial number of each step does not mean the order of execution, and the execution order of each process should be determined according to its function and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0269] FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present application. As shown in FIG. 6, the communication apparatus 1500 can include a communication module 1520. The communication module 1520 can implement a corresponding communication function, which can be an internal communication function of the communication apparatus 1500, or a communication function of the communication apparatus 1500 and other apparatuses. Alternatively, the communication module 1520 can also be referred to as a communication interface or a transceiver module. Optionally, the communication apparatus 1500 further includes a processing module 1510. The processing module 1510 can implement a corresponding processing function.

[0270] Optionally, the communication apparatus 1500 further includes a storage module, which can be used to store instructions and / or data; the processing module 1510 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage module, so that the communication apparatus 1500 implements the foregoing method embodiments.

[0271] In a possible design, the communication apparatus 1500 can correspond to the network device in the foregoing method embodiments, or be a component (such as a circuit, a chip or a chip system, etc.) configured in the network device. The communication apparatus 1500 can be used to perform the steps or processes performed by the network device in any of the foregoing method embodiments.

[0272] In a possible design, the communication module 1520 is configured to send first indication information, where the first indication information is used to instruct a terminal device to send first reporting information; and the communication module 1520 is further configured to receive the first reporting information sent by the terminal device, where the first reporting information is used to indicate that the terminal device is in a first area, and the first area is an area in which the first indication information can be received.

[0273] Optionally, as an embodiment, the communication module 1520 is configured to send the first indication information, including: sending system information block (SIB) signaling, where the SIB signaling carries the first indication information; or sending a paging message, where the paging message carries the first indication information; or sending downlink control information (DCI), where the DCI carries the first indication information.

[0274] Optionally, as an embodiment, the terminal device is in a non-connected state; the terminal device being in the non-connected state includes that the terminal device is in an idle state or an inactive state.

[0275] Optionally, as an embodiment, the communication module 1520 is further configured to send first configuration information, the first configuration information being used for configuring related information when the terminal device sends the report information; or the first configuration information is predefined.

[0276] Optionally, as an embodiment, the first configuration information includes one or more of the following: time-frequency resources of the terminal device for sending the report information, a bearing format of the report information.

[0277] Optionally, as an embodiment, the first configuration information includes a first bearing mode, the first bearing mode indicating that the report information is borne in a random access preamble sequence; and the communication module 1520 is specifically configured to: receive the random access preamble sequence sent by the terminal device, the random access preamble sequence bearing the first report information.

[0278] Optionally, as an embodiment, the first configuration information includes first time-frequency resources; and the communication module 1520 is specifically configured to: receive the first report information sent by the terminal device at the first time-frequency resources.

[0279] Optionally, as an embodiment, the first configuration information further includes configuration information of a first timer; the first timer is used for starting by the terminal device after sending the report information, and allowing the terminal device to send the report information again after the first timer has expired.

[0280] Optionally, as an embodiment, the first configuration information further includes configuration information of a second timer; and the first report information is sent by the terminal device during running of the second timer.

[0281] Optionally, as an embodiment, the first configuration information further includes configuration information of a response time; the response time is a periodic time window, each time window of the periodic time window including a first window, the first report information being sent by the terminal device in the first window, the first window being a time period allowing sending information; or the response time is a single time window, the first report information being sent by the terminal device in the single time window.

[0282] Optionally, as an embodiment, a starting position of the single time window is related to a time when the terminal device receives the first indication information, and a time length of the single time window is predefined or configured by the network device.

[0283] Optionally, as an embodiment, in the case that the response time is a periodic time window, the configuration information of the response time comprises one or more of the following: a start position of the periodic time window, a time length of the periodic time window, a start position of a first window in each time window, an end position of the first window in each time window, a time length of the first window in each time window, and a number of time windows corresponding to the periodic time window.

[0284] Optionally, as an embodiment, the processing module 1510 is configured to: after receiving the first report information, determine, according to the first report information, one or more of the following information of the transmission signal corresponding to the first area: a transmission period, a start position, an end position, and a transmission time length.

[0285] Alternatively, in a possible design, the communication module 1520 is configured to send second configuration information, wherein the second configuration information comprises a report event that needs to be met when a terminal device sends report information to the network device; and receive second report information sent by the terminal device, wherein the second report information is used to indicate that the terminal device meets the report event.

[0286] Optionally, as an embodiment, the report event comprises one or more of the following events:

[0287] A first event, wherein the first event indicates that the terminal device enters a second area;

[0288] A second event, wherein the second event indicates that the terminal device moves out of a third area;

[0289] A third event, wherein the third event indicates that the terminal device moves out of the third area and enters the second area;

[0290] A fourth event, wherein the fourth event indicates that a SSB in which the terminal device resides changes, and an index of the changed SSB belongs to a first SSB index set;

[0291] A fifth event, wherein the fifth event indicates that the SSB in which the terminal device resides changes, and an index of the changed SSB belongs to a second SSB index set;

[0292] A sixth event, wherein the sixth event indicates that the SSB in which the terminal device resides changes, and an index of the changed SSB belongs to the second SSB index set, and an index of a changed SSB belongs to the first SSB index set.

[0293] Optionally, as an embodiment, the terminal device is in a non-connected state; and the terminal device being in the non-connected state comprises: the terminal device being in an idle state or an inactive state.

[0294] Optionally, as an embodiment, the communication module 1520 is further configured to send first configuration information, the first configuration information being used for configuring related configurations when the terminal device sends the reporting information; or the first configuration information is predefined.

[0295] Optionally, as an embodiment, the first configuration information comprises one or more of the following: time-frequency resources of the terminal device for sending the reporting information, a bearing format of the reporting information.

[0296] Optionally, as an embodiment, the first configuration information comprises a first bearing mode, the first bearing mode indicating that the reporting information is borne in a random access preamble sequence; and the communication module 1520 is specifically configured to: receive the random access preamble sequence sent by the terminal device, the random access preamble sequence bearing the second reporting information.

[0297] Optionally, as an embodiment, the first configuration information comprises second time-frequency resources; and the communication module 1520 is specifically configured to: receive the second reporting information sent by the terminal device at the second time-frequency resources.

[0298] Optionally, as an embodiment, the first configuration information further comprises configuration information of a first timer; the first timer is used for starting after the terminal device sends the reporting information, and sending the reporting information again after the first timer has expired.

[0299] Optionally, as an embodiment, the first configuration information further comprises configuration information of a second timer; and the second reporting information is sent by the terminal device during running of the second timer.

[0300] Optionally, as an embodiment, the first configuration information further comprises configuration information of a response time; the response time is a periodic time window, each time window of the periodic time window comprising a first window, the second reporting information being sent by the terminal device in the first window, the first window being a time period allowing sending information; or the response time is a single time window, the second reporting information being sent by the terminal device in the single time window.

[0301] Optionally, as an embodiment, a starting position of the single time window is related to a time when the terminal device has the reporting event, and a time length of the single time window is predefined or determined by the network device.

[0302] Optionally, as an embodiment, in the case that the response time is a periodic time window, the configuration information of the response time comprises one or more of the following: a start position of the periodic time window, a time length of the periodic time window, a start position of a first window in each time window, an end position of the first window in each time window, a time length of the first window in each time window, and a number of time windows corresponding to the periodic time window.

[0303] Optionally, as an embodiment, the processing module 1510 is configured to: after receiving the second reporting information, determine, according to the second reporting information, one or more of the following information of the transmission signal corresponding to different areas: a transmission period, a start position, an end position, and a transmission time length.

[0304] It should be understood that the communication apparatus 1500 can correspond to the network device in FIG. 3 or FIG. 5 according to the embodiments of the present application; the communication apparatus 1500 can include modules or units for performing the methods performed by the network device in FIG. 3 or FIG. 5. Also, each module in the communication apparatus 1500 and the other operations and / or functions described above are respectively used to implement the corresponding flow in FIG. 3 or FIG. 5.

[0305] It should also be understood that when the communication apparatus 1500 is a network device, the processing module 1510 in the communication apparatus 1500 can be implemented by at least one processor, for example, can correspond to the processor 1610 in the communication apparatus 1600 shown in FIG. 7. For example, the communication module 1520 can correspond to the communication interface 1620 in the communication apparatus 1600 shown in FIG. 7.

[0306] It should also be understood that when the communication apparatus 1500 is a chip or chip system configured in the above network device, the processing module 1510 of the communication apparatus 1500 can be implemented by a processor, microprocessor or integrated circuit integrated on the chip or chip system.

[0307] Alternatively, in a possible design, the communication apparatus 1500 can correspond to the terminal device in the above method embodiments, or a component (such as a circuit, a chip or a chip system, etc.) configured in the terminal device. The communication apparatus 1500 can be used to perform the steps or flow performed by the terminal device in any of the above method embodiments.

[0308] In a possible design, the communication module 1520 is configured to receive first indication information sent by a network device, the first indication information being used to instruct a terminal device to send first reporting information; and further configured to send the first reporting information to the network device, the first reporting information being used to indicate that the terminal device is in a first area, and the first area is an area capable of receiving the first indication information.

[0309] Optionally, as an embodiment, the communication module 1520 is specifically configured to receive system information block (SIB) signaling sent by the network device, where the SIB signaling carries the first indication information; or receive a paging message sent by the network device, where the paging message carries the first indication information; or receive downlink control information (DCI) sent by the network device, where the DCI carries the first indication information.

[0310] Optionally, as an embodiment, the terminal device is in a non-connected state; and the terminal device being in the non-connected state includes that the terminal device is in an idle state or an inactive state.

[0311] Optionally, as an embodiment, the communication module 1520 is further configured to receive first configuration information sent by the network device, where the first configuration information is used to configure related information when the terminal device sends the report information; or the first configuration information is predefined.

[0312] Optionally, as an embodiment, the first configuration information includes one or more of the following: a time-frequency resource of the terminal device for sending the report information, a bearer format of the report information.

[0313] Optionally, as an embodiment, the first configuration information includes a first bearer mode, where the first bearer mode indicates that the report information is borne in a random access preamble sequence; and the communication module 1520 is specifically configured to send a random access preamble sequence to the network device, where the random access preamble sequence carries the first report information.

[0314] Optionally, as an embodiment, the first configuration information includes a first time-frequency resource; and the communication module 1520 is specifically configured to send the first report information to the network device at the first time-frequency resource.

[0315] Optionally, as an embodiment, the first configuration information further includes configuration information of a first timer; and the processing module 1510 is configured to start the first timer after sending the first report information to the network device, and allow the terminal device to send the first report information to the network device again after the first timer expires.

[0316] Optionally, as an embodiment, the first configuration information further includes configuration information of a second timer; and the communication module 1520 is specifically configured to send the first report information to the network device during running of the second timer.

[0317] Optionally, as an embodiment, the first configuration information further comprises configuration information of a response time; the response time is a periodic time window, each time window of the periodic time window comprises a first window; wherein the communication module 1520 is specifically configured to: in the first window of each time window of the periodic time window, send the first report information to the network device; or the response time is a single time window; wherein the communication module 1520 is specifically configured to: in the single time window, send the first report information to the network device.

[0318] Optionally, as an embodiment, the start position of the single time window is related to the time when the terminal device receives the first indication information, and the duration of the single time window is predefined or configured by the network device.

[0319] Optionally, as an embodiment, in the case of a periodic time window as the response time, the configuration information of the response time comprises one or more of the following: the start position of the periodic time window, the duration of the periodic time window, the start position of the first window in each time window, the end position of the first window in each time window, the duration of the first window in each time window, and the number of time windows corresponding to the periodic time window.

[0320] Alternatively, in a possible design, the communication module 1520 is configured to: receive second configuration information sent by the network device, the second configuration information comprising a report event that needs to be met when the terminal device sends report information to the network device; and further configured to: in the case of meeting the report event, send second report information to the network device.

[0321] Optionally, as an embodiment, the report event comprises one or more of the following events:

[0322] The first event indicates that the terminal device enters a second area;

[0323] The second event indicates that the terminal device moves out of a third area;

[0324] The third event indicates that the terminal device moves out of the third area and enters the second area;

[0325] The fourth event indicates that the SSB in which the terminal device resides changes, and the index of the changed SSB belongs to a first SSB index set;

[0326] The fifth event indicates that the SSB in which the terminal device resides changes, and the index of the changed SSB belongs to a second SSB index set;

[0327] The sixth event indicates that the terminal device camps on a changed SSB, and the index of the SSB before the change belongs to the second SSB index set, and the index of the SSB after the change belongs to the first SSB index set.

[0328] Optionally, as an embodiment, the terminal device is in a non-connected state, including: the terminal device is in an idle state or an inactive state.

[0329] Optionally, as an embodiment, the communication module 1520 is further configured to: receive first configuration information sent by the network device, the first configuration information being used for configuring related configurations when the terminal device sends the reporting information; or the first configuration information is predefined.

[0330] Optionally, as an embodiment, the first configuration information includes one or more of the following: time-frequency resources of the terminal device for sending the reporting information, a bearing format of the reporting information.

[0331] Optionally, as an embodiment, the first configuration information includes a first bearing mode, the first bearing mode indicating that the reporting information is borne in a random access preamble sequence; and the communication module 1520 is specifically configured to: send a random access preamble sequence to the network device, the random access preamble sequence bearing the second reporting information.

[0332] Optionally, as an embodiment, the first configuration information includes a second time-frequency resource; and the communication module 1520 is specifically configured to: send the second reporting information to the network device on the second time-frequency resource.

[0333] Optionally, as an embodiment, the first configuration information further includes configuration information of a first timer; and the communication module 1520 is specifically configured to: start the first timer after sending the second reporting information to the network device; and after the first timer expires, the terminal device sends the second reporting information to the network device again when the reporting event is met.

[0334] Optionally, as an embodiment, the first configuration information further includes configuration information of a second timer; and the communication module 1520 is specifically configured to: send the second reporting information to the network device during running of the second timer.

[0335] Optionally, as an embodiment, the first configuration information further comprises configuration information of a response time; the response time is a periodic time window, each time window of the periodic time window comprises a first window; wherein the sending the second report information to the network device comprises: sending the second report information to the network device in the first window of each time window of the periodic time window; or the response time is a single time window; wherein the sending the second report information to the network device comprises: sending the second report information to the network device in the single time window.

[0336] Optionally, as an embodiment, a starting position of the single time window is related to a time when the terminal device occurs the report event, and a time length of the single time window is predefined or determined by the network device.

[0337] Optionally, as an embodiment, in a case that the response time is a periodic time window, the configuration information of the response time comprises one or more of the following: a starting position of the periodic time window, a time length of the periodic time window, a starting position of the first window in each time window, an ending position of the first window in each time window, a time length of the first window in each time window, and a number of time windows corresponding to the periodic time window.

[0338] It should be understood that the communication apparatus 1500 can correspond to the terminal device in FIG. 3 or FIG. 5 according to the embodiments of the present application; the communication apparatus 1500 can comprise modules or units for performing the methods performed by the terminal device in FIG. 3 or FIG. 5. Also, each module in the communication apparatus 1500 and the above-mentioned other operations and / or functions are respectively for realizing the corresponding flows in FIG. 3 or FIG. 5.

[0339] It should also be understood that when the communication apparatus 1500 is a terminal device, the processing module 1510 in the communication apparatus 1500 can be implemented by at least one processor, for example, can correspond to the processor 1610 in the communication apparatus 1600 shown in FIG. 7. For example, the communication module 1520 can correspond to the communication interface 1620 in the communication apparatus 1600 shown in FIG. 7.

[0340] It should also be understood that when the communication apparatus 1500 is a chip or chip system configured in the above-mentioned terminal device, the processing module 1510 of the communication apparatus 1500 can be implemented by a processor, microprocessor or integrated circuit integrated on the chip or chip system.

[0341] FIG. 7 is another schematic block diagram of the communication apparatus 1600 provided by the embodiments of the present application. The communication apparatus 1600 can be a network device, a terminal device, a chip, a chip system, a processor, or the like supporting the network device or the terminal device to implement the above method. The communication apparatus 1600 can be used to implement the method described in the above method embodiments, which can be referred to the description in the above method embodiments.

[0342] As shown in FIG. 7, the communication apparatus 1600 can include one or more processors 1610, which can also be referred to as processing units or processing modules, and can implement certain control functions. The processor 1610 can be a general purpose processor or a special purpose processor, for example, a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit can be used to control the communication apparatus 1600 (for example, a base station, a baseband chip, a user, or a user chip), execute software programs, and process data of the software programs.

[0343] In an optional design, the processor 1610 can also store instructions and / or data, which can be executed by the processor 1610, so that the communication apparatus 1600 implements the method described in the above method embodiments.

[0344] In another optional design, the communication apparatus 1600 can include a communication interface 1620 for implementing receiving and sending functions. For example, the communication interface 1620 can be a transceiver circuit, an interface, an interface circuit, or a transceiver, etc. The transceiver circuit, the interface, the interface circuit, or the transceiver for implementing the receiving and sending functions can be separate or integrated together. The above transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver can be used for reading and writing of codes / data, or the above transceiver circuit, interface, interface circuit, or transceiver can be used for transmission or transfer of signals.

[0345] Optionally, the communication apparatus 1600 can include one or more memories 1630, which can store instructions executable by the processor 1610, so that the communication apparatus 1600 implements the method described in the above method embodiments. Optionally, the memory 1630 can also store data. Optionally, the processor 1610 can also store instructions and / or data. The processor 1610 and the memory 1630 can be separately arranged or integrated together.

[0346] It should be understood that, in a possible design, each step in the method embodiments provided in the present application can be completed by integrated logic circuits of hardware in a processor or instructions in the form of software. The steps of the method disclosed in combination with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as execution completed by a hardware processor, or execution completed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software modules can be located in storage media in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, register, and the like. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads information in the memory, and combines the hardware to complete the steps of the above method. To avoid repetition, it will not be described in detail here.

[0347] Optionally, if the communication apparatus 1600 includes the processor 1610, the communication interface 1620 and the memory 1630, the processor 1610, the communication interface 1620 and the memory 1630 communicate with each other through internal connection paths.

[0348] Optionally, the memory 1630 can include read-only memory and random access memory, and provide instructions and data for the processor. A part of the memory can also include non-volatile random access memory. The memory 1630 can be a separate device, or can be integrated in the processor 1610.

[0349] In an implementation manner, the communication apparatus 1600 can correspond to the network device in the method embodiments, and can be used to execute each step and / or process executed by the network device in the method embodiments. The processor 1610 can be used to execute instructions stored in the memory 1630, and when the processor 1610 executes the instructions stored in the memory, the processor 1610 is used to execute each step and / or process of the method embodiments corresponding to the network device.

[0350] In another implementation manner, the communication apparatus 1600 can correspond to the terminal device in the method embodiments, and can be used to execute each step and / or process executed by the terminal device in the method embodiments. The processor 1610 can be used to execute instructions stored in the memory 1630, and when the processor 1610 executes the instructions stored in the memory, the processor 1610 is used to execute each step and / or process of the method embodiments corresponding to the terminal device.

[0351] Optionally, the communication interface 1620 is a transceiver, which can include a transmitter and a receiver. The transceiver can further include one or more antennas. The processor 1610 and the memory 1630 can be integrated devices on different chips. For example, the processor 1610 and the memory 1630 can be integrated in a baseband chip, and the communication interface 1620 can be integrated in a radio frequency chip. The processor 1610 and the memory 1630 can also be integrated devices on the same chip. The present application does not limit this.

[0352] The embodiments of the present application further provide a processing device, including a processor and an interface; the processor is used for executing the communication method in any of the method embodiments.

[0353] It should be understood that the processing device described above can be one or more chips. For example, the processing device can be a field programmable gate array (FPGA), can be an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), can also be a system on chip (SoC), can also be a central processor unit (CPU), can also be a network processor (NP), can also be a digital signal processor (DSP), can also be a micro controller unit (MCU), can also be a programmable logic device (PLD) or other integrated chip.

[0354] In the implementation process, each step of the above method can be completed by the integrated logic circuit of the hardware in the processor or the instructions in the form of software. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as hardware processor execution, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software module can be located in a random access memory, a flash memory, a read only memory, a programmable read only memory, an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, or other mature storage media in the art. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and combines the hardware to complete the steps of the above method. To avoid repetition, it will not be described in detail here.

[0355] It should be noted that the processor in the embodiments of the present application can be an integrated circuit chip with a signal processing capability. In the implementation process, the steps of the above method embodiments can be completed by an integrated logic circuit or an instruction in the form of software in the processor. The processor described above can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components. The disclosed methods, steps and logic block diagrams in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented or executed. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor or the like. The steps of the method disclosed in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as a hardware code processor for execution, or a combination of hardware and software modules in the code processor for execution. The software module can be located in a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory or an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register or other mature storage medium in the art. The storage medium is located in the storage, and the processor reads the information in the storage, and combines the hardware to complete the steps of the above method.

[0356] It can be understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application can be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or can include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory can be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically EPROM (EEPROM) or a flash memory. The volatile memory can be a random access memory (RAM) used as an external cache. By way of example but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM) and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the system and method described herein is intended to include but not limited to these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0357] FIG. 8 shows a structural diagram of a UE suitable for the present application.

[0358] The UE can include a processor 110, a satellite communication processor 111 (a processor with satellite communication function, or a satellite communication chip, which can also have other communication functions, such as cellular communication function), an external memory interface 120, an internal memory 121, a universal serial bus (USB) interface 130, a charging management module 140, a power management module 141, a battery 142, an antenna 1, an antenna 2, a mobile communication module 150, a wireless communication module 160, an audio module 170, a speaker 170A, a receiver 170B, a microphone 170C, a headset interface 170D, a sensor module 180, a key 190, a motor 191, an indicator 192, a camera 193, a display screen 194, and a subscriber identification module (SIM) card interface 195, etc. The sensor module 180 can include a pressure sensor 180A, a gyroscope sensor 180B, a barometric pressure sensor 180C, a magnetic sensor 180D, an acceleration sensor 180E, a distance sensor 180F, a proximity light sensor 180G, a fingerprint sensor 180H, a temperature sensor 180J, a touch sensor 180K, an ambient light sensor 180L, a bone conduction sensor 180M, etc.

[0359] It should be noted that the structure shown in FIG. 8 does not constitute a specific limitation on the UE. In other embodiments of the present application, the UE can include more or fewer components than those shown in FIG. 8, or the UE can include a combination of some of the components shown in FIG. 8, or the UE can include sub-components of some of the components shown in FIG. 8. The components shown in FIG. 8 can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0360] The processor 110 can include one or more processing units. For example, the processor 110 can include at least one of an application processor (AP) (the AP can include a satellite protocol stack), a modem processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), an image signal processor (ISP), a controller, a video codec, a digital signal processor (DSP), a modem processor (Modem can include a cellular protocol stack, a cellular physical layer), a neural-network processing unit (NPU). Among them, different processing units can be independent devices, or can be integrated devices.

[0361] The controller can generate operation control signals according to instruction operation codes and timing signals, and complete the control of fetching and executing instructions.

[0362] The processor 110 can also be provided with a memory for storing instructions and data. In some embodiments, the memory in the processor 110 is a cache memory. The memory can save instructions or data that the processor 110 has just used or repeatedly uses. If the processor 110 needs to use the instructions or data again, it can directly call from the memory. Avoiding repeated access reduces the waiting time of the processor 110, thereby improving the efficiency of the system. The processor 110 can be a SoC.

[0363] In some embodiments, the processor 110 can include one or more interfaces. The interface can include an inter-integrated circuit (I2C) interface, an inter-integrated circuit sound (I2S) interface, a pulse code modulation (PCM) interface, a universal asynchronous receiver / transmitter (UART) interface, a mobile industry processor interface (MIPI), a general-purpose input / output (GPIO) interface, a user identification card 3 (such as a SIM card) interface, and / or a universal serial bus (USB) interface, etc.

[0364] The satellite communication processor 111 is communicatively connected with the AP in the processor 110. In the case that part or all of the satellite protocol stack is integrated in the AP, the satellite protocol stack in the AP and the satellite physical layer in the satellite communication processor 111 can communicate through the connection.

[0365] The wireless communication function of the smartphone can be implemented through the antenna 1, the antenna 2, the antenna 3, the mobile communication module 150, the satellite communication module 161, the wireless communication module 160, the AP, the Modem, and the satellite communication chip, etc. The antenna 1, the antenna 2, and the antenna 3 are used to transmit and receive electromagnetic wave signals. Each antenna in the electronic device can be used to cover a single or multiple communication frequency bands. Different antennas can also be multiplexed to improve the utilization of the antennas. For example, the antenna 1 can be multiplexed as a diversity antenna for wireless local area networks. In some other embodiments, the antennas can be used in combination with tuning switches.

[0366] The mobile communication module 150 can provide a solution for cellular communication (such as 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G) applied on the smartphone. The mobile communication module 150 can include at least one filter, switch, power amplifier, low noise amplifier (LNA), etc. The mobile communication module 150 can receive electromagnetic waves through the antenna 1, and perform filtering, amplification, etc. on the received electromagnetic waves, and transmit the processed signals to the Modem for demodulation. The mobile communication module 150 can also amplify the signals modulated by the Modem, and radiate the signals as electromagnetic waves through the antenna 1. In some embodiments, at least part of the functional modules of the mobile communication module 150 can be arranged in the processor 110. In some embodiments, at least part of the functional modules of the mobile communication module 150 and at least part of the modules of the processor 110 can be arranged in the same device. In some embodiments, the electronic device initiates or receives a call request through the mobile communication module 150 and the antenna 1.

[0367] The satellite communication module 161 can provide a solution for satellite communication applied on the smartphone. The satellite communication module 161 can include at least one filter, switch, power amplifier, low noise amplifier, etc. The satellite communication module 161 can receive electromagnetic waves through the antenna 3, and perform filtering, amplification, etc. on the received electromagnetic waves, and transmit the processed signals to the satellite communication chip (i.e. the satellite communication processor 111) and the AP for processing. The satellite communication module 161 can also amplify the signals processed by the AP and the satellite communication chip, and radiate the signals as electromagnetic waves through the antenna 3.

[0368] The satellite communication module 161 can be independent of the satellite communication processor 111. Alternatively, the satellite communication module 161 can be partially encapsulated in the satellite communication processor 111. For example, the RFIC in the satellite communication module 161 can be encapsulated in the satellite communication processor 111.

[0369] The wireless communication module 160 can provide a wireless communication solution including wireless local area networks (WLAN) (e.g., wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) network), Bluetooth (BT), global navigation satellite system (GNSS), frequency modulation (FM), near field communication (NFC), infrared (IR) technology, etc. The wireless communication module 160 can be one or more devices that integrate at least one communication processing module. The wireless communication module 160 receives electromagnetic waves via the antenna 3, frequency-modulates and filters the electromagnetic wave signals, and transmits the processed signals to the processor 110. The wireless communication module 160 can also receive signals to be transmitted from the processor 110, frequency-modulate them, amplify them, and radiate them as electromagnetic waves via the antenna 2.

[0370] In some embodiments, the antenna 1 and the mobile communication module 150 of the terminal device are coupled, and the antenna 2 and the wireless communication module 160 are coupled, so that the terminal device can communicate with the network and other devices through wireless communication technology. The wireless communication technology can include global system for mobile communications (GSM), general packet radio service (GPRS), code division multiple access (CDMA), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), time-division code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA), long term evolution (LTE), BT, global navigation satellite system (GNSS), WLAN, NFC, FM, and / or IR technology, etc. The GNSS can include global positioning system (GPS), global navigation satellite system (GLONASS), beidou navigation satellite system (BDS), quasi-zenith satellite system (QZSS), and / or satellite based augmentation systems (SBAS).

[0371] The UE can implement a display function through the GPU, the display screen 194, and the application processor. The GPU is a microprocessor for image processing, connected to the display screen 194 and the application processor. The GPU is used to perform mathematical and geometric calculations for graphics rendering. The processor 110 can include one or more GPUs that execute program instructions to generate or change display information.

[0372] The UE can implement a photographing function through the ISP, the camera 193, the video codec, the GPU, the display screen 194, and the application processor, etc.

[0373] Digital signal processors (DSPs) are used to process digital signals, including digital image signals and other digital signals. For example, when a UE selects a frequency, a DSP can perform Fourier transforms on the frequency energy.

[0374] 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.

[0375] Various aspects or features of this application can be implemented as methods, apparatus, or articles of manufacture using standard programming and / or engineering techniques. As used herein, the term "article of manufacture" encompasses a computer program accessible from any computer-readable device, carrier, or medium. For example, computer-readable storage media may include, but are not limited to: magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks, or magnetic tapes), optical discs (e.g., compact discs (CDs), digital versatile discs (DVDs), etc.), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMs), cards, sticks, or key drives, etc.). Additionally, the various storage media described herein may represent one or more devices and / or other machine-readable media for storing information. The term "machine-readable medium" may include, but is not limited to, wireless channels and various other media capable of storing, containing, and / or carrying instructions and / or data.

[0376] According to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a chip system, which includes one or more processors for calling and executing instructions stored in memory, thereby causing the method described in the embodiments of this application to be executed. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0377] The chip system may include input circuits or interfaces for transmitting information or data, and output circuits or interfaces for receiving information or data.

[0378] According to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a communication system, which includes the aforementioned network device and terminal device.

[0379] According to the method provided in the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a computer program product, which includes: computer program code, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to execute the various steps or processes executed by the network device or terminal device in any of the foregoing method embodiments.

[0380] According to the method provided in the embodiments of the present application, the present application further provides a computer readable storage medium, which stores program codes, and when the program codes are run on a computer, the computer is caused to perform each step or process of the network device or the terminal device in any of the foregoing method embodiments.

[0381] The computer readable storage medium can be a volatile memory or a nonvolatile memory, or can include both volatile memory and nonvolatile memory. The nonvolatile memory can be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable PROM (EPROM), an electrically EPROM (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory can be a random access memory (RAM) used as an external cache. By way of example, and not limitation, many forms of RAM can be used, such as a static RAM (SRAM), a dynamic RAM (DRAM), a synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM), a double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), an enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), a synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and a direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0382] Each of the above device embodiments and method embodiments fully corresponds, and the corresponding steps are performed by the corresponding modules or units, for example, the steps of receiving or sending in the method embodiments are performed by the communication unit or the communication interface, and the other steps except sending and receiving can be performed by the processing unit or the processor.

[0383] In the embodiments of the present application, each term and English abbreviation is an exemplary example given for convenience of description, and should not constitute any limitation on the present application. The present application does not exclude the possibility of defining other terms capable of achieving the same or similar functions in the existing or future protocols.

[0384] In the embodiments described above, all or some of the embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, all or some of the embodiments can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or some of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated. The computer can be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable apparatus. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer readable storage medium to another computer readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website site, computer, server or data center to another website site, computer, server or data center through wired (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) manner. The computer readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. integrated with one or more available media sets. The available media can be magnetic media (such as floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), optical media (such as high-density digital video disc (digital video disc, DVD)), or semiconductor media (such as solid state disc (solid state disc, SSD)) and the like.

[0385] The terminal device in each of the above device embodiments and the terminal device in the method embodiments correspond completely, and the corresponding steps are performed by the corresponding modules or units, for example, the communication unit (transceiver) performs the steps of receiving or sending in the method embodiments, and the other steps except sending and receiving can be performed by the processing unit (processor). The functions of the specific units can refer to the corresponding method embodiments. The processor can be one or more.

[0386] As used in this description, the terms "component," "module," "system", and the like are intended to refer to a computer-related entity, either hardware, firmware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a component can be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution, a program, and / or a computer. By way of illustration, both an application running on a computing device and the computing device can be a component. One or more components can reside within a process and / or thread of execution and a component can be localized, partially localized, or distributed across two or more computers or other processing devices. Also, these components can execute from various computer readable media having various data structures stored thereon. The components can communicate by way of local and / or remote processes such as in accordance with a signal having one or more data packets (e.g., data from one component interacting with another component in a local system, distributed system, and / or across a network such as the Internet with other systems via the signal).

[0387] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the units and algorithm steps of the examples described in combination with the embodiments disclosed herein can be realized by electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether the functions are realized in hardware or software mode depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. The skilled person can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0388] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of the description, the specific working processes of the above-described system, device and unit can refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be described here.

[0389] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device and method can be realized by other ways. For example, the above-described device embodiments are only schematic, for example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, and actual implementation can have another division manner, for example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the units shown or discussed can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interface, device or unit, and can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0390] The units described as separate components can or can not be physically separate, and the components shown as units can or can not be physical units, i.e. can be located in one place or distributed on a plurality of network units. Part or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiment.

[0391] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit.

[0392] If the functions are realized in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the present application or the parts of the technical solutions that essentially contribute to the prior art can be embodied in the form of a software product, which 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.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the 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 media that can store program codes.

[0393] In addition, the terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably in this paper. The term "and / or" in this paper is only used to describe the association relationship between the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B, which can represent the three cases of A alone, A and B together, and B alone. In addition, the character " / " in this paper generally represents an "or" relationship between the associated objects. For example, A / B can represent A or B.

[0394] The terms (or numbers) "first", "second", and the like appearing in the embodiments of the present application are only for the purpose of description, that is, only to distinguish different objects, such as different "reporting information", and cannot be understood as indicating or implying the relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features limited by "first", "second", and the like can explicitly or implicitly include one or more features. In the description of the embodiments of the present application, "at least one" means one or more. The meaning of "multiple" is two or more. "At least one" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single (item) or multiple (item).

[0395] For example, the meaning of the expression similar to "the item includes at least one of A, B, and C" in the embodiments of the present application, if not specifically stated, generally means that the item can be any one of A, B, C, A and B, A and C, B and C, A, B and C, A and A, A, A and A, A, A and B, A, A and C, A, B and B, A, C and C, B and B, B, B and B, B, B and C, C and C, C, C and C, and other combinations of A, B, and C. The above is an example of 3 elements A, B, and C to illustrate the optional entries of the item. When the expression is "the item includes at least one of A, B,..., and X", that is, the expression has more elements, the applicable entries of the item can also be obtained according to the foregoing rules.

[0396] In summary, the above only describes the preferred embodiments of the technical solutions of the present application, and is not intended to limit the protection scope of the present application. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method is applied to a network device, and comprises: sending first indication information, the first indication information being used for instructing a terminal device to send first reporting information; receiving the first reporting information sent by the terminal device, the first reporting information being used for instructing that the terminal device is in a first area, and the first area being an area in which the first indication information can be received.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The sending of the first indication information comprises: sending system information block (SIB) signaling, the SIB signaling carrying the first indication information; alternatively, sending a paging message, the paging message carrying the first indication information; alternatively, sending downlink control information (DCI), the DCI carrying the first indication information.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, After receiving the first reporting information, the method further comprises: determining, according to the first reporting information, one or more of the following information of a transmission signal corresponding to the first area: a transmission period, a starting position, an ending position, and a transmission duration.

4. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method is applied to a network device, and comprises: sending second configuration information, the second configuration information including a reporting event that needs to be met by a terminal device when sending reporting information to the network device; receiving second reporting information sent by the terminal device, the second reporting information being used for instructing that the terminal device meets the reporting event.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The reporting event comprises one or more of the following events: a first event, the first event indicating that the terminal device enters a second area; a second event, the second event indicating that the terminal device moves out of a third area; a third event, the third event indicating that the terminal device moves out of the third area and enters the second area; a fourth event, the fourth event indicating that a synchronization signal block (SSB) in which the terminal device resides changes, and an index of the changed SSB belongs to a first SSB index set; a fifth event, the fifth event indicating that the SSB in which the terminal device resides changes, and an index of the changed SSB belongs to a second SSB index set; a sixth event, the sixth event indicating that the SSB in which the terminal device resides changes, and an index of the changed SSB belongs to the second SSB index set, and an index of a changed SSB belongs to the first SSB index set.

6. The method according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that, After receiving the second reporting information, the method further comprises: determining, according to the second reporting information, one or more of the following information of a transmission signal corresponding to different areas: a transmission period, a starting position, an ending position, and a transmission duration.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The method further comprises: sending first configuration information, the first configuration information being used for configuring related information when a terminal device sends reporting information, the reporting information being first reporting information or second reporting information; alternatively, the first configuration information is predefined.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The first configuration information comprises one or more of the following: a time-frequency resource of the terminal device for sending the reporting information, and a bearing format of the reporting information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, The first configuration information comprises a first bearing mode, the first bearing mode indicating that the reporting information is borne in a random access preamble sequence. Receiving the reporting information sent by the terminal device comprises: receive a random access preamble sequence sent by the terminal device, the random access preamble sequence carrying the report information.

10. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that, The first configuration information comprises time-frequency resources. The method applied to a terminal device comprises: receiving the report information sent by the terminal device on the time-frequency resources.

11. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that, The first configuration information further comprises configuration information of a first timer. The first timer is used for the terminal device to start after sending the report information, and allows the terminal device to send the report information again after the first timer has expired.

12. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 11, characterized in that, The first configuration information further comprises configuration information of a second timer. The report information is sent by the terminal device during running of the second timer.

13. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 11, characterized in that, The first configuration information further comprises configuration information of a response time. The response time is a periodic time window, each time window of the periodic time window comprising a first window, the first report information being sent by the terminal device in the first window, the first window being a time period allowing sending information. Alternatively, the response time is a single time window, the report information being sent by the terminal device in the single time window.

14. A communication method, comprising: The method applied to a terminal device comprises: receiving first indication information sent by a network device, the first indication information being used for indicating the terminal device to send first report information; sending the first report information to the network device, the first report information being used for indicating that the terminal device is in a first area, the first area being an area capable of receiving the first indication information.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, The receiving first indication information sent by a network device comprises: receiving system information block (SIB) signaling sent by the network device, the SIB signaling carrying the first indication information; alternatively, receiving a paging message sent by the network device, the paging message carrying the first indication information; alternatively, receiving downlink control information (DCI) sent by the network device, the DCI carrying the first indication information.

16. A method of communication, comprising: The method applied to a terminal device comprises: receiving second configuration information sent by a network device, the second configuration information comprising a report event that needs to be met by the terminal device when sending report information to the network device; sending second report information to the network device in a case where the report event is met.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein, The report event comprises one or more of the following events: a first event, the first event indicating that the terminal device enters a second area; a second event, the second event indicating that the terminal device moves out of a third area; a third event, the third event indicating that the terminal device moves out of the third area and enters the second area; a fourth event, the fourth event indicating that a SSB in which the terminal device resides changes, and an index of the changed SSB belongs to a first SSB index set; a fifth event, the fifth event indicating that the SSB in which the terminal device resides changes, and an index of the changed SSB belongs to a second SSB index set; A sixth event, the sixth event indicating that a terminal device camps on a changed SSB, and an index of the SSB before the change belongs to a second SSB index set, and an index of the SSB after the change belongs to a first SSB index set.

18. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 17, characterized in that, The method further includes: receiving first configuration information sent by a network device, the first configuration information being used for configuring related information when a terminal device sends report information, the report information being first report information or second report information; Or, the first configuration information is predefined.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein, The first configuration information includes one or more of the following: time-frequency resources of the terminal device for sending the report information, a bearing format of the report information.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein, The first configuration information includes a first bearing mode, the first bearing mode indicating that the report information is borne in a random access preamble sequence. Wherein, sending the report information to the network device includes: sending a random access preamble sequence to the network device, the random access preamble sequence bearing the report information.

21. The method of claim 19 or 20, wherein, The first configuration information includes time-frequency resources; Wherein, sending the report information to the network device includes: sending the report information to the network device on the time-frequency resources.

22. The method of any one of claims 19-21, wherein, The first configuration information further includes configuration information of a first timer; Sending the report information to the network device includes: After sending the report information to the network device, starting the first timer, and after the first timer expires, the terminal device is allowed to send the report information to the network device again.

23. The method of any one of claims 19-22, wherein, The first configuration information further includes configuration information of a second timer; Wherein, sending the report information to the network device includes: sending the report information to the network device during operation of the second timer.

24. The method of any one of claims 19-23, wherein, The first configuration information further includes configuration information of a response time; The response time is a periodic time window, each time window of the periodic time window including a first window; Wherein, sending the report information to the network device includes: sending the report information to the network device in the first window of each time window of the periodic time window; Or, the response time is a single time window; wherein, sending the report information to the network device includes: sending the report information to the network device in the single time window.

25. The method of any one of claims 1 to 24, wherein, The terminal device is in a non-connected state; The terminal device in a non-connected state includes: the terminal device in an idle state, or a non-active state.

26. The method of claim 13 or 24, wherein, The starting position of the single time window is related to the time when the terminal device receives first indication information, or the starting position of the single time window is related to the time when the terminal device occurs the report event; The duration of the single time window is predefined or configured by the network device.

27. The method of claim 13 or 24, wherein, In a case that the response time is a periodic time window, the configuration information of the response time comprises one or more of the following: a start position of the periodic time window, a time length of the periodic time window, a start position of a first window in each time window, an end position of the first window in each time window, a time length of the first window in each time window, and a number of time windows corresponding to the periodic time window.

28. A communication system, characterized by The network device and the terminal device are included. The network device is configured to send first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate the terminal device to send first report information. The terminal device is configured to send the first report information, the first report information being used to indicate that the terminal device is in a first area, and the first area is an area in which the first indication information can be received.

29. A communication system, characterized by The network device and the terminal device are included. The network device is configured to send second configuration information, the second configuration information comprising a report event that needs to be met when the terminal device sends report information to the network device. The terminal device is configured to send second report information, the second report information being used to indicate that the terminal device meets the report event.

30. A communications device, characterized by The processor is coupled with a memory, and the memory is used to store programs or instructions, the programs or instructions being executed by the processor to make the apparatus execute the method in any one of claims 1-3, 7-13, 25-27; or make the apparatus execute the method in any one of claims 14-15, 18-27; or make the apparatus execute the method in any one of claims 4-13, 25-27; or make the apparatus execute the method in any one of claims 16-27.

31. A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon computer programs or instructions, characterized in that, The computer programs or instructions are executed to make the computer execute the method in any one of claims 1-3, 7-13, 25-27; or make the computer execute the method in any one of claims 14-15, 18-27; or make the computer execute the method in any one of claims 4-13, 25-27; or make the computer execute the method in any one of claims 16-27.

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