Communication method and system, and related device

Abstract

Disclosed in the present application are a communication method and system, and a related device. The method comprises: a satellite network device determining beams respectively corresponding to a plurality of beam footprints, wherein the plurality of beam footprints include a first beam footprint and a second beam footprint, the beams corresponding to the first beam footprint include a plurality of beams of a first type, and the beam corresponding to the second beam footprint includes a beam of a second type, the signal coverage area of the beam of the first type on the ground being less than the signal coverage area of the beam of the second type on the ground, and the UE density of the first beam footprint being greater than the UE density of the second beam footprint; and the satellite network device sending SSBs to the plurality of beam footprints on the basis of the beams respectively corresponding to the plurality of beam footprints, wherein the SSBs are used for a UE accessing the satellite network device. The coverage rate of the beam coverage areas is improved by means of the wide beam of the second type, and the failure rate of UE access in a beam footprint with high UE density is reduced by means of the beams of the first type.

Description

Communication method, system and related device

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202411398163.X, filed on September 30, 2024, and entitled "Communication method, system and related device", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

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

[0003] Currently, satellite network devices (such as satellites, etc.) can periodically activate multiple beams to send synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel blocks (SSB), so that user equipment (UE) located in the beam footprint can be synchronized with the satellite network device in the time domain and access the satellite network device according to the received SSB.

[0004] In actual application, taking a low earth orbit satellite with a height of 600 km from the ground as an example, due to the limitation of the power of the satellite payload, the satellite cannot activate all beams to send SSB at the same time in general, and at most can only activate 106 beams at the same time.

[0005] In this case, in order to improve the coverage rate of the beam footprint corresponding to the 106 beams, the satellite can correspondingly use beams with a larger signal coverage area on the ground to send SSB. For example, using a beam with a signal coverage radius of 50 km on the ground to send SSB, the area of each beam footprint is also expanded, which helps to improve the coverage rate. However, with the increase of the beam footprint, the power of the SSB will be reduced, thereby greatly increasing the probability of UE access failure. SUMMARY

[0006] The present application provides a communication method, system and related device, which aims to reduce the probability of UE access failure to the satellite network device.

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present application provides the following technical solutions:

[0008] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a satellite network device, and the method comprises the following steps.

[0009] Since the satellite network device can determine the beam corresponding to each beam coverage area, for the first beam coverage area with high UE density, the beam corresponding to the first beam coverage area comprises a plurality of narrow beams (i.e., a plurality of first type beams) with small signal coverage area. Compared with a wide beam, the narrow beam can improve the power of the SSB, thereby effectively reducing the probability of UE access failure in the first beam coverage area with high UE density. Moreover, if the first beam coverage area adopts a wide beam, if the wide beam fails, all UEs in the first beam coverage area will be unable to normally access the satellite network device. Therefore, the satellite network device adopts a plurality of narrow beams to perform signal coverage on the first beam coverage area. Even if a narrow beam in the plurality of narrow beams fails, it will not affect the normal access of UEs in the signal coverage range of other narrow beams to the satellite network device. For the second beam coverage area with low UE density, the beam corresponding to the second beam coverage area comprises a wide beam (i.e., a second type beam) with large signal coverage area. Therefore, for the second beam coverage area with low UE density, the satellite network device adopts a wide beam to cover the second beam coverage area, thereby saving beam resources as much as possible under the condition that the number of beams activated by the satellite network device at the same time is limited.

[0010] In a possible implementation, when determining the beam corresponding to the first beam coverage area, the satellite network device can specifically first determine the UE density of the first beam coverage area; then, in the case that the UE density of the first beam coverage area is greater than the upper limit of the UE density, the satellite network device determines the beam corresponding to the first beam coverage area as a plurality of beams of the first type. In this way, a plurality of narrow beams are used in the first beam coverage area with a high UE density, which can effectively improve the power of the SSB, thereby effectively reducing the probability of UE access failure in the first beam coverage area with a high UE density.

[0011] In a possible implementation, the satellite network device can further determine the upper limit of the number of beam coverage areas configured with a plurality of beams of the first type and the UE densities corresponding to the plurality of beam coverage areas respectively, and determine the upper limit of the UE density based on the UE densities corresponding to the plurality of beam coverage areas respectively and the upper limit of the number. In this way, in the case that the number of beams activated by the satellite network device is limited, the upper limit of the UE density is determined, which is helpful to determine the condition for beam change of the beam coverage area, thereby effectively reducing the probability of UE access failure in the beam coverage area with a high UE density.

[0012] In a possible implementation, the upper limit of the UE density is the nth highest UE density in the UE densities of the plurality of beam coverage areas, and n is an integer. In this way, the satellite network device can flexibly configure the upper limit of the UE density based on the UE densities of the plurality of beam coverage areas, thereby determining the timing for beam change of each beam coverage area by means of the upper limit of the UE density.

[0013] In a possible implementation, when determining the upper limit of the number of beam coverage areas configured with a plurality of beams of the first type, the satellite network device can specifically first obtain the number of SSB transmission occasions included in the SSB distribution period of the satellite network device, the number of idle beams of the satellite network device, and the number of beams of the first type, wherein the idle beam is a beam not used by the satellite network device; then, the satellite network device can determine the upper limit based on the number of SSB transmission occasions, the number of idle beams, and the number of beams of the first type. In this way, the satellite network device can determine the number of beam coverage areas that can support beam change at most, so as to subsequently determine the upper limit of the UE density according to the number.

[0014] In a possible implementation, when obtaining the number of idle beams of the satellite network device, the satellite network device can specifically first obtain the SSB distribution period and the number of beam coverage areas, and determine the number of beams used by the satellite network device based on the SSB distribution period and the number of beam coverage areas, and finally determine the number of idle beams based on the upper limit of the number of beams provided by the satellite network device and the number of beams used.

[0015] In a possible implementation, when determining the UE density of the first beam coverage area, the satellite network device can specifically acquire the number of requests from UEs received in the first beam coverage area, and determine the UE density of the first beam coverage area based on the number of requests. In this way, the satellite network device can directly and accurately determine the UE density of the corresponding first beam coverage area with reference to the request quantity of UEs.

[0016] In a possible implementation, when transmitting the SSBs to the first beam coverage area, the satellite network device can first acquire an SSB distribution period, and the SSB distribution period includes a plurality of SSB transmission occasions; then, the satellite network device transmits the SSBs to the signal coverage range of each beam on the ground in the plurality of first type beams corresponding to the first beam coverage area based on the plurality of SSB transmission occasions. In this way, the satellite network device can use beam hopping to make each beam transmit SSBs at different SSB transmission occasions, so as to optimize the use rate of beam resources and improve the coverage rate of the beam coverage area.

[0017] In a possible implementation, when transmitting the SSBs to the first beam coverage area, the satellite network device can transmit the SSBs to the signal coverage range of each first type beam in the first beam coverage area based on each first type beam in the plurality of first type beams corresponding to the first beam coverage area. In this way, the satellite network device can use these beams to transmit SSBs to other beam coverage areas at other SSB transmission occasions in an SSB distribution period, so that the satellite network device not only effectively reduces the UE access failure probability in the first beam coverage area with high UE density by using a plurality of narrow beams, but also further improves the coverage rate of the beam coverage area in an SSB distribution period.

[0018] In a possible implementation, in the case that the UE density of the second beam coverage area is greater than the upper limit of the UE density, the satellite network device can further change the beam corresponding to the second beam coverage area from a second type beam to a plurality of first type beams, and transmit the SSBs to the signal coverage range of each first type beam in the second beam coverage area based on each first type beam in the plurality of first type beams corresponding to the second beam coverage area. In this way, the satellite network device can further change the beam corresponding to the second beam coverage area with high UE density, so as to improve the access success rate of UEs in the second beam coverage area and meet the access demand of the second beam coverage area when the UE density is high.

[0019] In a possible implementation, when the satellite network device changes the beam corresponding to the second beam coverage area from one second type of beam to a plurality of first type of beams, the satellite network device can specifically determine a third beam coverage area in the plurality of beam coverage areas, the UE density of the third beam coverage area being less than or equal to the UE density upper limit, and the beam corresponding to the third beam coverage area including the plurality of first type of beams; then, the satellite network device can change one of the plurality of first type of beams corresponding to the third beam coverage area to a second type of beam, and configure the plurality of first type of beams corresponding to the second beam coverage area based on the remaining beams of the plurality of first type of beams corresponding to the third beam coverage area except for the one beam. Since the number of beams activated by the satellite network device at the same time is limited, the satellite network device can determine to release the beam corresponding to the third beam coverage area by referring to the UE density of other beam coverage areas in the plurality of beam coverage areas, so as to facilitate the beam change of the second beam coverage area by means of the released beam.

[0020] In a possible implementation, the signal-to-noise ratio of the SSB transmitted based on the second type of beam is in a preset signal-to-noise ratio range. In this way, the UEs in the plurality of beam coverage areas can access the satellite network device based on the SSB transmitted by the wide beam.

[0021] In a possible implementation, the plurality of beam coverage areas include a fourth beam coverage area, and the number of the plurality of first type of beams corresponding to the fourth beam coverage area is the same as the number of the plurality of first type of beams corresponding to the first beam coverage area.

[0022] In a second aspect, the present application provides a communication method, the method being applied to a satellite network device, and the method comprising: determining, by the satellite network device, a first beam coverage area of the satellite network device, the beam corresponding to the first beam coverage area including one second type of beam; in a case where the UE density of the first beam coverage area is greater than a UE density upper limit, configuring, by the satellite network device, the beam corresponding to the first beam coverage area to be changed from one second type of beam to a plurality of first type of beams, the signal coverage area of the first type of beam on the ground being smaller than the signal coverage area of the second type of beam on the ground; and transmitting, by the satellite network device, a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel block (SSB) to the first beam coverage area based on each of the plurality of first type of beams, the SSB being used for UE to access the satellite network device. In this way, when the UE density of the first beam coverage area is high, the satellite network device can change the beam corresponding to the first beam coverage area from one wide beam to a plurality of narrow beams, thereby improving the access success rate of the UE in the first beam coverage area and meeting the access requirement of the first beam coverage area when the UE density is high.

[0023] In a possible implementation, the satellite network device can further determine an upper limit of the number of the beam coverage areas of the plurality of first type beams and UE densities corresponding to the plurality of beam coverage areas respectively, and determine the upper limit of the UE density based on the UE densities corresponding to the plurality of beam coverage areas respectively and the upper limit of the number.

[0024] In a possible implementation, the upper limit of the UE density is an n-th highest UE density in the UE densities of the plurality of beam coverage areas, where n is an integer and n is equal to the upper limit of the number plus 1. In this way, the satellite network device can flexibly configure the upper limit of the UE density based on the UE densities of the plurality of beam coverage areas, so as to determine the timing of beam change for each beam coverage area by means of the upper limit of the UE density.

[0025] In a possible implementation, when determining the upper limit of the number of the beam coverage areas of the plurality of first type beams, the satellite network device can first obtain a number of SSB transmission occasions included in an SSB distribution period of the satellite network device, a number of idle beams of the satellite network device, and a number of the plurality of first type beams, where the idle beam is a beam not used by the satellite network device. Then, the satellite network device can determine the upper limit of the number based on the number of SSB transmission occasions, the number of idle beams, and the number of the plurality of first type beams. In this way, the satellite network device can determine the number of the beam coverage areas that can support beam change at most, so as to determine the upper limit of the UE density according to the number subsequently.

[0026] In a possible implementation, when obtaining the number of idle beams of the satellite network device, the satellite network device can first obtain an SSB distribution period and a number of the plurality of beam coverage areas, determine a number of beams used by the satellite network device based on the SSB distribution period and the number of the plurality of beam coverage areas, and finally determine the number of idle beams based on the upper limit of the number of beams provided by the satellite network device and the number of beams used.

[0027] In a possible implementation, when the satellite network device sends the SSBs to the first beam coverage area, the satellite network device can first acquire an SSB distribution period, the SSB distribution period including a plurality of SSB transmission occasions; then, the satellite network device can send the SSBs to the signal coverage range of each beam of the plurality of first-type beams on the ground based on the plurality of first-type beams corresponding to the first beam coverage area and the plurality of SSB transmission occasions. In this way, the satellite network device can use beam hopping to make each beam send the SSBs at different SSB transmission occasions, so as to optimize the use rate of beam resources and improve the coverage rate of the beam coverage area.

[0028] In a possible implementation, when the satellite network device sends the SSBs to the first beam coverage area, the satellite network device can send the SSBs to the signal coverage range of each first-type beam in the first beam coverage area based on each first-type beam of the plurality of first-type beams corresponding to the first beam coverage area. In this way, the satellite network device can use the other SSB transmission occasions of the beams in the SSB distribution period to send the SSBs to other beam coverage areas, so that the satellite network device can not only effectively reduce the probability of UE access failure in the first beam coverage area with a high UE density by using a plurality of narrow beams, but also further improve the coverage rate of the beam coverage area in the SSB distribution period.

[0029] In a third aspect, the present application provides a satellite network device, comprising a transceiver and a processor; wherein the transceiver is configured to perform the receiving operation and the sending operation in the method of the first aspect or any of the implementation manners of the first aspect; and the processor is configured to perform other operations in the method of the first aspect or any of the implementation manners of the first aspect, except the receiving operation and the sending operation.

[0030] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication method, the method being applied to a user equipment (UE), and the method comprising: scanning a signal coverage range of a beam in a beam coverage area in which the UE is located, to obtain a synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (SSB); and accessing, by the UE, a satellite network device based on the SSB, the satellite network device being the satellite network device of the third aspect.

[0031] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a user equipment (UE), comprising a message receiver configured to receive a first message from a satellite network device, the first message comprising a synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (SSB), the SSB being used by the UE to access the satellite network device, the satellite network device being the satellite network device of the third aspect.

[0032] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication system, comprising a satellite network device and a user equipment. The satellite network device is configured to perform the method of the first aspect, any of the implementation forms of the first aspect, the method of the second aspect, or any of the implementation forms of the second aspect. The user equipment is configured to perform the method of the fourth aspect, or any of the implementation forms of the fourth aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0033] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a communication system;

[0034] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a process in which a satellite network device sends SSBs to multiple beam coverage areas based on beams with the same signal coverage on the ground;

[0035] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a structure of an exemplary communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a process of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a structure of an SSB distribution period corresponding to an SSB burst set;

[0038] FIG. 6a is a schematic diagram of a satellite network device changing one beam of a second type into multiple beams of a first type according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] FIG. 6b is a schematic diagram of another satellite network device changing one beam of a second type into multiple beams of a first type according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a process of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] FIG. 8a is a schematic diagram of a satellite network device changing multiple beams of a first type into one beam of a second type according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] FIG. 8b is a schematic diagram of another satellite network device changing multiple beams of a first type into one beam of a second type according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a satellite network device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a user equipment according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] In the following, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. The terms used in the following embodiments are only for the purpose of describing the specific embodiments and are not intended to be limiting to the present application. As used in the specification and the appended claims of the present application, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “one or more,” “and / or,” and “at least one of,” for example, are used herein to mean either one or more or any combination thereof, depending on the context.

[0046] In this specification, the phrase “one embodiment” or “some embodiments” etc. means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the application. Thus, the appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment,” “in some embodiments,” “in other embodiments,” “in additional embodiments,” etc. in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, unless otherwise specifically noted. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “has,” “having” and their variants are meant to be open-ended terms that specifically permit the inclusion of one or more other features, structures, or characteristics, unless otherwise specifically noted.

[0047] The plurality of the embodiments of the present application refers to greater than or equal to two. It should be noted that in the description of the embodiments of the present application, the terms “first,” “second,” etc. are only used for the purpose of distinguishing the description and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance, nor can it be understood as indicating or implying order.

[0048] The present application provides a communication system, which can be a fifth generation (5G) communication system, or a 5G new radio (5G NR) system, and a new communication system in future communication development, etc. The communication system includes a plurality of devices, and different devices can transmit signals to each other to realize data interaction. For example, the plurality of devices included in the communication system can be satellite network devices and UEs, and the satellite network devices can be satellites or aircrafts, etc. In the following, the communication system including satellite network devices and UEs is exemplarily described.

[0049] An example of a communication system is shown in FIG. 1, which includes a satellite network device, and p UEs, UE1 to UEp, respectively, and the p UEs can be located in different beam coverage areas. Wherein, p is a positive integer greater than 1.

[0050] In the embodiments provided in the present application, the satellite network device can be any device with wireless transceiving function located on the network side, including but not limited to: satellites or aircrafts in non territorial network (NTN) and the like, or other possible satellite network devices.

[0051] The UE in the communication system, such as UE1, can be various forms. For example, the UE can be a mobile phone, a Pad, a computer with wireless transceiving function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a vehicle-mounted terminal device, a wireless terminal in self driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, a wearable terminal device, and the like. The UE can also be referred to as a terminal device, an access terminal device, a vehicle-mounted terminal, an industrial control terminal, a UE unit, a UE station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal device, a mobile device, a UE terminal device, a terminal device, a wireless communication device, a UE agent, or a UE apparatus, and the like. The terminal can also be a fixed terminal or a mobile terminal.

[0052] In actual application, as shown in FIG. 2, the satellite network device can send the SSB to the multiple beam coverage areas based on the beams with the same signal coverage range on the ground, so that the UEs in the multiple beam coverage areas access the satellite network device based on the SSB. Taking UE2 in the second beam coverage area as an example, the process that the satellite network device sends the SSB to the second beam coverage area so that UE2 accesses the satellite network device can include the following steps.

[0053] S201: The satellite network device configures a beam belonging to the second type.

[0054] The beam belonging to the second type is a beam used by the satellite network device to initially transmit SSBs to z beam coverage areas where p UEs are located respectively. One beam coverage area corresponds to one beam belonging to the second type, and the signal coverage area of the beam belonging to the second type on the ground can be S1.

[0055] S1 can be predefined in a standard communication protocol. The standard communication protocol can be, for example, a new radio-non terrestrial network (NR-NRN) or the like. In actual application, S1 can be predefined in the standard communication protocol, or the signal coverage radius of the beam belonging to the second type on the ground can be predefined, such as a signal coverage radius of 25 km or 50 km, so that the satellite network device can also quickly determine S1 based on the signal coverage radius. In addition, the satellite network device can further configure the beam belonging to the second type based on S1.

[0056] In other embodiments, the satellite network device can also obtain S1 in other manners, such as S1 being preconfigured by an operator.

[0057] S202: The satellite network device transmits SSBs to multiple beam coverage areas based on the beam belonging to the second type.

[0058] As mentioned above, due to the limitation of the power of the payload of the satellite network device, the satellite network device cannot actually activate all beams to transmit SSBs at the same time, for example, the satellite network device can at most activate 106 beams at the same time. For ease of understanding and description, it is assumed in this embodiment that the satellite network device at most activates 106 beams at the same time for example.

[0059] As an example, taking a low-orbit satellite with a minimum elevation angle of 30° and a distance of 600 km from the ground as an example, if the signal coverage radius of the beam belonging to the second type on the ground is defined as 25 km, the satellite network device can have a total of 1058 beam coverage areas. In addition, if the SSB distribution period of the satellite network device is 20 ms, and one SSB distribution period includes 4 SSB transmission occasions, in 20 ms, the satellite network device can transmit SSBs to 424 (106*4=424) beam coverage areas corresponding to the activated 106 beams, that is, only 424 beam coverage areas are covered, and 634 beam coverage areas are not covered.

[0060] As another example, the satellite network device is still taken as an example of a low-orbit satellite with a minimum elevation angle of 30° and a height of 600 km from the ground, and if the signal coverage radius of each beam belonging to the second type on the ground is defined as 50 km, the satellite network device can have a total of 265 beam coverage areas. Moreover, if the SSB distribution period of the satellite network device is still 20 ms, and one SSB distribution period includes 4 SSB transmission opportunities, in 20 ms, the satellite network device can use 67 (265 / 4=67) of the 106 activated beams to send SSBs to all beam coverage areas correspondingly, and there are 39 beams that are not used.

[0061] S203: UE2 scans to obtain an SSB.

[0062] After the satellite network device sends SSBs to the second beam coverage area based on the beams belonging to the second type, UE2 in the second beam coverage area can obtain the SSBs by scanning the beams.

[0063] S204: UE2 accesses the satellite network device according to the SSBs.

[0064] As can be seen from the above two examples, in the case of an SSB distribution period of 20 ms and one SSB distribution period including 4 SSB transmission opportunities, if the signal coverage radius of each beam belonging to the second type on the ground is 25 km, the satellite network device can only cover 424 beam coverage areas in one SSB distribution period, and the coverage rate is only 40% (424 / 1058=40%). If the signal coverage radius of each beam belonging to the second type on the ground is 50 km, the satellite network device can cover 1058 beam coverage areas in one SSB distribution period, and the coverage rate is 100%.

[0065] That is, increasing the signal coverage radius of the beam, i.e., increasing the signal coverage range, can improve the coverage rate of the beam coverage area. However, as the signal coverage range of the beam increases, the energy density of the beam will decrease, resulting in a decrease in the power of the SSB, which greatly increases the probability of UE access failure.

[0066] Based on this, the present application can provide a communication method for improving the coverage rate of the beam coverage area, saving beam resources, and further relieving the problem of a high probability of UE access failure due to a low SSB power when the satellite network device sends SSBs, in the case that the number of beams simultaneously activated by the satellite network device is limited.

[0067] Specifically, in combination with the communication system shown in FIG. 3, for multiple beam coverage areas (including the first beam coverage area and the second beam coverage area) where the p UEs are located, the satellite network device can determine the beams corresponding to each beam coverage area, for example, the beam corresponding to the second beam coverage area is 1 beam belonging to the second type, and the beam corresponding to the first beam coverage area is multiple beams belonging to the first type, wherein the signal coverage area of the 1 beam belonging to the second type on the ground is larger than the signal coverage area of the beam belonging to the first type on the ground, and the UE density in the second beam coverage area is smaller than the UE density in the first beam coverage area, that is, the number of UEs (including UE2) distributed in the second beam coverage area is more than the number of UEs (including UE1) distributed in the first beam coverage area. Then, the satellite network device can send SSB to the second beam coverage area based on the 1 beam belonging to the second type, and send SSB to the first beam coverage area based on the multiple beams belonging to the first type, wherein the multiple beams belonging to the first type can respectively send SSB to the signal coverage ranges SSB0-SSB3 in the first beam coverage area. In this way, the UE2 located in the second beam coverage area and the UE1 located in the first beam coverage area can access the satellite network device when scanning the SSB.

[0068] It can be seen that the satellite network device can independently determine the beams corresponding to multiple beam coverage areas respectively, for example, the second beam coverage area with smaller UE density, the signal coverage area of the 1 beam belonging to the second type on the ground is larger; and the first beam coverage area with larger UE density, the signal coverage area of each beam of the multiple beams belonging to the first type on the ground is smaller. That is, the satellite network device can determine the beam corresponding to the signal coverage area according to the UE density of each beam coverage area. Since the energy density of narrow beam (i.e., the beam belonging to the first type) is higher than that of wide beam (i.e., the beam belonging to the second type), the power of SSB can be improved, therefore, the satellite network device uses multiple narrow beams to send SSB to the first beam coverage area, which can effectively reduce the probability of UE access failure in the first beam coverage area. In addition, if the first beam coverage area uses 1 wide beam, if the wide beam fails, all UEs in the first beam coverage area will not be able to normally access the satellite network device. Therefore, the satellite network device uses multiple narrow beams to cover the first beam coverage area, even if a certain narrow beam of the multiple narrow beams fails, it will not affect the normal access of UEs in the signal coverage range of other narrow beams to the satellite network device. And the satellite network device uses 1 wide beam to send SSB to the second beam coverage area, which can cover the second beam coverage area under the condition that the number of beams activated by the satellite network device at the same time is limited, improve the coverage rate of the beam coverage area with smaller UE density, and save beam resources as much as possible.

[0069] It should be noted that the above is an example of a communication system including one satellite network device, two beam coverage areas, and UEs located in the two beam coverage areas respectively. In other possible embodiments, the number of satellite network devices, the number of beam coverage areas, and the number of UEs can not be limited.

[0070] Referring to FIG. 4, a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown. The communication method shown in FIG. 4 can be applied to the communication system shown in FIG. 3, or can be applied to other possible communication systems. For ease of understanding and description, the following will be described by taking the application to the communication system shown in FIG. 3 as an example. As shown in FIG. 4, the flow of the communication method includes the following steps:

[0071] S401: The satellite network device determines a plurality of beam coverage areas in which the p UEs are located respectively.

[0072] Each beam coverage area can be determined by the satellite network device using the signal coverage area of the beam on the ground. In the initial case, each beam coverage area can be covered by one beam belonging to the second type. The signal coverage range of the beam belonging to the second type can be predefined in the standard communication protocol, such as the signal coverage radius or signal coverage area of the beam belonging to the second type on the ground being predefined in the standard communication protocol. Thus, the satellite network device can determine the plurality of beam coverage areas and the number of the plurality of beam coverage areas based on the standard communication protocol.

[0073] In this embodiment, the satellite network device takes a low earth orbit satellite with a minimum elevation angle of 30° and a height of 600 km above the ground as an example. The standard communication protocol can define the signal coverage radius of the beam belonging to the second type on the ground as 50 km. Therefore, the satellite network device can determine the plurality of beam coverage areas, and the number of the plurality of beam coverage areas is 265.

[0074] Further, the satellite network device can also obtain an SSB distribution period. The SSB distribution period refers to the period adopted by the satellite network device when transmitting the SSB.

[0075] The SSB distribution period obtained by the satellite network device can be predefined in the standard communication protocol, so that the satellite network device can determine the period adopted for subsequent transmission of the SSB based on the standard communication protocol. For example, the SSB distribution period can be predefined as 5 ms, 10 ms, 20 ms, 40 ms, 80 ms, or 160 ms.

[0076] In other embodiments, the satellite network device can also obtain the SSB distribution period in other ways, such as the SSB distribution period being preconfigured by an operator.

[0077] In actual application, at least one synchronization signal (SS) burst set can be included in one SSB distribution period, and one SS burst set can include multiple SSB transmission occasions. In combination with FIG. 5, in the case of a subcarrier spacing of 15 kHz, a length of each radio frame is defined as 10 ms in a standard communication protocol, each radio frame includes 10 slots, one SS burst set is included in every two radio frames, and one SS burst set includes 4 SSB transmission occasions. Therefore, in the case of an SSB distribution period of 20 ms, one SSB distribution period can include one SS burst set and 4 SSB transmission occasions; and in the case of an SSB distribution period of 80 ms, one SSB distribution period can include 4 SS burst sets and 16 SSB transmission occasions. Specifically, in combination with FIG. 4, taking SSB transmission occasions in radio frames SFN0 and SFN1 as examples, SSB transmission occasions SSB0 and SSB1 in the two radio frames can be defined in the first two slots slot0 and slot1.

[0078] It should be noted that the above low earth satellite is only used as an example for illustrative description, and the SSB distribution period of the satellite network device, the number of SSB transmission occasions in the SSB distribution period, and the value of the signal coverage radius of the beam belonging to the second type on the ground are not specifically limited.

[0079] S402: The satellite network device determines the type of the beam corresponding to each beam coverage area according to the UE density corresponding to each beam coverage area.

[0080] Here, the type of the beam corresponding to each beam coverage area refers to the type of the beam used by the satellite network device when retransmitting the SSB to each beam coverage area after transmitting the SSB by using one beam belonging to the second type.

[0081] For ease of understanding, the determination process of the type of the beam corresponding to each beam coverage area is introduced as follows.

[0082] In this embodiment, the multiple beam coverage areas include a first beam coverage area and a second beam coverage area, and taking the determination of the beam corresponding to the first beam coverage area and the beam corresponding to the second beam coverage area by the satellite network device as an example, the satellite network device can first determine a first UE density of the first beam coverage area and a second UE density of the second beam coverage area.

[0083] As an implementation example, the satellite network device can obtain the number of requests received from the UE in the beam coverage area, and determine the UE density of the beam coverage area based on the number of requests.

[0084] For example, the satellite network device can determine the second UE density of the second beam coverage area based on the number of requests received from the UEs in the second beam coverage area. For example, if each UE in the second beam coverage area sends only one request to the satellite network device, the satellite network device can determine the number of UEs in the second beam coverage area based on the number of requests received, and determine the second UE density of the second beam coverage area based on the number of UEs in the second beam coverage area.

[0085] For example, if each UE in the second beam coverage area sends only one request to the satellite network device, the satellite network device can determine the number of UEs in the second beam coverage area based on the number of requests received, and determine the second UE density of the second beam coverage area based on the number of UEs in the second beam coverage area.

[0086] Further, as mentioned above, in the initial case, each beam coverage area can be covered by one beam of the second type. Based on this, as an example, in the process of determining the second UE density of the second beam coverage area based on the number of UEs in the second beam coverage area, the satellite network device can take the signal coverage area of the beam of the second type on the ground as the area of each beam coverage area, and calculate the quotient between the number of UEs in the second beam coverage area and the signal coverage area of the beam of the second type on the ground, thereby obtaining the second UE density of the second beam coverage area.

[0087] Similarly, based on the above-mentioned determination method of the UE density, the satellite network device can determine the UE density corresponding to each of the plurality of beam coverage areas.

[0088] Further, in this embodiment, the satellite network device can also obtain a UE density upper limit, which is used to indicate the maximum critical value of the UE density when determining the beams corresponding to each of the beam coverage areas. Then, after determining the first UE density and the second UE density, the satellite network device can determine the beam corresponding to the first beam coverage area based on the size relationship between the first UE density and the UE density upper limit, and determine the beam corresponding to the second beam coverage area based on the size relationship between the second UE density and the UE density upper limit.

[0089] As an implementation example, in a case where the second UE density is less than the UE density upper limit, the satellite network device determines that the beam corresponding to the second beam coverage area is a beam belonging to the first type; in a case where the second UE density is greater than the UE density upper limit, the satellite network device can determine that the beam corresponding to the second beam coverage area is a plurality of beams belonging to the first type. Similarly, in a case where the first UE density is less than the UE density upper limit, the satellite network device determines that the beam corresponding to the first beam coverage area is a beam belonging to the second type; in a case where the first UE density is greater than the UE density upper limit, the satellite network device can determine that the beam corresponding to the first beam coverage area is a plurality of beams belonging to the first type.

[0090] The two different types of beams, the first type and the second type, have different signal coverage areas on the ground. Since the beam coverage area with a lower UE density uses a beam with a larger signal coverage area, the second beam coverage area can be covered while the number of beams that can be activated by the satellite network device at the same time is limited, thereby saving beam resources as much as possible; a plurality of beams with a smaller signal coverage area are used in the beam coverage area with a higher UE density, which can effectively improve the power of the SSB, thereby effectively reducing the probability of UE access failure in the first beam coverage area with a higher UE density. Therefore, for example, the beam of the second type can be set to 50 km, and the corresponding signal coverage area is 7854 (π*50*50=7854) km2. The signal coverage radius of the beam of the first type on the ground can be set to 25 km, and the corresponding signal coverage area is 1964 (π*25*25=1964) km2.

[0091] Therefore, in actual application, the beam belonging to the second type can be referred to as a wide beam, and the beam belonging to the first type mentioned in the embodiment can be referred to as a narrow beam.

[0092] In this way, in a case where the first UE density and the second UE density are different, the satellite network device can determine the corresponding beams for the first beam coverage area and the second beam coverage area with different UE densities, thereby transmitting the SSB to the corresponding beam coverage area using beams with different signal coverage areas.

[0093] Taking a case where the second UE density is less than the UE density upper limit and the first UE density is greater than the UE density upper limit as an example, since the second UE density is less than the UE density upper limit and the first UE density is greater than the UE density upper limit, the satellite network device can determine that the beam corresponding to the second beam coverage area is still a wide beam, and the beam corresponding to the first beam coverage area is a plurality of narrow beams.

[0094] Therefore, the satellite network device can not change the beam corresponding to the second beam coverage area when retransmitting the SSB to the second beam coverage area. But the satellite network device can change the one wide beam corresponding to the first beam coverage area to multiple narrow beams when retransmitting the SSB to the first beam coverage area.

[0095] As an example, in combination with FIG. 6a, it is assumed that one SSB distribution period includes 4 SSB transmission occasions, and the satellite network device can change the first beam coverage area to 5 signal coverage ranges covered by narrow beams, and 4 signal coverage ranges (SSB1-SSB4) are added to the first beam coverage area compared to the original one signal coverage range (SSB0) covered by the wide beam. Therefore, the satellite network device can additionally add one narrow beam to transmit SSB to the 4 newly added signal coverage areas in the first beam coverage area through beam hopping in the 4 SSB transmission occasions. The original signal coverage area can be covered by the one narrow beam obtained by changing the wide beam in one SSB transmission occasion.

[0096] As an example, in combination with FIG. 6b, it is still assumed that the satellite network device can change the first beam coverage area to 5 signal coverage ranges covered by narrow beams, and 4 signal coverage ranges (SSB1-SSB4) are added to the first beam coverage area compared to the original one signal coverage range (SSB0) covered by the wide beam. Therefore, the satellite network device can additionally add 4 narrow beams, and the 5 narrow beams (including the 4 newly added narrow beams and the one narrow beam obtained by changing the wide beam) can simultaneously transmit SSB to the 5 signal coverage areas (SSB0-SSB4) in the first beam coverage area.

[0097] In this way, the satellite network device can determine that the beam corresponding to the second beam coverage area is one wide beam, and the beams corresponding to the first beam coverage area are multiple narrow beams. Compared with the wide beam, the narrow beam can improve the power of the SSB. Therefore, the first beam coverage area is covered by multiple narrow beams, which can effectively reduce the probability of UE access failure in the first beam coverage area with high UE density. Moreover, if the first beam coverage area adopts one wide beam, if the wide beam fails, all UEs in the first beam coverage area will not be able to normally access the satellite network device. Therefore, the satellite network device adopts multiple narrow beams to cover the first beam coverage area. Even if a narrow beam in the multiple narrow beams fails, it will not affect the normal access of UEs in the signal coverage range of other narrow beams to the satellite network device. The second beam coverage area adopts one wide beam, which can cover the second beam coverage area with low UE density under the condition that the number of beams activated by the satellite network device at the same time is limited, thereby saving beam resources as much as possible. Moreover, since the satellite network device can transmit the SSB in the preset signal-to-noise ratio interval based on the wide beam, the UEs in the second beam coverage area can successfully access the satellite network device.

[0098] In addition, it should be noted that in the present embodiment, if the beams corresponding to at least two beam coverage areas are all multiple first type beams, the number of first type beams corresponding to the at least two beam coverage areas can be the same or different. For example, if the multiple beam coverage areas include the first beam coverage area and the fourth beam coverage area, and the beams corresponding to the fourth beam coverage area are also multiple first type beams, the number of first type beams corresponding to the fourth beam coverage area and the first beam coverage area can be the same or different.

[0099] Further, as an example, the present embodiment provides the following two non-limiting implementation manners to obtain the UE density upper limit.

[0100] In a possible implementation manner, if the value of the UE density upper limit is preset in the standard communication protocol, the satellite network device can directly obtain the UE density upper limit. Moreover, the satellite network device can further determine the size relationship between the UE density and each beam coverage area based on the preset UE density upper limit.

[0101] In another possible implementation manner, the satellite network device can first determine the upper limit Q of the number of beam coverage areas configured with multiple beams belonging to the first type, and then determine the UE density upper limit based on the UE density corresponding to each of the multiple beam coverage areas and Q.

[0102] Wherein, Q can represent that the satellite network device can perform beam change on Q beam coverage areas at most, and after the beam change, each of the Q beam coverage areas includes a signal coverage range, and the a signal coverage ranges are all covered by narrow beams, and a is greater than 1. Therefore, in the specific implementation, the satellite network device can first determine the number j of SSB transmission occasions included in the SSB distribution period, the value of a, and the number M of idle beams of the satellite network device, which is the number of beams unused by the satellite network device; then, the satellite network device determines Q based on j, a and M, that is, Wherein, represents rounding up, represents rounding down.

[0103] For ease of understanding, taking the first beam coverage area as an example, if the satellite network device performs beam change on the first beam coverage area, the satellite network device can change the first beam coverage area to a signal coverage range covered by narrow beams, and compared with the original one signal coverage range covered by wide beams, the first beam coverage area has added a-1 signal coverage ranges. Since one SSB distribution period includes j SSB transmission occasions, the satellite network device can use narrow beams to respectively send SSBs in j SSB transmission occasions by beam hopping, so as to cover the a-1 newly added signal coverage ranges.

[0104] And since the number of beams unused by the satellite network device is M, the satellite network device can use M beams at most when performing beam change. Based on this, the satellite network device can determine by calculation, so as to determine how many beam coverage areas can be changed at most if each beam coverage area additionally adds a-1 signal coverage ranges covered by narrow beams when performing beam change, that is, to determine the upper limit Q of the number of beam coverage areas configured with multiple beams belonging to the first type.

[0105] For the process of determining the value of a by the satellite network device, the satellite network device can first obtain a beam coverage area S1 of a wide beam on the ground and a beam coverage area S2 of a narrow beam on the ground, and calculate a based on S1 and S2, that is, a = S1 / S2. Taking the first beam coverage area as an example, when the first beam coverage area is changed, the satellite network device specifically changes a signal coverage range covered by a wide beam to a signal coverage range covered by a narrow beam, and therefore, the satellite network device can obtain the number of newly added signal coverage ranges of the first beam coverage area after the beam change according to the quotient of the signal coverage areas of different types of beams used before and after the beam change of the first beam coverage area.

[0106] It should be noted that the sum of the areas of the a signal coverage ranges covered by the narrow beam can be greater than or equal to the area of the signal coverage range covered by the wide beam, that is, the sum of a S2 is greater than or equal to S1. In this way, the coverage area after the beam change of the beam coverage area can be prevented from being reduced to affect the UE access effect in the beam coverage area.

[0107] Further, for the process of determining M by the satellite network device, as an example, the satellite network device can first determine the number Y of beams used by the satellite network device based on the obtained SSB distribution period and the number of beam coverage areas. Here, the number Y of beams used by the satellite network device refers to the number of wide beams used by the satellite network device to send SSBs to the plurality of beam coverage areas. Since the satellite network device can use beams to send SSBs to the beam coverage areas according to the plurality of SSB transmission occasions in the SSB distribution period, when determining the number of beams used by the satellite network device, the satellite network device can determine the number of beams used by the satellite network device by calculating the quotient of the number of beam coverage areas and the number of SSB transmission occasions included in the SSB distribution period.

[0108] For example, assuming that the SSB distribution period of the satellite network device is 20 ms, one SSB distribution period includes 4 SSB transmission occasions, and the number of beam coverage areas is 265, then the satellite network device uses 67 (Y = 265 / 4 = 67) beams to send SSBs to the above-mentioned 265 beam coverage areas.

[0109] Then, the satellite network device can further determine M, i.e., the number of unused beams of the satellite network device, according to the upper limit X of the number of beams provided by the satellite network device and Y. The upper limit X of the number of beams provided by the satellite network device refers to the maximum number of beams that can be activated by the satellite network device at the same time. Assuming that the standard communication protocol defines that the satellite network device can activate at most 106 beams at the same time, X is 106. Based on this, the satellite network device can determine M according to X and Y, i.e., M = X-Y.

[0110] In combination with the above example, the satellite network device has used 67 beams to send SSBs to multiple beam coverage areas, and therefore, in the case that the upper limit X of the number of beams provided by the satellite network device is 106, the satellite network device can calculate that the number M of unused beams is 39, i.e., the satellite network device can still use 39 beams to send SSBs.

[0111] Based on this, in this embodiment, after the satellite network device obtains a and M, Q can be correspondingly calculated. In addition, the satellite network device can further determine the upper limit of the UE density in combination with the UE density corresponding to each of the multiple beam coverage areas and Q. The upper limit of the UE density can be the nth highest UE density among the UE densities of the multiple beam coverage areas, where n is Q+1, and n is an integer.

[0112] For example, the satellite network device can first determine n based on Q, i.e., n = Q+1, and n is an integer. Then, the satellite network device can sort the UE densities corresponding to each of the multiple beam coverage areas in descending order to obtain a sorting result. Then, the satellite network device can select the UE density located at the nth position in the sorting result as the upper limit of the UE density. Alternatively, the satellite network device can compare the UE densities corresponding to each of the multiple beam coverage areas one by one, and select the UE density located at the nth highest position as the upper limit of the UE density.

[0113] Based on the above, for ease of understanding, the following takes the determination of the beam corresponding to the first beam coverage area by the satellite network device as an example. It is assumed that the satellite network device determines that there are currently M idle beams, one SSB distribution period includes j SSB transmission occasions, and the satellite network device can change one beam coverage area covered by a wide beam into a signal coverage range covered by a narrow beam, then the satellite network device can at most support changes of the beam coverage area at this time, and the upper limit of the UE density is the nth highest UE density among the UE densities corresponding to the 265 beam coverage areas. Therefore, in the case that the UE density of the first beam coverage area is greater than the nth highest UE density among the UE densities corresponding to the 265 beam coverage areas, the satellite network device can use the first beam coverage area to send SSBs. The first beam coverage area is changed to a signal coverage range in which a is covered by narrow beams.

[0114] Correspondingly, the satellite network device also determines the corresponding beam of each beam coverage area based on the above manner, which will not be described here.

[0115] It should be noted that the various values mentioned in the embodiments, such as Q, j, a, M, Y, X and n, are only exemplary descriptions and do not specifically limit the values of the various values. In other implementation examples, the various values can also be determined according to the above manner to determine the corresponding other values.

[0116] In addition, it should be noted that in other embodiments, in addition to the UE density of each beam coverage area, the proportion of the number of UEs in each beam coverage area to the total number of UEs in the plurality of beam coverage areas and the UE proportion upper limit can be used to determine the corresponding beam of each beam coverage area. The determination method is similar to the above manner, and the UE density of each beam coverage area is replaced by the proportion of the number of UEs in each beam coverage area to the total number of UEs in the plurality of beam coverage areas, and the UE density upper limit is replaced by the UE proportion upper limit. Here will not be described.

[0117] S403: The satellite network device sends SSB to each beam coverage area based on the corresponding beam of each beam coverage area.

[0118] In this flow, taking the satellite network device sending SSB to the first beam coverage area as an example, since the standard communication protocol defines that the SSB distribution period includes a plurality of SSB transmission occasions, after determining that the corresponding beam of the first beam coverage area includes a plurality of first type beams, the satellite network device can use a plurality of first type beams to send SSB to the first beam coverage area.

[0119] Based on this, in order to facilitate understanding, the following can provide a plurality of possible implementation manners to introduce the implementation of the satellite network device sending SSB to each beam coverage area based on the corresponding beam of each beam coverage area.

[0120] As one possible implementation manner, taking the satellite network device sending SSB to the beam coverage area 1 as an example, in combination with FIG. 6a, in the process of beam changing of the first beam coverage area, in addition to changing the originally used 1 wide beam of the first beam coverage area into a narrow beam, the satellite network device also uses an additional 1 narrow beam, and makes the additional 1 narrow beam send SSB to different signal coverage ranges through beam hopping in different SSB transmission occasions.

[0121] To this end, in the embodiment, the satellite network device can first acquire an SSB distribution period including a plurality of SSB transmission occasions, and then transmit SSBs to the signal coverage range of each of the plurality of first type beams on the ground based on the plurality of first type beams corresponding to the first beam coverage area and the plurality of SSB transmission occasions.

[0122] In a specific implementation, the plurality of first type beams corresponding to the first beam coverage area can include one narrow beam obtained by modifying a wide beam and other newly added first type beams. Correspondingly, the satellite network device can transmit SSBs in the SSB transmission occasions set before modification using the one narrow beam obtained by modifying the wide beam, and transmit SSBs in each SSB transmission occasion using each of the other newly added first type beams. In this way, the satellite network device can use beam hopping to make each beam transmit SSBs in different SSB transmission occasions, so as to optimize the use rate of beam resources and improve the coverage rate of the beam coverage area.

[0123] As a possible implementation, taking the satellite network device transmitting SSBs to the beam coverage area 1 as an example, in the process of modifying the first beam coverage area, in addition to modifying one wide beam used by the first beam coverage area into a narrow beam, the satellite network device additionally uses four narrow beams, and makes the four narrow beams additionally used transmit SSBs to different signal coverage ranges in the same SSB transmission occasion.

[0124] To this end, in the embodiment, the satellite network device can transmit SSBs to the signal coverage range of each first type beam in the first beam coverage area based on each first type beam in the plurality of first type beams corresponding to the first beam coverage area.

[0125] In a specific implementation, the plurality of first type beams corresponding to the first beam coverage area can include one narrow beam obtained by modifying a wide beam and other newly added first type beams. Correspondingly, the satellite network device can transmit SSBs in the SSB transmission occasions set before modification using the one narrow beam obtained by modifying the wide beam, and transmit SSBs in each SSB transmission occasion using each of the other newly added first type beams. In this way, the satellite network device can use beam hopping to make each beam transmit SSBs in different SSB transmission occasions, so as to optimize the use rate of beam resources and improve the coverage rate of the beam coverage area.

[0126] In addition, the satellite network device can be in a preset signal-to-noise ratio interval based on a signal-to-noise ratio of the SSB transmitted by the beam belonging to the second type. In this way, the UEs in the multiple beam coverage areas can all access the satellite network device based on the SSB transmitted by the wide beam.

[0127] Correspondingly, the satellite network device can also transmit SSBs to other beam coverage areas based on the above manner, which will not be described here.

[0128] S404: The p UEs scan the beam coverage area in which each UE is located to obtain SSBs.

[0129] In actual application scenarios, each UE can successfully scan the SSBs in each beam coverage area according to a same period as the SSB distribution period or according to a period greater than the SSB distribution period.

[0130] Based on this, in the flow, taking the SSB scanned by UE1 as an example, UE1 can first determine the SSB distribution period of the satellite network device, and then scan based on the SSB distribution period to obtain the SSBs in the first beam coverage area.

[0131] In specific implementation, if UE1 has successfully accessed the satellite network device, UE1 can directly use the scanning period when UE1 successfully accessed the satellite network device in a past time period as the SSB distribution period of the first beam coverage area to scan based on the SSB distribution period to obtain the SSBs in the first beam coverage area. In this way, the scanning efficiency of UE1 can be improved, and UE1 can quickly access the satellite network device.

[0132] In other embodiments, UE1 can also acquire the SSB distribution period in other manners, such as that the SSB distribution period can be preconfigured by an operator, and UE1 acquires the SSB distribution period through configuration information provided by the operator.

[0133] Correspondingly, other UEs can also scan the SSBs in the beam coverage area in which each UE is located based on the above manner to access the satellite network device.

[0134] S405: The p UEs access the satellite network device according to the SSBs obtained through scanning.

[0135] In the above flow, each of the p UEs accesses the satellite network device according to the SSB obtained through scanning.

[0136] In the related content of step S402 shown in FIG. 4, it is mentioned that in the case where the second UE density is less than the UE density upper limit, the satellite network device can determine that the beam corresponding to the second beam coverage area is still one beam belonging to the second type, that is, no change is made to the beam corresponding to the second beam coverage area. However, in actual application, the UE density of the beam coverage area can change with the movement of the UE, and therefore, in the case where the UE density of the second beam coverage area increases to be greater than the UE density upper limit, the satellite network device can further change the beam corresponding to the second beam coverage area, thereby improving the access success rate of the UE in the second beam coverage area and meeting the access demand of the second beam coverage area when the UE density is high. Next, this is described in detail in combination with FIG. 7.

[0137] Referring to FIG. 7, a flowchart of another communication method is shown. The communication method shown in FIG. 7 can be applied to the communication system shown in FIG. 3 or can be applied to other possible communication systems. For ease of understanding and description, the following is described by taking application to the communication system shown in FIG. 3 as an example. As shown in FIG. 7, taking the second beam coverage area and the UE 2 in the second beam coverage area as an example, the flow of the communication method includes the following steps.

[0138] S701: The satellite network device determines that the beam corresponding to the second beam coverage area is one beam belonging to the second type.

[0139] The manner in which the satellite network device determines the beam corresponding to the second beam coverage area can be referred to the related description of determining the beam corresponding to each beam coverage area in the above-described embodiment shown in FIG. 3, which is not repeated here.

[0140] In actual application, the beam belonging to the second type can be referred to as a wide beam, and the beam belonging to the first type mentioned in the present embodiment can be referred to as a narrow beam.

[0141] S702: In the case where the second UE density of the second beam coverage area is greater than the UE density upper limit, the satellite network device changes the beam corresponding to the second beam coverage area from one beam belonging to the second type to multiple beams belonging to the first type.

[0142] In this flow, since the second UE density increases, that is, the second UE density is greater than the UE density upper limit, the satellite network device can re-determine the beam corresponding to the second beam coverage area, that is, the satellite network device can configure multiple narrow beams corresponding to the second beam coverage area. The implementation process of configuring multiple narrow beams corresponding to the second beam coverage area can be referred to the related description of configuring multiple narrow beams corresponding to the first beam coverage area in the above-described embodiment, which is not repeated here.

[0143] In this way, compared with 1 wide beam, configuring multiple narrow beams for the second beam coverage area with increased second UE density can improve the power of SSB through narrow beams, so that the access success rate of the increased UEs in the second beam coverage area with high UE density can be effectively reduced. Moreover, if the second beam coverage area still uses 1 wide beam, if the wide beam fails, all UEs in the second beam coverage area will be unable to normally access the satellite network device. Therefore, the satellite network device configures a narrow beam for the second beam coverage area for coverage, and even if a narrow beam in the a narrow beams fails, it will not affect the UEs in the signal coverage range of other narrow beams to normally access the satellite network device.

[0144] For ease of understanding, as an example, the embodiment provides the following several non-limiting implementation manners to change the beam corresponding to the second beam coverage area from 1 beam belonging to the second type to multiple beams belonging to the first type.

[0145] In a possible implementation manner, the satellite network device can first determine the number of idle beams. If the number of idle beams at this time is greater than or equal to indicates that in addition to 1 wide beam corresponding to the second beam coverage area, the satellite network device can use at least narrow beams for beam change, the satellite network device can change 1 second type beam corresponding to the second beam coverage area into a narrow beam of the first type, and configure idle beams for the second beam coverage area narrow beams.

[0146] In another possible implementation manner, since the number of beams simultaneously activated by the satellite network device is limited, the satellite network device can refer to the UE density of other beam coverage areas in multiple beam coverage areas, release the beams corresponding to the other beam coverage areas, so as to perform beam change on the second beam coverage area by means of the released beams.

[0147] In a specific implementation, the satellite network device can first determine a third beam coverage area from the plurality of beam coverage areas. The UE density of the third beam coverage area is less than or equal to the upper limit of the UE density, and the beam corresponding to the third beam coverage area includes a plurality of narrow beams. In a specific implementation, there can be more than one beam coverage area in the plurality of beam coverage areas that satisfies the above conditions (i.e., the UE density is less than or equal to the upper limit of the UE density, and the corresponding beam includes a wide beam), and therefore, the satellite network device can select the beam coverage area with the minimum UE density from the beam coverage areas that satisfy the above conditions as the third beam coverage area. In this way, since the UE density of the third beam coverage area is the smallest, subsequent release of the beams of the third beam coverage area for beam switching of the second beam coverage area can avoid a significant impact on the access efficiency of the UEs in the third beam coverage area.

[0148] Next, the satellite network device can change one of the plurality of beams belonging to the first type corresponding to the third beam coverage area to a beam belonging to the second type. In this way, the satellite network device can release narrow beams, and use these narrow beams to transmit SSBs to the second beam coverage area.

[0149] As an example, in combination with FIG. 8a, it is assumed that one SSB distribution period includes 4 SSB transmission occasions, and the satellite network device can change the third beam coverage area from 5 signal coverage ranges covered by narrow beams to 1 signal coverage range covered by a wide beam. Compared with the original 5 signal coverage ranges covered by 2 narrow beams (SSB0-SSB5, wherein SSB1-SSB4 are covered by 1 narrow beam through beam hopping in 4 SSB transmission occasions), the third beam coverage area is reduced by 4 signal coverage ranges (SSB1-SSB4). Therefore, the satellite network device can release 1 narrow beam to transmit SSBs to the second beam coverage area. The narrow beam originally covering the signal coverage area SSB0 can be changed to a wide beam to cover the entire third beam coverage area.

[0150] As another example, in combination with FIG. 8b, it is still assumed that the satellite network device can change the third beam coverage area from 5 signal coverage ranges covered by narrow beams to 1 signal coverage range covered by a wide beam. Compared with the original 5 signal coverage ranges covered by 5 narrow beams (SSB0-SSB5, 1 narrow beam covers 1 signal coverage range), the third beam coverage area is reduced by 4 signal coverage ranges (SSB1-SSB4). Therefore, the satellite network device can release 4 narrow beams to transmit SSBs to the second beam coverage area. The narrow beam originally covering the signal coverage area SSB0 can be changed to a wide beam to cover the entire third beam coverage area.

[0151] In this way, the satellite network device can configure the multiple beams of the first type corresponding to the second beam coverage area based on the third beam coverage area corresponding to For example, assuming that each beam has a device identifier that can be used to mark the beam coverage area corresponding to each beam, the satellite network device can change the device identifier of the one wide beam corresponding to the second beam coverage area to a narrow beam, that is, change the signal coverage area of the beam on the ground.

[0152] It should be noted that the third beam coverage area is taken as an example in the embodiment, and the beam coverage area corresponding to the released beam is not specifically limited. Accordingly, any beam coverage area in the multiple beam coverage areas that meets the above conditions can be released.

[0153] In another possible implementation, assuming that the satellite network device determines that there are idle beams, but the number of idle beams is less than and the satellite network device determines that there is a beam coverage area that meets the above conditions, such as the third beam coverage area, the satellite network device can configure the multiple narrow beams corresponding to the second beam coverage area according to the number of idle beams and part of the For this process, reference can be made to the related content in the above embodiments, and the sum of the number of idle beams used by the satellite network device and the number of part of the multiple narrow beams corresponding to the third beam coverage area is equal to the multiple narrow beams corresponding to the second beam coverage area.

[0154] In addition, since the second UE density of the second beam coverage area changes with the movement of the UE, in the embodiment, the satellite network device can periodically collect the second UE density of the second beam coverage area according to a pre-set frequency. Alternatively, the satellite network device can also collect the second UE density of the second beam coverage area in real time. For the acquisition method of the second UE density and the UE density, reference can be made to the related description of the acquisition of the second UE density and the upper limit of the UE density in the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0155] S703: The satellite network device sends an SSB to the signal coverage range corresponding to each first type of beam in the second beam coverage area based on the multiple beams of the first type corresponding to the second beam coverage area.

[0156] In this embodiment, the specific implementation of step S703 can be described with reference to the related parts of the foregoing embodiments, and thus no further description is provided here.

[0157] S704: UE2 scans the signal coverage range of the beam where UE2 is located in the second beam coverage area to obtain SSB.

[0158] In this embodiment, the specific implementation of step S704 can be described with reference to the related parts of the foregoing embodiments, and thus no further description is provided here.

[0159] S705: UE2 accesses the satellite network device according to the SSB obtained through scanning.

[0160] Next, the hardware implementation of the satellite network device and the UE will be further described in combination with FIG. 9 and FIG. 10.

[0161] Referring to FIG. 9, a hardware structure schematic diagram of a satellite network device is shown, which can be used to execute the method executed by the satellite network device in the embodiments shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 6 and FIG. 8. The satellite network device shown in FIG. 9 includes at least one processor 111, at least one memory 112, at least one transceiver 113, at least one network interface 114 and one or more antennas 115. The processor 111, the memory 112, the transceiver 113 and the network interface 114 are connected, for example, through a bus, and in the embodiments of the present application, the connection can include various interfaces, transmission lines or buses, etc., which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application. The antenna 115 is connected with the transceiver 113. The network interface 114 is used to enable the satellite network device to be connected with other communication devices through a communication link, for example, the network interface 114 can include the network interface between the satellite network device and the satellite network device in the core network, for example, the S1 interface, and the network interface can include the network interface between the satellite network device and other satellite network devices, for example, the X2 or Xn interface.

[0162] Among them, the processor 111 shown in FIG. 9 can specifically complete the actions processed by the satellite network device in the above method, the memory 112 can complete the actions stored in the above method, the transceiver 113 and the antenna 115 can execute the transceiving actions on the air interface in the above method, and the network interface 114 can complete the actions of interacting with the satellite network device or other satellite network devices / network elements in the above method.

[0163] The processor in the embodiments of the present application, for example, the processor 111, can include but is not limited to at least one of the following: a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller unit (MCU), or an artificial intelligence processor and the like various types of computing devices running software, each of which can include one or more cores for executing software instructions to perform operations or processing. The processor can be a separate semiconductor chip, or can be integrated with other circuits as a semiconductor chip, for example, it can be integrated with other circuits (such as coding and decoding circuits, hardware acceleration circuits, or various bus and interface circuits) to form a SoC (system on chip), or it can also be integrated as a built-in processor in the ASIC. The ASIC integrated with the processor can be packaged separately or packaged together with other circuits. In addition to including cores for executing software instructions to perform operations or processing, the processor can further include necessary hardware accelerators, such as FPGA (field programmable gate array), PLD (programmable logic device), or logic circuits implementing special logic operations.

[0164] The memory in the embodiments of the present application can include at least one of the following types: read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, random access memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices that can store information and instructions, and can also be electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM). In some scenarios, the memory can also be a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compact discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and capable of being accessed by a computer, but not limited thereto.

[0165] The memory 112 can be independent of the processor 111. Alternatively, the memory 112 can be integrated with the processor 111, for example, in a chip. The memory 112 can store program codes for implementing the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and the program codes are executed by the processor 111. The executed computer program codes can also be regarded as a driver of the processor 111. For example, the processor 111 is configured to execute the computer program codes stored in the memory 112, so as to implement the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

[0166] The transceiver 113 can be configured to support the reception or transmission of radio frequency signals between the satellite network device and other devices. The transceiver 113 can be connected to the antenna 115. The transceiver 113 includes a transmitter Tx and a receiver Rx. Specifically, one or more antennas 115 can receive radio frequency signals, and the receiver Rx of the transceiver 113 is configured to receive the radio frequency signals from the antenna and convert the radio frequency signals into digital baseband signals or digital intermediate frequency signals, and provide the digital baseband signals or digital intermediate frequency signals to the processor 111, so that the processor 111 further processes the digital baseband signals or digital intermediate frequency signals, for example, demodulation processing and decoding processing. In addition, the transmitter Tx in the transceiver 113 is also configured to receive modulated digital baseband signals or digital intermediate frequency signals from the processor 111, and convert the modulated digital baseband signals or digital intermediate frequency signals into radio frequency signals, and transmit the radio frequency signals through one or more antennas 115. Specifically, the receiver Rx can selectively perform one or more levels of down-mixing and analog-to-digital conversion on the radio frequency signals to obtain digital baseband signals or digital intermediate frequency signals, and the order of the down-mixing and analog-to-digital conversion can be adjustable. The transmitter Tx can selectively perform one or more levels of up-mixing and digital-to-analog conversion on the modulated digital baseband signals or digital intermediate frequency signals to obtain radio frequency signals, and the order of the up-mixing and digital-to-analog conversion can be adjustable. The digital baseband signals and the digital intermediate frequency signals can be collectively referred to as digital signals.

[0167] FIG. 10 is an example of a UE provided by the embodiments of the present application, which can be a mobile phone, a smart wearable device (such as a smart watch), etc. Taking a mobile phone as an example, the UE can include a processor 310, an external memory interface 320, an internal memory 321, a display screen 330, a camera 340, an antenna 1, an antenna 2, a mobile communication module 350, and a wireless communication module 360, etc.

[0168] It can be understood that the structure illustrated in the embodiment does not constitute a specific limitation on the UE. In other embodiments, the UE can include more or fewer components than illustrated, or combine certain components, or split certain components, or different arrangement of components. The illustrated components can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0169] The processor 310 can include one or more processing units, for example: the processor 310 can include an application processor (AP), a modem processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), an image signal processor (ISP), a controller, a time-frequency codec, a digital signal processor (DSP), a baseband processor, and / or a neural-network processing unit (NPU), etc. Among them, different processing units can be independent devices, or can be integrated in one or more processors.

[0170] It can be understood that the interface connection relationship between the modules illustrated in the embodiment is only illustrative and does not constitute a structural limitation on the UE. In another embodiment of the present application, the UE can also use different interface connection modes in the above embodiments, or a combination of multiple interface connection modes.

[0171] The external memory interface 320 can be used to connect an external memory card, such as a Micro SD card, to expand the storage capacity of the UE. The external memory card communicates with the processor 310 through the external memory interface 320 to realize the data storage function. For example, save music, time-frequency, etc. Files in the external memory card.

[0172] The internal memory 321 can be used to store computer executable program codes, which include instructions. The processor 310 performs various functional applications and data processing of the UE by running the instructions stored in the internal memory 321. The internal memory 321 can include a program storage area and a data storage area. The program storage area can store an operating system, application programs required by at least one function (such as a sound playing function, an image playing function, etc.), and the like. The data storage area can store data (such as time-frequency stream data) created during use of the UE, and the like. In addition, the internal memory 321 can include a high-speed random access memory, and can further include a non-volatile memory such as at least one magnetic disk storage device, a flash memory device, a universal flash storage (UFS), and the like. The processor 310 performs various functions and data processing of the UE by running the instructions stored in the internal memory 321 and / or the instructions stored in the memory disposed in the processor.

[0173] The wireless communication function of the UE can be implemented by the antenna 1, the antenna 2, the mobile communication module 350, the wireless communication module 360, the modem processor, and the baseband processor, and the like.

[0174] The antenna 1 and the antenna 2 are used to transmit and receive electromagnetic wave signals. Each antenna in the UE can be used to cover a single or multiple communication frequency bands. Different antennas can also be multiplexed to improve the utilization rate of the antennas. For example, the antenna 1 can be multiplexed as a diversity antenna of a wireless local area network. In some other embodiments, the antennas can be used in combination with a tuning switch.

[0175] The mobile communication module 350 can provide a solution including 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G and the like wireless communication applied to the UE. The mobile communication module 350 can include at least one filter, a switch, a power amplifier, a low noise amplifier (LNA), and the like. The mobile communication module 350 can receive electromagnetic waves by the antenna 1, and perform filtering, amplification, and the like processing on the received electromagnetic waves, and transmit the processed electromagnetic waves to the modem processor for demodulation. The mobile communication module 350 can also amplify the signals modulated by the modem processor, and convert the signals into electromagnetic waves to be radiated out through the antenna 1. In some embodiments, at least part of the functional modules of the mobile communication module 350 can be disposed in the processor 310. In some embodiments, at least part of the functional modules of the mobile communication module 350 and at least part of the modules of the processor 310 can be disposed in the same device.

[0176] In some embodiments, the UE initiates or receives a call request through the mobile communication module 350 and the antenna 1.

[0177] In addition, on the above components, an operating system runs. For example, an iOS operating system, an Android operating system, a Windows operating system, and the like. Applications can be installed and run on the operating system. Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the explanations and beneficial effects of the above-mentioned related contents in any of the UEs can refer to the corresponding method embodiments provided above, and will not be repeated here.

[0178] In addition, the embodiments of the present application further provide a computer readable storage medium, which stores instructions, when the instructions are executed on one or more computing devices, the one or more computing devices execute the communication method described in the above embodiments.

[0179] In addition, the embodiments of the present application further provide a computer program product, when the computer program product is executed by one or more computing devices, the one or more computing devices execute any of the preceding communication methods. The computer program product can be a software installation package, and when any of the preceding communication methods is needed, the computer program product can be downloaded and executed on the computer.

[0180] Through the description of the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the present application can be realized by software and necessary general hardware, of course, it can also be realized by special hardware including special integrated circuit, special CPU, special memory, special components, etc. Generally, functions completed by computer programs can be easily realized by corresponding hardware, and specific hardware structures for realizing the same function can also be various, such as analog circuit, digital circuit or special circuit, etc. However, for the present application, software program implementation is a better embodiment. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the present application can be embodied in the form of software products, which are stored in readable storage medium, such as computer floppy disk, U disk, mobile hard disk, ROM, RAM, magnetic disk or optical disk, etc., including a plurality of instructions to make a computer device (which can be a personal computer, training device, or network device, etc.) execute the methods described in various embodiments of the present application.

[0181] In the above embodiments, all or part can be realized by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When realized by software, it can be realized in the form of computer program product in whole or in part.

[0182] The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the flow or function described in the embodiments of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, training device or data center to another website, computer, training device or data center through wired (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can store or a data storage device such as a training device, a data center, etc. integrated with one or more available media sets. The available media can be a magnetic medium (for example, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (for example, a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (for example, a solid state disk (SSD)), etc.

[0183] The system architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are used to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application. Those skilled in the art can know that, as the network architecture evolves and new business scenarios appear, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

Claims

1. A communication method, the method being applied to a satellite network device, characterized in that, The method comprises: determining beams corresponding to a plurality of beam coverage areas respectively, the plurality of beam coverage areas comprising a first beam coverage area and a second beam coverage area, the beams corresponding to the first beam coverage area comprising a plurality of first type beams, the beams corresponding to the second beam coverage area comprising one second type beam, a signal coverage area on the ground of the first type beams being smaller than a signal coverage area on the ground of the second type beam, a user equipment (UE) density of the first beam coverage area being greater than a UE density of the second beam coverage area; sending, based on the beams corresponding to the plurality of beam coverage areas respectively, synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel blocks (SSBs) to the plurality of beam coverage areas, the SSBs being used by UEs to access the satellite network device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The beams corresponding to the first beam coverage area are determined by the following steps: determining the UE density of the first beam coverage area; in a case where the UE density of the first beam coverage area is greater than an upper limit of UE density, determining the beams corresponding to the first beam coverage area as the plurality of first type beams.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The method further comprises: determining an upper limit of a number of beam coverage areas configured with the plurality of first type beams and UE densities corresponding to the plurality of beam coverage areas respectively; determining the upper limit of UE density based on the UE densities corresponding to the plurality of beam coverage areas respectively and the upper limit of the number.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, The upper limit of UE density is an n-th highest UE density among the UE densities of the plurality of beam coverage areas, the n being an integer and being equal to the upper limit of the number plus 1.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein, The determination of the upper limit of the number of beam coverage areas configured with the plurality of first type beams comprises: obtaining a number of SSB transmission occasions included in an SSB distribution period of the satellite network device, a number of idle beams of the satellite network device and a number of the plurality of first type beams, the idle beams being beams unused by the satellite network device; determining the upper limit of the number based on the number of SSB transmission occasions, the number of idle beams and the number of the plurality of first type beams.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, The obtaining of the number of idle beams of the satellite network device comprises: obtaining an SSB distribution period and a number of the plurality of beam coverage areas; determining a number of beams already used by the satellite network device based on the SSB distribution period and the number of the plurality of beam coverage areas; determining the number of idle beams based on an upper limit of a number of beams provided by the satellite network device and the number of beams already used.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, The determination of the UE density of the first beam coverage area comprises: obtaining a number of requests received from UEs within the first beam coverage area; determining the UE density of the first beam coverage area based on the number of requests.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein, The sending of the SSBs to the first beam coverage area comprises: obtaining an SSB distribution period, the SSB distribution period comprising a plurality of SSB transmission occasions; sending, based on the plurality of first type beams corresponding to the first beam coverage area and the plurality of SSB transmission occasions, the SSBs to a signal coverage range on the ground of each of the plurality of first type beams.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein, The SSB is sent to the first beam coverage area by the following steps, comprising: The SSB is sent to the signal coverage range of each first type of beam in the first beam coverage area based on each first type of beam corresponding to the first beam coverage area.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: In the case that the UE density of the second beam coverage area is greater than the upper limit of UE density, the beam corresponding to the second beam coverage area is changed from one second type of beam to multiple first type of beams; The SSB is sent to the signal coverage range of each first type of beam in the second beam coverage area based on each first type of beam corresponding to the second beam coverage area.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The configuration of the beam corresponding to the second beam coverage area changing from one second type of beam to multiple first type of beams comprises: A third beam coverage area in the multiple beam coverage areas is determined, the UE density of the third beam coverage area is less than or equal to the upper limit of UE density, and the beam corresponding to the third beam coverage area comprises multiple first type of beams; One beam in the multiple first type of beams corresponding to the third beam coverage area is changed to a second type of beam; The multiple first type of beams corresponding to the second beam coverage area are configured based on the remaining beams in the multiple first type of beams corresponding to the third beam coverage area except for the one beam.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that, The signal-to-noise ratio of the SSB sent by the second type of beam is in a pre-set signal-to-noise ratio interval.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that, The multiple beam coverage areas comprise a fourth beam coverage area, the number of multiple first type of beams corresponding to the fourth beam coverage area is the same as the number of multiple first type of beams corresponding to the first beam coverage area.

14. A communication method, the method being applied to a satellite network device, characterized in that, The method comprises: A first beam coverage area of the satellite network device is determined, the beam corresponding to the first beam coverage area comprises one second type of beam; In the case that the user equipment (UE) density of the first beam coverage area is greater than the upper limit of UE density, the beam corresponding to the first beam coverage area is changed from one second type of beam to multiple first type of beams, and the signal coverage area of the first type of beam on the ground is smaller than the signal coverage area of the second type of beam on the ground; A synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (SSB) is sent to the first beam coverage area based on each first type of beam in the multiple first type of beams, and the SSB is used for UE to access the satellite network device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, The method further comprises: The upper limit of the number of beam coverage areas configured with multiple first type of beams and the UE density corresponding to the multiple beam coverage areas respectively are determined; The upper limit of UE density is determined based on the UE density corresponding to the multiple beam coverage areas respectively and the upper limit of the number.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein, The upper limit of UE density is the n-th highest UE density in the UE density of the multiple beam coverage areas, the value of n is the upper limit of the number plus 1, and n is an integer.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein, The determination of the upper limit of the number of beam coverage areas configured with multiple first type of beams comprises: obtaining a number of SSB transmission occasions included in an SSB distribution period of the satellite network device, a number of idle beams of the satellite network device, and a number of the first type of beams, the idle beams being beams unused by the satellite network device; determining the upper limit of the number based on the number of SSB transmission occasions, the number of idle beams, and the number of the first type of beams.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein, obtaining a number of idle beams of the satellite network device, comprising: obtaining an SSB distribution period and a number of the plurality of beam coverage areas; determining a number of beams used by the satellite network device based on the SSB distribution period and the number of the plurality of beam coverage areas; determining the number of idle beams based on the upper limit of the number of beams provided by the satellite network device and the number of beams used.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein, the transmitting, to the first beam coverage area, a synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (SSB) based on each first type of beam in the plurality of first type of beams, the SSB being used for a UE to access the satellite network device, comprising: obtaining an SSB distribution period, the SSB distribution period including a plurality of SSB transmission occasions; transmitting, to a signal coverage range of each beam in the plurality of first type of beams on the ground, the SSB based on the plurality of first type of beams corresponding to the first beam coverage area and the plurality of SSB transmission occasions.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein, the transmitting, to the first beam coverage area, a synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (SSB) based on each first type of beam in the plurality of first type of beams, the SSB being used for a UE to access the satellite network device, comprising: transmitting, to a signal coverage range of each first type of beam in the first beam coverage area, the SSB based on each first type of beam in the plurality of first type of beams corresponding to the first beam coverage area simultaneously.

21. A satellite network device, comprising: comprising: a transceiver configured to perform the receiving operation and the transmitting operation in the method of any one of claims 1-20; a processor configured to perform operations other than the receiving operation and the transmitting operation in the method of any one of claims 1-20. 22.A communication method, applied to a user equipment (UE), comprising: the method comprising: scanning a signal coverage range of a beam in which the UE is located within a beam coverage area to obtain a synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (SSB); accessing a satellite network device based on the SSB, the satellite network device being the satellite network device of claim 21.

23. A user equipment (UE), comprising: comprising a message receiver configured to receive a first message from a satellite network device, the first message comprising a synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (SSB), the SSB being used for the UE to access the satellite network device, the satellite network device being the satellite network device of claim 21.

24. A communication system, characterized by comprising a satellite network device and a user equipment (UE), the satellite network device being configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1-20, and the UE being configured to perform the method of claim 22.

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