Communication method and related apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of wireless communications, and in particular to a communication method and a related apparatus. The method comprises: determining a first sub-area and a second sub-area within a first area covered by a first satellite, wherein a sub-satellite point of the first satellite is located in the first sub-area, and the second sub-area comprises part or all of an edge area of the first area; and configuring a first wide beam within the first sub-area and configuring a first narrow beam within the second sub-area. By using the method provided in the present application, the impact on communication quality at the edge of a satellite coverage area when a wide beam is used to improve communication coverage can be mitigated.

Description

A communication method and related apparatus

[0001] This application claims priority from the Chinese patent application No. 202411389130.9 filed on September 30, 2024, and entitled "A communication method and related apparatus", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

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

[0003] In order to alleviate the contradiction between small single-satellite payload and wide coverage, the jump-beam technology emerges as the times require. The so-called jump-beam technology is to equip a single satellite with a small number of beams (such as tens of beams), and these beams scan each beam position in the satellite coverage area through time-sharing scanning to provide services for each beam position. In the case of using the jump-beam technology, the time length of beam scanning is limited. For example, the time length of transmitting synchronization signal and PBCH block (SSB) or scanning signal (i.e. common signal) through the beam is limited, and the maximum can be 160ms. This has a higher requirement for the communication coverage rate of the satellite. Here, the communication coverage rate of the satellite generally refers to the ratio of the number of beam positions that the satellite can scan within the beam scanning time length to the total number of beam positions in the satellite coverage area.

[0004] At present, people have proposed using wide beams to improve the communication coverage rate of the satellite. The existing beams are processed through beam widening technology to form wide beams. In this case, the existing beams can be understood as narrow beams. Then, the wide beams can be used in the satellite coverage area to realize communication with the terminal device. Since the coverage range of the wide beam is larger, using the wide beam in the satellite coverage area can reduce the total number of beam positions in the satellite coverage area. Therefore, in the case of unchanged beam scanning time length, the total number of beam positions in the satellite coverage area is reduced, and the communication coverage rate of the satellite is naturally improved. However, due to factors such as signal attenuation and multipath effect, the communication quality at the edge of the satellite coverage area is relatively poor, and using the wide beam will further reduce the received signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the signal between the terminal device and the satellite. Therefore, the communication coverage rate improved by using the wide beam will further deteriorate the communication quality at the edge of the satellite coverage area. SUMMARY

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the present application provides a communication method and related apparatus, which can solve the influence of the communication coverage rate improved by using the wide beam on the communication quality at the edge of the satellite coverage area.

[0006] The following describes the present application from multiple aspects. It is easily understood by a person skilled in the art that any implementation of the following multiple aspects can refer to each other.

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method is applicable to a network device or an apparatus in the network device, such as a module (for example, a circuit, a chip or a chip system, etc.) in the network device, or a logical node, a logical module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the network device.

[0008] The method comprises: determining, by the network device, a first sub-region and a second sub-region in a first region covered by a first satellite. The subsatellite point of the first satellite is located in the first sub-region, and the second sub-region comprises a part or all of the edge region of the first region. Here, the first region is the satellite coverage region of the first satellite, and the first sub-region and the second sub-region are in the satellite coverage region of the first satellite. The network device configures a first wide beam in the first sub-region and configures a first narrow beam in the second sub-region. It should be understood that in actual implementation, the network device can configure multiple first wide beams in the first sub-region, and can also configure multiple first narrow beams in the second sub-region.

[0009] In the above implementation, the network device determines the first sub-region for configuring a wide beam and the second sub-region for configuring a narrow beam in the first region covered by the first satellite, and makes the second sub-region contain a part or all of the edge region of the first region. After the beam configuration is completed, the terminal device in a part or all of the edge region of the first region can communicate with the satellite through a narrow beam with higher antenna gain, and the terminal device in the central part of the first region can communicate with the satellite through a wide beam. In this way, not only the communication coverage of the satellite can be improved by using a wide beam, but also the communication quality at the edge of the satellite coverage region can be reduced or avoided from being affected by using a wide beam, thereby ensuring the communication quality at the edge of the satellite coverage region.

[0010] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the network device determining the first sub-region and the second sub-region in the first region covered by the first satellite can comprise:

[0011] The network device determines a first reception signal-to-noise ratio. The first reception signal-to-noise ratio is an edge reception signal-to-noise ratio corresponding to a boresight of a first satellite. Then, the network device can determine a first maximum allowed scanning loss corresponding to the first wide beam as a difference between the first reception signal-to-noise ratio and a reception signal-to-noise ratio lower limit of the first satellite. The network device determines a first terminal elevation angle according to the first maximum allowed scanning loss and a maximum terminal elevation angle in the first region. The network device determines a first sub-region and a second sub-region in the first region covered by the first satellite according to the first terminal elevation angle. The terminal elevation angle corresponding to the second sub-region is greater than a minimum terminal elevation angle corresponding to the first region and less than or equal to the first terminal elevation angle, and the terminal elevation angle corresponding to the first sub-region is greater than the first terminal elevation angle and less than or equal to the maximum terminal elevation angle.

[0012] In the implementation described above, the network device first determines an upper limit value of the beam scanning loss corresponding to the first wide beam, and then determines a first terminal elevation angle that guarantees normal communication between the first satellite and the terminal device using the first wide beam based on the upper limit value and the maximum terminal elevation angle in the first region. In a region smaller than the terminal elevation angle, the first wide beam does not support normal communication between the first satellite and the terminal device. Then, the network device can determine a first sub-region suitable for using the first wide beam and a second sub-region suitable for using the first narrow beam according to the first terminal elevation angle. In this way, the maximum range of the first wide beam can be determined in the first region covered by the first satellite, so that the total number of boresights in the first region can be maximally reduced while ensuring the communication quality at the edge of the satellite coverage area, thereby improving the communication coverage of the first satellite as much as possible.

[0013] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the reception signal-to-noise ratio lower limit of the first satellite can be a detection threshold value of a primary synchronization signal (PSS) of the first satellite.

[0014] In the implementation described above, the detection threshold value of the primary synchronization signal of the first satellite is used as the reception signal-to-noise ratio lower limit of the first satellite, which can ensure that the first maximum allowed scanning loss calculated is accurate and effective.

[0015] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation, determining the first reception signal-to-noise ratio can include:

[0016] The network device determines a first beam width of the first wide beam according to a narrow beam width of the first narrow beam and a first spreading factor corresponding to the first wide beam. The first spreading factor is greater than 1. The network device determines a first angle as half of the first beam width. The first angle is greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees. The network device determines a first antenna gain corresponding to the first angle, and determines a first received signal-to-noise ratio as a sum of the first antenna gain and a received signal-to-noise ratio constant of the first satellite.

[0017] In the implementation described above, the network device determines a maximum beam scanning angle corresponding to a case where the first wide beam is directed to the subsatellite point based on the first beam width of the first wide beam, and then calculates the first received signal-to-noise ratio corresponding to the first wide beam based on an antenna gain corresponding to the maximum beam scanning angle (which can be understood as a minimum antenna gain of the first wide beam within the subsatellite point) and the received signal-to-noise ratio constant of the first satellite. This method is simple and easy to implement, and can ensure that the calculated first received signal-to-noise ratio is accurate and reliable.

[0018] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, in a case where the first satellite transmits the first wide beam through a reflector antenna, the first antenna gain corresponding to the first angle is determined by the network device according to the first angle, an antenna aperture value corresponding to the reflector antenna, and a first antenna gain calculation rule associated with the reflector antenna.

[0019] In the implementation described above, a calculation method of the first antenna gain corresponding to a case where the first satellite transmits the first wide beam through a reflector antenna is provided, which can make the communication method provided by the present application applicable to a scenario where the first satellite adopts a reflector antenna model, and can improve the applicability of the communication method.

[0020] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, in a case where the first satellite transmits the first wide beam through a phased array antenna, the first antenna gain corresponding to the first angle can be determined by:

[0021] The first antenna gain corresponding to the first angle is calculated according to the first angle, a first number of antennas in a first dimension and a second number of antennas in a second dimension of the phased array antenna, a first antenna element spacing in the first dimension and a second antenna element spacing in the second dimension of the phased array antenna, and a second antenna gain calculation rule associated with the phased array antenna, where the first dimension and the second dimension are perpendicular to each other on an antenna panel of the phased array antenna.

[0022] In the implementation, the calculation method of the first antenna gain corresponding to the case that the first satellite transmits the first wide beam by using the phased array antenna is given, so that the communication method provided by the application can be applied to the scenario that the first satellite uses the phased array antenna model, and the applicability of the communication method can be improved.

[0023] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the first received signal-to-noise ratio is determined, including:

[0024] The network device obtains a first angle, where the first angle is an included angle between the first satellite and a line connecting a center point and an edge point of the wide beam i, the wide beam i covers a ground point and has the same beam width as the first wide beam. The first angle is greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees. It should be noted that the wide beam i described above can be understood as a first wide beam simulated to the ground point in the process of determining the first received signal-to-noise ratio. The multiple first wide beams configured in the first sub-area later can not include the wide beam i. That is, the wide beam i is mainly used to determine the first received signal-to-noise ratio, and is not necessarily a first wide beam that will be configured. The network device determines a first antenna gain corresponding to the first angle. The network device determines a sum of the first antenna gain and a received signal-to-noise ratio constant of the first satellite as the first received signal-to-noise ratio.

[0025] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the first region corresponds to multiple terminal elevation angles. The first terminal elevation angle is determined according to the first maximum allowed scanning loss and a maximum terminal elevation angle in the first region, including:

[0026] The network device determines a first carrier-to-noise ratio corresponding to the maximum terminal elevation angle in the first region. The network device obtains a first difference between the first carrier-to-noise ratio and the first maximum allowed scanning loss. The network device determines the first terminal elevation angle according to the multiple terminal elevation angles and the first difference. Among the multiple carrier-to-noise ratios corresponding to the multiple terminal elevation angles, the absolute value of the difference between the carrier-to-noise ratio corresponding to the first terminal elevation angle and the first difference is the smallest.

[0027] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: sending, by the network device, first location information of the first subzone and the second subzone in the first area to the terminal device. The first location information is used to determine a first residence duration of the terminal device in the second subzone (for the sake of distinction, the first residence duration will be used in the following description). The first residence duration is used to determine a first time point at which a beam switching delay of the terminal device is switched from a first switching delay corresponding to the second subzone to a second switching delay corresponding to the first subzone. That is, the first residence duration is used for the terminal device to determine that it will leave the second subzone and enter the first subzone at the first time point, and at the same time, the beam switching delay of the terminal device is switched from the first switching delay corresponding to the second subzone to the second switching delay corresponding to the first subzone. It should be understood that, in the embodiments of the present application, the switching delay corresponding to any subzone is a switching duration between any two adjacent beams in the subzone, and the switching delay corresponding to any subzone is determined by a beam spacing corresponding to the subzone.

[0028] In the implementation manner described above, the network device can send the first location information of the first subzone and the second subzone in the first area to the terminal device, so that the terminal device can determine when it will leave the second subzone and enter the first subzone based on the first location information, and in turn, the beam switching delay of the terminal device can be switched from the first switching delay corresponding to the second subzone to the second switching delay corresponding to the first subzone in time, thereby simplifying the beam switching measurement process of the terminal device.

[0029] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the first location information described above can include at least one of the following: a beam scanning angle range corresponding to the first subzone and the second subzone; a terminal elevation angle range corresponding to the first subzone and the second subzone; a first received signal-to-noise ratio and a received signal-to-noise ratio lower limit of the first satellite; a first maximum allowable scanning loss.

[0030] In the implementation manner described above, the terminal elevation angle range or the beam scanning angle range calculated by the network device is directly used as the first location information, which is simple and easy to implement, and can save the data processing capability of the terminal device. At least one of the first received signal-to-noise ratio, the received signal-to-noise ratio lower limit of the first satellite, and the first maximum allowable scanning loss calculated by the network device is provided to the terminal device as the first location information, so that the terminal device can calculate the specific location of the first subzone and the second subzone in the first area based on these parameters, thereby saving the signaling overhead between the network device and the terminal device.

[0031] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the designed wide beam can be various, and the network device can determine more sub-zones to configure the various wide beams. Hereinafter, two wide beams are taken as an example, that is, the first wide beam includes a first sub-wide beam and a second sub-wide beam. The first sub-zone includes a first sub-sub-zone and a second sub-sub-zone, and the subsatellite point of the first satellite is located in the first sub-sub-zone. The first wide beam includes the first sub-wide beam and the second sub-wide beam.

[0032] In this case, the configuration of the first wide beam in the first sub-zone can include:

[0033] The first sub-wide beam is configured in the first sub-sub-zone, and the second sub-wide beam is configured in the second sub-sub-zone. The second beam width of the first sub-wide beam is greater than the third beam width of the second sub-wide beam.

[0034] In the implementation manner, the network device can determine more sub-zones in the region of the first region covered by the first satellite except the second sub-zone, and respectively configure beams with different beam widths in the sub-zones. This implementation manner can enable the first satellite to use the wide beams with different beam widths more flexibly to adapt to different communication scenarios, and can further improve the applicability of the communication method provided in the application.

[0035] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the second sub-zone surrounds the first sub-zone, and the second sub-zone surrounds the second sub-zone.

[0036] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the center point of the first sub-zone is the subsatellite point of the first satellite.

[0037] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the determination of the first sub-zone and the second sub-zone in the first region covered by the first satellite includes:

[0038] The network device determines a second received signal-to-noise ratio and a third received signal-to-noise ratio. The second received signal-to-noise ratio is an edge received signal-to-noise ratio of the first sub-wide beam corresponding to a sub-beam position at a satellite below point, and the third received signal-to-noise ratio is an edge received signal-to-noise ratio of the second sub-wide beam corresponding to the sub-beam position at the satellite below point. The network device determines a second maximum allowed scanning loss corresponding to the first sub-wide beam according to the second received signal-to-noise ratio and a received signal-to-noise ratio lower limit of the first satellite. The network device determines a second terminal elevation angle according to the second maximum allowed scanning loss and a maximum terminal elevation angle in the first region. The network device determines a third maximum allowed scanning loss corresponding to the second sub-wide beam according to the third received signal-to-noise ratio and the received signal-to-noise ratio lower limit, and determines a third terminal elevation angle according to the third maximum allowed scanning loss and the maximum terminal elevation angle. The network device determines a first sub-region, a second sub-region, and a second region in the first region covered by the first satellite according to the second terminal elevation angle and the third terminal elevation angle. The terminal elevation angle corresponding to the second region is greater than a minimum terminal elevation angle corresponding to the first region and less than or equal to the third terminal elevation angle. The terminal elevation angle corresponding to the second sub-region is greater than the third terminal elevation angle and less than or equal to the second terminal elevation angle, and the terminal elevation angle corresponding to the first sub-region is greater than the second terminal elevation angle and less than or equal to the maximum terminal elevation angle.

[0039] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the second received signal-to-noise ratio is determined, including:

[0040] The network device determines a second beam width according to a narrow beam width of the first narrow beam, and a second widening coefficient corresponding to the first sub-wide beam. The network device determines a second angle as half of the second beam width. The network device determines a second antenna gain corresponding to the second angle. The network device determines the second received signal-to-noise ratio as a sum of the second antenna gain and a received signal-to-noise ratio constant of the first satellite.

[0041] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the first satellite transmits the first sub-wide beam through a first reflector antenna, and the second antenna gain corresponding to the second angle is determined, including: the network device calculates the second antenna gain corresponding to the second angle according to the second angle, a first antenna aperture value of the first reflector antenna, and a first antenna gain calculation rule associated with the first reflector antenna.

[0042] In combination with the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the first satellite transmits the first sub-wide beam through a first phased array antenna, and the second antenna gain corresponding to the second angle is determined, including:

[0043] The network device calculates a second antenna gain corresponding to the second angle according to the second angle, a third number of antennas of the first phased array antenna in a first dimension and a fourth number of antennas of the first phased array antenna in a second dimension, a third antenna element spacing of the first phased array antenna in the first dimension and a fourth antenna element spacing of the first phased array antenna in the second dimension, and a second antenna gain calculation rule associated with the first phased array antenna. The first dimension and the second dimension are perpendicular to each other on an antenna panel of the first phased array antenna.

[0044] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the third received signal-to-noise ratio is determined by:

[0045] The network device determines a third angle as half of the third beam width, and determines a third antenna gain corresponding to the third angle. The network device determines the third received signal-to-noise ratio as a sum of the third antenna gain and a received signal-to-noise ratio constant of the first satellite.

[0046] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the first satellite transmits the second sub-wide beam through a second reflector antenna, and the third antenna gain corresponding to the third angle is determined by: the network device calculates the third antenna gain corresponding to the third angle according to the third angle, a second antenna aperture value of the second reflector antenna, and a first antenna gain calculation rule.

[0047] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the first satellite transmits the second sub-wide beam through a second phased array antenna, and the third antenna gain corresponding to the third angle is determined by:

[0048] The network device calculates a third antenna gain corresponding to the third angle according to the third angle, a fifth number of antennas of the second phased array antenna in a first dimension and a sixth number of antennas of the second phased array antenna in a second dimension, a fifth antenna element spacing of the second phased array antenna in the first dimension and a sixth antenna element spacing of the second phased array antenna in the second dimension, and a second antenna gain calculation rule. The first dimension and the second dimension are perpendicular to each other on an antenna panel of the second phased array antenna.

[0049] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the second received signal-to-noise ratio is determined by:

[0050] The network device obtains a second angle. The second angle is an angle between the first satellite and a line connecting a center point and an edge point of a wide beam j covering the ground point and having a same beam width as the first sub-wide beam. The second angle is greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees. It should be noted that the wide beam j can be understood as a first sub-wide beam simulated to hit the ground point in the process of determining the second received signal-to-noise ratio, and the wide beam j can not be included in the plurality of first sub-wide beams configured in the first sub-zone. That is, the wide beam j is mainly used to determine the second received signal-to-noise ratio, and is not necessarily a first sub-wide beam that is actually configured. The network device determines a second antenna gain corresponding to the second angle. The network device determines a sum of the second antenna gain and a received signal-to-noise ratio constant of the first satellite as the second received signal-to-noise ratio.

[0051] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the third received signal-to-noise ratio is determined, including:

[0052] The network device obtains a third angle. The third angle is an angle between the first satellite and a line connecting a center point and an edge point of a wide beam k covering the ground point and having a same beam width as the second sub-wide beam. The third angle is greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees. It should be noted that the wide beam k can be understood as a second sub-wide beam simulated to hit the ground point in the process of determining the third received signal-to-noise ratio, and the wide beam k can not be included in the plurality of second sub-wide beams configured in the second sub-zone. That is, the wide beam k is mainly used to determine the third received signal-to-noise ratio, and is not necessarily a second sub-wide beam that is actually configured. The network device determines a third antenna gain corresponding to the third angle. The network device determines a sum of the third antenna gain and a received signal-to-noise ratio constant of the first satellite as the third received signal-to-noise ratio.

[0053] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the first region corresponds to a plurality of terminal elevation angles, and the second terminal elevation angle is determined according to the second maximum allowed scanning loss and the maximum terminal elevation angle in the first region, including: the network device determines a first carrier-to-noise ratio corresponding to the maximum terminal elevation angle in the first region. The network device obtains a third difference between the first carrier-to-noise ratio and the second maximum allowed scanning loss. The network device determines the second terminal elevation angle according to the plurality of terminal elevation angles and the third difference. Among the plurality of carrier-to-noise ratios corresponding to the plurality of terminal elevation angles, the absolute value of the difference between the carrier-to-noise ratio corresponding to the second terminal elevation angle and the third difference is the smallest.

[0054] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the first region corresponds to a plurality of terminal elevation angles, and the third terminal elevation angle is determined according to the third maximum allowed scanning loss and a maximum terminal elevation angle in the first region, including: the network device obtains a fourth difference value between the first carrier-to-noise ratio and the second maximum allowed scanning loss. The network device determines the third terminal elevation angle according to the plurality of terminal elevation angles and the fourth difference value. In the plurality of carrier-to-noise ratios corresponding to the plurality of terminal elevation angles, the absolute value of the difference between the carrier-to-noise ratio corresponding to the third terminal elevation angle and the fourth difference value is the smallest.

[0055] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the second sub-region is a region in the first region except the first sub-region, and the second sub-region surrounds the first sub-region. In this way, the second sub-region can cover all edge regions of the first region, and the communication quality at the edge of the satellite coverage region can be more effectively ensured. It should be understood that this manner can be applicable to the scenario of the first satellite serving mobile cell.

[0056] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the network device can determine the first sub-region and the second sub-region according to the first terminal elevation angle in another manner, specifically including: the network device can determine a region with a terminal elevation angle less than or equal to a maximum terminal elevation angle and greater than the first terminal elevation angle as a wide-beam sub-region. Then, the network device can determine an overlapping region of the wide-beam sub-region and the first region as the first sub-region, and determine a region in the first region except the first sub-region as the second sub-region. It should be understood that this manner can be applicable to the scenario of the first satellite serving earth-fixed cell.

[0057] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the method further includes:

[0058] sending, to the terminal device, second location information of a third sub-region and a fourth sub-region in a second region covered by a second satellite. The subspace point of the second satellite is located in the third sub-region, and the fourth sub-region includes part or all of the edge regions of the second region. The third sub-region is used to configure a second wide beam, the fourth sub-region is used to configure a first narrow beam, the second wide beam has a different beam width from the first wide beam, and in a case where the serving satellite of the terminal device is switched from the first satellite to the second satellite, the second location information is used for the terminal device to access the second satellite.

[0059] In the implementation, the first satellite and the second satellite can determine different partitions for configuring wide beams and narrow beams due to differences in hardware configuration, payload capacity, and the like. In a case where the second satellite takes over the first satellite to serve the terminal device, the first satellite can obtain second location information capable of indicating third and fourth partitions in a second area covered by the second satellite, and send the second location information to the terminal device. In this way, the terminal device can obtain the partition situation in the second area covered by the second satellite in advance, thereby saving unnecessary measurement overhead and improving the efficiency of the terminal device accessing the second satellite.

[0060] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the fourth partition surrounds the third partition, and the fourth partition is a region in the second area other than the third partition.

[0061] With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the first satellite and the second satellite are geosynchronous satellites.

[0062] In a second aspect, the present application provides a communication method. The method is applicable to a terminal device or an apparatus in the terminal device, such as a module (for example, a circuit, a chip, or a chip system) in the terminal device or a logic node, a logic module, or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the terminal device. The communication method comprises: receiving, by a terminal device, first location information of first and second partitions in a first area covered by a first satellite. The subsatellite point of the first satellite is located in the first partition, and the second partition includes part or all of the edge region of the first area. The first partition is used to configure a first wide beam, and the second partition is used to configure a first narrow beam. The terminal device determines a residence duration of the terminal device in the second partition according to the first location information. The terminal device determines a first time point at which a beam switching delay of the terminal device is switched from a first switching delay corresponding to the second partition to a second switching delay corresponding to the first partition according to the residence duration of the terminal device in the second partition.

[0063] In the implementation, the terminal device can determine when it will leave the second partition and enter the first partition based on the first location information provided by the network device, so that the terminal device can timely switch the beam switching delay from the first switching delay corresponding to the second partition to the second switching delay corresponding to the first partition, thereby simplifying the beam measurement and switching process of the terminal device.

[0064] With reference to the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the second partition surrounds the first partition, and the second partition is a region in the first area other than the first partition.

[0065] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the determining of the residence duration of the terminal device in the second subzone according to the first location information comprises: the terminal device obtaining third location information when the terminal device enters the second subzone and ephemeris information of the first satellite; and the terminal device determining a first distance between the first location and a second location according to the third location information, the ephemeris information of the first satellite and the first location information, wherein the second location is a location of the terminal device when the terminal device leaves the second subzone; and the terminal device determining the first residence duration of the terminal device in the second subzone according to the first distance and speed information of the first satellite.

[0066] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the first location information comprises at least one of the following: a beam scanning angular range corresponding to the first subzone and the second subzone; a terminal elevation angle range corresponding to the first subzone and the second subzone; a first received signal-to-noise ratio and a lower limit of a received signal-to-noise ratio of the first satellite; and a first maximum allowable scanning loss.

[0067] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the method further comprises: the terminal device receiving second location information of a third subzone and a fourth subzone in a second area covered by a second satellite, wherein a subsatellite point of the second satellite is located in the third subzone, and the fourth subzone comprises part or all of the second area; the third subzone is configured to configure a second wide beam, and the fourth subzone is configured to configure a first narrow beam, and a beam width of the second wide beam is different from a beam width of the first wide beam; and the terminal device accesses the second satellite according to the second location information in a case where a serving satellite is switched from the first satellite to the second satellite.

[0068] In the implementation manner described above, the first satellite and the second satellite can be determined to have different subzones for configuring wide beams and narrow beams due to differences in hardware configuration, payload capacity and the like. In a case where the second satellite replaces the first satellite to serve the terminal device, the terminal device can obtain the subzone situation in a second area covered by the second satellite in advance through the first satellite, thereby saving unnecessary measurement overhead and improving the efficiency of accessing the second satellite.

[0069] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the fourth subzone surrounds the third subzone, and the fourth subzone is a region in the second area other than the third subzone.

[0070] In the third aspect, the present application provides a communication apparatus having a function of implementing the method provided in any one of the first aspect to the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of any one of the first aspect to the second aspect. For example, the communication apparatus can comprise a module or unit or means corresponding to the operations related to the first aspect or the second aspect, which can be implemented by software, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0071] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to carry out the method of any one of the first aspect to the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0072] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by a processor, carries out the method of any one of the first aspect to the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0073] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication apparatus comprising at least one processor and a memory. The memory is configured to store a computer program. The processor is configured to execute the computer program stored in the memory to cause the communication apparatus to perform the communication method of any one of the first aspect to the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0074] Optionally, the memory can be integrated with the processor, or the memory can be arranged separately from the processor.

[0075] It should be understood that the relevant data interaction process, such as sending information, can be a process of outputting information from the processor, and receiving information can be a process of receiving information by the processor. Specifically, the data output by the processor can be output to the transmitter, and the input data received by the processor can come from the receiver. The transmitter and the receiver can be collectively referred to as a transceiver.

[0076] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a chip comprising at least a processor. The processor is configured to execute computer execution instructions to cause the apparatus installed with the chip to perform the communication method of any one of the first aspect to the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0077] In combination with the seventh aspect, in a possible implementation, the chip can further comprise an interface circuit. The interface circuit is configured to receive computer execution instructions and transmit the computer execution instructions to the processor.

[0078] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a communication system. The communication system can comprise the network device described above, and can further comprise the terminal device described above.

[0079] It should be understood that the communication method provided by any one of the first aspect to the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof is applicable to the communication system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0080] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the application;

[0081] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of angles in a satellite system according to an embodiment of the application;

[0082] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the application;

[0083] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a division of a satellite coverage area according to an embodiment of the application;

[0084] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a further division of a satellite coverage area according to an embodiment of the application;

[0085] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a further communication method according to an embodiment of the application;

[0086] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a further communication method according to an embodiment of the application;

[0087] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the application;

[0088] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a further communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0089] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely below with reference to the accompanying drawings provided in the embodiments of the present application.

[0090] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, for example: a global system of mobile communication (GSM) system, a code division multiple access (CDMA) system, a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) system, a general packet radio service (GPRS), a long term evolution (LTE) system, an LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, an LTE time division duplex (TDD), a universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, a machine to machine (M2M) system, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) system, a 5th generation (5G) system or a new radio (NR), and the like or a future wireless communication system. The NTN system can include a satellite communication system, a high altitude platform station (HAPS) communication system, and the like.

[0091] In the embodiments of the present application, the NTN system refers to a communication network using an air or space platform as a transmission device relay node or a base station. The air or space platform includes, but is not limited to, a drone, a hot air balloon, an airplane, a satellite, and the like.

[0092] Please refer to FIG. 1, which is a structural schematic diagram of a communication system provided by the present application. It should be understood that FIG. 1 shows an NTN system to which the technical solutions provided by the present application are applicable, and FIG. 1 takes a satellite communication system as an example. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system 10 can include at least one terminal device 110 and at least one network device 120. Exemplarily, the terminal device 110 can include a terminal device 110a and / or a terminal device 110b, and the network device 120 can include a satellite 120a and / or a satellite 120b. The network device 120 can communicate with the terminal device 110 directly or through a relay station, such as a relay satellite. It should be understood that the network device 120 can include one or more satellites. The satellite can provide communication services, navigation services, and positioning services, etc. to the terminal device through multiple beams. The satellite covers a service area (which can also be understood as a coverage area of the satellite, a coverage range of the satellite, etc.) by using multiple beams, and different beams can communicate through one or more of time division, frequency division, and space division. The satellite can establish an inter-satellite link with another satellite, and the satellite can process and forward data according to a protocol. The communication system 10 can also include a connection device 130, such as a gateway. In order to distinguish from a terrestrial communication system, the gateway is referred to as a ground station here. The network device 120 can communicate with the connection device 130, and the connection device 130 can communicate with a core network 140. The connection device 130 also has functions of monitoring and fault querying the satellite, packet switching of communication data, interface protocol conversion, etc. The link between the connection device 130 and the satellite can be referred to as a feeder link, and the link between the satellite and the user device can be referred to as a service link.

[0093] It should be noted that in actual implementation, for the terminal device 110, the connection device 130 can also be understood as a kind of network device. That is, the connection device 130 can be considered as one of the network devices 120. It should also be understood that FIG. 1 is only an example, and in actual scenarios, the communication system 10 can also include other types of network devices and / or other types of terminal devices, or the communication system 10 can also include more or fewer satellites, more or fewer terminal devices, more or fewer connection devices.

[0094] In the embodiments of the present application, the satellite communication system can have two working modes, namely a transparent mode and a regenerative mode. In the transparent mode, the data of the terminal device generally reaches the ground station through the satellite, and then reaches the destination through the ground station. Generally, due to the long distance between the satellite and the terminal device on the ground, for example, more than 1000 kilometers, the time delay of the satellite in this working mode is large. In the regenerative mode, the satellite can filter, frequency and signal amplify the wireless signal, and at the same time, the signal demodulation, decoding, data packet exchange or routing, and encoding and modulation are involved. Therefore, the satellite working in the regenerative mode basically has part or all of the functions of the base station in the cellular network.

[0095] The satellite involved in the embodiments of the present application refers to an artificial satellite. The satellite can be a satellite base station, and can also include an orbit receiver or a repeater for relaying information, or a network device carried on the satellite; the satellite can be a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, a middle earth orbit (MEO) satellite, a highly elliptical orbit (HEO) satellite, a geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite, or a non-geostationary orbit (non-GEO, NGEO) satellite, etc. The present application does not make any limitation on this. It should be understood that the scheme in the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to other communication systems, and the corresponding name can also be replaced by the name of the corresponding function in other communication systems.

[0096] In the communication system shown in FIG. 1, the network device 120 can be a device accessing a network using 3GPP technology, including but not limited to: a base station, a NodeB (NodeB or NB), an evolved NodeB, a gNB or TRP in a 5G (such as NR) system, a next-generation base station in a 6G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, a base station in a subsequent evolution of 3GPP, etc., and can also be a module or unit completing part of the function of the base station, for example, can be a CU, or a DU. The network device can also be: a macro base station, a micro base station, a pico base station, a small station, a relay station, an indoor station, a balloon station, a satellite station, a wireless relay node, a wireless backhaul node, etc. The network device 120 can also be a device accessing a network using non-3GPP technology, for example, including but not limited to an AP in a Wi-Fi system, a wireless relay node, a wireless backhaul node, etc. The network device can also be a server, a wearable device, or a vehicle-mounted device, etc. The network device can also be a network device in a CRAN scenario. The network device can also be a network device in an NTN, for example, can be a relay satellite, or a satellite with base station function, a ground station, etc. The network device can contain one or more co-sited or non-co-sited TRPs.

[0097] The terminal device 110 in the communication system shown in FIG. 1 can also be referred to as a UE, an access terminal, 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 user terminal, a terminal, a wireless communication device, a UE agent, or a UE apparatus, etc. It is a device with wireless transceiving function, which can be fixed or mobile. The terminal device can be deployed on land, including indoor or outdoor, handheld, wearable or vehicle-mounted; can also be deployed on the water surface (such as ships, etc.); can also be deployed in the air (such as airplanes, balloons and satellites, etc.). The terminal device can include but is not limited to: a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiving function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a mixed reality (MR) terminal device, an extended reality (XR) terminal device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a haptic terminal device, a vehicle-mounted terminal device, a wireless terminal in unmanned driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical treatment, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, a wearable terminal device, etc. The terminal device can support communication with multiple network devices of different technologies, for example, the terminal device can support communication with a base station supporting an LTE network, can also support communication with a base station supporting a 5G network, and can also support dual connectivity with a base station of an LTE network and a base station of a 5G network.

[0098] It should be understood that FIG. 1 is only an example, and in actual implementation, the method provided in the present application is also applicable to a communication system formed by integrating an NTN system with a ground communication system, and is also applicable to other communication systems using satellites or ground stations, which will not be enumerated one by one in the present application.

[0099] It should be noted that in combination with the communication system shown in FIG. 1, the scheme provided in the present application can be cooperatively implemented by the terminal device 110 and the network device 120 or the connection device 130 in the communication system 10. For ease of understanding, in the embodiments of the present application, the network device and the terminal device will be taken as examples for description, and the network device includes the network device 120 and / or the connection device 130 shown in FIG. 1.

[0100] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, some concepts related to the present application will be introduced below.

[0101] 1. Beam, beam broadening technology, wide beam and narrow beam

[0102] In the embodiments of the present application, a beam is a kind of communication resource. The technology for forming a beam can be beamforming technology or other technical means. The beamforming technology can be digital beamforming technology, analog beamforming technology, hybrid digital / analog beamforming technology, etc. Different beams can be considered as different communication resources, and the same information or different information can be transmitted through different beams. Alternatively, multiple beams with the same or similar communication characteristics can be regarded as one beam, and one beam can include one or more antenna ports for transmitting data channels, control channels, sounding signals, etc. For example, a transmit beam can refer to the signal strength distribution of a signal formed in different directions in space after the signal is transmitted by an antenna, and a receive beam can refer to the signal strength distribution of a signal received by an antenna in different directions in space. It can be understood that a beam can also be referred to as a spatial filter, a transmit beam can also be referred to as a spatial transmit filter, and a receive beam can also be referred to as a spatial receive filter.

[0103] The beam related in the present application can be classified into a wide beam and a narrow beam. The wide beam is obtained by beam broadening technology from the narrow beam. Generally, the beam width of the wide beam is larger than the beam width of the narrow beam, or in other words, the corresponding beam position radius of the wide beam is larger than the corresponding beam position radius of the narrow beam. It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the beam width of the beam can be understood as the half-power beam width of the antenna pattern of the beam, or as the main lobe width of the antenna pattern, or as the main lobe width of the beam. Here, the main lobe of the beam can refer to the main lobe of the antenna pattern of the beam. It should also be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the beam that has not been subjected to beam broadening is referred to as a narrow beam with respect to a wide beam. For example, the wide beam referred to in the present application is obtained by beam broadening based on the beam defined in the prior art (i.e., the existing beam), and the existing beam can be understood as a narrow beam.

[0104] The beam broadening technology related in the embodiments of the present application mainly refers to the technical means for expanding the beam width of a narrow beam to obtain a wide beam, which can also be referred to as a method for forming a wide beam. The embodiments of the present application exemplarily propose three beam broadening modes, which will be described below.

[0105] (1) Beam broadening mode one

[0106] This mode can also be referred to as increased ABS, where ABS is the abbreviation of adjacent beam spacing. The beam spacing is used to represent the distance between the center points of two adjacent beams in the satellite coverage area. For the description of the beam spacing and the beams in the satellite coverage area, please refer to the description in the technical report with the version number TR38.821 in the 3GPP technical specification, which will not be repeated here. Specifically, this beam widening mode keeps the antenna pattern of the beam unchanged, i.e., ensures that the half-power beam width of the beam does not change, and forms a wide beam based on the further extension of the definition of the beam width of the existing beam and the newly defined beam width. For example, the beam width of the existing beam is defined as: the double of the beam scanning angle change amount corresponding to the maximum antenna gain reduced by 3dBi. The new beam width is defined as: the double of the beam scanning angle change amount corresponding to the maximum antenna gain reduced by 5dBi. The beam formed based on this new beam width definition is a wide beam.

[0107] It should be noted that when this beam widening mode one is adopted, the satellite can adopt a reflector antenna model, i.e., the satellite transmits beams through a reflector antenna. Alternatively, when this beam widening mode one is adopted, the satellite can also adopt a phased array antenna model, i.e., the satellite can transmit beams through a phased array antenna.

[0108] (2) Beam widening mode two

[0109] The beam with a larger half-power beam width can be formed by reducing the number of vibration sources on the antenna panel, thereby obtaining a wide beam. Similarly, when this beam widening mode two is adopted, the satellite can adopt a reflector antenna model or a phased array antenna model.

[0110] It should be noted that the wide beam and the narrow beam provided in the present application can also have other definition modes. For example, the beam with a beam width less than or equal to a preset beam width threshold is a narrow beam, and the beam with a beam width greater than the preset beam width threshold is a wide beam. For another example, the beam with a corresponding beam radius less than or equal to a preset beam radius threshold is a narrow beam, and the beam with a corresponding beam radius greater than the preset beam radius threshold is a wide beam. For example, the above-mentioned beam radius threshold can be 50 kilometers (Km). Generally, the antenna gain of the narrow beam is higher than that of the wide beam.

[0111] 2. Beam scanning angle and terminal elevation angle

[0112] Please refer to FIG. 2, which is an angle diagram in a satellite system provided in the present application. FIG. 2 shows the terminal elevation angle and the beam scanning angle in the coverage area of a satellite taking a single satellite as an example.

[0113] Wherein, at a given time, the angle between the line of sight (also can be understood as the line connecting the terminal device and the satellite) of the terminal device on the earth to the satellite and the horizon of the location of the terminal device is the terminal elevation angle of the terminal device. It should be understood that the terminal elevation angle is the same as the depression angle of the satellite. Generally, the terminal elevation angle is used to describe the position of the terminal device relative to the satellite in the coverage area of the satellite. When the terminal elevation angle is 90 degrees, it means that the terminal device is directly below the satellite, which can also be understood as the terminal device being at the subsatellite point of the satellite. Exemplarily, the parameters for determining the terminal elevation angle of the terminal device at a certain time can include the latitude and longitude of the location of the terminal device, the height of the satellite from the ground, the orbital angle of the satellite, and the specific position of the satellite on the orbit (for example, the latitude and longitude of the satellite). Notably, the terminal elevation angle can also be converted from the angular information such as the opening angle and / or the central angle of the satellite.

[0114] At a given time, the angle between the beam direction of a certain beam and the line connecting the satellite and the subsatellite point is the beam scanning opening angle of the beam, which can also be referred to as the off-axis angle of the beam. Correspondingly, if the beam direction of a certain beam points to the subsatellite point of the satellite, the beam can be referred to as the subsatellite beam, and the beam scanning opening angle of the subsatellite beam is 0 degrees. The antenna pattern describes the antenna gain of the satellite antenna panel when the beam scanning opening angle is 0 degrees.

[0115] 3, received signal-to-noise ratio

[0116] The received signal-to-noise ratio involved in the embodiments of the present application is the signal-to-noise ratio when the satellite and the terminal device perform signal transmission through a beam directed to a certain position in the coverage area of the satellite. The embodiments of the present application are applicable to both signal uplink and signal downlink scenarios. In the signal uplink scenario, the terminal device transmits signals through a beam, and the satellite receives signals through a beam. The above-mentioned received signal-to-noise ratio refers to the signal-to-noise ratio when the satellite receives signals through a beam. In the signal downlink scenario, the satellite transmits signals through a beam, and the terminal device receives signals through a beam. The above-mentioned received signal-to-noise ratio refers to the signal-to-noise ratio when the terminal device receives signals through a beam. Since the implementation process of the method provided by the present application is consistent in the two scenarios of signal uplink or signal downlink, the only difference is whether the received signal-to-noise ratio is that of the terminal device or that of the satellite. Therefore, in order to avoid redundancy, the embodiments of the present application will use the received signal-to-noise ratio instead of distinguishing between the signal uplink scenario and the signal downlink scenario.

[0117] It should be further pointed out that, in the present application, a position in the coverage area of the satellite can be understood as the projection area of a beam directed by the satellite in its coverage area, or as the geographical area covered by a beam directed by the satellite (i.e., the beam coverage area), or as the ground area irradiated by a beam directed by the satellite in a specific time period.

[0118] In the following, a communication method and related apparatus provided by the present application will be described in detail in combination with the foregoing description.

[0119] Currently, it is proposed to use wide beams to improve the communication coverage of a satellite. The existing beams are processed by beam widening technology to form wide beams. In this case, the existing beams can be understood as narrow beams. Then, the wide beams can be used to realize communication with terminal devices within the coverage area of the satellite. Since the coverage range of a wide beam on the ground is larger, the use of wide beams within the coverage area of the satellite can reduce the total number of beams within the coverage area of the satellite. Therefore, under the condition that the beam scanning time is unchanged, the total number of beams within the coverage area of the satellite is reduced, and the communication coverage of the satellite is naturally improved. However, due to factors such as signal attenuation and multipath effect, the communication quality at the edge of the coverage area of the satellite is relatively poor, and the use of wide beams can further reduce the received signal-to-noise ratio of the signal between the terminal device and the satellite. Therefore, the use of wide beams to improve the communication coverage can further deteriorate the communication quality at the edge of the coverage area of the satellite.

[0120] Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by the present application is how to avoid the influence of the use of wide beams on the communication quality at the edge of the coverage area of the satellite.

[0121] To solve the above problems, the present application provides a communication method. In the method, a first sub-area for configuring a wide beam and a second sub-area for configuring a narrow beam can be determined within the coverage area of a satellite. The first sub-area contains the subsatellite point of the satellite, and the second sub-area includes part or all of the edge area of the coverage area of the satellite. After the beams are configured, the narrow beams with higher antenna gain are used for communication at the edge of the coverage area of the satellite, and the wide beams are used for communication in the central area of the coverage area of the satellite. In this way, the use of wide beams can improve the communication coverage of the satellite, and the influence of the use of wide beams on the communication quality at the edge of the coverage area of the satellite can be reduced or avoided.

[0122] It should be understood that the communication method provided by the present embodiment is applicable to the non-terrestrial communication system shown in FIG. 1 and can be implemented by the satellite or the ground station shown in FIG. 1. For the convenience of description, hereinafter, the network device is uniformly referred to. Although the network device is taken as an example to illustrate the execution subject of the communication method hereinafter, the present application is not limited to the execution subject of the communication method. For example, the method executed by the network device in the present application can also be implemented by a module (such as a circuit, a chip or a chip system, etc.) in the network device, or a logic node, a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the network device.

[0123] Please refer to FIG. 3, which is a flowchart of a communication method provided by the present application. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication method can include the following steps:

[0124] S310, the network device determines a first sub-region and a second sub-region in a first region covered by the first satellite.

[0125] In some possible implementation manners, before configuring the beams for the first satellite, the network device can first determine the first sub-region and the second sub-region in the first region covered by the first satellite. The subsatellite point of the first satellite is located in the first sub-region, and the second sub-region includes part or all of the edge region of the first region. Here, the first region is the satellite coverage region of the first satellite, and the first sub-region and the second sub-region are included in the satellite coverage region of the first satellite. It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the edge region of the satellite coverage region mainly refers to the region corresponding to the minimum terminal elevation angle of the satellite coverage region. For example, assuming that the minimum terminal elevation angle corresponding to the satellite coverage region is 30 degrees, the edge region of the satellite coverage region is the part of the satellite coverage region where the terminal elevation angle is equal to 30 degrees. For example, the edge region of the first region is the part of the first region where the terminal elevation angle is equal to 30 degrees.

[0126] It should be noted that the first region can also include other sub-regions in addition to the first sub-region and the second sub-region, and these sub-regions can use wide beams or narrow beams, which are not limited in the present application. For the convenience of understanding, the communication method provided by the present application will be described below by taking the first region including the first sub-region and the second sub-region as an example.

[0127] In some possible implementation manners, the second sub-region can be a region in the first region other than the first sub-region, and the second sub-region surrounds the first sub-region. In this way, the second sub-region can cover all the edge regions of the first region, and the communication quality at the edge of the satellite coverage region can be more effectively guaranteed. It should be understood that this mode can be applied to the scenario in which the first satellite serves a mobile cell.

[0128] For example, referring to FIG. 4, FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of sub-regions of a satellite coverage region provided by the present application. As shown in FIG. 4, in the first region covered by the first satellite, the first sub-region can be a region close to the subsatellite point, or a region close to the center side of the first region, and the subsatellite point is located in the first sub-region. The second sub-region surrounds the first sub-region and includes all the edge regions of the first region. It should be understood that the shape of the first region is usually approximately circular, and the above-mentioned first sub-region can be a circular region including the subsatellite point, and the above-mentioned second sub-region can be an annular region in the first region other than the first sub-region. It should be understood that only part of the wave positions in the first sub-region and the second sub-region are shown in FIG. 4. In actual implementation, the wave positions corresponding to the first narrow beams are usually uniformly distributed in the second sub-region, and the wave positions corresponding to the first wide beams are usually uniformly distributed in the first sub-region.

[0129] It should be noted that in a possible implementation scenario, the first satellite can use a wide beam, and the network device configures the first wide beam in the first subzone. In this case, the beams used in the first subzone are all the first wide beam. It should be understood that multiple first wide beams will be configured in the first subzone, and the following will be described uniformly with the first wide beam and replaced by scenario one. In another possible scenario, the first satellite can use two or more wide beams, that is, the network device configures two or more wide beams in the first subzone. In this case, the first subzone can include two or more subzones, each of which uses one of the two or more wide beams described above, and each subzone uses a different type of wide beam. It should be understood that the implementation of using two wide beams and using more than two wide beams is similar, and the following will be described by taking the first satellite using two wide beams as an example. That is, the first wide beam includes a first sub-wide beam and a second sub-wide beam, and the beam widths of the first sub-wide beam and the second sub-wide beam are different. And will be described uniformly with scenario two. It should be understood that the two wide beams described in the embodiments of the present application are different in type, which can be understood as the beam widths of the two wide beams being different.

[0130] The implementation process of step S310 will be described below in combination with scenario one and scenario two.

[0131] Scenario one:

[0132] In some possible implementation manners, the network device can first determine a first reception signal-to-noise ratio corresponding to the first wide beam. The first reception signal-to-noise ratio is an edge reception signal-to-noise ratio of the first wide beam at the spot-beam position. Here, the so-called spot-beam position is a wave position where the spot of the first satellite is located, and can be specifically as shown in FIG. 4. It should be further understood that the first reception signal-to-noise ratio can also be understood as a signal-to-noise ratio (which can be a reception signal-to-noise ratio of the first satellite or a reception signal-to-noise ratio of the terminal device) of the terminal device located at the edge of the spot-beam position when the first satellite transmits a signal in the case where the first wide beam is directed to the spot-beam position. Alternatively, the first reception signal-to-noise ratio can also be understood as a minimum reception signal-to-noise ratio of the first wide beam in the spot-beam in the case where the first wide beam is directed to the spot-beam position. Alternatively, the first reception signal-to-noise ratio can also be understood as an edge point link budget of the spot-beam position in the case where the first wide beam is directed to the spot-beam position.

[0133] Then, the network device can determine a difference between the first received signal-to-noise ratio and a lower limit of the received signal-to-noise ratio of the first satellite as a first maximum allowed scanning loss corresponding to the first wide beam. Here, the lower limit of the received signal-to-noise ratio of the first satellite can be understood as a signal-to-noise ratio threshold that can ensure normal transmission of signals between the first satellite and the terminal device through the first wide beam. When the received signal-to-noise ratio is less than the threshold value, the first satellite and the terminal device cannot complete the transmission of signals through the first wide beam. The first maximum allowed scanning loss refers to the maximum signal transmission loss value of the first wide beam allowed on the premise of ensuring normal transmission of signals between the first satellite and the terminal device through the first wide beam. When the roll-off loss is not considered, the scanning loss of the beam can depend on the change of the path loss corresponding to the beam. When the beam scanning angle of the first wide beam is expanded to be higher than the first maximum allowed scanning loss, the minimum received signal-to-noise ratio corresponding to the first wide beam will be lower than the first received signal-to-noise ratio, and at this time the first satellite and the terminal device cannot complete the transmission of signals through the first wide beam. That is, when the actual scanning loss when using the first wide beam is greater than the first maximum allowed scanning loss, the signal-to-noise ratio when the first satellite and the terminal device transmit signals through the first wide beam will be less than the first received signal-to-noise ratio, and cannot meet the needs of normal communication.

[0134] Further, the network device can determine a first terminal elevation angle according to the first maximum allowed scanning loss and the maximum terminal elevation angle in the first region. Then, the network device can determine a first sub-region and a second sub-region in the first region covered by the first satellite according to the first terminal elevation angle. The terminal elevation angle corresponding to the second sub-region is greater than the minimum terminal elevation angle corresponding to the first region and less than or equal to the first terminal elevation angle, and the terminal elevation angle corresponding to the first sub-region is greater than the first terminal elevation angle and less than or equal to the maximum terminal elevation angle. That is, after determining the first terminal elevation angle, the network device can determine the region in the first region where the terminal elevation angle is greater than the minimum terminal elevation angle corresponding to the first region and less than or equal to the first terminal elevation angle as the second sub-region, and determine the region in the first region where the terminal elevation angle is greater than the first terminal elevation angle and less than or equal to the maximum terminal elevation angle as the first sub-region.

[0135] It should be noted that the above-described manner of determining the first partition and the second partition is mainly applicable to the scenario of the first satellite service mobile cell. In another possible implementation, the network device can also determine the first partition and the second partition according to the first terminal elevation in other manners. For example, after obtaining the first terminal elevation, the network device can determine a region with a terminal elevation less than or equal to a maximum terminal elevation and greater than the first terminal elevation as a wide-beam region. Then, the network device can determine an overlapping part of the wide-beam region and the first region as the first partition, and determine a region of the first region other than the first partition as the second partition. It should be understood that this manner can be applicable to the scenario of the first satellite service earth fixed cell.

[0136] In a possible implementation, the first satellite can obtain the first wide beam by using the above-described widening manner. In this case, the network device can determine the first signal-to-noise ratio in the following manner.

[0137] For example, the network device can first obtain a narrow-beam width of the first narrow beam and a first widening coefficient corresponding to the first wide beam. In the embodiments of the present application, the widening coefficient can also be referred to as a widening granularity, which is mainly used to indicate the correlation between the narrow-beam width of the first narrow beam and the beam width of the wide beam, and the value of the widening coefficient is greater than 1. For example, the first widening coefficient indicates the correlation between the narrow-beam width of the first narrow beam and the first beam width of the first wide beam. Then, the network device can determine the first beam width of the first wide beam according to the narrow-beam width of the first narrow beam and the first widening coefficient. Then, the network device can determine half of the first beam width as the first angle. The first angle is greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees. Then, the network device can determine the first antenna gain corresponding to the first angle, and determine the sum of the first antenna gain and a receiving signal-to-noise ratio constant of the first satellite as the first receiving signal-to-noise ratio.

[0138] In the above implementation, the network device determines the maximum beam scanning azimuth angle corresponding to the case that the first wide beam is directed to the subsatellite point based on the first beam width of the first wide beam, and then calculates the first receiving signal-to-noise ratio corresponding to the first wide beam based on the antenna gain corresponding to the maximum beam scanning azimuth angle (which can be understood as the minimum antenna gain of the first wide beam within the subsatellite point) and the receiving signal-to-noise ratio constant of the first satellite. This method is simple and easy to implement, and can ensure that the calculated first receiving signal-to-noise ratio is accurate and reliable.

[0139] In the first optional solution, the first satellite can transmit the first wide beam by using a reflector antenna, that is, the first satellite can use a reflector antenna model. In this case, the network device can calculate the first antenna gain corresponding to the first angle according to the first angle, an antenna aperture value corresponding to the reflector antenna, and a first antenna gain calculation rule associated with the reflector antenna.

[0140] In the implementation described above, the calculation method of the first antenna gain corresponding to the case where the first satellite transmits the first wide beam by using the reflector antenna is given, so that the communication method provided by the present application can be applicable to the scenario where the first satellite uses the reflector antenna model, and the applicability of the communication method can be improved.

[0141] For example, the first antenna gain satisfies the following formula (1):

[0142] Wherein, G1 is the first antenna gain, a is the antenna aperture value corresponding to the reflector antenna, and θ1 is the first angle described above. Wherein, fc is the carrier frequency of the first satellite, and c is the speed of light. In the embodiments of the present application, J1(x) represents the value of the first Bessel function of the variable x. For example, J1(k×a×sin(θ1)) is the value of the first Bessel function of the number k×a×sin(θ1). It should be understood that the calculation formula corresponding to G1 can be determined or indicated by the first antenna gain calculation rule associated with the reflector antenna.

[0143] Optionally, the receiving signal-to-noise ratio constant of the first satellite can be a const1 parameter, and the specific definition of the const1 parameter can be referred to the corresponding description in the technical report with version number TR38.821 in the 3GGP technical specification, which will not be repeated here.

[0144] Optionally, the first angle θ1 can satisfy the following formula (2):

[0145] Wherein, θ1 is the first angle, and D1 is the first beam width of the first wide beam.

[0146] Further, the first beam width D1 can satisfy the following formula (3):

[0147] Wherein, A1 is the beam spacing of the first wide beam. And A1 can satisfy the following formula (4):

[0148] Here, A0 is the narrow beam width of the first narrow beam, and n is the first widening coefficient corresponding to the first wide beam.

[0149] In the second alternative, the first satellite can transmit a first wide beam via a phased array antenna, meaning the first satellite can use a phased array antenna model. In this case, the network device can calculate the first antenna gain corresponding to the first angle based on the first angle, the number of first antennas in the first dimension and the number of second antennas in the second dimension, the spacing between the first antenna elements in the first dimension and the spacing between the second antenna elements in the second dimension, and the associated second antenna gain calculation rules. The first and second dimensions are perpendicular to each other on the antenna panel of the phased array antenna. In other words, the first and second dimensions are two mutually perpendicular dimensions on the antenna panel of the phased array antenna.

[0150] In the above implementation, a method for calculating the first antenna gain corresponding to the case where the first satellite uses a phased array antenna to transmit the first wide beam is given, which makes the communication method provided in this application applicable to scenarios where the first satellite uses a phased array antenna model, and also improves the applicability of the communication method.

[0151] For example, the gain of the first antenna can satisfy the following formula (5):

[0152] Where G1 is the gain of the first antenna, θ 1n Let Nx and Ny be the first angle, and respectively the number of antennas in the first dimension and the number of antennas in the second dimension of the phased array antenna. In the embodiments of this application, the number of antennas can also be referred to as the number of vibration sources. It is an angular parameter with a value range of 0 degrees to 360 degrees. This represents the summation of values ​​of sx from 0 to S. For example, This means that when nx takes values ​​from 0 to Nx-1 and ny takes values ​​from 0 to Ny-1, for The summation of the values ​​of this variable.

[0153] Indicates that the unit element is in the direction of The gain value can be obtained by actual measurement of the phased array antenna panel hardware, and will not be elaborated here.

[0154] W nx,yy This indicates that the beam direction is (θ = 0 degrees, When the beamforming weights are calculated, the beamforming weights on the antenna elements (nx, ny) are determined. For example, the beamforming weights can be calculated using discrete Fourier transform (DFT) weights.

[0155] represents a phase of the antenna array element (nx, ny) at the direction An exemplary formula of the value can be represented as: wherein dx and dy represent a first antenna array element spacing of the phased array antenna in a first dimension and a second antenna array element spacing in a second dimension, respectively. and represent projection values of a wavelength vector of the pointing direction on the first dimension and the second dimension of the antenna panel, respectively.

[0156] In the embodiments of the present application, exp(x) is an exponential function of constant e, equal to e x Therefore, i.e. equivalent to

[0157] In a possible implementation, the first satellite can obtain the first wide beam by using the second widening manner described above. In this case, the network device can determine the first signal-to-noise ratio by using the following manner.

[0158] An exemplary manner is as follows. The network device can first obtain a first angle. The first angle is an included angle between the first satellite and a line connecting a center point and an edge point of a wide beam i, the wide beam i covering a foot point and having a same beam width as the first wide beam. The first angle is greater than 0 degree and less than 90 degrees. It should be noted that the wide beam i can be understood as a first wide beam simulated to point to the foot point in the process of determining the first received signal-to-noise ratio, and the plurality of first wide beams configured in the first subzone later can not include the wide beam i. That is, the wide beam i is mainly used to determine the first received signal-to-noise ratio, and is not necessarily a first wide beam that will be configured. Then, the network device can determine a first antenna gain corresponding to the first angle. Then, the network device can determine a sum of the first antenna gain and a received signal-to-noise ratio constant of the first satellite as the first received signal-to-noise ratio.

[0159] It should be understood that, in the case that the first satellite adopts the aforementioned widening manner one or widening manner two to obtain the first wide beam, the network device determines the first signal-to-noise ratio in the manner as described above, regardless of whether the first satellite adopts the phased array antenna to transmit the first wide beam or adopts the reflector antenna to transmit the first wide beam. In addition, in the case that the first satellite adopts the phased array antenna to transmit the first wide beam, the specific process in which the network device determines the first antenna gain corresponding to the first angle can be jointly referred to with the process in which the network device determines the first antenna gain corresponding to the first angle in the case that the first satellite adopts the reflector antenna to transmit the first wide beam, which will not be described herein again. Similarly, in the case that the first satellite adopts the reflector antenna to transmit the first wide beam, the specific process in which the network device determines the first antenna gain corresponding to the first angle can be jointly referred to with the process in which the network device determines the first antenna gain corresponding to the first angle in the case that the first satellite adopts the phased array antenna to transmit the first wide beam, which will not be described herein again.

[0160] In a possible implementation, in the case that the first satellite adopts the aforementioned widening manner one or widening manner two to obtain the first wide beam, the network device can determine the first terminal elevation angle in the following manner.

[0161] For example, the network device can first determine the first carrier-to-noise ratio corresponding to the maximum terminal elevation angle in the first region. Then, the network device can obtain a first difference between the first carrier-to-noise ratio and the first maximum allowed scanning loss. Then, the network device can determine the first terminal elevation angle according to the plurality of terminal elevation angles and the first difference. Among the plurality of carrier-to-noise ratios corresponding to the plurality of terminal elevation angles, the absolute value of the difference between the carrier-to-noise ratio corresponding to the first terminal elevation angle and the first difference is the smallest.

[0162] Optionally, the first terminal elevation angle satisfies the following formula (6):

[0163] wherein el0 is the first terminal elevation angle. el x is the terminal elevation angle, and the value range of the terminal elevation angle is all terminal elevation angles corresponding to the first region. el max is the maximum terminal elevation angle in the first region, and is usually 90 degrees. In the embodiments of the present application, f1(x) is a carrier-to-noise ratio calculation function, which is used to calculate the carrier-to-noise ratio corresponding to the variable x. That is, the value of f1(el x ) is the carrier-to-noise ratio of the terminal elevation angle el x . g1 is the first maximum allowed scanning loss described above. abs[x] is an absolute value function, which represents the absolute value of the variable x. represents the minimum value of the function f(el x ) taking the terminal elevation angle el x as the variable. That is, represents the minimum value of the function f(elx is the minimum value of the function abs[f1(el x ) - (f1(el max ) - g1)]. f1(el max ) is the first carrier-to-noise ratio corresponding to the maximum terminal elevation angle, and f1(el max ) - g1 is the first difference value.

[0164] In other words, after calculating the first difference value, the network device can calculate the absolute value of the difference between the carrier-to-noise ratio corresponding to each terminal elevation angle in the first area and the first difference value, and determine the terminal elevation angle corresponding to the minimum absolute value as the first terminal elevation angle el0.

[0165] Further, the carrier-to-noise ratio f1(el x ) can satisfy the following formula (7): f1(el x ) = const2 + f2(el x ) (7)

[0166] Wherein, const2 is a constant related to carrier-to-noise ratio calculation, and specific definition can be referred to the corresponding description in the technical report with version number TR38.821 in 3GGP technical specification, which will not be repeated herein. f2(el x ) is a calculation formula of large-scale fading, and the calculation result is the large-scale fading corresponding to the terminal elevation angle el x .

[0167] Further, f2(el x ) can satisfy the following formula (8): f2(el x ) = 32.45 + 20 x log 10 (fc) + 20 x log 10 (f3(el x )) (8)

[0168] Wherein, fc is the carrier frequency of the first satellite, and f3(el x ) is the distance between the terminal device and the first satellite at the terminal elevation angle el x .

[0169] Further, the distance f3(el x ) between the terminal device and the first satellite can satisfy the following formula (9):

[0170] Wherein, R is the radius of the earth, h is the satellite orbit height of the first satellite, and the value of the terminal elevation angle el x is referred to the foregoing description.

[0171] Scenario two:

[0172] The first satellite can use multiple wide beams, and the network device can determine more sub-zones to configure the multiple wide beams. Hereinafter, two wide beams are taken as examples, i.e., a first wide beam, a first sub-wide beam, and a second sub-wide beam. The first sub-zone includes a first sub-sub-zone and a second sub-sub-zone, and the subsatellite point of the first satellite is located in the first sub-sub-zone. The first wide beam includes the first sub-wide beam and the second sub-wide beam. Optionally, the center point of the first sub-zone can be the subsatellite point of the first satellite.

[0173] In the implementation described above, the network device can determine more sub-zones in the area of the first region covered by the first satellite except the second sub-zone, and respectively configure beams with different beam widths in these sub-zones. This implementation can enable the first satellite to use wide beams with different beam widths more flexibly to adapt to different communication scenarios, and can further improve the applicability of the communication method provided in the present application.

[0174] Optionally, the second sub-zone can surround the first sub-zone, and the second sub-zone can surround the second sub-zone. Alternatively, the second sub-zone can be in contact with part of the edge of the first sub-zone and part of the edge of the second sub-zone.

[0175] In some possible implementations, the network device can first determine a second received signal-to-noise ratio corresponding to the first sub-wide beam and a third received signal-to-noise ratio corresponding to the second sub-wide beam. The second received signal-to-noise ratio is the edge received signal-to-noise ratio of the subsatellite point beam corresponding to the first sub-wide beam, and the third received signal-to-noise ratio is the edge received signal-to-noise ratio of the subsatellite point beam corresponding to the second sub-wide beam. Here, the second received signal-to-noise ratio can also be understood as the signal-to-noise ratio of the terminal device located at the edge of the subsatellite point when the first sub-wide beam is directed to the subsatellite point. Alternatively, the second received signal-to-noise ratio can also be understood as the minimum received signal-to-noise ratio of the first wide beam in the subsatellite point beam when the first sub-wide beam is directed to the subsatellite point. Alternatively, the second received signal-to-noise ratio can also be understood as the edge point link budget of the subsatellite point when the first sub-wide beam is directed to the subsatellite point. The third received signal-to-noise ratio is similar, and thus is not described herein.

[0176] Further, the network device can determine a second maximum allowable scanning loss corresponding to the first sub-wide beam according to the second received signal-to-noise ratio and a received signal-to-noise ratio lower limit of the first satellite. Then, the network device can determine a second terminal elevation angle according to the second maximum allowable scanning loss and the maximum terminal elevation angle in the first region. Here, the received signal-to-noise ratio lower limit of the first satellite is described above, and thus will not be described here again. The second maximum allowable scanning loss refers to a maximum signal transmission loss value of the first sub-wide beam allowed on the premise that the first satellite and the terminal device can normally transmit signals through the first sub-wide beam. When the beam scanning angle of the first sub-wide beam is expanded to be higher than the second maximum allowable scanning loss, the minimum received signal-to-noise ratio corresponding to the first sub-wide beam will be lower than the second received signal-to-noise ratio, and thus the first satellite and the terminal device cannot complete signal transmission through the first sub-wide beam. That is, when the actual scanning loss when using the first sub-wide beam is greater than the second maximum allowable scanning loss, the signal-to-noise ratio when the first satellite and the terminal device transmit signals through the first sub-wide beam will be less than the second received signal-to-noise ratio, and thus cannot meet the requirement of normal communication.

[0177] Similarly, the network device can determine a third maximum allowable scanning loss corresponding to the second sub-wide beam according to the third received signal-to-noise ratio and a received signal-to-noise ratio lower limit, and determine a third terminal elevation angle according to the third maximum allowable scanning loss and the maximum terminal elevation angle. Here, the third maximum allowable scanning loss is similar to the second maximum allowable scanning loss, and thus can be described together with the description of the second maximum allowable scanning loss above, and thus will not be described here again.

[0178] Further, the network device can determine the first sub-subregion, the second sub-subregion, and the second region in the first region covered by the first satellite according to the second terminal elevation angle and the third terminal elevation angle. The terminal elevation angle corresponding to the second region is greater than the minimum terminal elevation angle corresponding to the first region and less than or equal to the third terminal elevation angle. The terminal elevation angle corresponding to the second sub-subregion is greater than the third terminal elevation angle and less than or equal to the second terminal elevation angle, and the terminal elevation angle corresponding to the first sub-subregion is greater than the second terminal elevation angle and less than or equal to the maximum terminal elevation angle. That is, after determining the second terminal elevation angle and the third terminal elevation angle, the network device can determine the second region as a region in the first region where the terminal elevation angle is greater than the minimum terminal elevation angle corresponding to the first region and less than or equal to the second terminal elevation angle, determine the second sub-subregion as a region in the first region where the terminal elevation angle is greater than the second terminal elevation angle and less than or equal to the third terminal elevation angle, and determine the first sub-subregion as a region in the first region where the terminal elevation angle is greater than the third terminal elevation angle and less than or equal to the maximum terminal elevation angle.

[0179] In a possible implementation, the first satellite can obtain the first sub-wide beam and the second sub-wide beam by using the above-mentioned widening manner. In this case, the network device can determine the second signal-to-noise ratio and the third signal-to-noise ratio by using the following manner.

[0180] Optionally, the network device can determine the second beam width according to the narrow beam width of the first narrow beam and a second widening coefficient corresponding to the first sub-wide beam. Here, the second widening coefficient indicates the correlation between the narrow beam width of the first narrow beam and the second beam width of the first sub-wide beam, and the second widening coefficient is greater than 1. Then, the network device can determine the second angle as half of the second beam width. Then, the network device can determine the second antenna gain corresponding to the second angle. Then, the network device can determine the second receiving signal-to-noise ratio as the sum of the second antenna gain and a receiving signal-to-noise ratio constant of the first satellite.

[0181] In the first optional solution, the first satellite can transmit the first sub-wide beam by using the first reflector antenna. In this case, the network device can calculate the second antenna gain corresponding to the second angle according to the second angle, a first antenna aperture value of the first reflector antenna, and a first antenna gain calculation rule associated with the first reflector antenna. For details, refer to the process of calculating the first antenna gain G1 by the network device based on formula (1) described above, except that the first angle in formula (1) is replaced by the second angle, and details are not described herein to avoid redundancy.

[0182] In the second optional solution, the first satellite can transmit the first sub-wide beam by using the first phased array antenna. In this case, the network device can calculate the second antenna gain corresponding to the second angle according to the second angle, a third antenna number of the first phased array antenna in a first dimension and a fourth antenna number of the first phased array antenna in a second dimension, a third antenna element spacing of the first phased array antenna in the first dimension and a fourth antenna element spacing of the first phased array antenna in the second dimension, and a second antenna gain calculation rule associated with the first phased array antenna. The first dimension and the second dimension are perpendicular to each other on the antenna panel of the first phased array antenna. Or, the first dimension and the second dimension are two dimensions perpendicular to each other on the antenna panel of the first phased array antenna. For details, refer to the process of calculating the first antenna gain G1 by the network device based on formula (5) described above, except that the first angle in formula (5) is replaced by the second angle, and details are not described herein to avoid redundancy.

[0183] Optionally, the network device can further determine the third beam width according to the narrow beam width of the first narrow beam and a third spreading factor corresponding to the second sub-wide beam. Here, the third spreading factor indicates the correlation between the narrow beam width of the first narrow beam and the third beam width of the second sub-wide beam, and the third spreading factor is greater than 1. Then, the network device can determine half of the third beam width as the third angle. Then, the network device can determine the third antenna gain corresponding to the third angle. Then, the network device can determine the sum of the third antenna gain and a constant of the receive signal-to-noise ratio of the first satellite as the third receive signal-to-noise ratio.

[0184] In a third optional solution, the first satellite can transmit the second sub-wide beam through the second reflector antenna. In this case, the network device can calculate the third antenna gain corresponding to the third angle according to the third angle, the second antenna aperture value of the second reflector antenna, and the first antenna gain calculation rule. The specific calculation process can refer to the process of calculating the first antenna gain G1 by the network device based on formula (1) described above, the difference being that the first angle in formula (1) is replaced by the third angle described above. To avoid redundancy, this will not be repeated here.

[0185] In a fourth optional solution, the first satellite can transmit the second sub-wide beam through the second phased array antenna. In this case, the network device can calculate the third antenna gain corresponding to the third angle according to the third angle, the fifth number of antennas of the second phased array antenna in the first dimension and the sixth number of antennas in the second dimension, the fifth antenna element spacing of the second phased array antenna in the first dimension and the sixth antenna element spacing in the second dimension, and the second antenna gain calculation rule. The specific calculation process can refer to the process of calculating the first antenna gain G1 by the network device based on formula (5) described above, the difference being that the first angle in formula (5) is replaced by the third angle described above. To avoid redundancy, this will not be repeated here.

[0186] In a possible implementation, the first satellite can obtain the first sub-wide beam and the second sub-wide beam by using the second spreading manner described above. In this case, the network device can determine the second signal-to-noise ratio and the third signal-to-noise ratio in the following manner.

[0187] Exemplarily, the network device can first obtain a second angle. The second angle is an angle between the first satellite and a line connecting a center point and an edge point of a wide beam j covering the subsatellite point and having a same beam width as the first sub-wide beam. The second angle is greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees. It should be noted that the wide beam j can be understood as a first sub-wide beam simulated to hit the subsatellite point in the process of determining the second received signal-to-noise ratio, and the wide beam j can not be included in the plurality of first sub-wide beams configured in the first sub-division subsequently. That is, the wide beam j is mainly used to determine the second received signal-to-noise ratio, and is not necessarily a first sub-wide beam that will be actually configured.

[0188] Exemplarily, the network device can further obtain a third angle. The third angle is an angle between the first satellite and a line connecting a center point and an edge point of a wide beam k covering the subsatellite point and having a same beam width as the second sub-wide beam. The third angle is greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees. It should be noted that the wide beam k can be understood as a second sub-wide beam simulated to hit the subsatellite point in the process of determining the third received signal-to-noise ratio, and the wide beam k can not be included in the plurality of second sub-wide beams configured in the second sub-division subsequently. That is, the wide beam k is mainly used to determine the third received signal-to-noise ratio, and is not necessarily a second sub-wide beam that will be actually configured. Then, the network device can determine a third antenna gain corresponding to the third angle. Then, the network device can determine the third received signal-to-noise ratio as a sum of the third antenna gain and the received signal-to-noise ratio constant of the first satellite.

[0189] It should be understood that, in the case where the first satellite obtains the first sub-wide beam and the second sub-wide beam by using the above-mentioned spreading mode two, whether the first satellite transmits the first sub-wide beam and the second sub-wide beam by using a phased array antenna or a reflector antenna, the network device determines the second signal-to-noise ratio and the third signal-to-noise ratio according to the above-mentioned process. In addition, in the case where the first satellite transmits the first sub-wide beam and the second sub-wide beam by using a phased array antenna, the specific process of determining the second antenna gain and the third antenna gain by the network device can be understood as the process of determining the second antenna gain and the third antenna gain by the network device in the case where the first satellite obtains the first sub-wide beam and the second sub-wide beam by using the above-mentioned spreading mode one, which will not be described herein again.

[0190] In a possible implementation, in the case where the first satellite obtains the first wide beam by using the above-mentioned spreading mode one or the spreading mode two, the network device can determine the second terminal elevation angle and the third terminal elevation angle by using the following method.

[0191] Exemplarily, the first region corresponds to a plurality of terminal elevation angles. The network device can determine a first carrier-to-noise ratio corresponding to a maximum terminal elevation angle in the first region. The network device can obtain a third difference value between the first carrier-to-noise ratio and the second maximum allowed scanning loss. The network device can determine a second terminal elevation angle according to the plurality of terminal elevation angles and the third difference value. In the plurality of carrier-to-noise ratios corresponding to the plurality of terminal elevation angles, the absolute value of the difference between the carrier-to-noise ratio corresponding to the second terminal elevation angle and the third difference value is the smallest. Here, the process of calculating the second terminal elevation angle by the network device is similar to the process of calculating the first terminal elevation angle by the network device according to formula (6) as described above, the only difference is that the first maximum allowed scanning loss is replaced by the second maximum allowed scanning loss, to avoid redundancy, here will not be described again.

[0192] Further, the network device can obtain a fourth difference value between the first carrier-to-noise ratio and the second maximum allowed scanning loss. The network device can determine a third terminal elevation angle according to the plurality of terminal elevation angles and the fourth difference value. In the plurality of carrier-to-noise ratios corresponding to the plurality of terminal elevation angles, the absolute value of the difference between the carrier-to-noise ratio corresponding to the third terminal elevation angle and the fourth difference value is the smallest. Here, the process of calculating the second terminal elevation angle by the network device is similar to the process of calculating the first terminal elevation angle by the network device according to formula (6) as described above, the only difference is that the first maximum allowed scanning loss is replaced by the third maximum allowed scanning loss, to avoid redundancy, here will not be described again.

[0193] In some possible implementation manners, the lower limit of the reception signal-to-noise ratio of the first satellite described above can be a detection threshold value of the primary synchronization signal of the first satellite.

[0194] In the above implementation, taking the detection threshold value of the primary synchronization signal of the first satellite as the lower limit of the reception signal-to-noise ratio of the first satellite can ensure that the calculated first maximum allowed scanning loss is accurate and effective.

[0195] It also needs to be further explained that the lower limit of the reception signal-to-noise ratio of the first satellite involved in the present application can also be an empirical value obtained through multiple experiments on the communication method provided in the present application. Moreover, the lower limit of the reception signal-to-noise ratio of the first satellite should be less than or equal to the minimum reception signal-to-noise ratio that can be measured in the first region. It can be understood that the minimum reception signal-to-noise ratio is usually obtained at the edge of the first region, because the link budget is the worst and the path loss is the highest at the edge of the first region. Exemplarily, a certain narrow beam can be selected at the edge of the first region, and then the minimum reception signal-to-noise ratio described above can be measured at the outer edge of the beam position of the narrow beam.

[0196] In some possible implementation manners, the terminal elevation angle involved in the present application can also be converted into a beam scanning angle or a radius of a region with a subsatellite point as the center.

[0197] For example, the first terminal elevation can be converted into a corresponding beam scanning angle (hereinafter referred to as a first beam scanning angle). In this case, the second subzone in the first region corresponds to a beam scanning angle greater than the first beam scanning angle and less than or equal to the maximum beam scanning angle of the first region, and the first subzone in the first region corresponds to a beam scanning angle greater than 0 and less than or equal to the first beam scanning angle. Alternatively, the first terminal elevation can be converted into a radius of a region with the zenith as the center (hereinafter referred to as a first radius). In this case, the second subzone is annular, with an outer radius equal to the radius of the first region and an inner radius equal to the first radius. The first subzone has the zenith as the center, and the radius of the first subzone is the first radius. That is, the positions of the first subzone and the second subzone in the first region can also be represented by the beam scanning angle or the radius of the region with the zenith as the center.

[0198] Similarly, the second terminal elevation and the third terminal elevation can also be converted into a beam scanning angle or a radius of a region with the zenith as the center in a similar manner. Based on this, the positions of the first subzone, the second subzone, and the second subzone in the first region can also be represented by the beam scanning angle or the radius of the region with the zenith as the center. For specific implementation, refer to the above, and details are not repeated here.

[0199] S320, the network device configures a first wide beam in the first subzone and a first narrow beam in the second subzone.

[0200] In some possible implementation manners, corresponding to the above scenario one, after the network device determines the first subzone and the second subzone in the first region, the network device can configure a first wide beam in the first subzone and a first narrow beam in the second subzone. It should be understood that the first wide beam configured in the first subzone and the first narrow beam configured in the second subzone can be multiple. In this case, there are multiple wave positions corresponding to the first wide beams in the first subzone, and there are multiple wave positions corresponding to the first narrow beams in the second subzone. For example, the specific wave position distribution of the first region can be shown in FIG. 4, and the wave position radius of each wave position in the first subzone is greater than the wave position radius of each wave position in the second subzone.

[0201] Corresponding to the above scenario two, after determining the first sub-partition, the second sub-partition and the second partition from the first region, the network device can configure a first sub-wide beam in the first sub-partition, a second sub-wide beam in the second sub-partition, and a first narrow beam in the second partition. Wherein, the second beam width of the first sub-wide beam is greater than the third beam width of the second sub-wide beam. It should be understood that the first sub-wide beam configured in the first sub-partition, the second sub-wide beam configured in the second sub-partition, and the first narrow beam configured in the second partition can all be multiple. In this case, there will be multiple wave positions corresponding to the first sub-wide beam in the first sub-partition, multiple wave positions corresponding to the second sub-wide beam in the second sub-partition, and multiple wave positions corresponding to the first narrow beam in the second partition. For example, the specific wave position distribution of the first region can refer to FIG. 5, which is another schematic diagram of partition of a satellite coverage area provided by the present application. As shown in FIG. 5, the wave position radius of each wave position in the first sub-partition is greater than the wave position radius of each wave position in the second sub-partition, and the wave position radius of each wave position in the second sub-partition is greater than the wave position radius of each wave position in the second partition. It should be understood that only part of the wave positions in the first sub-partition, the second sub-partition and the second partition are exemplarily shown in FIG. 5. In actual implementation, the wave positions corresponding to the first narrow beam will usually uniformly cover the second partition, the wave positions corresponding to the first sub-wide beam will usually uniformly cover the first sub-partition, and the wave positions corresponding to the second sub-wide beam will usually uniformly cover the second sub-partition.

[0202] It should be noted that scenario two is described by taking an example that the first partition includes two sub-partitions and two different wide beams can be configured in the two sub-partitions. In actual implementation, the network device can further divide the first partition into 3 or more sub-partitions, and configure 3 or more wide beams in the sub-partitions. The present application does not make specific limitations on this. The specific implementation process is similar to the process of determining the first sub-partition and the second sub-partition and configuring the first wide beam and the second wide beam in the first sub-partition and the second sub-partition as described above. In order to avoid redundancy, the present application will not repeat it here.

[0203] In some possible implementation manners, in the case of scenario two described above, the distribution of each sub-partition in the first partition and the second partition in the first region can satisfy the following characteristics.

[0204] For example, the outer edges of each sub-partition and the second partition are circular or hexagonal, each sub-partition and the second partition are nested in turn, and the symmetry centers of each sub-partition and the second partition are all nadir points. As shown in FIG. 5, the second sub-partition surrounds the first sub-partition, the second partition surrounds the second sub-partition, the symmetry centers of the first sub-partition, the second sub-partition and the second partition are all nadir points, and the outer edges of the first sub-partition, the second sub-partition and the second partition are circular.

[0205] For another example, the closer to the nadir point, the larger the beam width of the beam configured inside the subzone. As shown in FIG. 5, the second beam width of the first sub-wide beam configured in the first subzone is larger than the third beam width of the second sub-wide beam configured in the second subzone, and the third beam width of the second sub-wide beam is larger than the narrow beam width of the first narrow beam configured in the second subzone. It should be understood that the above scheme is also applicable to the subzone scheme under the UV plane mentioned in the technical report with version number TR38.821. When used under the UV plane, each subzone and the second subzone obtained satisfy that the size relationship of the topological projection on the ground of the wide beam in the inner subzone and the narrow beam in the outer subzone can be variable. For example, the ground topology of the wide beam in the inner subzone can be larger, smaller, or equal to the ground projection of the narrow beam.

[0206] For another example, the center point of the subzone where the wide beam with the largest beam width is located is the nadir point. As shown in FIG. 5, the center point of the first subzone is the nadir point.

[0207] For another example, in the case of multiple wide beams and one narrow beam, if the beam width of each wide beam is expanded by a factor of root 2 starting from the narrow beam, the width of the annular region corresponding to each subzone gradually decreases except for the subzone where the nadir point is located. As shown in FIG. 5, the width of the annular region corresponding to the second subzone is larger than the width of the annular region corresponding to the second subzone.

[0208] It should be further noted that the method provided in the present application is applicable to both the mobile cell or the fixed cell managed by the first satellite.

[0209] In the above implementation, the network device determines the first subzone for configuring the wide beam and the second subzone for configuring the narrow beam in the first area covered by the first satellite, and causes the second subzone to contain part or all of the edge area of the first area. After the beam configuration is completed, the terminal device in part or all of the edge area of the first area can communicate with the satellite through the narrow beam with higher antenna gain, and the terminal device in the central part of the first area can communicate with the satellite through the wide beam. In this way, not only the communication coverage of the satellite can be improved by using the wide beam, but also the communication quality at the edge of the satellite coverage area can be reduced or avoided from being affected by the use of the wide beam, thereby ensuring the communication quality at the edge of the satellite coverage area.

[0210] In some possible implementation manners, after determining the subarea corresponding to the wide beam and the subarea corresponding to the first narrow beam in the first area, the network device can inform the terminal device of the location information of the subarea corresponding to the wide beam and the subarea corresponding to the first narrow beam in the first area, so that the terminal device can determine the residence duration in each subarea based on the location information provided by the network device, and thus can quickly determine when the terminal device should switch the beam switching delay to meet the requirement of beam switching in each subarea, thereby simplifying the beam switching procedure of the terminal device. Since the specific operations of the network device sending the location information and the terminal device performing the beam switching measurement procedure based on the location information provided by the network device are similar in the above scenario 1 or scenario 2, the above scenario 1 is taken as an example below.

[0211] In some possible implementation manners, referring to FIG. 6, FIG. 6 is another flowchart of a communication method provided in the present application. As shown in FIG. 6, the method can further include the following steps:

[0212] S330, the network device sends first location information of the first subarea and the second subarea in the first area to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first location information.

[0213] In some possible implementation manners, after determining the first subarea and the second subarea in the first area, the network device can determine the first location information of the first subarea and the second subarea in the first area, and send the first location information to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device can receive the first location information.

[0214] In a possible implementation manner, the first location information can include at least one of the following: a beam scanning opening angle range corresponding to the first subarea and a beam scanning opening angle range corresponding to the second subarea; a terminal elevation angle range corresponding to the first subarea and a terminal elevation angle range corresponding to the second subarea; the first received signal-to-noise ratio and a lower limit of the received signal-to-noise ratio of the first satellite; and a first maximum allowable scanning loss.

[0215] It should be understood that the terminal elevation angle range corresponding to the first subarea and the second subarea is as described above, and thus will not be described here. The beam scanning opening angle range corresponding to the first subarea and the beam scanning opening angle range corresponding to the second subarea can be converted from the terminal elevation angle range corresponding to the first subarea and the second subarea.

[0216] In the above implementation manner, the terminal elevation angle range or the beam scanning angle range calculated by the network device is directly taken as the first position information, the method is simple and easy to implement, and the data processing capability of the terminal device can be saved. At least one of the first received signal-to-noise ratio calculated by the network device, the first satellite received signal-to-noise ratio lower limit, and the first maximum allowed scanning loss is provided to the terminal device as the first position information, so that the terminal device can calculate the specific positions of the first subzone and the second subzone in the first area based on these parameters, and the signaling overhead between the network device and the terminal device can be saved.

[0217] In S340, the terminal device determines a first residence duration of the terminal device in the second subzone according to the first position information.

[0218] In some possible implementation manners, the terminal device can determine the first residence duration of the terminal device in the second subzone according to the first position information provided by the network device.

[0219] Optionally, the terminal device can obtain third position information when the terminal device enters the second subzone and ephemeris information of the first satellite. Then, the terminal device can determine a first distance between a first position and a second position according to the third position information, the ephemeris information of the first satellite, and the first position information. The second position is a position of the terminal device when the terminal device leaves the second subzone. Then, the terminal device can determine the first residence duration of the terminal device in the second subzone according to the first distance and speed information of the first satellite.

[0220] In S350, the terminal device determines a first time point at which the beam switching time delay of the terminal device is switched from the first switching time delay corresponding to the second subzone to the second switching time delay corresponding to the first subzone according to the first residence duration.

[0221] In some possible implementation manners, the terminal device can determine the first time point at which the beam switching time delay of the terminal device is switched from the first switching time delay corresponding to the second subzone to the second switching time delay corresponding to the first subzone according to the first residence duration.

[0222] Optionally, the terminal device can determine a first time point at which the terminal device leaves the second subzone and enters the first subzone according to a second time point at which the terminal device enters the second subzone and the first residence duration. The first time point is a sum of the second time point and the first residence duration. Then, the terminal device can switch the beam switching time delay of the terminal device from the first switching time delay corresponding to the second subzone to the second switching time delay corresponding to the first subzone when the first time point arrives.

[0223] In some possible implementation manners, in the scenario where the cell served by the first satellite is a fixed cell on the earth, when the first satellite leaves the fixed cell on the earth due to movement or other factors, the second satellite needs to take over the service provided by the first satellite to the terminal device in the fixed cell on the earth. In the case where the second satellite also adopts the communication method provided in the present application, in order to facilitate the terminal device to re-access the second satellite, the first satellite can obtain the position information of each beam partition in the coverage area of the second satellite, and provide the position information to the terminal device, so as to facilitate the fast access of the terminal device.

[0224] For example, it is assumed that the terminal device described above is a terminal device in a fixed cell on the earth. Referring to FIG. 7, FIG. 7 is another flowchart of a communication method provided in the present application. As shown in FIG. 7, the method can further include the following steps.

[0225] In S360, the network device sends, to the terminal device, second position information of the third partition and the fourth partition in a second area covered by the second satellite. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second position information.

[0226] In some possible implementation manners, in the case where the network device determines that the service satellite of the terminal device is to be switched from the first satellite to the second satellite, the network device can obtain second position information corresponding to the third partition and the fourth partition in a second area covered by the second satellite. Here, the second position information can be used to indicate the positions of the third partition and the fourth partition in the second area, and the implementation manner of the second position information can be the same as that of the first position information described above. Then, the network device can send the second position information to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device can receive the second position information.

[0227] Optionally, the fourth partition can surround the third partition, and the fourth partition is an area in the second area except the third partition.

[0228] Optionally, the second position information described above can be provided by the second satellite to the network device, or provided by a ground station associated with the second satellite to the network device, and the present application does not make a specific limitation in this regard.

[0229] Further, the second position information can be actively provided by the second satellite or the ground station associated with the second satellite to the network device. For example, when the second satellite or the ground station associated with the second satellite determines that the second satellite is to replace the first satellite to provide the service to a fixed cell on the earth, the second position information can be provided to the network device.

[0230] Alternatively, the second location information can be requested by the network device from the second satellite or a ground station associated with the second satellite. For example, the network device can send a request to the second satellite or the ground station associated with the second satellite when it determines that the second satellite will replace the first satellite to provide service for a certain earth fixed cell. Correspondingly, the second satellite or the ground station associated with the second satellite can provide the second location information to the network device after receiving the request.

[0231] It should be understood that the network device can also obtain the second location information in other manners, which are not limited in the present application.

[0232] Optionally, the second satellite and the first satellite can be on the same orbit.

[0233] S370, in the case where the serving satellite is switched from the first satellite to the second satellite, the terminal device accesses the second satellite according to the second location information.

[0234] In some possible implementation manners, after obtaining the second location information, in the case where it is determined that the serving satellite is switched from the first satellite to the second satellite, the terminal device can access the second satellite according to the second location information.

[0235] In the above implementation, the first satellite and the second satellite can determine different partitions for configuring wide beams and narrow beams due to differences in hardware configuration, payload capacity, and the like. In the case where the second satellite replaces the first satellite to serve the terminal device, the terminal device can obtain the partition condition in the second area covered by the second satellite in advance through the first satellite, thereby saving unnecessary measurement overhead and improving the efficiency of accessing the second satellite.

[0236] The above describes the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application in detail in combination with FIG. 1 to FIG. 7. The communication apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail in combination with FIG. 8 and FIG. 9. It should be understood that the description of the embodiments of the communication apparatus corresponds to the description of the embodiments of the communication method, and thus the parts not described in detail can be referred to the foregoing method embodiments.

[0237] It can be understood that, in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the network device or the terminal device in the above method comprises a corresponding hardware structure and / or software module for executing each function. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that, in combination with the units and method steps of the examples described in the embodiments disclosed in the present application, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. Whether a certain function is implemented in the form of hardware, software, or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0238] Please refer to Fig. 8, which is a structural schematic diagram of a communication apparatus provided in the present application. As shown in Fig. 8, the communication apparatus 80 can include a processing unit 801 and a transceiver unit 802. The processing unit 801 and the transceiver unit 802 can be software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0239] The transceiver unit 802 can include a sending unit and a receiving unit. The sending unit is configured to implement a sending function, and the receiving unit is configured to implement a receiving function. The transceiver unit 802 can implement the sending function and / or the receiving function. The transceiver unit can also be referred to as a communication unit.

[0240] Optionally, the transceiver unit 802 can be configured to receive information sent by another apparatus and send information to another apparatus. The processing unit 801 can be configured to perform internal processing of the apparatus.

[0241] In a possible design, the communication apparatus 80 can correspond to a network device involved in the method, for example, the communication apparatus 80 can be the network device itself, or a device (for example, a chip) in the network device. The communication apparatus 80 can include units configured to perform operations of the network device in the method, and each unit in the communication apparatus 80 is configured to implement operations performed by the network device in the method.

[0242] For example, the processing unit 801 is configured to determine a first sub-region and a second sub-region in a first region covered by a first satellite. The sub-satellite point of the first satellite is located in the first sub-region, and the second sub-region includes part or all of an edge region of the first region. Here, the first region is a satellite coverage region of the first satellite, and the first sub-region and the second sub-region are included in the satellite coverage region of the first satellite. A first wide beam is configured in the first sub-region, and a first narrow beam is configured in the second sub-region.

[0243] For example, the second sub-region surrounds the first sub-region, and the second sub-region is a region in the first region except the first sub-region.

[0244] For example, the processing unit 801 is configured to determine a first received signal-to-noise ratio. The first received signal-to-noise ratio is an edge received signal-to-noise ratio corresponding to a sub-satellite point position of the first wide beam. A difference between the first received signal-to-noise ratio and a lower limit of a received signal-to-noise ratio of the first satellite is determined as a first maximum allowed scanning loss corresponding to the first wide beam. A first terminal elevation angle is determined according to the first maximum allowed scanning loss and a maximum terminal elevation angle in the first region. The first sub-region and the second sub-region are determined in the first region covered by the first satellite according to the first terminal elevation angle. The terminal elevation angle corresponding to the second sub-region is greater than a minimum terminal elevation angle corresponding to the first region and less than or equal to the first terminal elevation angle, and the terminal elevation angle corresponding to the first sub-region is greater than the first terminal elevation angle and less than or equal to the maximum terminal elevation angle.

[0245] Exemplarily, the receiving signal-to-noise ratio lower limit of the first satellite can be a detection threshold value of the primary synchronization signal of the first satellite.

[0246] Exemplarily, the processing unit 801 is configured to determine a first beam width of the first wide beam according to a narrow beam width of the first narrow beam and a first widening coefficient corresponding to the first wide beam. The first widening coefficient is greater than 1. Half of the first beam width is determined as a first angle, wherein the first angle is greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees. A first antenna gain corresponding to the first angle is determined, and a sum of the first antenna gain and a receiving signal-to-noise ratio constant of the first satellite is determined as a first receiving signal-to-noise ratio.

[0247] Exemplarily, the processing unit 801 is configured to calculate the first antenna gain corresponding to the first angle according to the first angle, an antenna aperture value corresponding to the reflector antenna, and a first antenna gain calculation rule associated with the reflector antenna.

[0248] Exemplarily, the processing unit 801 is configured to calculate the first antenna gain corresponding to the first angle according to the first angle, a first number of antennas in a first dimension and a second number of antennas in a second dimension of the phased array antenna, a first antenna element spacing in the first dimension and a second antenna element spacing in the second dimension of the phased array antenna, and a second antenna gain calculation rule associated with the phased array antenna, wherein the first dimension and the second dimension are perpendicular to each other on an antenna panel of the phased array antenna.

[0249] Exemplarily, the processing unit 801 is configured to obtain the first angle, wherein the first angle is an included angle between the first satellite and a line connecting a center point and an edge point of the wide beam i, the wide beam i covers a ground point and has a same beam width as the first wide beam. The first angle is greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees. A sum of the first antenna gain and a receiving signal-to-noise ratio constant of the first satellite is determined as the first receiving signal-to-noise ratio.

[0250] Exemplarily, the processing unit 801 is configured to determine a first carrier-to-noise ratio corresponding to a maximum terminal elevation angle in the first region. A first difference between the first carrier-to-noise ratio and a first maximum allowed scanning loss is obtained. A first terminal elevation angle is determined according to a plurality of terminal elevation angles and the first difference. Among a plurality of carrier-to-noise ratios corresponding to the plurality of terminal elevation angles, an absolute value of a difference between the carrier-to-noise ratio corresponding to the first terminal elevation angle and the first difference is the smallest.

[0251] The transceiver 802 is configured to send, to the terminal device, first location information of the first sub-region and the second sub-region in the first area. The first location information is used to determine a first residence duration of the terminal device in the second sub-region. The first residence duration is used to determine a first time point at which a beam switching time delay of the terminal device is switched from a first switching time delay corresponding to the second sub-region to a second switching time delay corresponding to the first sub-region.

[0252] The first location information can include at least one of: a beam scanning angle range corresponding to the first sub-region and the second sub-region; a terminal elevation angle range corresponding to the first sub-region and the second sub-region; a first received signal-to-noise ratio and a lower limit of a received signal-to-noise ratio of the first satellite; and a first maximum allowable scanning loss.

[0253] The first wide beam includes a first sub-wide beam and a second sub-wide beam. The first sub-region includes a first sub-sub-region and a second sub-sub-region, and a subsatellite point of the first satellite is located in the first sub-sub-region. The first wide beam includes the first sub-wide beam and the second sub-wide beam.

[0254] The processing unit 801 is configured to configure the first sub-wide beam in the first sub-sub-region and the second sub-wide beam in the second sub-sub-region. A second beam width of the first sub-wide beam is greater than a third beam width of the second sub-wide beam.

[0255] The second sub-sub-region surrounds the first sub-sub-region, and the second sub-region surrounds the second sub-sub-region.

[0256] The center point of the first sub-sub-region is the subsatellite point of the first satellite.

[0257] For example, the processing unit 801 is configured to: determine a second received signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and a third received SNR. The second SNR is the edge SNR corresponding to the nadir position of the first sub-wide beam, and the third SNR is the edge SNR corresponding to the nadir position of the second sub-wide beam. A second maximum permissible scan loss corresponding to the first sub-wide beam is determined based on the second SNR and the lower limit of the received SNR of the first satellite. A second terminal elevation angle is determined based on the second maximum permissible scan loss and the maximum terminal elevation angle in the first region. A third maximum permissible scan loss corresponding to the second sub-wide beam is determined based on the third SNR and the lower limit of the received SNR, and a third terminal elevation angle is determined based on the third maximum permissible scan loss and the maximum terminal elevation angle. A first sub-region, a second sub-region, and a second region are determined within the first region covered by the first satellite based on the second and third terminal elevation angles. The terminal elevation angle corresponding to the second region is greater than the minimum terminal elevation angle corresponding to the first region and less than or equal to the third terminal elevation angle. The terminal elevation angle corresponding to the second sub-partition is greater than the third terminal elevation angle and less than or equal to the second terminal elevation angle, and the terminal elevation angle corresponding to the first sub-partition is greater than the second terminal elevation angle and less than or equal to the maximum terminal elevation angle.

[0258] For example, processing unit 801 is configured to: determine a second beamwidth based on the narrow beamwidth of the first narrow beam and a second broadening factor corresponding to the first sub-wide beam, and determine half of the second beamwidth as a second angle. Determine the second antenna gain corresponding to the second angle. The network device determines the second received signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) as the sum of the second antenna gain and the received SNR constant of the first satellite.

[0259] For example, the processing unit 801 is configured to: calculate the second antenna gain corresponding to the second angle based on the second angle, the first antenna aperture value of the first reflector antenna, and the first antenna gain calculation rule associated with the first reflector antenna.

[0260] For example, the processing unit 801 is configured to: calculate the second antenna gain corresponding to the second angle based on the second angle, the number of third antennas of the first phased array antenna in the first dimension and the number of fourth antennas in the second dimension, the spacing between the third antenna elements of the first phased array antenna in the first dimension and the spacing between the fourth antenna elements in the second dimension, and the second antenna gain calculation rules associated with the first phased array antenna. The first dimension and the second dimension are perpendicular to each other on the antenna panel of the first phased array antenna.

[0261] The processing unit 801 is configured to determine a third beam width according to the narrow beam width of the first narrow beam and a third widening factor corresponding to the second sub-wide beam. Half of the third beam width is determined as a third angle. The third angle corresponds to a third antenna gain. The network device determines a third received signal-to-noise ratio as a sum of the first antenna gain and a received signal-to-noise ratio constant of the first satellite.

[0262] The processing unit 801 is configured to calculate the third antenna gain corresponding to the third angle according to the third angle, a second antenna aperture value of the second reflector antenna, and a second antenna gain calculation rule.

[0263] The processing unit 801 is configured to calculate the third antenna gain corresponding to the third angle according to the third angle, a fifth number of antennas of the second phased array antenna in a first dimension, a sixth number of antennas of the second phased array antenna in a second dimension, a fifth antenna element spacing of the second phased array antenna in the first dimension, a sixth antenna element spacing of the second phased array antenna in the second dimension, and a second antenna gain calculation rule. The first dimension and the second dimension are perpendicular to each other on an antenna panel of the second phased array antenna.

[0264] The processing unit 801 is configured to determine a first carrier-to-noise ratio corresponding to a maximum terminal elevation angle in the first region. A third difference between the first carrier-to-noise ratio and the second maximum allowed scanning loss is obtained. A second terminal elevation angle is determined according to the plurality of terminal elevation angles and the third difference. Among the plurality of carrier-to-noise ratios corresponding to the plurality of terminal elevation angles, the absolute value of the difference between the carrier-to-noise ratio corresponding to the second terminal elevation angle and the third difference is the smallest.

[0265] The processing unit 801 is configured to obtain a fourth difference between the first carrier-to-noise ratio and the second maximum allowed scanning loss. A third terminal elevation angle is determined according to the plurality of terminal elevation angles and the fourth difference. Among the plurality of carrier-to-noise ratios corresponding to the plurality of terminal elevation angles, the absolute value of the difference between the carrier-to-noise ratio corresponding to the third terminal elevation angle and the fourth difference is the smallest.

[0266] The processing unit 801 is configured to determine a wide beam partition as a region in which the terminal elevation angle is less than or equal to the maximum terminal elevation angle and greater than the first terminal elevation angle. An overlap region between the wide beam partition and the first region is determined as the first partition, and a region in the first region other than the first partition is determined as the second partition.

[0267] The transceiver 802 is configured to send, to the terminal device, second location information of a third sub-region and a fourth sub-region in a second region covered by a second satellite, a subsatellite point of the second satellite is located in the third sub-region, and the fourth sub-region includes a part or all of edge regions of the second region. The third sub-region is configured to configure a second wide beam, the fourth sub-region is configured to configure a first narrow beam, the second wide beam has a different beam width from the first wide beam, and the second location information is used for the terminal device to access the second satellite in a case where a serving satellite of the terminal device is switched from the first satellite to the second satellite.

[0268] The fourth sub-region surrounds the third sub-region, and the fourth sub-region is a region in the second region except the third sub-region.

[0269] The first satellite and the second satellite are geosynchronous satellites.

[0270] In a possible design, the communication apparatus 80 can correspond to the terminal device involved in the above method. For example, the communication apparatus 80 can be the terminal device itself, or a device (for example, a chip) in the terminal device. The communication apparatus 80 can include units configured to perform operations performed by the terminal device in the above method, and each unit in the communication apparatus 80 is configured to implement operations performed by the terminal device in the above method.

[0271] The transceiver 802 is configured to receive first location information of a first sub-region and a second sub-region in a first region covered by a first satellite. A subsatellite point of the first satellite is located in the first sub-region, and the second sub-region includes a part or all of edge regions of the first region. The first sub-region is configured to configure a first wide beam, and the second sub-region is configured to configure a first narrow beam. The processing unit 801 is configured to determine, according to the first location information, a residence duration of the terminal device in the second sub-region. The processing unit 801 is configured to determine, according to the residence duration in the second sub-region, a first time point at which a beam switching delay of the terminal device is switched from a first switching delay corresponding to the second sub-region to a second switching delay corresponding to the first sub-region.

[0272] The second sub-region surrounds the first sub-region, and the second sub-region is a region in the first region except the first sub-region.

[0273] The processing unit 801 is configured to obtain third location information when the terminal device enters the second sub-region, and ephemeris information of the first satellite. A first distance between the first location and a second location is determined according to the third location information, the ephemeris information of the first satellite, and the first location information. The second location is a location when the terminal device leaves the second sub-region. A first residence duration of the terminal device in the second sub-region is determined according to the first distance and speed information of the first satellite.

[0274] Exemplarily, the first position information comprises at least one of the following: a beam scanning angle range corresponding to the first sub-region and the second sub-region; a terminal elevation angle range corresponding to the first sub-region and the second sub-region; a first received signal-to-noise ratio and a lower limit of the received signal-to-noise ratio of the first satellite; and a first maximum allowable scanning loss.

[0275] Exemplarily, the transceiver 802 is configured to receive first information from the first satellite. The first information is used to indicate a third sub-region and a fourth sub-region in a second region covered by a second satellite. A subsatellite point of the second satellite is located in the third sub-region, and the fourth sub-region includes part or all of the second region. The third sub-region is configured to have a second wide beam, and the fourth sub-region is configured to have a first narrow beam. The beam width of the second wide beam is different from that of the first wide beam. The processing unit 801 is configured to access the second satellite according to the first information in a case where the serving satellite is switched from the first satellite to the second satellite.

[0276] Exemplarily, the fourth sub-region surrounds the third sub-region, and the fourth sub-region is a region in the second region except the third sub-region.

[0277] Referring to FIG. 9, FIG. 9 is a structural schematic diagram of another communication apparatus provided in the present application. The communication apparatus 90 can be used to implement the operations performed by the network device or the terminal device in the above method, or the communication apparatus 90 can be the network device or the terminal device involved in the above method. The communication apparatus 90 comprises a processor 901 and a memory 902.

[0278] The memory 902 is configured to store related instructions and data. The memory 902 stores the following elements, executable modules or data structures, or subsets of them, or expanded sets of them:

[0279] Operation instructions: include various operation instructions, used to implement various operations.

[0280] Operating system: includes various system programs, used to implement various basic services and process hardware-based tasks.

[0281] Only one memory is shown in FIG. 9, of course, the memory can also be set to multiple according to the needs.

[0282] The communication apparatus 90 can further comprise a transceiver 904. The transceiver 904 can be a communication module or a transceiver circuit. In the embodiments of the present application, the transceiver 904 is configured to perform the transceiving operations of the messages or information involved in the above method.

[0283] The processor 901 can be a controller, a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, transistor logic, hardware component, or any combination thereof. The processor 901 can also be a combination of components, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, or the like.

[0284] Optionally, the communication apparatus can further include a bus system 903. In a specific application, various components of the communication apparatus 90 are coupled by the bus system 903, which can include a data bus, a power bus, a control bus, and a state signal bus, etc. However, for the sake of clarity, all buses are marked as bus system 903 in FIG. 9. For the sake of convenience, only a schematic representation is shown in FIG. 9.

[0285] In a specific implementation, the communication apparatus 90 can perform the steps of the method executed by the network device or the terminal device in the above method. Specifically, when the communication apparatus 90 is used to implement each step of the method executed by the terminal device or the network device in the above method, the processor 901 can implement the functions of the above processing unit 801, and the transceiver 904 can implement the functions of the above transceiving unit 802.

[0286] It should be noted that in actual applications, the processor in the embodiments of the present application can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capability. In the implementation process, each step of the above method embodiments can be completed by integrated logic circuits of hardware in the processor or instructions in the form of software. The processor described above can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components. Each method, step and logic block disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented or executed. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as hardware code processing executed by the processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the code processing processor. The software module can be located in a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory or an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register or other mature storage media in the art. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and combines the hardware to complete the steps of the above method.

[0287] It is to be appreciated that the memory in the embodiments of the application can be a volatile or non-volatile memory, or can include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), electrically EPROM (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM) used as external cache. By way of example, and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, for example, static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). Note that the memory described herein is intended to include, among other things, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0288] The application further provides a computer readable medium, having stored thereon a computer program, which, when executed by a computer, implements the method steps performed by the network device or the terminal device in the method shown in the above embodiments.

[0289] The application further provides a computer program product, which, when executed by a computer, implements the method steps performed by the network device or the terminal device in the method shown in the above embodiments.

[0290] The application further provides a chip, comprising at least a processor. The processor is configured to execute computer execution instructions to enable a device installed with the chip to implement the method steps performed by the network device or the terminal device in the method shown in the above embodiments.

[0291] Optionally, the chip can further comprise an interface circuit. The interface circuit is configured to receive computer execution instructions and transmit the computer execution instructions to the processor.

[0292] The application further provides a chip system comprising a processor for supporting a device on which the chip system is installed to implement the method steps performed by the network device or the terminal device in the method shown in the above embodiments. For example, generating or processing the data and / or information involved in the above method. In a possible design, the chip system further comprises a memory, and the memory is configured to store program instructions and data necessary for the data sending device. The chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0293] In the above method embodiments, the methods can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof, entirely or partially. When implemented by software, the methods can be implemented in the form of a computer program product, entirely or partially. The computer program product comprises one or more computer instructions. When the computer instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the application are entirely or partially generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer readable storage medium, or transferred from one computer readable storage medium to another computer readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center through wired (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL) or wireless (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.)) way. The computer readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. integrated with one or more available media. The available media can be magnetic media (such as floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), optical media (such as high-density digital video disc (digital video disc, DVD), or semiconductor media (such as solid state disk (solid state disk, SSD), etc.

[0294] In various embodiments of the present application, the terms and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referred to each other if there is no special description and logical conflict, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0295] As used in the present specification, the terms "component," "module," "system" and the like are intended to refer to a computer-related entity, either hardware, firmware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a component can be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution, a program, or a computer. By way of illustration, both an application running on a computing device and the computing device can be a component. One or more components can reside within a process or thread of execution and a component can be localized, either in whole or in part, in a computer system. In addition, these components can execute from various computer readable media having various data structures stored thereon. The components can communicate by way of local or remote processes such as in accordance with a signal having one or more data packets (e.g., data from one component interacting with another component in a local system, distributed system, or across the Internet with another system, e.g., via an application program interface or other means).

[0296] It should be understood that the "embodiments" mentioned throughout the specification mean that the specific features, structures or characteristics related to the embodiments are included in at least one of the embodiments of the present application. Therefore, the various embodiments throughout the specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiments. In addition, these specific features, structures or characteristics can be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner.

[0297] It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the numbers "first", "second", … are only used to distinguish different objects, such as to distinguish different network devices, and do not limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0298] It should also be understood that in the present application, "when", "if" and "if" all refer to the case where the network element will make corresponding processing under certain objective conditions, and are not limited by time, and do not require the network element to have a judgment action when implemented, nor does it mean that there are other limitations.

[0299] It should also be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, "A corresponding to B" means that B is associated with A, and B can be determined according to A. However, it should also be understood that the determination of B according to A does not mean that B is determined only according to A, but B can also be determined according to A and / or other information.

[0300] It should also be understood that the term "and / or" herein is only a description of the association relationship between the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B, which can represent the existence of A alone, the existence of A and B at the same time, and the existence of B alone. In addition, the character " / " in this paper generally represents that the associated objects before and after are a "or" relationship.

[0301] The meaning of the expression similar to "the item includes one or more of the following: A, B, and C" appearing in this application, if not specifically stated, generally means that the item can be any one of the following: A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; A, B and C; A and A; A, A and A; A, A and B; A, A and C, A, B and B; A, C and C; B and B, B, B and B, B, B and C, C and C; C, C and C, and other combinations of A, B and C. The above is an example of three elements A, B and C to illustrate the optional items of the item. When expressed as "the item includes at least one of the following: A, B, …, and X", that is, when there are more elements in the expression, the applicable items of the item can also be obtained according to the foregoing rules.

[0302] Those skilled in the art can appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of the examples described in combination with the embodiments disclosed herein can be realized in electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether the functions are realized in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. A person skilled in the art can use different methods to realize the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0303] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of the description, the specific working processes of the above-described system, device and unit can refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be described here.

[0304] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device and method can be realized by other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic, for example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, and actual implementation can have another division manner, for example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the units shown or discussed can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interface, device or unit, and can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0305] The units described as separate components can or can not be physically separated, and the components shown as units can or can not be physical units, that is, they can be located in one place, or can be distributed on a plurality of network units. Part or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiment scheme.

[0306] In addition, each function unit in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit can be physically present separately, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit.

[0307] The functions, if implemented in the form of software function units and sold or used as independent products, can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solutions of the present application, essentially or in part, or parts of the technical solutions can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium, and includes several instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disk or optical disk, and various other storage media that can store program codes.

[0308] The above is merely specific embodiments of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which shall be covered within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: determining a first sub-region and a second sub-region in a first region covered by a first satellite, wherein a subsatellite point of the first satellite is located in the first sub-region, and the second sub-region comprises part or all of an edge region of the first region; configuring a first wide beam in the first sub-region and a first narrow beam in the second sub-region.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The determining of the first sub-region and the second sub-region in the first region covered by the first satellite comprises: determining a first received signal-to-noise ratio, wherein the first received signal-to-noise ratio is an edge received signal-to-noise ratio corresponding to a subsatellite point position of the first wide beam; determining a first maximum allowed scanning loss of the first wide beam according to a difference between the first received signal-to-noise ratio and a lower limit of a received signal-to-noise ratio of the first satellite; determining a first terminal elevation angle according to the first maximum allowed scanning loss and a maximum terminal elevation angle in the first region; determining the first sub-region and the second sub-region in the first region according to the first terminal elevation angle, wherein a terminal elevation angle corresponding to the second sub-region is greater than a minimum terminal elevation angle corresponding to the first region and less than or equal to the first terminal elevation angle, and a terminal elevation angle corresponding to the first sub-region is greater than the first terminal elevation angle and less than or equal to the maximum terminal elevation angle.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The determining of the first received signal-to-noise ratio comprises: determining a first beam width of the first wide beam according to a narrow beam width of the first narrow beam and a first widening coefficient corresponding to the first wide beam; determining a first angle as half of the first beam width; determining a first antenna gain corresponding to the first angle; determining the first received signal-to-noise ratio as a sum of the first antenna gain and a received signal-to-noise ratio constant of the first satellite.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, The first satellite transmits the first wide beam through a reflector antenna, and the determining of the first antenna gain corresponding to the first angle comprises: calculating the first antenna gain corresponding to the first angle according to the first angle, an antenna aperture value corresponding to the reflector antenna, and a first antenna gain calculation rule associated with the reflector antenna.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein, The first satellite transmits the first wide beam through a phased array antenna, and the determining of the first antenna gain corresponding to the first angle comprises: calculating the first antenna gain corresponding to the first angle according to the first angle, a first number of antennas in a first dimension and a second number of antennas in a second dimension of the phased array antenna, a first antenna element spacing in the first dimension and a second antenna element spacing in the second dimension of the phased array antenna, and a second antenna gain calculation rule associated with the phased array antenna, wherein the first dimension and the second dimension are perpendicular to each other on an antenna panel of the phased array antenna.

6. The method according to any one of claims 2-5, characterized in that, The first region corresponds to a plurality of terminal elevation angles, and the determining of the first terminal elevation angle according to the first maximum allowed scanning loss and the maximum terminal elevation angle in the first region comprises: determining a first carrier-to-noise ratio corresponding to the maximum terminal elevation angle in the first region; obtaining a first difference between the first carrier-to-noise ratio and the first maximum allowed scanning loss; The first terminal elevation is determined according to the plurality of terminal elevations and the first difference value, wherein, in a plurality of carrier-to-noise ratios corresponding to the plurality of terminal elevations, an absolute value of a difference between a carrier-to-noise ratio corresponding to the first terminal elevation and the first difference value is the smallest.

7. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that, The method further comprises: sending, to a terminal device, first location information of the first partition and the second partition in the first area, wherein the first location information is used to determine a first residence duration of the terminal device in the second partition, and the first residence duration is used to determine a first time point at which a beam switching time delay of the terminal device is switched from a first switching time delay corresponding to the second partition to a second switching time delay corresponding to the first partition.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The first location information comprises at least one of the following: a beam scanning angular range corresponding to the first partition and the second partition; a terminal elevation range corresponding to the first partition and the second partition; a first received signal-to-noise ratio and a received signal-to-noise ratio lower limit of the first satellite; a first maximum allowed scanning loss.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first partition comprises a first sub-partition and a second sub-partition, a subsatellite point of the first satellite is located in the first sub-partition, and the first wide beam comprises a first sub-wide beam and a second sub-wide beam. The first wide beam is configured in the first partition, comprising: the first sub-wide beam is configured in the first sub-partition, and the second sub-wide beam is configured in the second sub-partition, wherein a second beam width of the first sub-wide beam is greater than a third beam width of the second sub-wide beam.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The second sub-partition surrounds the first sub-partition, and the second partition surrounds the second sub-partition.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, A center point of the first sub-partition is a subsatellite point of the first satellite.

12. The method according to any one of claims 9-11, characterized in that, The first partition and the second partition are determined in a first area covered by the first satellite, comprising: determining a second received signal-to-noise ratio and a third received signal-to-noise ratio, wherein the second received signal-to-noise ratio is an edge received signal-to-noise ratio of the first sub-wide beam corresponding to a subsatellite point position, and the third received signal-to-noise ratio is an edge received signal-to-noise ratio of the second sub-wide beam corresponding to the subsatellite point position; determining a second maximum allowed scanning loss corresponding to the first sub-wide beam according to the second received signal-to-noise ratio and a received signal-to-noise ratio lower limit of the first satellite, and determining a second terminal elevation according to the second maximum allowed scanning loss and a maximum terminal elevation in the first area; determining a third maximum allowed scanning loss corresponding to the second sub-wide beam according to the third received signal-to-noise ratio and the received signal-to-noise ratio lower limit, and determining a third terminal elevation according to the third maximum allowed scanning loss and the maximum terminal elevation; determining the first sub-partition, the second sub-partition and the second partition according to the second terminal elevation angle and the third terminal elevation angle, wherein the second partition corresponds to a terminal elevation angle greater than the minimum terminal elevation angle corresponding to the first region and less than or equal to the third terminal elevation angle, the second sub-partition corresponds to a terminal elevation angle greater than the third terminal elevation angle and less than or equal to the second terminal elevation angle, and the first sub-partition corresponds to a terminal elevation angle greater than the second terminal elevation angle and less than or equal to the maximum terminal elevation angle.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, The second received signal-to-noise ratio is determined by: determining the second beam width according to the narrow beam width of the first narrow beam and the second expansion coefficient corresponding to the first sub-wide beam; determining half of the second beam width as a second angle; determining a second antenna gain corresponding to the second angle; determining the second received signal-to-noise ratio as the sum of the second antenna gain and a received signal-to-noise ratio constant of the first satellite.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, The first satellite transmits the first sub-wide beam through a first reflector antenna, and the second antenna gain corresponding to the second angle is determined by: calculating the second antenna gain corresponding to the second angle according to the second angle, a first antenna aperture value of the first reflector antenna, and a first antenna gain calculation rule associated with the first reflector antenna.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein, The first satellite transmits the first sub-wide beam through a first phased array antenna, and the second antenna gain corresponding to the second angle is determined by: calculating the second antenna gain corresponding to the second angle according to the second angle, a third number of antennas in a first dimension and a fourth number of antennas in a second dimension of the first phased array antenna, a third antenna element spacing in the first dimension and a fourth antenna element spacing in the second dimension of the first phased array antenna, and a second antenna gain calculation rule associated with the first phased array antenna, wherein the first dimension and the second dimension are perpendicular to each other on an antenna panel of the first phased array antenna.

16. The method according to any one of claims 9-15, characterized in that, The first region corresponds to a plurality of terminal elevation angles, and the second terminal elevation angle is determined according to the second maximum allowed scanning loss and the maximum terminal elevation angle in the first region, comprising: determining a first carrier-to-noise ratio corresponding to the maximum terminal elevation angle in the first region; obtaining a third difference value between the first carrier-to-noise ratio and the second maximum allowed scanning loss; determining a second terminal elevation angle according to the plurality of terminal elevation angles and the third difference value, wherein among a plurality of carrier-to-noise ratios corresponding to the plurality of terminal elevation angles, the absolute value of the difference between the carrier-to-noise ratio corresponding to the second terminal elevation angle and the third difference value is the smallest.

17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that, The method further comprises: sending, to a terminal device, second location information of a third subzone and a fourth subzone in a second area covered by a second satellite, wherein a subsatellite point of the second satellite is located in the third subzone, the fourth subzone includes part or all of an edge area of the second area, the third subzone is configured to configure a second wide beam, the fourth subzone is configured to configure the first narrow beam, the second wide beam is different from a beam width of the first wide beam, and the second location information is used for the terminal device to access the second satellite in a case where a serving satellite is switched from the first satellite to the second satellite.

18. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that, The second subzone is an area other than the first subzone in the first area, and the second subzone surrounds the first subzone.

19. A method of communication, comprising: The method comprises: receiving first location information of a first subzone and a second subzone in a first area covered by a first satellite, wherein a subsatellite point of the first satellite is located in the first subzone, the second subzone includes part or all of an edge area of the first area, the first subzone is configured to configure a first wide beam, and the second subzone is configured to configure a first narrow beam; determining, according to the first location information, a first residence duration of the terminal device in the second subzone; determining, according to the first residence duration, a first time point at which a beam switching delay of the terminal device is switched from a first switching delay corresponding to the second subzone to a second switching delay corresponding to the first subzone.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein, The second subzone is an area other than the first subzone in the first area, and the second subzone surrounds the first subzone.

21. The method according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that, The determination of the first residence duration of the terminal device in the second subzone according to the first location information comprises: obtaining a first position of the terminal device when entering the second subzone and ephemeris information of the first satellite; determining a first distance between the first position and a second position according to the first position, the ephemeris information of the first satellite, and the first location information, wherein the second position is a position of the terminal device when leaving the second subzone; determining the first residence duration of the terminal device in the second subzone according to the first distance and speed information of the first satellite.

22. The method according to any one of claims 19-21, characterized by, The first location information comprises at least one of: a beam scanning angular range corresponding to the first subzone and the second subzone; a terminal elevation angle range corresponding to the first subzone and the second subzone; a first reception signal-to-noise ratio and a reception signal-to-noise ratio lower limit of the first satellite; a first maximum allowable scanning loss.

23. The method according to any one of claims 19-22, characterized in that, The method further comprises: receiving second location information of a third subzone and a fourth subzone in a second area covered by a second satellite, wherein a subsatellite point of the second satellite is located in the third subzone, the third subzone is configured to configure a second wide beam, and the fourth subzone is configured to configure a first narrow beam, the second wide beam being different from a beam width of the first wide beam; in a case where a serving satellite is switched from the first satellite to the second satellite, accessing the second satellite according to the second location information.

24. A communications device, characterized by The communication apparatus comprises modules or units for implementing the method of any one of claims 1 to 18 or any one of claims 19-23.

25. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium stores computer programs or instructions, when the computer programs or instructions are executed, the method of any one of claims 1 to 18 or any one of claims 19-23 is implemented.

26. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer program product comprises computer programs, when the computer programs are executed, the method of any one of claims 1 to 18 or any one of claims 19-23 is implemented.

27. A chip, characterized by comprises a processor; The processor is configured to execute computer-executed instructions to enable a device in which the chip is installed to perform the communication method of any one of claims 1 to 18 or any one of claims 19-23.

28. The chip of claim 27, wherein, The chip further comprises an interface circuit configured to receive the computer-executed instructions and transmit to the processor.

29. A communications device, characterized by comprises: at least one processor and a memory; The memory is configured to store computer programs; The processor is configured to execute the computer programs stored in the memory to enable the communication apparatus to perform the communication method of any one of claims 1 to 18 or any one of claims 19-23.

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