Communication processing method, apparatus, chip and storage medium

Abstract

Disclosed in the present application are a communication processing method, an apparatus, a chip and a storage medium. The method comprises: receiving a first configuration from a network device, the first configuration comprising first indication information, and the first indication information indicating a coverage time of a non-terrestrial network (NTN); and performing cell reselection on the basis of the first configuration. On the basis of the method in the present application, a terminal device learns of a coverage time of an NTN by means of indication information in a first configuration, and thus performs a cell reselection operation on the basis of the coverage time information of the NTN, thereby effectively avoiding reselection delay or frequent reselection.

Description

A communication processing method and device, a chip and a storage medium

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202411398438.X, filed on October 2, 2024, and entitled "A communication processing method, device, chip and storage medium", the whole content of which is incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication processing method, device, chip and storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0003] Non-terrestrial network (NTN) includes networking using unmanned aerial vehicles, high-altitude platforms, satellites and other devices to provide data transmission, voice communication and other services for user terminals (UE). In the existing cell reselection mechanism, user equipment (UE) can perform neighbor cell measurement and cell reselection based on reference signal received quality (RSRQ), reference signal received power (RSRP) and neighbor cell priority. However, in the NTN environment, the satellite will periodically turn on and off part of the beam, and the coverage of the satellite signal may be discontinuous in time, which makes the existing cell reselection mechanism appear UE reselection delay or frequent reselection. SUMMARY

[0004] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication processing method, device, chip and storage medium. Based on the method described in the present application, the terminal device learns the coverage time of the NTN through the indication information, and can perform cell reselection operation based on the coverage time information of the NTN, effectively avoiding the situation of reselection delay or frequent reselection.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication processing method, comprising: receiving a first configuration from a network device, the first configuration comprising first indication information, the first indication information indicating a coverage time of a non-terrestrial network (NTN); and performing cell reselection based on the first configuration.

[0006] Based on the method described in the first aspect, the terminal device learns the coverage time of the NTN through the indication information in the first configuration, and can perform cell reselection operation based on the coverage time information of the NTN, effectively avoiding the situation of reselection delay or frequent reselection.

[0007] In a possible implementation, the first indication information indicates the coverage time of the NTN cell or the NTN beam.

[0008] Based on the implementation manner, the coverage management can be performed based on a cell level, the management complexity of the coverage information can be effectively reduced while achieving coverage of a larger geographic area, or the coverage management can be performed in units of beams, the coverage management is more fine, and the spectrum utilization efficiency is improved.

[0009] In a possible implementation manner, the first configuration further includes a first threshold, the first threshold indicating a threshold of the remaining coverage time of the non-serving cell in the first criterion, and the first criterion is used for cell reselection.

[0010] Based on the implementation manner, it is beneficial for the cell reselection process to determine that the cell has a long enough remaining coverage time to provide services, and it is beneficial to avoid frequent reselection.

[0011] In a possible implementation manner, the first criterion includes that the remaining coverage time of the non-serving cell is greater than or not less than the first threshold.

[0012] Based on the implementation manner, it can be ensured that the cell reselection process determines that the cell has a long enough remaining coverage time to provide services, and it can be avoided that the cell reselection is performed frequently.

[0013] In a possible implementation manner, the first configuration further includes a second threshold, the second threshold indicating a threshold of the remaining coverage time of the current serving cell in the first criterion, and the first criterion is used for cell reselection.

[0014] Based on the implementation manner, it is beneficial to perform cell reselection in time before the current serving cell coverage ends, and it is beneficial to avoid service loss and / or reselection delay caused by performing cell reselection only when the current serving cell coverage ends.

[0015] In a possible implementation manner, the first criterion includes that the remaining coverage time of the current serving cell is less than or not greater than the second threshold.

[0016] Based on the implementation manner, it can be facilitated to perform cell reselection in time before the current serving cell coverage ends, and it can be avoided that service loss and / or reselection delay is caused by performing cell reselection only when the current serving cell coverage ends.

[0017] In a possible implementation manner, based on the first configuration, performing cell reselection includes: based on the first configuration, performing cell reselection related measurement; and based on a measurement result of the cell reselection related measurement, performing cell reselection.

[0018] In a possible implementation manner, the first configuration further includes a third threshold, the third threshold indicating a threshold of the remaining coverage time of the non-serving cell in the second criterion, and the second criterion is used for performing cell reselection related measurement.

[0019] Based on the implementation, it is beneficial to measure only the non-service cell with a remaining coverage time long enough, save computing resources, and ensure that such non-service cell can provide service for a long enough time after being selected as the first cell by the cell reselection process, thereby avoiding frequent reselection.

[0020] In a possible implementation, the second criterion comprises: the non-service cell has a remaining coverage time greater than or not less than a third threshold.

[0021] Based on the implementation, it is possible to measure only the non-service cell with a remaining coverage time long enough, save computing resources, and ensure that such non-service cell can provide service for a long enough time after being selected as the first cell by the cell reselection process, thereby avoiding frequent reselection.

[0022] In a possible implementation, the first configuration further comprises a fourth threshold, and the fourth threshold indicates a threshold of the non-service cell in the second criterion. The second criterion is used for performing the cell reselection related measurement.

[0023] Based on the implementation, it is beneficial to avoid frequent reselection and waste of power consumption due to the coverage start of the non-service cell with higher priority or better signal reception quality / signal reception power.

[0024] In a possible implementation, the second criterion comprises: the non-service cell has a remaining coverage time less than or not greater than a fourth threshold.

[0025] Based on the implementation, it is possible to avoid frequent reselection and waste of power consumption due to the coverage start of the non-service cell with higher priority or better signal reception quality / signal reception power.

[0026] In a possible implementation, the first configuration further comprises a fifth threshold, and the fifth threshold indicates a threshold of the current service cell in the third criterion. The third criterion is used for limiting the cell reselection related measurement.

[0027] Based on the implementation, it is beneficial to perform the cell reselection related measurement in time for cell reselection before the coverage of the current service cell ends, thereby avoiding service loss and / or reselection delay caused by performing cell reselection only when the coverage of the current service cell ends.

[0028] In a possible implementation, the third criterion comprises: the current service cell has a remaining coverage time less than or not greater than a fifth threshold.

[0029] Based on the implementation manner, the cell reselection related measurement can be performed in time before the end of the current serving cell coverage, so as to perform the cell reselection, and the service loss and / or the reselection delay caused by the cell reselection only after the end of the current serving cell coverage can be avoided.

[0030] In a second aspect, the present application provides a communication processing method, comprising: sending a first configuration to a terminal device, the first configuration comprising first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate a coverage time of a non-terrestrial network (NTN).

[0031] Based on the method described in the second aspect, the network device can indicate the coverage time of the NTN to the terminal device through the indication information, so as to help the terminal device perform the cell reselection operation based on the coverage time information of the NTN, and effectively avoid the situation of reselection delay or frequent reselection.

[0032] In a possible implementation manner, the first indication information indicates the coverage time of the NTN cell or the NTN beam.

[0033] Based on the implementation manner, the coverage management can be performed based on the cell level, the coverage information management complexity can be effectively reduced while the coverage of a larger geographic area is implemented, or the coverage management can be performed based on the beam, so that the coverage management is more precise, and the spectrum utilization efficiency is improved.

[0034] In a possible implementation manner, the first configuration further comprises a first threshold, the first threshold indicating a threshold of the remaining coverage time of the non-serving cell in the first criterion, and the first criterion is used for the cell reselection.

[0035] Based on the implementation manner, it is beneficial for the cell determined in the cell reselection process to have a long enough coverage time to provide services, and it is beneficial to avoid frequent reselection.

[0036] In a possible implementation manner, the first criterion comprises: the remaining coverage time of the non-serving cell is greater than or not less than the first threshold.

[0037] Based on the implementation manner, it can be ensured that the cell determined in the cell reselection process has a long enough coverage time to provide services, and frequent reselection can be avoided.

[0038] In a possible implementation manner, the first configuration further comprises a second threshold, the second threshold indicating a threshold of the remaining coverage time of the current serving cell in the first criterion, and the first criterion is used for the cell reselection.

[0039] Based on the implementation manner, it is beneficial to perform the cell reselection in time before the end of the current serving cell coverage, and it is beneficial to avoid the service loss and / or the reselection delay caused by the cell reselection only after the end of the current serving cell coverage.

[0040] In a possible implementation, the first criterion comprises: a remaining time of the coverage of the current serving cell being less than or not greater than a second threshold.

[0041] Based on this implementation, the cell reselection can be performed in time before the end of the coverage of the current serving cell, and service loss and / or reselection delay caused by performing the cell reselection only when the coverage of the current serving cell ends can be avoided.

[0042] In a possible implementation, the first configuration further comprises cell reselection related measurement configuration information.

[0043] In a possible implementation, the first configuration further comprises a third threshold, the third threshold indicating a threshold of a remaining time of the coverage of the non-serving cell in the second criterion, the second criterion being used for performing the cell reselection related measurement.

[0044] Based on this implementation, it is beneficial to perform measurement on only the non-serving cell with a long enough remaining time of the coverage, to save computing resources, and to ensure that such a non-serving cell can provide service for a long enough time after being selected as the first cell by the cell reselection procedure, and to avoid frequent reselection.

[0045] In a possible implementation, the second criterion comprises: a remaining time of the coverage of the non-serving cell being greater than or not less than a third threshold.

[0046] Based on this implementation, it is beneficial to perform measurement on only the non-serving cell with a long enough remaining time of the coverage, to save computing resources, and to ensure that such a non-serving cell can provide service for a long enough time after being selected as the first cell by the cell reselection procedure, and to avoid frequent reselection.

[0047] In a possible implementation, the first configuration further comprises a fourth threshold, the fourth threshold indicating a threshold of a remaining time of the coverage start of the non-serving cell in the second criterion, the second criterion being used for performing the cell reselection related measurement.

[0048] Based on this implementation, it is beneficial to avoid frequent reselection and waste of power consumption caused by the coverage start of the non-serving cell with a higher priority or better signal reception quality / signal reception power.

[0049] In a possible implementation, the second criterion comprises: a remaining time of the coverage start of the non-serving cell being less than or not greater than a fourth threshold.

[0050] Based on this implementation, it is beneficial to avoid frequent reselection and waste of power consumption caused by the coverage start of the non-serving cell with a higher priority or better signal reception quality / signal reception power.

[0051] In a possible implementation, the first configuration further includes a fifth threshold value, and the fifth threshold value indicates a threshold of the remaining time of the coverage of the current serving cell in the third criterion, and the third criterion is used for limiting the cell reselection related measurement.

[0052] Based on this implementation, it is beneficial to perform the cell reselection related measurement in time before the end of the coverage of the current serving cell so as to perform the cell reselection, and it is beneficial to avoid service loss and / or reselection delay caused by performing the cell reselection only after the end of the coverage of the current serving cell.

[0053] In a possible implementation, the third criterion includes that the remaining time of the coverage of the current serving cell is less than or not greater than the fifth threshold value.

[0054] Based on this implementation, it is possible to facilitate the performance of the cell reselection related measurement in time before the end of the coverage of the current serving cell so as to perform the cell reselection, and it is possible to avoid service loss and / or reselection delay caused by performing the cell reselection only after the end of the coverage of the current serving cell.

[0055] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication processing method, including: receiving a first configuration from a network device, the first configuration including first indication information, the first indication information indicating a coverage time of a non-terrestrial network (NTN); and performing cell selection based on the first configuration.

[0056] Based on the method described in the third aspect, the network device can indicate the coverage time of the NTN to the terminal device through the indication information, which is beneficial to the terminal device to perform the cell selection operation based on the coverage time information of the NTN, and is beneficial to obtain stable service.

[0057] In a possible implementation, the first indication information indicates the coverage time of the NTN cell or the NTN beam.

[0058] Based on this implementation, the coverage can be managed based on the cell level, the management complexity of the coverage information can be effectively reduced while the coverage of a larger geographic area is implemented, or the coverage can be managed in units of beams, so that the coverage management is more fine-grained, and the spectrum utilization efficiency is improved.

[0059] In a possible implementation, the first configuration further includes a first threshold value, and the first threshold value indicates a threshold of the remaining time of the coverage of the NTN cell in the first criterion, and the first criterion is used for performing the cell selection.

[0060] Based on this implementation, it is beneficial for the cell selection process to determine that the remaining coverage time of the cell is long enough to provide service, and it is beneficial to obtain stable service.

[0061] In a possible implementation, the first criterion comprises: a remaining coverage time of the NTN cell being greater than or not less than the first threshold.

[0062] Based on this implementation, it can be ensured that the cell selected by the cell selection process has a long enough remaining coverage time to provide services, and stable services can be obtained.

[0063] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication apparatus, which can be a terminal device, a device in a terminal device, or a device that can be used in matching with a terminal device; wherein the communication apparatus can also be a chip system, and the communication apparatus can execute the method performed by the terminal device in the first aspect and the third aspect. The functions of the communication apparatus can be realized by hardware, or realized by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units corresponding to the above functions. The unit can be software and / or hardware. The operations and beneficial effects of the communication apparatus can be referred to the method and beneficial effects described in the first aspect, the third aspect and the fourth aspect, and the repeated parts will not be described here.

[0064] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication apparatus, which can be a network device, a device in a network device, or a device that can be used in matching with a network device; wherein the communication apparatus can also be a chip system, and the communication apparatus can execute the method performed by the network device in the second aspect. The functions of the communication apparatus can be realized by hardware, or realized by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units corresponding to the above functions. The unit can be software and / or hardware. The operations and beneficial effects of the communication apparatus can be referred to the method and beneficial effects described in the second aspect, and the repeated parts will not be described here.

[0065] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication apparatus, which includes a processor, and when the processor invokes a computer program in a memory, the method performed by the terminal device or the network device in the method described in the first aspect or the third aspect or the second aspect is executed.

[0066] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a communication apparatus, which includes a processor and a memory for storing computer execution instructions; the processor is used to execute the computer execution instructions stored in the memory, so that the communication apparatus executes the method performed by the terminal device or the network device in the method described in the first aspect or the third aspect or the second aspect.

[0067] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a communication apparatus, comprising a processor, a memory and a transceiver, the transceiver is configured to receive or send signals; the memory is configured to store a computer program; the processor is configured to invoke the computer program from the memory to execute the method performed by the terminal device or the network device in the method described in the first aspect or the third aspect or the second aspect.

[0068] In a ninth aspect, the present application provides a communication apparatus, comprising a processor and an interface circuit, the interface circuit is configured to receive computer execution instructions and transmit to the processor; the processor runs the computer execution instructions to execute the method performed by the terminal device or the network device in the method described in the first aspect or the third aspect or the second aspect.

[0069] In a tenth aspect, the present application provides a computer readable storage medium for storing computer execution instructions, when the computer execution instructions are executed, the method performed by the terminal device or the network device in the method described in the first aspect or the third aspect or the second aspect is realized.

[0070] In an eleventh aspect, the present application provides a communication apparatus, comprising a function or unit for executing the method described in any one of the first aspect or the second aspect or the third aspect.

[0071] In a twelfth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product comprising a computer program, when the computer program is executed, the method performed by the terminal device or the network device in the method described in the first aspect or the second aspect or the third aspect is realized.

[0072] In a thirteenth aspect, the present application provides a communication system, comprising a terminal device and a network device; wherein the terminal device is configured to execute the method described in the first aspect or the third aspect, and the network device is configured to execute the method described in the second aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0073] Fig. 1A is a network application architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0074] Fig. 1B is a network application architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0075] Fig. 1C is a network application architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0076] Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a stationary cell provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0077] Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a mobile cell provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0078] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a transparent forwarding mode according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0079] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a regeneration mode according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0080] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0081] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0082] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of beam sweeping of an SSB according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0083] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of SSB cycle lengthening according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0084] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0085] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of coverage time of an NTN according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0086] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a communication processing method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0087] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a communication processing method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0088] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of a communication processing method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0089] FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of a communication processing method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0090] FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0091] FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0092] FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram of a chip according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0093] The terms “first” and “second” and the like in the description, claims, and drawings of the present application are intended to distinguish between similar objects but are not intended to describe a particular sequential order. Moreover, the terms “include,” and “have,” and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that includes a list of steps or units are not necessarily limited to the listed steps or units, but can optionally include additional steps or units not expressly listed or can also include additional steps or units inherent to such process, method, product, or apparatus.

[0094] Reference within this document to "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment of the application. The appearances of the phrase in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are they necessarily mutually exclusive of one another. As will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, embodiments described herein can be combinable with other embodiments.

[0095] In this application, "at least one", "one or more", "multiple", "two or more", "at least two", "and / or", are used to describe a corresponding relationship between associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, "A and / or B" can mean: only A, only B, and A and B exist at the same time, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally represents an "or" relationship between the front and rear associated objects. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions means any combination of these items, including any combination of single or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b or c, can mean: a, b, c, "a and b", "a and c", "b and c", or "a and b and c", where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0096] The terms "comprising" and "having" and any variations thereof described in the following description of the application are intended to cover both the inclusive and exclusive cases. For example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but can optionally include other steps or units not listed, or can optionally include other steps or units inherent to such processes, methods, products, or apparatus. It should be noted that the words "exemplary" or "for example" in the application embodiments are used to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any method or design scheme described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the application embodiments should not be interpreted as more preferred or advantageous than other methods or design schemes. Rather, the use of "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concept in a specific manner.

[0097] For the purpose of brevity and understanding, the terms "greater than" or "less than" are used herein to represent the size relationship. However, it is understood by those skilled in the art that the term "greater than" also covers the meaning of "greater than or equal to", and the term "less than" also covers the meaning of "less than or equal to".

[0098] In the following, some terms in the application are explained to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0099] One, cell selection

[0100] Cell selection refers to a process in which a terminal device selects a suitable cell to provide a service signal by detecting signal quality.

[0101] The cell selection process can determine a suitable cell by S criterion.

[0102] The S criterion is S rxlev > 0 and S qual > 0.

[0103] Optionally, S rxlev and S qual may satisfy the following formula, or S rxlev and S qual may be determined by the following formula: S rxlev = Q rxlevmeas – (Q rxlevmin + Q rxlevminoffset ) – P compensation – Qoffset temp ; S qual = Q qualmeas – (Q qualmin + Q qualminoffset ) – Qoffset temp ;

[0104] Wherein, Q rxlevmeas : a measured cell received signal level value, i.e. reference signal received power (RSRP).

[0105] Q rxlevmin : a minimum cell received level value broadcast in system information block 1 (SIB1), which can be configured by the parameter CellSel.QRxLevMin.

[0106] Q rxlevminoffset : a minimum cell received signal level offset value broadcast in SIB1. It can be configured by the parameter CellSel.QRxLevMinOffset.

[0107] P compensation = max (P Max - UE Maximum Output Power, 0). Wherein, P Max: The maximum UE transmit power allowed by the cell, broadcasted in SIB1, can be configured by parameter CellUePowerMax.

[0108] Q qualmeas : The measured cell received signal quality, i.e. reference signal received quality (RSRQ).

[0109] Q qualmin : The minimum cell received signal quality value broadcasted in SIB1, can be configured by parameter CellSel.QQualMin. qualmin Whether this information element is included in SIB1 can depend on the settings of CellResel.ThrshServLowQCfgInd and CellSel.QQualMin: when CellSel.QQualMin is set to a value other than "0", CellResel.ThrshServLowQCfgInd can be configured as "CFG" or "NOT_CFG", and this information element can or can not be included in SIB1. When CellSel.QQualMin is set to "0", CellResel.ThrshServLowQCfgInd can only be configured as "NOT_CFG", and this information element is not included in SIB1.

[0110] Q qualminoffset : The minimum cell received signal quality offset value broadcasted in SIB1, can be configured by parameter CellSel.QQualMinOffset.

[0111] S rxlev and S qual Please refer to the relevant description in section 5.2.3.2 of TS 38.304 of 3GPP protocol, which will not be expanded here. It can be understood that, with the iteration and update of the protocol, S rxlev and S qual The formula that S

[0112] Two, cell reselection

[0113] Cell reselection refers to the process in which a terminal device in idle mode selects a cell providing service signals by monitoring the signal quality of the neighbor cell and the current serving cell.

[0114] The cell reselection process can include:

[0115] A1, the terminal device measures the current serving cell and the neighbor cell according to the measurement start criterion, the neighbor cell including intra frequency, inter frequency, and inter radio access technology (inter-RAT) cells.

[0116] The measurement start criterion: whether the neighbor cell starts measurement can consider two parameters, i.e., the cell priority of the neighbor cell and the signal quality of the current serving cell. If the cell priority of the neighbor cell is higher than that of the current serving cell, the terminal device unconditionally starts measurement on the neighbor cell. If the cell priority of the neighbor cell is less than or equal to that of the current serving cell, the terminal device can measure the signal quality of the current serving cell and compare the signal quality of the current serving cell with a quality threshold value. If the signal quality of the current serving cell is higher than the quality threshold value, the neighbor cell can not be measured. If the signal quality of the current serving cell is not higher than the quality threshold value, the neighbor cell is measured.

[0117] In addition, in the NTN scenario, whether the neighbor cell starts measurement can also be a time condition-based trigger, i.e., when the network device informs the terminal device that the current satellite serving cell is about to expire (i.e., the service time t-service is close to the end), for example, the satellite orbit is about to change or the current beam service is about to end, the terminal device can configure the initial value of T1 timer according to the "service end time" indicated by the network and start the timer, and trigger measurement on the neighbor cell.

[0118] A2, the terminal device determines whether the signal of the neighbor cell meets the reselection criterion.

[0119] Optionally, the reselection criterion between different priority inter frequency and inter system:

[0120] If the cell priority of the neighbor cell between inter frequency / inter system is higher than that of the current serving cell, if the current serving cell carries threshServingLowQ in the system information (e.g., SIB), wherein threshServingLowQ is the reselection threshold value corresponding to the neighbor cell with a cell priority less than or equal to that of the current serving cell. When the following conditions are met, reselection is triggered: the terminal device stays in the current serving cell for more than a preset time (e.g., 1 second); the neighbor cell meets the following condition in the time interval (T reselectionRAT ) : S qual > Thresh X,HighQ , wherein S qual is the signal quality and Thresh X,HighQ is the threshold value of the signal quality.

[0121] If the current serving cell does not carry threshServingLowQ in system information (e.g., SIB), the reselection is triggered when the following conditions are met: the neighbor cell meets S reselectionRAT for a time interval (T rxlev ) and the terminal device stays in the current serving cell for more than a preset time length (e.g., 1 second). X,HighP , where S rxlev is the signal energy (or signal power) and Thresh X,HighP is the threshold value of the signal energy (or signal power); the terminal device stays in the current serving cell for more than a preset time length (e.g., 1 second).

[0122] , where Thresh X,HighQ and Thresh X,HighP are the reselection threshold values of the neighbor cells with a higher cell priority than the current serving cell, where X can represent a frequency, and each frequency has a corresponding threshold. Thresh X,HighQ and Thresh X,HighP of the inter-frequency neighbor cells can be obtained from SIB4, and Thresh X,HighQ and Thresh X,HighP of the inter-system neighbor cells can be obtained from SIB5.

[0123] If the cell priority of the inter-frequency / inter-system neighbor cell is equal to the cell priority of the current serving cell, the terminal device can perform cell reselection according to the S criterion and the R criterion. The R criterion is to calculate an R (Rank) value for each neighbor cell and the current serving cell according to the cell signal quality, and then sort the R values according to the size, and the R value greater than that of the current serving cell meets the reselection standard, and if there are multiple cells meeting the standard, the best one is selected. The neighbor cell meets the R criterion for a time interval (Treselection RAT ) and the terminal device stays in the current serving cell for more than a preset time length (e.g., 1 second). Then the terminal device starts the reselection to the neighbor cell.

[0124] Optionally, the R value R s of the serving cell can meet the following formula, or the R value R s of the serving cell can be determined by the following formula: R s = Q meas,s + Q hyst - Qoffset temp .

[0125] , where Q meas,s is the signal quality of the current serving cell, which can be obtained by the terminal device.

[0126] Q hyst is the reselection hysteresis value of the current serving cell. Q hystThe greater the value, the greater the border of the serving cell, and the lower the probability of reselecting to the neighbor cell.

[0127] Qoffset is a R criterion calculation parameter. In the scenario of intra-frequency reselection, Qoffset can be equal to Qoffsetcell, which can be obtained from SIB3; in the scenario of inter-frequency reselection, Qoffset can be equal to the sum of QoffsetCell and QoffsetFreq, which can be obtained from SIB4.

[0128] Qoffset temp is a R criterion calculation parameter, which can be obtained from SIB1.

[0129] The R value R n of the neighbor cell can conform to the following formula, or the R value R n of the neighbor cell can be determined by the following formula: R n = Q meas,n – Qoffset – Qoffset temp .

[0130] Wherein, Q meas,n is the signal quality of the neighbor cell, which can be obtained by the terminal device measurement.

[0131] The R value R s of the serving cell and the R value R n of the neighbor cell can refer to the relevant description in TS38.304 of the 3GPP protocol, which will not be expanded here. It can be understood that with the iteration and update of the protocol, the formula conformed to by the R value R s of the serving cell and the R value R n of the neighbor cell can have different expressions, which are not limited by the present application.

[0132] If the cell priority of the inter-frequency / inter-system neighbor cell is lower than the cell priority of the current serving cell, if the current serving cell carries threshServingLowQ in the system information (SIB), the reselection is triggered when the following conditions are met: the serving cell meets S qual <ThreshServingLowQ; the neighbor cell meets S RAT >Thresh qual for a time interval (Treselection X,LowQ ); and the terminal device stays in the current serving cell for more than a preset time (for example, 1 second).

[0133] If the current serving cell does not carry threshServingLowQ in the system information (SIB), the reselection is triggered when the following conditions are met: the serving cell meets Srxlev <ThreshServingLowP; the neighbor meets S RAT ) during a time interval (Treselection rxlev >Thresh X,LowP ; the terminal device stays in the current serving cell for more than a preset time length (e.g., 1 second).

[0134] wherein ThreshServingLowQ and Thresh X,LowQ are the reselection threshold values corresponding to the neighbor cells whose cell priorities are lower than that of the current serving cell, wherein X can represent a frequency, and each frequency has a corresponding threshold. Thresh X,HighP of the inter-frequency neighbor cell can be acquired from SIB4, and Thresh X,HighP of the inter-system neighbor cell can be acquired from SIB5.

[0135] A3, if the neighbor cell meets the reselection criteria, reselection is performed, and the terminal device receives the system message of the neighbor cell, and if there is no access restriction (for example, the operator can have some reserved cells or cells with limited access), the terminal device stays in the neighbor cell. If the neighbor cell does not meet the reselection criteria, the terminal device still stays in the current serving cell.

[0136] III. NTN communication

[0137] Satellite communication, as one of the most important communication scenarios in 5G communication, has been introduced by 3GPP under the name of NTN. NTN refers to a network that uses radio frequency resources on a satellite platform, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platform, or HAPS platform to provide communication services. NTN can provide communication services for areas that cannot be covered or have insufficient coverage by ground networks; it can also provide stable emergency communication in the event of natural disasters or large-scale events; it can also provide high-quality communication services for users on vehicles such as high-speed trains, ships, and airplanes; and it can also provide dedicated services for government and enterprise users to meet specific business needs. It can be understood that NTN can be applied to global coverage (e.g., signal coverage for remote areas and ocean-going ships), emergency disaster relief (e.g., disaster monitoring and emergency communication), Internet of Things, high-speed movement (e.g., high-speed trains and airplanes), and other scenarios.

[0138] Compared with ground communication, NTN has the characteristics of wider coverage, higher path loss, larger delay, faster speed, and lower cost, and has been widely applied in aviation, military, energy, and other fields. Specifically, NTN can be used as a supplement and extension of ground networks, and it can achieve the purpose of wide-area seamless coverage that wired telephone networks and ground mobile communication networks cannot achieve, effectively solving the problem of Internet access in areas where communication infrastructure is scarce (e.g., remote areas and ocean-going ships).

[0139] Referring to FIGS. 1A-1C, each of FIGS. 1A-1C is a network application architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIGS. 1A-1C, the network application architecture includes a terminal device, a satellite, a 5G base station (may also be referred to as a ground base station, such as a gNB), a ground station (may also be referred to as a gateway, an earth station, a gateway station, or a gateway station), a 5G core network, and a data network (DN). The terminal device accesses a wireless network through an air interface (for example, a 5G air interface) to obtain a service of a data network through the wireless network or to implement communication with other devices (for example, other terminal devices) through the wireless network.

[0140] As shown in FIG. 1A, the 5G base station or part of the base station function is deployed on the satellite (i.e., a satellite base station), the terminal device accesses the satellite through an air interface, the satellite is connected to the ground station through a wireless link, and the ground station is used to implement mutual communication with the 5G core network.

[0141] As shown in FIG. 1B, the 5G base station is deployed on the ground, the terminal device accesses the satellite through an air interface, the satellite is connected to the ground station through a wireless link, and the ground station and the 5G base station implement mutual communication with the 5G core network through a wired or wireless connection.

[0142] As shown in FIG. 1C, a plurality of terminal devices (two terminal devices are taken as an example) and a plurality of satellites (two satellites are taken as an example) are added on the basis of FIG. 1A, and there is a wireless link between the satellites. If the satellite only has a transparent forwarding function (i.e., the corresponding 5G base station is deployed on the ground), the satellites only implement transparent forwarding. If the 5G base station or part of the base station function is deployed on the satellite, the satellites can complete signaling interaction and user data transmission between base stations and base stations. The following describes each device or network element in FIGS. 1A-1C and the interface therebetween:

[0143] Terminal device: can be a mobile device supporting new air interface, such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer, and the like. The terminal device can access a satellite network through an air interface and initiate a call, access the Internet, and the like.

[0144] 5G base station: can be a network device, mainly providing wireless access services, scheduling wireless resources for access terminal devices, and providing reliable wireless transmission protocols and data encryption protocols, and the like.

[0145] Satellite: can be a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, a medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite, a geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite, a high elliptical orbit (HEO) satellite, a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) satellite, etc., and can also be a high altitude platform station (HAPS), etc. Among them, the GNSS satellite usually belongs to a medium-high orbit satellite. The specific type of satellite is not limited in the present application.

[0146] 5G core network: mainly provides user access control, mobility management, session management, user security authentication, charging and other services. It is composed of multiple functional units and can be divided into control plane and data plane functional entities. The 5G core network can include a network exposure function (NEF), a policy charging function (PCF), a session management function (SMF), an access and mobility management function (AMF), a location management function (LMF), a user plane function (UPF), etc. Among them, the NEF can be used to expose the services and capabilities of the 3GPP network functions to the application function (AF), and also allows the AF to provide information to the 3GPP network function. The PCF can be used for policy management of charging policies and quality of service (QoS) policies. The SMF can be used to complete the session management functions such as IP address allocation of terminal equipment, UPF selection, charging and QoS policy control. The AMF is mainly responsible for user access management, security authentication, mobility management, etc. The LMF is mainly responsible for managing and controlling the positioning service request of the target terminal and processing positioning related information. The UPF is mainly responsible for managing the transmission of user plane data, traffic statistics and other functions.

[0147] Ground station: also known as gateway, earth station, gateway station, gateway, mainly responsible for forwarding the signaling and service data between satellite base station and 5G core network, one or more satellites can be connected to one or more ground base stations through one or more gateways, which is not limited here.

[0148] Air interface: wireless link between terminal device and 5G base station.

[0149] Xn interface: interface between 5G base stations, mainly used for signaling interaction such as handover.

[0150] NG interface: interface between 5G base station and core network, mainly interacting with core network non access layer (non access stratum, NAS) signaling and user service data.

[0151] The application can be applied to 4G, 5G and other communication systems, involving terminal devices, base stations, ground stations and other wireless access devices, which perform uplink and downlink data communication based on wireless communication protocols. It should be noted that if it is a 4G communication system, the Xn interface in the figure is called X2 interface, and the NG interface is S1 interface.

[0152] According to the height of the satellite, that is, the height of the satellite orbit, the satellite system can be divided into HEO satellite, GEO satellite, MEO satellite and LEO satellite.

[0153] As an example, the mechanism of GEO satellite and LEO satellite to provide coverage cell is described as follows.

[0154] 1、GEO satellite: also known as stationary satellite, the satellite moves at the same speed as the earth's rotation system, so the satellite remains stationary relative to the ground, and correspondingly, the cell of GEO satellite is also stationary. The coverage range of GEO satellite cell is larger, generally the cell diameter is 500km.

[0155] 2、LEO satellite: there are many kinds of non-stationary satellites, taking LEO satellite as an example. LEO satellite moves relatively fast relative to the ground, about 7Km / s, so the coverage area provided by LEO satellite also moves. The cell projected to the ground by LEO satellite has two modes, fixed cell and moving cell.

[0156] fixed cell, i.e., the cells projected onto the ground are stationary relative to the ground, and the LEO satellites in the sky complete the coverage of the same position on the ground by adjusting the antenna angle, and when the LEO satellite cannot cover the ground, another LEO satellite takes over. Referring to FIG. 2, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a stationary cell according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 2, the mapping mode of the stationary cell refers to the position of the cell on the ground being immobile, and the moving satellite forms these cells by adjusting its own beam. For example, at Time1: the area shown in FIG. 2 is covered by cell 1 and cell 2 of gNB1, and cell 3 and cell 4 of gNB2; at Time2: although gNB1 and gNB2 both move to the left, they can still adjust their own beams, and the area shown in FIG. 2 can still be covered by cell 1 and cell 2 of gNB1, and cell 3 and cell 4 of gNB2; at Time3: compared with T1, gNB1 and gNB2 have moved far enough, gNB1 cannot provide services for the area through cell 1 by adjusting the beam, and gNB3 can provide services for the area through cell 5, and the area shown in FIG. 2 can be covered by cell 2 of gNB1, cell 3 and cell 4 of gNB2, and cell 5 of gNB3. In this cell mode, the satellite can form stationary cells by adjusting the beam, and the beam deployment mode of the satellite can be referred to as a staring beam.

[0157] moving cell, i.e., the cells projected onto the ground move with the LEO satellite, and the antenna direction of the LEO satellite does not change during the movement, for example, the antenna of the LEO satellite is always perpendicular to the ground. Referring to FIG. 3, FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a moving cell according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 3, the mapping mode of the ground moving cell refers to that the moving satellite does not dynamically adjust its beam direction, and the beam generated by the moving satellite moves on the ground with the movement of the satellite. For example, at Time1: the area shown in FIG. 3 is covered by cell 1 and cell 2 of gNB1, and cell 3 and cell 4 of gNB2; at Time2: the area shown in FIG. 3 is covered by part of cell 1 and cell 2 of gNB1, cell 3 and cell 4 of gNB2, and part of cell 5 of gNB3; and at Time3: the area is covered by cell 2 of gNB1, cell 3 and cell 4 of gNB2, and cell 5 of gNB3. In this cell mode, the moving satellite does not dynamically adjust its beam direction, and the beam deployment mode of the satellite can be referred to as a non-staring beam.

[0158] In addition, the working mode of the satellite is not limited in the embodiments of the present application, for example, the working mode of the satellite can be a transparent mode or a regenerative mode.

[0159] Referring to FIG. 4, FIG. 4 is an architecture diagram of a transparent forwarding mode provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 4, the system architecture in the transparent forwarding mode can include a terminal device, a transparent forwarding satellite which can be a radio frequency repeater (RF repeater), a gNB, a 5G core network, and a data network. Among them, the terminal device and the transparent forwarding satellite, and the gNB and the transparent forwarding satellite can communicate based on NR radio protocols, the gNB and the 5G core network can communicate based on an NG interface (for example, an N2 interface or an N3 interface), and the 5G core network and the data network can communicate based on an N6 interface. It can be understood that the satellite, as an analog radio frequency repeater, has the function of relaying and forwarding, can realize wireless frequency conversion and amplification, and can transparently transmit or copy the signals between the base station and the terminal device. For example, the signals transmitted by the terminal device can be transmitted by the satellite, and the gateway (i.e. the ground station) forwards the signals into the ground base station. The gateway has part or all of the functions of the base station, and at this time the gateway can be regarded as a base station. It can be considered that the network element and the base station can be deployed together or separately. If the gateway and the base station are deployed separately, the delay of the feeder link includes the delay from the satellite to the gateway and the delay from the gateway to the base station.

[0160] Referring to FIG. 5, FIG. 5 is an architecture diagram of a regenerative mode provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 5, the system architecture in the regenerative mode can include a terminal device, a regenerative satellite including a gNB or a DU, a gNB / control unit (CU), a 5G core network, and a data network. Among them, the terminal device and the regenerative satellite can communicate based on NR radio protocols, the regenerative satellite and the gNB / CU can communicate based on an F1 interface, the gNB / CU and the 5G core network can communicate based on an NG interface (for example, an N2 interface or an N3 interface), and the 5G core network and the data network can communicate based on an N6 interface. It can be understood that the satellite, as a base station for wireless communication, has part or all of the functions of the base station, realizes the regeneration of the signals received from the ground, and can understand and process these signals. For example, the satellite can be a base station carried on a man-made satellite or a high-altitude aircraft, for example, an evolved base station (eNB) or a 5G base station (gNB). The gateway can forward the signaling between the satellite (i.e. the base station) and the core network.

[0161] It should be noted that the network application architecture and the business scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are used to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application. Those skilled in the art can know that with the evolution of network application architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0162] The NTN communication system provides seamless coverage for terminal devices by deploying all or part of the functions of the access network device on the NTN device (such as high-altitude platform or satellite, etc.). Since the non-terrestrial device is less affected by natural disasters, the reliability of the communication system can be improved.

[0163] The names of all nodes, messages, and criteria in the present application are only names set for the convenience of description, and the names in the actual network can be different, and the names of various nodes, messages, and criteria should not be understood as being limited by the present application. On the contrary, any name having the same or similar function as the nodes or messages or criteria used in the present application is considered as a method or equivalent replacement of the present application, and is within the protection scope of the present application, and the following will not be described again.

[0164] Exemplarily, the cell selection method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied to a communication system including NTN devices (such as satellites, HAPS, drones, etc.) and access network devices on the ground, wherein the NTN devices can have all or part of the functions of the access network devices. Among them, the network architecture of the NTN device can be a transparent transmission architecture or a regenerative architecture. Optionally, the network architecture can also include a gateway device, which is used to forward the signal of the ground base station to the satellite.

[0165] In one example, the NTN device and the access network device on the ground can be interconnected through a common core network. Alternatively, the NTN device and the access network device on the ground can also realize higher timeliness assistance and interconnection through the interface defined between the access network devices. In NR, the interface between the access network devices can be referred to as Xn interface, and the interface between the access network device and the core network can be referred to as NG interface. The NTN device and the access network device on the ground can realize interworking and cooperation through the Xn interface or the NG interface.

[0166] Optionally, the link between the NTN device and the terminal device can be referred to as a service link (service link), and the link between the NTN device and the gateway device can be referred to as a feeder link (feeder link).

[0167] It can be understood that the system architecture described in the embodiments of the present application is used to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application.

[0168] Referring to FIG. 6, FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application. The communication system includes at least one network device and at least one terminal device. In FIG. 6, the network device and one terminal device are taken as examples. It can be understood that the number of terminal devices and network devices in FIG. 6 is only an example, and can be less or more. The terminal device and the network device involved in the communication system in FIG. 6 are described in detail below respectively.

[0169] The network device can be an NTN device with all or part of the functions of an access network device, or can also be an access network device on the ground. The network device can provide a wireless access service for the terminal device, that is, the network device is an access device that enables the terminal device to access the communication system in a wireless manner.

[0170] The network device can be an evolved Node B (eNB or eNodeB) in LTE, or a base station in a 5G network, a broadband network gateway (BNG), a convergence switch, or a non-3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) access device, and the like, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0171] The network device can also be referred to as an access network device, an access node (AN), a radio access node (RAN), and the like. Exemplarily, the base station in the embodiments of the present application can include various forms of base stations, such as: a macro base station, a micro base station (also referred to as a small station), a relay station, an access point, a next-generation base station (gNodeB, gNB), a radio network controller (RNC), a node B (NB), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a home base station (for example, a home evolved nodeB, or home node B, HNB), a base band unit (BBU), a transmitting and receiving point (TRP), a transmitting point (TP), a mobile switching center, and a device that undertakes a base station function in Device-to-Device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, Internet of Things (IoT) communication, and the like, and the embodiments of the present application do not make a specific limitation in this regard.

[0172] In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, the network device provides services for a cell, and a terminal device communicates with the network device through transmission resources (for example, frequency domain resources, or spectrum resources) used by the cell. The network device in the embodiments of the present application can refer to a central unit (CU) or a distributed unit (DU). Alternatively, the network device can also be composed of a CU and a DU.

[0173] Referring to FIG. 7, FIG. 7 is a structural schematic diagram of a network device provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 7, the CU and the DU can be physically separated or deployed together, and the embodiment of the present application does not make a specific limitation thereon. One CU can be connected with one DU, or multiple DUs can share one CU, which can save cost and facilitate network expansion. The CU and the DU can be split according to a protocol stack, and one possible way is to deploy the radio resource control (RRC), the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) and the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer in the CU, and to deploy the radio link control (RLC) layer, the media access control (MAC) layer and the physical layer in the DU. The embodiment of the present application does not completely limit the above protocol stack splitting manner, and other splitting manners can also be used.

[0174] The CU and the DU are connected through an F1 interface. The CU is connected with a core network through an Ng interface. The network device in the embodiment of the present application can also be a centralized unit control plane (CU-CP) node or a centralized unit user plane (CU-UP) node, or the network device can also be a CU-CP and a CU-UP. The CU-CP is responsible for control plane functions, mainly including the RRC and the PDCP-C. The PDCP-C is mainly responsible for data encryption and decryption, integrity protection, data transmission and the like of the control plane. The CU-UP is responsible for user plane functions, mainly including the SDAP and the PDCP-U. The SDAP is mainly responsible for processing data of the core network and mapping the flow to a bearer. The PDCP-U is mainly responsible for data encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, sequence number maintenance, data transmission and the like of the data plane. The CU-CP and the CU-UP are connected through an E1 interface. The CU-CP is connected with the core network through the Ng interface. The CU-CP is connected with the DU through an F1-C (control plane). The CU-UP is connected with the DU through an F1-U (user plane). Of course, another possible implementation is that the PDCP-C is also in the CU-UP. The network device mentioned in the embodiment of the present application can be a device including the CU, or the DU, or including the CU and the DU, or a device including the control plane CU node (CU-CP node) and the user plane CU node (CU-UP node) and the DU node.

[0175] In addition, in other possible cases, the network device can be other apparatuses that provide wireless communication functions for the terminal device. Embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the network device. For the convenience of description, the apparatuses that provide wireless communication functions for the terminal device are referred to as network devices in the embodiments of the present application.

[0176] It can be understood that, in the embodiments of the present application, the apparatus for implementing the function of the network device can be the network device itself, or an apparatus capable of supporting the network device to implement the function, such as a chip system or a combination device or component that can implement the function of the network device, which can be installed in the network device. Embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the network device.

[0177] The terminal device can be a device capable of receiving scheduling and indication information of the network device (or NTN device), and can be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to users, or a handheld device with wireless connection functions, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, which can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, 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.).

[0178] The terminal device can communicate with one or more core networks or the Internet through a radio access network (such as a radio access network (RAN)), and the terminal device can be a mobile terminal device, such as a mobile phone (or called “cellular” phone, mobile phone), a computer and a data card, for example, it can be a portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-built-in or vehicle-mounted mobile device, which exchanges language and / or data with the radio access network.

[0179] The terminal device can be a mobile phone, a virtual reality (VR) terminal, an augmented reality (AR) terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a vehicle-mounted terminal, a wireless terminal in self driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, a wearable terminal, a personal communications service (PCS) phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a Pad, a computer with wireless transceiver, and the like.

[0180] The terminal device can also be referred to as a system, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a mobile station (MS), a remote station, an access point (AP), a remote terminal, an access terminal, a user terminal, a user agent, a subscriber station (SS), a customer premises equipment (CPE), a terminal, a user equipment (UE), a mobile terminal (MT), an access terminal, an industrial control terminal, a UE unit, a UE station, a mobile device, a UE terminal, a wireless communication device, a UE agent, or a UE apparatus, and the like.

[0181] The terminal device can also be a wearable device and a terminal device in a next-generation communication system, for example, a terminal device in a 5G network or a terminal device in a future evolved PLMN network, a terminal device in a new radio (NR) communication system, and the like. The terminal device can also be a terminal device that communicates with an NTN device. Embodiments of the present application do not limit the application scenarios.

[0182] It can be understood that, in the embodiments of the present application, all or part of the functions of the terminal device can also be implemented by software functions running on hardware or by virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (such as a cloud platform). The terminal device in the present application can be a terminal for 5G or a terminal for 6G, and the present application does not limit this. In the embodiments of the present application, the device for implementing the functions of the terminal device can be a terminal device, or a device capable of supporting the terminal device to implement the functions, such as a chip system or a combination device or component that can implement the functions of the terminal device, which can be installed in the terminal device.

[0183] In addition, the embodiments of the present application can also be applicable to other communication technologies facing the future. The network architecture and service scenarios described in the present application are for more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the present application. It can be known by those skilled in the art that, as the network architecture evolves and new service scenarios appear, the technical solutions provided by the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0184] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the types and specifications of the above communication systems. For example, the communication system can be: a fifth generation (5G) communication system, a long term evolution (LTE) communication system, and the like.

[0185] The embodiments of the present application can be applied to a fourth generation (4G) system, a 5G system, an NTN system, a vehicle to everything (V2X), a long term evolution-vehicle (LTE-V), a vehicle to vehicle (V2V), a vehicle to everything, a machine type communications (MTC), an internet of things (IoT), a long term evolution-machine to machine (LTE-M), a machine to machine (M2M), an internet of things, a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX), or a wireless local area network (WLAN) system, a new radio (NR), a third generation partner project (3GPP) service-based architecture (SBA), and the like communication systems or a 6th generation (6G) communication system or a future mobile communication system.

[0186] In the 5G new radio (NR), the propagation loss of high-frequency carriers is large, so the coverage range of the cell base station is small, and therefore it is necessary to use beam forming technology to increase the coverage distance of the wireless signal. The beam forming technology can focus the signal energy in a specific direction by adjusting the amplitude and phase of the antenna signal. The 5G base station can use the beam forming technology to realize directional coverage of the user, improve the reliability and transmission rate of the signal, and reduce interference and power consumption.

[0187] Meanwhile, due to the limited angle of each beam coverage, NR covers the entire cell service range through beam scanning. Beam scanning refers to transmitting synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel blocks (SSBs) on beams in different directions through time division multiplexing. An SSB is composed of a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), and can also be referred to as an SS / PBCH block in general cases. A set of SSBs in one beam scanning is referred to as an SSB burst set, and the SSB burst set is always limited to a time range of 5 ms. In NR, the length of one radio frame is 10 ms, that is, the SSB burst set is limited to a time range of a half frame.

[0188] In the 3GPP protocol, for example, in TS 38.213 section 4.1, for initial cell search, it is specified that the terminal device will assume that the half frame with SSBs occurs with a period of two frames, that is, the default SSB period is 20 ms. In order to achieve downlink synchronization, the UE needs to obtain the frequency point of the access carrier by searching and detecting SSBs.

[0189] Referring to FIG. 8, FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of beam scanning of an SSB according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 8, the SSB period is 20 ms by default, and the terminal device can measure n beams (SSB0-SSBn-1) in the half frame with SSBs to determine the frequency point of access.

[0190] In satellite communication, a ground base station can be connected to a satellite, and the signal of the ground base station can be forwarded by the satellite. The forwarded SSB signal can cover different geographical areas with different beams. Since the number of satellite beams used for service is large, and the total energy allocated to the satellite payload is limited, part of the satellite beams can be turned on and off at intervals to enhance the power distribution between the satellite beams, so as to achieve power sharing. However, this causes the period of the SSB signal to be lengthened with the turning on and off of the corresponding beam, and the terminal device cannot search for the corresponding SSB signal when the satellite beam in the area where the terminal device is located is turned off.

[0191] Referring to FIG. 9, FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of lengthening of an SSB period according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 9, due to the turning on and off of part of the satellite beams at intervals to achieve power sharing between the satellite beams, there is no corresponding SSB transmission in part of the half frame that should have transmitted the SSB burst set, resulting in lengthening of the SSB period.

[0192] The existing cell reselection considers the quality of the serving cell, the quality of the neighbor cell and the reselection priority, and also considers the location and time-based trigger in the NTN system, such as starting measurement before t-service of the serving cell, where t-service is the time when the NTN cell stops serving the current coverage area.

[0193] However, when the interval of turning on and off the satellite beam makes the SSB period lengthen, t-service will not be sufficient to represent the change of the satellite cell coverage caused by the lengthening of the SSB period, and the mechanism of triggering the neighbor cell measurement based on the time of t-service (for example, T1 timer) will be affected. For example:

[0194] Scenario 1: When the satellite beam is turned off, the SSB signal suddenly disappears, and the terminal device starts reselection or cell search at this time, resulting in loss of service and / or reselection delay.

[0195] Scenario 2: When the terminal device performs neighbor cell measurement, it needs to measure the neighbor cell signal strength according to the neighbor cell list configured by the network side, and if part of the neighbor cells in the list have no SSB signal transmission due to the satellite beam being turned off, the terminal device will continue to search and measure these neighbor cells, resulting in power waste.

[0196] Scenario 3: The terminal device reselects to a cell that will lose SSB signal coverage due to the satellite beam being turned off, resulting in loss of service or triggering reselection soon after camping.

[0197] Scenario 4: The terminal device has decided to camp on the target cell according to the reselection criteria, however, a higher priority cell that has no SSB signal coverage due to the satellite beam being turned off starts to have SSB signal coverage due to the satellite beam being turned on, resulting in the terminal device needing to camp on a cell with a priority that is not the highest for a period of time before reselecting to the high priority cell.

[0198] To avoid the situation of reselection delay or frequent reselection, the present application provides a communication method and a communication device.

[0199] Referring to FIG. 10, FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 10, the communication method includes the following steps S1001-S1002. The method execution subject shown in FIG. 10 can be a terminal device and a network device. Alternatively, the method execution subject shown in FIG. 10 can be a chip in the terminal device and a chip in the network device, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. FIG. 10 takes the terminal device and the network device as the method execution subject for example.

[0200] S1001, the network device sends a first configuration to the terminal device; correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first configuration from the network device.

[0201] The first configuration includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate a coverage time of the non-terrestrial network NTN.

[0202] In some embodiments, the configuration information can be common configuration information associated with a plurality of terminal devices.

[0203] In some embodiments, the configuration information can be dedicated configuration information associated with a single terminal device.

[0204] The configuration information can be carried by one message as a whole, or can be carried by multiple messages in multiple parts, which is not limited in the present application.

[0205] In some embodiments, the configuration information can be carried by an RRC message or an SIB message. For example, the coverage information of the NTN for intra-frequency, inter-frequency, and inter-RAT cell reselection can be carried by the RRC message or the SIB message.

[0206] In some embodiments, the configuration information can be jointly carried by an RRC message and / or multiple SIB messages. For example, taking the coverage information of the NTN cell as an example, the coverage time information of the serving cell related to intra-frequency, inter-frequency, and inter-RAT cell reselection can be carried by the SIB2 message; the coverage time information of the neighboring cell related to intra-frequency cell reselection can be carried by the SIB3 message; the coverage time information of the neighboring cell related to inter-frequency cell reselection can be carried by the SIB4 message; and the coverage time information of the neighboring cell related to inter-RAT cell reselection can be carried by the SIB5 message.

[0207] S1002. The terminal device performs cell reselection based on the coverage time of the NTN.

[0208] The terminal device can obtain the indication information indicating the coverage time of the NTN by receiving the configuration information from the network device, and then can learn the coverage time of the NTN according to the indication information.

[0209] The information of the coverage time of the NTN includes the start time and the end time of the satellite. In a service period, the coverage can be a continuous and complete time period, including only one pair of start time and end time; or, the coverage can also be multiple time periods, including multiple pairs of start time and end time.

[0210] Referring to FIG. 11, FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of the coverage time of the NTN according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 11, in the service period of the satellite (before t-service), there are 3 time periods, including three pairs of start time and end time. In the time sequence relationship between the current time and the corresponding start time and end time:

[0211] For the coverage with start time < current time < end time (e.g., start time 1 < current time a < end time 1 shown in FIG. 11), the terminal device can obtain the remaining coverage duration by calculating the difference between the current time and the end time of the current coverage.

[0212] For the coverage with current time < start time < end time (e.g., current time b < start time 3 < end time 3 shown in FIG. 11), the terminal device can obtain the remaining start time of the coverage by calculating the difference between the current time and the start time of the next coverage.

[0213] In the NTN, each cell or beam can have a corresponding coverage time.

[0214] The terminal device can perform cell reselection according to the coverage time of the NTN, so as to avoid reselection delay or frequent reselection. For example:

[0215] At least for the aforementioned scenario 1, the terminal device learns the coverage time information of the NTN, and can perform cell reselection or cell search in time before the satellite beam is turned off and the SSB signal suddenly disappears, so as to avoid losing service and / or reselection delay.

[0216] At least for the aforementioned scenario 2, the terminal device learns the coverage time information of the NTN, and when performing cell reselection, can not measure the neighbor cell without SSB signal transmission due to the satellite beam being turned off, so as to avoid wasting power due to continuous search and measurement of this part of neighbor cells.

[0217] At least for the aforementioned scenario 3, the terminal device learns the coverage time information of the NTN, and can avoid reselecting to the cell that will lose SSB signal coverage due to the satellite beam being turned off, so as to avoid losing service or triggering reselection again after staying for a short time.

[0218] At least for the aforementioned scenario 4, the terminal device learns the coverage time information of the NTN, and can wait for a certain time until the beam corresponding to the high-priority cell is turned on, and then determine the target cell according to the reselection criterion, that is, can directly reselect to the high-priority cell, so as to avoid frequent reselection.

[0219] In some implementations, the first indication information indicates the coverage time of the NTN cell.

[0220] That is, the first indication information can be coverage management indication information at the cell level (e.g., per cell), which indicates the coverage time of the NTN cell.

[0221] The terminal device can learn the coverage time information of the current serving cell and the coverage time information of the neighbor cell according to the coverage time of the NTN cell.

[0222] Further, the terminal device can calculate a coverage remaining time or a coverage opening remaining time corresponding to each cell, and then perform a cell reselection operation, and determine a reselected cell based on the coverage remaining time or the coverage opening remaining time corresponding to each cell.

[0223] It can be understood that, based on the cell level, the coverage management can effectively reduce the management complexity of the coverage information while achieving the coverage of a large geographical area of the NTN.

[0224] It should be noted that the non-service cell in the present application can be a suitable cell, that is, a cell satisfying the S criterion, or a network configured neighbor cell, a cell participating in ranking in the cell reselection process, and the like, and can also be understood as an intra-frequency, inter-frequency, or inter-RAT frequency outside the serving cell. In addition, each criterion in the present application includes at least one condition or judgment, that is, the terminal device needs to complete the execution of the process based on all conditions related to the criterion.

[0225] In some implementations, the first configuration further includes a first threshold, and the first threshold indicates a threshold of the coverage remaining time of the non-service cell in the first criterion, and the first criterion is used for cell reselection.

[0226] The configuration information received by the terminal device from the network device can further include a first threshold, and the first threshold can indicate a threshold of the coverage remaining time of the non-service cell in the first criterion.

[0227] The terminal device can determine a first cell reselected in the cell reselection process based on the non-service cell satisfying the first criterion.

[0228] In some embodiments, if only one non-service cell satisfies the first criterion, the non-service cell can be determined as the first cell for cell reselection; if there are multiple non-service cells satisfying the first criterion, one of the multiple non-service cells can be determined as the first cell for cell reselection by a suitable method (for example, ranking).

[0229] Optionally, the first criterion can also be referred to as a reselection criterion, or have other suitable names, which are not limited in the present application.

[0230] In some embodiments, the first cell can be a cell selected by the idle state terminal device.

[0231] In some embodiments, the first cell can be a cell selected by the inactive state terminal device.

[0232] It is appreciated that the first threshold can be used to ensure that the first cell determined based on the non-serving cell can provide service for a long enough time, which is beneficial to avoid frequent reselection.

[0233] In some implementations, the first criterion comprises that the coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell is greater than or not less than a first threshold.

[0234] In some embodiments, based on the indication of the first threshold, the operation of performing cell reselection by the terminal device can comprise: determining the first cell for cell reselection based on that the coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell in the NTN cell is greater than or not less than the first threshold.

[0235] In some embodiments, based on the indication of the first threshold, the operation of performing cell reselection by the terminal device can comprise: determining the first cell for cell reselection based on that the coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell in the NTN cell is greater than or not less than the first threshold, and that the signal reception quality of the non-serving cell is greater than or not less than the first quality threshold.

[0236] In some embodiments, the first criterion for cell reselection of the high-priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cell can comprise: the non-serving cell S qual > Thresh X,HighQ , and the coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell > threshold a.

[0237] That is, based on that the NTN non-serving cell satisfies the condition of S qual > Thresh X,HighQ , and based on that the non-serving cell satisfies the condition of coverage remaining time > threshold a, the first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the NTN non-serving cell; based on that the NTN non-serving cell does not satisfy the condition of S qual > Thresh X,HighQ , or based on that the non-serving cell does not satisfy the condition of coverage remaining time > threshold a, the first cell for cell reselection is not determined from the NTN non-serving cell.

[0238] Further, the first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the non-serving cell satisfying the first criterion.

[0239] Optionally, if only one NTN non-serving cell satisfies the first criterion, the NTN non-serving cell can be determined as the first cell for cell reselection.

[0240] Optionally, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells satisfying the first criterion, the non-serving cell with the highest signal reception quality can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by sorting according to signal quality, or the non-serving cell with the longest coverage remaining time can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by sorting according to coverage remaining time.

[0241] In some embodiments, the first criterion for cell reselection of non-serving cells in the same frequency or in different frequencies and different RATs with the same priority may include: the non-serving cell satisfies the S criterion and R... n >R s And the remaining coverage time of non-serving cells is greater than the threshold b.

[0242] That is, based on NTN non-serving cells, S rxlev >0 and S qual >0、R n >R s Based on the conditions, and the condition that the non-serving cell satisfies the remaining coverage time > threshold b, the first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the NTN non-serving cell; based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell does not satisfy S rxlev >0 and S qual >0、R n >R s The first cell for cell reselection is not determined from the non-serving NTN cell if the condition is met, or if the non-serving cell does not meet the condition that the remaining coverage time is greater than the threshold b.

[0243] Furthermore, the first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the non-serving cells that meet the first criterion.

[0244] Optionally, if only one NTN non-serving cell satisfies the first criterion, then that NTN non-serving cell can be identified as the first cell for cell reselection.

[0245] Optionally, if multiple NTN non-serving cells meet the first criterion, R can be selected by sorting them according to signal quality. n The non-serving cell with the highest value is selected as the first cell for cell reselection. Alternatively, the non-serving cell with the longest remaining coverage time can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by sorting by remaining coverage time.

[0246] In some embodiments, the first criterion for cell reselection of low-priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cells may include: non-serving cell S qual >Thresh X,LowQ And the remaining coverage time of the non-serving cell is greater than the threshold c. Generally, the System Information Block (SIB) can carry the threshold ServingLowQ. In this case, the first criterion preferably also includes the serving cell satisfying the serving cell S. qual <ThreshServingLowQ。

[0247] That is, based on NTN non-serving cells, S qual >Thresh X,LowQ (Preferred and service cell S)qual The first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the NTN non-serving cell based on a condition that the non-serving cell satisfies ThreshServingLowQ, and a condition that the non-serving cell satisfies CoverRemainingTime > threshold c. qual ThreshServingLowQ X,LowQ The first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the NTN non-serving cell based on a condition that the non-serving cell satisfies ThreshServingLowQ, and a condition that the non-serving cell satisfies CoverRemainingTime > threshold c. qual The first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the NTN non-serving cell based on a condition that the non-serving cell satisfies ThreshServingLowQ, and a condition that the non-serving cell satisfies CoverRemainingTime > threshold c.

[0248] Further, the first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the non-serving cell satisfying the first criterion.

[0249] Optionally, if there is only one NTN non-serving cell satisfying the first criterion, the NTN non-serving cell can be determined as the first cell for cell reselection.

[0250] Optionally, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells satisfying the first criterion, the non-serving cell with the highest signal reception quality can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by sorting according to signal quality, or the non-serving cell with the longest cover remaining time can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by sorting according to cover remaining time.

[0251] It can be understood that the example thresholds a, b, and c described above in relation to the first threshold have no relationship with each other in the high-priority, equal-priority, and low-priority cell reselection in combination with the signal reception quality of the non-serving cell, and they can be the same or different. The network device can indicate respective values to the terminal device according to different requirements for different non-serving cells. These thresholds can be configured per cell, per beam, per frequency point, or per high-priority, equal-priority, and low-priority of the non-serving cell, which is not limited in the present application.

[0252] Based on the implementation manner, it can be ensured that the signal reception quality of the target cell for cell reselection is good enough to provide services meeting the quality requirement, and the target cell has a long enough cover remaining time to provide services, which is beneficial to avoid frequent cell reselection.

[0253] In some embodiments, based on the indication of the first threshold, the operation of the terminal device performing cell reselection can include determining the first cell for cell reselection based on the cover remaining time of the non-serving cell in the NTN cell being greater than or not less than the first threshold, and based on the signal reception power of the non-serving cell being greater than or not less than the first power threshold.

[0254] In some embodiments, the first criterion for cell reselection with respect to high priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cells can comprise: non-serving cell S rxlev > Thresh X,HighP and coverage remaining time of non-serving cell > threshold g.

[0255] That is, based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell satisfies S rxlev > Thresh X,HighP and based on the condition that the non-serving cell satisfies coverage remaining time > threshold g, a first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the NTN non-serving cell; based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell does not satisfy S rxlev > Thresh X,HighP or based on the condition that the non-serving cell does not satisfy coverage remaining time > threshold g, a first cell for cell reselection is not determined from the NTN non-serving cell.

[0256] Further, a first cell for cell reselection can be determined from non-serving cells satisfying the first criterion.

[0257] Optionally, if only one NTN non-serving cell satisfies the first criterion, the NTN non-serving cell can be determined as the first cell for cell reselection.

[0258] Optionally, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells satisfying the first criterion, the non-serving cell with the highest signal reception power can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by sorting according to reception quality, or the non-serving cell with the longest coverage remaining time can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by sorting according to coverage remaining time.

[0259] In some embodiments, the first criterion for cell reselection with respect to low priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cells can comprise: non-serving cell S rxlev > Thresh X,LowP and coverage remaining time of non-serving cell > threshold h. Generally, threshServingLowP can be carried in system information (SIB), in which case the first criterion preferably further comprises that the serving cell satisfies serving cell S rxlev < ThreshServingLowP.

[0260] That is, based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell satisfies S rxlev > Thresh X,LowP (preferably and serving cell S rxleva first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the NTN non-serving cell based on a condition that the NTN non-serving cell satisfies a first threshold g for signal reception power, and a condition that the NTN non-serving cell satisfies a second threshold h for remaining coverage time; and based on the NTN non-serving cell not satisfying the first threshold g for signal reception power, or the condition that the NTN non-serving cell does not satisfy the second threshold h for remaining coverage time, a first cell for cell reselection is not determined from the NTN non-serving cell. rxlev > Thresh X,LowP a first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the NTN non-serving cell based on a condition that the NTN non-serving cell satisfies a first threshold g for signal reception power, and a condition that the NTN non-serving cell satisfies a second threshold h for remaining coverage time; and based on the NTN non-serving cell not satisfying the first threshold g for signal reception power, or the condition that the NTN non-serving cell does not satisfy the second threshold h for remaining coverage time, a first cell for cell reselection is not determined from the NTN non-serving cell. rxlev a first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the NTN non-serving cell based on a condition that the NTN non-serving cell satisfies a first threshold g for signal reception power, and a condition that the NTN non-serving cell satisfies a second threshold h for remaining coverage time; and based on the NTN non-serving cell not satisfying the first threshold g for signal reception power, or the condition that the NTN non-serving cell does not satisfy the second threshold h for remaining coverage time, a first cell for cell reselection is not determined from the NTN non-serving cell.

[0261] Further, a first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the non-serving cells that satisfy the first criterion.

[0262] Optionally, if only one NTN non-serving cell satisfies the first criterion, the NTN non-serving cell can be determined as the first cell for cell reselection.

[0263] Optionally, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells that satisfy the first criterion, the NTN non-serving cell with the highest signal reception power can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by sorting according to signal quality, or the NTN non-serving cell with the longest remaining coverage time can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by sorting according to remaining coverage time.

[0264] It can be understood that the above-described example thresholds g and h described in relation to the first threshold in the high-priority, low-priority cell reselection in relation to the signal reception power of the non-serving cell have no relationship with each other, and they can be the same or different. The network device can indicate respective values to the terminal device according to different requirements for different non-serving cells. These thresholds can be configured per cell, per beam, per frequency point, or per high-priority, equal-priority, and low-priority of the non-serving cell, which is not limited in the present application.

[0265] Based on this implementation manner, it can be ensured that the signal reception power of the target cell for cell reselection is good enough, and there is enough remaining coverage time to provide services, which is conducive to avoiding frequent reselection.

[0266] It can also be understood that the example thresholds a, b, c described above in relation to the first threshold in relation to the signal reception quality of the non-serving cell, and the example thresholds g, h described above in relation to the first threshold in relation to the signal reception power of the non-serving cell, have no relationship with each other, and can be the same or different, the network device can indicate respective values to the terminal device according to different requirements for different non-serving cells, these thresholds can be configured per cell, or per beam, or per frequency point, or according to high priority, equal priority, low priority of the non-serving cell, the present application does not limit this. That is to say, when the first criterion includes both the condition of the threshold of the remaining time of the coverage of the non-serving cell in relation to the signal reception quality of the non-serving cell, and the condition of the threshold of the remaining time of the coverage of the non-serving cell in relation to the signal reception power of the non-serving cell, the threshold of the remaining time of the coverage of the non-serving cell can be configured respectively in relation to the signal reception quality of the non-serving cell and the signal reception power of the non-serving cell, and these thresholds can be independently configured by the network device.

[0267] In some implementations, the first configuration further includes a second threshold, the second threshold indicating a threshold of the remaining time of the coverage of the current serving cell in the first criterion, the first criterion being used for cell reselection.

[0268] The configuration information received by the terminal device from the network device can further include a second threshold, the second threshold indicating a threshold of the remaining time of the coverage of the current serving cell in the first criterion.

[0269] The terminal device can determine the first cell selected by the cell reselection procedure based on the non-serving cell satisfying the first criterion.

[0270] In some embodiments, if only one non-serving cell satisfies the first criterion, the non-serving cell can be determined as the first cell for cell reselection; if there are multiple non-serving cells satisfying the first criterion, one of the multiple non-serving cells can be determined as the first cell for cell reselection by a suitable method (for example, sorting).

[0271] Optionally, the first criterion can also be referred to as a reselection criterion, or have other suitable names, which are not limited by the present application.

[0272] In some embodiments, the first cell can be a cell selected by the terminal device in an idle state.

[0273] In some embodiments, the first cell can be a cell selected by the terminal device in an inactive state.

[0274] It is appreciated that the second threshold value can be used to ensure that the terminal device is prompted to perform cell reselection before the service of the serving cell ends, so as to avoid service loss and / or reselection delay caused by the end of the service of the current serving cell.

[0275] In some implementations, the first criterion comprises that the coverage remaining time of the current serving cell is less than or not greater than the second threshold value.

[0276] In some embodiments, based on the indication of the second threshold value, the operation of performing cell reselection by the terminal device can comprise: determining a first cell for cell reselection based on that the coverage remaining time of the current serving cell in the NTN cell is less than or not greater than the second threshold value, and based on that the signal reception quality of the non-serving cell is greater than or equal to or not less than the first quality threshold value.

[0277] In some embodiments, the first criterion for cell reselection with respect to a high-priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cell can comprise that the non-serving cell S qual > Thresh X,HighQ , and the coverage remaining time of the current serving cell < threshold value d.

[0278] That is, based on that the NTN non-serving cell satisfies the condition of S qual > Thresh X,HighQ , and based on that the current serving cell satisfies the condition of coverage remaining time < threshold value d, a first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the NTN non-serving cell; based on that the NTN non-serving cell does not satisfy the condition of S qual > Thresh X,HighQ , or based on that the current serving cell does not satisfy the condition of coverage remaining time < threshold value d, a first cell for cell reselection is not determined from the NTN non-serving cell.

[0279] Further, a first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the non-serving cell satisfying the first criterion.

[0280] Optionally, together with the current serving cell, if only one NTN non-serving cell satisfies the first criterion, the NTN non-serving cell can be determined as the first cell selected by the cell reselection process.

[0281] Optionally, together with the current serving cell, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells satisfying the first criterion, the non-serving cell with the highest signal reception quality can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by sorting according to signal quality.

[0282] In some embodiments, the first criterion for cell reselection with respect to a same-frequency non-serving cell or a same-priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cell can comprise that the first non-serving cell satisfies the S criterion and R n > R sand the remaining time of coverage of the current serving cell < threshold e.

[0283] i.e., based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell satisfies S rxlev > 0 and S qual > 0, R n > R s , and based on the condition that the current serving cell satisfies the remaining time of coverage < threshold e, the first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the NTN non-serving cell; based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell does not satisfy S rxlev > 0 and S qual > 0, R n > R s , or the condition that the current serving cell does not satisfy the remaining time of coverage < threshold e, the first cell for cell reselection is not determined from the NTN non-serving cell.

[0284] Further, the first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the non-serving cells satisfying the first criterion.

[0285] Optionally, together with the current serving cell, if there is only one NTN non-serving cell satisfying the first criterion, the NTN non-serving cell can be determined as the first cell selected by the cell reselection process.

[0286] Optionally, together with the current serving cell, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells satisfying the first criterion, the non-serving cell with the highest R n value can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by sorting according to signal quality.

[0287] In some embodiments, the first criterion for cell reselection regarding low-priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cells can include: the first non-serving cell S qual > Thresh X,LowQ , and the remaining time of coverage of the current serving cell < threshold f.

[0288] i.e., based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell satisfies S qual > Thresh X,LowQ , and based on the condition that the current serving cell satisfies the remaining time of coverage < threshold f, the first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the NTN non-serving cell; based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell does not satisfy S qual > Thresh X,LowQ , or based on the condition that the current serving cell does not satisfy the remaining time of coverage < threshold f, the first cell for cell reselection is not determined from the NTN non-serving cell.

[0289] Further, the first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the non-serving cells satisfying the first criterion.

[0290] Optionally, if, together with the current serving cell, there exists only one NTN non-serving cell that satisfies the first criterion, then that NTN non-serving cell can be identified as the first cell for cell reselection.

[0291] Optionally, if multiple NTN non-serving cells satisfy the first criterion, together with the current serving cell, the non-serving cell with the highest signal reception quality can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by sorting by signal quality.

[0292] It is understood that, in the above-mentioned reselection of high-priority, equal-priority, and low-priority cells, combined with the signal reception quality of non-serving cells, the example thresholds d, e, and f described regarding the second threshold are unrelated to each other. They can be the same or different. Network devices can indicate their respective values ​​to terminal devices according to different requirements for different non-serving cells. These thresholds can be configured by cell, by beam, by frequency point, or by high-priority, equal-priority, and low-priority of non-serving cells. This application does not limit this.

[0293] Based on this implementation method, cell reselection can be performed in a timely manner before the current serving cell coverage ends, which helps to avoid service loss and / or reselection delay caused by cell reselection only after the current serving cell coverage ends.

[0294] In some embodiments, the terminal device performing cell reselection based on the indication of the second threshold may include: determining the first cell for cell reselection based on the remaining coverage time of the current serving cell in the NTN cell being less than or not greater than the second threshold, and based on the signal received power of the non-serving cell being greater than or not less than a first power threshold.

[0295] In some embodiments, the first criterion for cell reselection of high-priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cells may include: non-serving cell S rxlev >Thresh X,HighP And the remaining coverage time of the current serving cell is less than the threshold i.

[0296] That is, based on NTN non-serving cells, S rxlev >Thresh X,HighP Based on the conditions, and the condition that the current serving cell satisfies the remaining coverage time < threshold i, the first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the NTN non-serving cell; based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell does not satisfy S rxlev >Thresh X,HighP If the condition is met, or if the current serving cell does not meet the condition that the remaining coverage time is less than the threshold i, the first cell to be selected for cell reselection will not be determined from the non-serving cells of the NTN.

[0297] Further, the first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the non-serving cells that satisfy the first criterion.

[0298] Optionally, together with the current serving cell, if only one NTN non-serving cell satisfies the first criterion, the NTN non-serving cell can be determined as the first cell selected by the cell reselection procedure.

[0299] Optionally, together with the current serving cell, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells that satisfy the first criterion, the non-serving cell with the highest signal reception power can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by ordering according to signal quality.

[0300] In some embodiments, the first criterion for cell reselection regarding low-priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cells can be: the non-serving cell S rxlev > Thresh X,LowP , and the remaining time of coverage of the current serving cell < threshold j.

[0301] That is, based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell satisfies S rxlev > Thresh X,LowP , and based on the condition that the current serving cell satisfies the remaining time of coverage < threshold j, the first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the NTN non-serving cell; based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell does not satisfy S rxlev > Thresh X,LowP , or based on the condition that the current serving cell does not satisfy the remaining time of coverage < threshold j, the first cell for cell reselection is not determined from the NTN non-serving cell.

[0302] Further, the first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the non-serving cells that satisfy the first criterion.

[0303] Optionally, together with the current serving cell, if only one NTN non-serving cell satisfies the first criterion, the NTN non-serving cell can be determined as the first cell selected by the cell reselection procedure.

[0304] Optionally, together with the current serving cell, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells that satisfy the first criterion, the non-serving cell with the highest signal reception power can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by ordering according to signal quality.

[0305] It can be understood that the above-mentioned example thresholds i and j related to the second threshold in the high-priority, low-priority cell reselection in combination with the non-serving cell signal received power have no relationship with each other, and they can be the same or different. The network device can indicate respective values to the terminal device according to different requirements for different non-serving cells. These thresholds can be configured by cell, by beam, by frequency point, or by high priority, equal priority, and low priority of the non-serving cell. The present application does not limit this.

[0306] Based on this implementation mode, cell reselection can be implemented in time before the end of the current serving cell coverage, which is beneficial to avoid service loss and / or reselection delay caused by cell reselection only when the current serving cell coverage ends.

[0307] It can also be understood that the above-mentioned example thresholds d, e, and f related to the second threshold in combination with the non-serving cell signal received quality, and the example thresholds i and j related to the second threshold in combination with the non-serving cell signal received power have no relationship with each other, and they can be the same or different. The network device can indicate respective values to the terminal device according to different requirements for different non-serving cells. These thresholds can be configured by cell, by beam, by frequency point, or by high priority, equal priority, and low priority of the non-serving cell. The present application does not limit this. That is to say, when the first criterion includes both the condition of the threshold of the remaining time of the current serving cell coverage in combination with the non-serving cell signal received quality, and the condition of the threshold of the remaining time of the current serving cell coverage in combination with the non-serving cell signal received power, the thresholds of the remaining time of the non-serving cell coverage and the thresholds of the remaining time of the current serving cell coverage can be configured respectively in combination with the non-serving cell signal received quality and the non-serving cell signal received power. These thresholds can be independently configured by the network device.

[0308] In some implementation modes, based on the first configuration, the cell reselection includes: based on the first configuration, performing cell reselection related measurement; and based on the measurement result of the cell reselection related measurement, performing cell reselection.

[0309] In the operation of the terminal device performing cell reselection based on the first configuration, the terminal device can first perform cell reselection related measurement based on the first configuration, or more specifically, based on the coverage time of the NTN learned through the first configuration, and then perform cell reselection based on the measurement result, thereby avoiding the situation of reselection delay or frequent reselection. For example:

[0310] At least regarding the aforementioned scenario 1: the terminal device can perform neighbor cell measurements and cell reselection in time before the SSB signal suddenly disappears due to the satellite beam being turned off, thus avoiding loss of service and / or reselection delay.

[0311] At least regarding scenario 2 mentioned above: when the terminal device performs neighbor cell measurements, it can avoid measuring neighbor cells that do not transmit SSB signals due to the satellite beam being turned off, thus avoiding the waste of power caused by continuously searching and measuring these neighbor cells.

[0312] At least regarding scenario 3 mentioned above: the terminal device does not need to measure cells that will lose SSB signal coverage due to satellite beam shutdown, which can save computing resources.

[0313] At least regarding scenario 4 mentioned above: the terminal device can wait for a certain period of time until the beam corresponding to the high-priority cell lights up, then measure the high-priority cell, and then determine the target cell according to the reselection criteria, that is, it can directly reselect to the high-priority cell, avoiding frequent reselection.

[0314] In some implementations, the first configuration also includes a third threshold, which indicates a threshold for the remaining coverage time of non-serving cells in the second criterion used for cell reselection-related measurements.

[0315] The configuration information received by the terminal device from the network device may also include a third threshold, which may indicate the threshold for the remaining coverage time of the non-serving cell in the second criterion.

[0316] The terminal device can perform corresponding measurements on the non-serving cell based on the second criterion, for example, immediately perform measurements on the non-serving cell.

[0317] Alternatively, the second criterion may also be referred to as a measurement criterion, or have other suitable names, which are not limited in this application.

[0318] It is easy to understand that the third threshold can be used to ensure that the non-serving cell to be measured has the ability to provide service for a sufficiently long time. The terminal device can immediately perform cell reselection-related measurements. By measuring only non-serving cells with a sufficiently long remaining coverage time, computational resources can be saved. Advantageously, if the non-serving cell is determined to be the first cell in cell reselection, it can also provide service for a sufficiently long time.

[0319] In some implementations, the second criterion includes: the remaining coverage time of the non-serving cell is greater than or not less than the third threshold.

[0320] In some embodiments, based on the indication of the third threshold value, the operation of performing the cell reselection related measurement by the terminal device can comprise: performing the cell reselection related measurement on a non-serving cell in the NTN cell based on that the coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell is greater than or not less than the third threshold value.

[0321] In some embodiments, the second criterion for performing the cell reselection related measurement on the high-priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cell can comprise: the coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell > threshold value k.

[0322] That is, based on the NTN non-serving cell satisfying the condition of coverage remaining time > threshold value k, the NTN non-serving cell can be measured; based on the NTN non-serving cell not satisfying the condition of coverage remaining time > threshold value k, the NTN non-serving cell can not be measured.

[0323] Optionally, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells satisfying the second criterion, the non-serving cell with the longest coverage remaining time can be selected for measurement in priority.

[0324] In some embodiments, the second criterion for performing the cell reselection related measurement on the same-frequency non-serving cell or the same-priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cell can comprise: the coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell > threshold value l.

[0325] That is, based on the NTN non-serving cell satisfying the condition of coverage remaining time > threshold value l, the NTN non-serving cell can be measured; based on the NTN non-serving cell not satisfying the condition of coverage remaining time > threshold value l, the NTN non-serving cell can not be measured.

[0326] Optionally, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells satisfying the second criterion, the non-serving cell with the longest coverage remaining time can be selected for measurement in priority.

[0327] In some embodiments, the second criterion for performing the cell reselection related measurement on the low-priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cell can comprise: the coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell > threshold value m.

[0328] That is, based on the NTN non-serving cell satisfying the condition of coverage remaining time > threshold value m, the NTN non-serving cell can be measured; based on the NTN non-serving cell not satisfying the condition of coverage remaining time > threshold value m, the NTN non-serving cell can not be measured.

[0329] Optionally, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells satisfying the second criterion, the non-serving cell with the longest coverage remaining time can be selected for measurement in priority.

[0330] It can be understood that the example threshold values k, threshold values l, threshold values m described above in relation to the third threshold value in the cell reselection related measurement of the high priority, equal priority, and low priority non-service cells have no relationship with each other, and they can be the same or different. The network device can indicate respective values to the terminal device according to different requirements for different non-service cells. These threshold values can be configured per cell, per beam, per frequency point, or per high priority, equal priority, and low priority of the non-service cell. The present application does not limit this.

[0331] Based on this implementation mode, measuring the non-service cell with a long enough remaining coverage time is beneficial to save computing resources. Advantageously, if such a non-service cell is determined as the first cell for cell reselection, it can also provide service for a long enough time, which is beneficial to avoid frequent reselection.

[0332] In some implementation modes, the first configuration further includes a fourth threshold value, and the fourth threshold value indicates a threshold of a remaining time of the non-service cell in the second criterion. The second criterion is used for performing the cell reselection related measurement.

[0333] The configuration information accepted by the terminal device from the network device can further include a fourth threshold value, and the fourth threshold value can indicate a threshold of a remaining time of the non-service cell in the second criterion.

[0334] The terminal device can perform corresponding measurement on the non-service cell based on the second criterion being met by the non-service cell, for example, delay measurement on the non-service cell.

[0335] Optionally, the second criterion can also be referred to as a measurement criterion, or have other suitable names, which are not limited by the present application.

[0336] It is not difficult to understand that the fourth threshold value can be used by the terminal device to determine the waiting to delay the measurement on the non-service cell with the coverage about to be started, which is beneficial to avoid frequent reselection and waste of power consumption of the non-service cell with the coverage about to be started due to higher priority or better signal reception quality / signal reception power.

[0337] In some implementation modes, the second criterion includes that the remaining time of the non-service cell with the coverage being started is less than or not greater than the fourth threshold value.

[0338] In some embodiments, based on the indication of the fourth threshold value, the operation of the terminal device performing the cell reselection related measurement can include: delaying the cell reselection related measurement on the non-service cell in the NTN cell based on the remaining time of the non-service cell with the coverage being started being less than or not greater than the fourth threshold value.

[0339] In some embodiments, the second criterion for delaying cell reselection related measurements on high priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cells can comprise: the non-serving cell's coverage on-time remaining < threshold n.

[0340] That is, based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell satisfies the coverage on-time remaining < threshold n, measurement on the NTN non-serving cell can be delayed; based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell does not satisfy the coverage on-time remaining < threshold n, measurement on the NTN non-serving cell can not be performed.

[0341] Optionally, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells satisfying the second criterion, measurement on the non-serving cell that will open coverage earliest can be delayed until after the non-serving cell opens coverage, or measurement can be performed after multiple non-serving cells open coverage.

[0342] In some embodiments, the second criterion for performing cell reselection related measurements on intra-frequency non-serving cells or inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cells of the same priority can comprise: the non-serving cell's coverage on-time remaining < threshold o.

[0343] That is, based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell satisfies the coverage on-time remaining < threshold o, measurement on the NTN non-serving cell can be delayed; based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell does not satisfy the coverage on-time remaining < threshold o, measurement on the NTN non-serving cell can not be performed.

[0344] Optionally, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells satisfying the second criterion, measurement on the non-serving cell that will open coverage earliest can be delayed until after the non-serving cell opens coverage, or measurement can be performed after multiple non-serving cells open coverage.

[0345] In some embodiments, the second criterion for delaying cell reselection related measurements on low priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cells can be: the non-serving cell's coverage on-time remaining < threshold p.

[0346] That is, based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell satisfies the coverage on-time remaining < threshold p, measurement on the NTN non-serving cell can be delayed; based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell does not satisfy the coverage on-time remaining < threshold p, measurement on the NTN non-serving cell can not be performed.

[0347] Optionally, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells satisfying the second criterion, measurement on the non-serving cell that will open coverage earliest can be delayed until after the non-serving cell opens coverage, or measurement can be performed after multiple non-serving cells open coverage.

[0348] It can be understood that the above example threshold values n, threshold values o, and threshold values p related to the fourth threshold value in the cell reselection related measurement of the high priority, the same priority, and the low priority non-service cell are not related to each other, and they can be the same or different. The network device can indicate respective values to the terminal device according to different requirements for different non-service cells. These threshold values can be configured by a cell, by a beam, by a frequency point, or by the high priority, the same priority, and the low priority of the non-service cell. The present application does not limit this.

[0349] Based on this implementation mode, it is beneficial to avoid frequent reselection and power waste caused by the coverage opening of the cell with higher priority or better signal reception quality / signal reception power.

[0350] In some implementation modes, the first configuration further includes a fifth threshold value, and the fifth threshold value indicates a threshold of a remaining time of coverage of the current service cell in the third criterion, and the third criterion is used to limit the cell reselection related measurement.

[0351] The configuration information received by the terminal device from the network device can further include a fifth threshold value, and the fifth threshold value can indicate a threshold of a remaining time of coverage of the current service cell in the third criterion.

[0352] The terminal device can limit the measurement on the non-service cell based on the current service cell satisfying the third criterion, for example, whether the measurement on the non-service cell should be performed.

[0353] Optionally, the third criterion can also be referred to as a limiting criterion, or have other suitable names, which are not limited in the present application.

[0354] It is not difficult to understand that the fifth threshold value can be used to ensure that the terminal device measures the non-service cell before the service of the current service cell ends. Advantageously, it can prompt the terminal device to perform cell reselection based on the measurement result, and is beneficial to avoid service loss and / or reselection delay caused by the end of the service of the current service cell.

[0355] In some implementation modes, the third criterion includes that the remaining time of coverage of the current service cell is less than or not greater than the fifth threshold value.

[0356] In some embodiments, based on the indication of the fifth threshold value, the operation of the terminal device performing the cell reselection related measurement can include: performing the cell reselection related measurement on the non-service cell based on that the remaining time of coverage of the current service cell in the NTN cell is less than or not greater than the fifth threshold value.

[0357] In some embodiments, the criterion of the measurement on the inter-frequency, inter-RAT frequency with higher priority than the existing frequency can include that the remaining time of coverage of the current service cell is < threshold value q.

[0358] That is, based on the condition that the current serving cell satisfies the condition of coverage remaining time < threshold q, the terminal device should perform high-priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT frequency measurement; based on the condition that the current serving cell does not satisfy the condition of coverage remaining time < threshold q, the terminal device is not required to perform high-priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT frequency measurement.

[0359] In some embodiments, the criterion for measurement about the inter-frequency, inter-RAT frequency of the same frequency or the same priority as the existing frequency can include: the coverage remaining time of the current serving cell < threshold r.

[0360] That is, based on the condition that the current serving cell satisfies the condition of coverage remaining time < threshold r, the terminal device should perform the inter-frequency, inter-RAT frequency measurement of the same frequency or the same priority; based on the condition that the current serving cell does not satisfy the condition of coverage remaining time < threshold r, the terminal device is not required to perform the inter-frequency, inter-RAT frequency measurement of the same frequency or the same priority.

[0361] In some embodiments, the criterion for measurement about the inter-frequency, inter-RAT frequency of lower priority than the existing frequency can include: the coverage remaining time of the current serving cell < threshold s.

[0362] That is, based on the condition that the current serving cell satisfies the condition of coverage remaining time < threshold s, the terminal device should perform low-priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT frequency measurement; based on the condition that the current serving cell does not satisfy the condition of coverage remaining time < threshold s, the terminal device is not required to perform low-priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT frequency measurement.

[0363] It can be understood that the above-mentioned example threshold q, threshold r, threshold s about the fifth threshold in the measurement related to cell reselection about high-priority, same-priority, low-priority non-serving cell restriction do not have a relationship with each other, they can be the same or different, the network device can indicate the respective values to the terminal device according to different requirements for different non-serving cells, these thresholds can be configured per cell, or per beam, or per frequency point, or per high-priority, same-priority, low-priority of non-serving cell, the present application does not limit this.

[0364] In some embodiments, the fifth threshold can be implemented as a cell reselection timer configured by the network device, in which case the value of the cell reselection timer of the terminal device can be the smaller value between the remaining time of the configured cell reselection timer and the coverage remaining time of the current serving cell.

[0365] Based on the implementation manner, the cell reselection related measurement can be performed in time before the end of the current serving cell coverage, so as to perform cell reselection, which is beneficial to avoid service loss and / or reselection delay caused by cell reselection performed only after the end of the current serving cell coverage.

[0366] It can be understood that the foregoing process of performing cell reselection related measurement based on the first configuration is not necessarily subordinate to the cell reselection process, in other words, the measurement process can be implemented independently of the cell reselection process, and the implementation manner has been described in detail before, which will not be described here again.

[0367] It can be understood that the first threshold to the fifth threshold described in the foregoing various implementation manners have no relationship with each other, and they can be the same or different. The network device can indicate respective values to the terminal device according to different requirements for different non-serving cells. These thresholds can be configured per cell, per beam, per frequency point, or per high priority, equal priority, and low priority of the non-serving cell, which is not limited in the present application.

[0368] In some implementation manners, the first indication information indicates the coverage time of the NTN beam.

[0369] That is, the first indication information can be beam-level (for example, per beam) coverage management indication information, which can be indicated by ssb-ToMeasure, for example, to indicate the coverage time of the NTN beam.

[0370] The terminal device can obtain the coverage time information of each cell of the NTN according to the coverage time of the NTN beam, including the coverage time of the current serving cell and the coverage time of the non-serving cell.

[0371] For example, for any cell in the NTN, the coverage time of the cell can be represented by the average coverage time or weighted coverage time of each beam in the cell.

[0372] In the case where the first indication information included in the first configuration is beam-level coverage management indication information, the cell reselection operation thereof can be the same as that in the case where the first indication information is cell-level coverage management indication information, which will not be described here again.

[0373] It can be understood that coverage management in units of beams can make coverage management more fine-grained, which is beneficial to improve the spectrum utilization efficiency.

[0374] It can also be understood that the method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be executed independently, or together with some methods in some methods or related technologies.

[0375] Referring to FIG. 12, FIG. 12 is a flow diagram of a communication processing method according to an embodiment of the present application. The method shown in FIG. 12 can be performed by a terminal device, or the method can be performed by a chip in the terminal device. In the method shown in FIG. 12, the terminal device receives a first configuration from a network device, the first configuration including first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate a coverage time of a non-terrestrial network (NTN).

[0376] In S1201, the terminal device receives a first configuration from a network device, the first configuration including first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate a coverage time of an NTN.

[0377] In S1202, the terminal device performs cell reselection based on the coverage time of the NTN.

[0378] It can be found that, according to the method of the present application, the terminal device learns the coverage time of the NTN through the indication information, and can perform cell reselection operation based on the coverage time information of the NTN, effectively avoiding the situation of reselection delay or frequent reselection.

[0379] In some embodiments, the configuration information can be common configuration information associated with a plurality of terminal devices.

[0380] In some embodiments, the configuration information can be dedicated configuration information associated with a single terminal device.

[0381] The configuration information can be carried by one message as a whole, or can be carried by multiple messages in multiple parts, which is not limited in the present application.

[0382] In some embodiments, the configuration information can be carried by an RRC message or an SIB message. For example, the coverage information of the NTN for intra-frequency, inter-frequency, and inter-RAT cell reselection can be carried by an RRC message or an SIB message.

[0383] In some embodiments, the configuration information can be jointly carried by an RRC message and / or multiple SIB messages. For example, taking the coverage information of an NTN cell as an example, the coverage time information of a serving cell related to intra-frequency, inter-frequency, and inter-RAT cell reselection can be carried by an SIB2 message; the coverage time information of a neighboring cell related to intra-frequency cell reselection can be carried by an SIB3 message; the coverage time information of a neighboring cell related to inter-frequency cell reselection can be carried by an SIB4 message; and the coverage time information of a neighboring cell related to inter-RAT cell reselection can be carried by an SIB5 message.

[0384] The terminal device can obtain the indication information indicating the coverage time of the NTN by receiving the configuration information from the network device, and then can learn the coverage time of the NTN according to the indication information.

[0385] The information of the coverage time of the NTN includes a start time and an end time of coverage of the satellite. The coverage in a service period can be a continuous complete time period, including only one pair of start time and end time; or can also be multiple time periods, including multiple pairs of start time and end time.

[0386] Referring to FIG. 11, FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of the coverage time of the NTN provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 11, in the service period of the satellite, there are 3 time periods, including three pairs of start time and end time. In the time sequence relationship between the current time and the corresponding start time and end time:

[0387] For the coverage of start time < current time < end time (for example, start time 1 < current time a < end time 1 shown in FIG. 11), the terminal device can obtain the remaining time length of the coverage by calculating the difference between the current time and the end time of the current coverage.

[0388] For the coverage of current time < start time < end time (for example, current time b < start time 3 < end time 3 shown in FIG. 11), the terminal device can obtain the remaining time length of the start of the coverage by calculating the difference between the current time and the start time of the next coverage.

[0389] In the NTN, each cell or beam can have a corresponding coverage time.

[0390] The terminal device can perform cell reselection according to the coverage time of the NTN, so as to avoid the situation of reselection delay or frequent reselection. For example:

[0391] At least for the foregoing scenario 1, the terminal device learns the coverage time information of the NTN, and can perform cell reselection or cell search in time before the satellite beam is closed and the SSB signal suddenly disappears, so as to avoid losing service and / or reselection delay.

[0392] At least for the foregoing scenario 2: the terminal device learns the coverage time information of the NTN, and when performing cell reselection, can not measure the neighbor cell without SSB signal transmission due to the closure of the satellite beam, so as to avoid the waste of power consumption caused by continuous search and measurement of this part of the neighbor cell.

[0393] At least for the foregoing scenario 3: the terminal device learns the coverage time information of the NTN, so as to avoid reselecting to the cell that will lose SSB signal coverage due to the closure of the satellite beam, thereby avoiding losing service or triggering reselection soon after camping.

[0394] At least in relation to the aforementioned scenario 4: the terminal device learns the coverage time information of the NTN, and can wait for a certain time until the beam corresponding to the high-priority cell is turned on, and then determine the target cell according to the reselection criterion, that is, can directly reselect to the high-priority cell, thereby avoiding frequent reselection.

[0395] In some implementations, the first indication information indicates the coverage time of the NTN cell.

[0396] That is, the first indication information can be coverage management indication information at a cell level (for example, per cell), which indicates the coverage time of the NTN cell.

[0397] The terminal device can learn the coverage time information of the currently serving cell and the coverage time information of the neighboring cell according to the coverage time of the NTN cell.

[0398] Further, the terminal device can calculate the coverage remaining time or coverage start remaining time corresponding to each cell, and then perform a cell reselection operation, and determine the reselected cell based on the coverage remaining time or coverage start remaining time corresponding to each cell.

[0399] It can be understood that, based on the cell level for coverage management, the coverage information management complexity can be effectively reduced while achieving coverage of a larger geographical area of the NTN.

[0400] It should be clear that the non-serving cell in the present application can be a suitable cell, that is, a cell that meets the S criterion, or a network-configured neighbor cell, a cell participating in ranking in the cell reselection process, and the like, and can also be understood as an intra-frequency, inter-frequency, or inter-RAT frequency outside the serving cell. In addition, each criterion in the present application includes at least one condition or judgment, that is, the terminal device needs to complete the execution of the process based on all conditions related to the criterion.

[0401] In some implementations, the first configuration further includes a first threshold, and the first threshold indicates a threshold of the coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell in the first criterion, and the first criterion is used for cell reselection.

[0402] The terminal device receiving the configuration information from the network device can further include a first threshold, and the first threshold can indicate a threshold of the coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell in the first criterion.

[0403] The terminal device can determine the first cell reselected in the cell reselection process based on the non-serving cell meeting the first criterion.

[0404] In some embodiments, if only one non-serving cell satisfies the first criterion, the non-serving cell can be determined as the first cell for cell reselection; if there are multiple non-serving cells satisfying the first criterion, one of the multiple non-serving cells can be determined as the first cell for cell reselection by a suitable method (e.g., ranking).

[0405] Optionally, the first criterion can also be referred to as a reselection criterion, or have other suitable names, which are not limited in the present application.

[0406] In some embodiments, the first cell can be a cell selected by the idle-state terminal device.

[0407] In some embodiments, the first cell can be a cell selected by the inactive-state terminal device.

[0408] It can be understood that the first threshold value can be used to ensure that the first cell determined based on the non-serving cell can provide service for a long enough time, which is conducive to avoiding frequent reselection.

[0409] In some implementations, the first criterion comprises: a coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell being greater than or not less than a first threshold value.

[0410] In some embodiments, based on the indication of the first threshold value, the operation of performing cell reselection by the terminal device can comprise: determining the first cell for cell reselection based on the coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell in the NTN cell being greater than or not less than the first threshold value.

[0411] In some embodiments, based on the indication of the first threshold value, the operation of performing cell reselection by the terminal device can comprise: determining the first cell for cell reselection based on the coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell in the NTN cell being greater than or not less than the first threshold value, and based on the signal reception quality of the non-serving cell being greater than or not less than the first quality threshold value.

[0412] In some embodiments, the first criterion for cell reselection of the high-priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cell can comprise: the non-serving cell S qual > Thresh X,HighQ , and the coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell > threshold value a.

[0413] That is, based on the NTN non-serving cell satisfying the condition of S qual > Thresh X,HighQ , and based on the non-serving cell satisfying the condition of coverage remaining time > threshold value a, the first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the NTN non-serving cell; based on the NTN non-serving cell not satisfying S qual > Thresh X,HighQThe first cell for cell reselection is not determined from the non-serving NTN cell if the condition is met, or if the non-serving cell does not meet the condition that the remaining coverage time is greater than the threshold a.

[0414] Furthermore, the first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the non-serving cells that meet the first criterion.

[0415] Optionally, if only one NTN non-serving cell satisfies the first criterion, then that NTN non-serving cell can be identified as the first cell for cell reselection.

[0416] Optionally, if multiple NTN non-serving cells meet the first criterion, the non-serving cell with the highest signal reception quality can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by sorting according to signal quality, or the non-serving cell with the longest remaining coverage time can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by sorting according to coverage remaining duration.

[0417] In some embodiments, the first criterion for cell reselection of non-serving cells in the same frequency or in different frequencies and different RATs with the same priority may include: the non-serving cell satisfies the S criterion and R... n >R s And the remaining coverage time of non-serving cells is greater than the threshold b.

[0418] That is, based on NTN non-serving cells, S rxlev >0 and S qual >0、R n >R s Based on the conditions, and the condition that the non-serving cell satisfies the remaining coverage time > threshold b, the first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the NTN non-serving cell; based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell does not satisfy S rxlev >0 and S qual >0、R n >R s The first cell for cell reselection is not determined from the non-serving NTN cell if the condition is met, or if the non-serving cell does not meet the condition that the remaining coverage time is greater than the threshold b.

[0419] Furthermore, the first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the non-serving cells that meet the first criterion.

[0420] Optionally, if only one NTN non-serving cell satisfies the first criterion, then that NTN non-serving cell can be identified as the first cell for cell reselection.

[0421] Optionally, if multiple NTN non-serving cells meet the first criterion, R can be selected by sorting them according to signal quality. nThe non-serving cell with the highest value can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection, or the non-serving cell with the longest remaining coverage time can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by sorting the remaining coverage time.

[0422] In some embodiments, the first criterion for cell reselection with respect to low-priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cells can comprise that the non-serving cell S qual > Thresh X,LowQ and the non-serving cell has a remaining coverage time > threshold c. Generally, threshServingLowQ can be carried in system information (SIB), in which case the first criterion preferably further comprises that the serving cell S qual <ThreshServingLowQ.

[0423] That is, based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell S qual > Thresh X,LowQ (preferably and the serving cell S qual <ThreshServingLowQ), and based on the condition that the non-serving cell has a remaining coverage time > threshold c, the first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the NTN non-serving cell; based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell S qual > Thresh X,LowQ (preferably and the serving cell S qual <ThreshServingLowQ), or based on the condition that the non-serving cell does not have a remaining coverage time > threshold c, the first cell for cell reselection is not determined from the NTN non-serving cell.

[0424] Further, the first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the non-serving cells that satisfy the first criterion.

[0425] Optionally, if there is only one NTN non-serving cell that satisfies the first criterion, the NTN non-serving cell can be determined as the first cell for cell reselection.

[0426] Optionally, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells that satisfy the first criterion, the non-serving cell with the highest signal reception quality can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by sorting the signal quality, or the non-serving cell with the longest remaining coverage time can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by sorting the remaining coverage time.

[0427] It can be understood that the example threshold values a, b and c described above in relation to the first threshold value in the high-priority, equal-priority and low-priority cell reselection in combination with the non-serving cell signal reception quality have no relationship with each other, and they can be the same or different. The network device can indicate respective values to the terminal device according to different requirements for different non-serving cells. These threshold values can be configured per cell, per beam, per frequency point, or per high-priority, equal-priority and low-priority of the non-serving cell. The present application does not limit this.

[0428] Based on this implementation manner, it can be ensured that the signal reception quality of the target cell for cell reselection is good enough to provide services that meet the quality requirements, and the target cell has a long enough coverage time to provide services, which is beneficial to avoid frequent cell reselection.

[0429] In some embodiments, based on the indication of the first threshold value, the operation of the terminal device performing cell reselection can include: determining a first cell for cell reselection based on the coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell in the NTN cell being greater than or not less than the first threshold value, and based on the signal reception power of the non-serving cell being greater than or not less than the first power threshold value.

[0430] In some embodiments, the first criterion for cell reselection of the high-priority inter-frequency and inter-RAT non-serving cell can include: the non-serving cell S rxlev > Thresh X,HighP , and the coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell > threshold value g.

[0431] That is, based on the NTN non-serving cell satisfying the condition of S rxlev > Thresh X,HighP , and based on the non-serving cell satisfying the condition of coverage remaining time > threshold value g, a first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the NTN non-serving cell; based on the NTN non-serving cell not satisfying the condition of S rxlev > Thresh X,HighP , or based on the non-serving cell not satisfying the condition of coverage remaining time > threshold value g, a first cell for cell reselection is not determined from the NTN non-serving cell.

[0432] Further, a first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the non-serving cell satisfying the first criterion.

[0433] Optionally, if only one NTN non-serving cell satisfies the first criterion, the NTN non-serving cell can be determined as the first cell for cell reselection.

[0434] Optionally, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells satisfying the first criterion, the non-serving cell with the highest signal reception power can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by sorting in terms of acceptance quality, or the non-serving cell with the longest remaining coverage time can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by sorting in terms of remaining coverage time.

[0435] In some embodiments, the first criterion for cell reselection with respect to low-priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cells can include that the non-serving cell S rxlev > Thresh X,LowP and the non-serving cell has a remaining coverage time > threshold h. Generally, threshServingLowP can be carried in system information (SIB), in which case the first criterion preferably further includes that the serving cell S rxlev <ThreshServingLowP.

[0436] That is, based on the condition that an NTN non-serving cell satisfies S rxlev > Thresh X,LowP (preferably and the serving cell S rxlev <ThreshServingLowP), and based on the condition that the non-serving cell satisfies a remaining coverage time > threshold h, the first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the NTN non-serving cell; based on the condition that an NTN non-serving cell does not satisfy the aforementioned S rxlev > Thresh X,LowP (preferably and the serving cell S rxlev <ThreshServingLowP), or based on the condition that the non-serving cell does not satisfy a remaining coverage time > threshold h, the first cell for cell reselection is not determined from the NTN non-serving cell.

[0437] Further, the first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the non-serving cells satisfying the first criterion.

[0438] Optionally, if there is only one NTN non-serving cell satisfying the first criterion, the NTN non-serving cell can be determined as the first cell for cell reselection.

[0439] Optionally, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells satisfying the first criterion, the non-serving cell with the highest signal reception power can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by sorting in terms of signal quality, or the non-serving cell with the longest remaining coverage time can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by sorting in terms of remaining coverage time.

[0440] It can be understood that the example threshold values g and h described above in relation to the first threshold value in the high-priority, low-priority cell reselection in combination with the non-serving cell signal reception power have no relationship with each other, and they can be the same or different. The network device can indicate respective values to the terminal device according to different requirements for different non-serving cells. These threshold values can be configured per cell, per beam, per frequency point, or per high-priority, equal-priority, and low-priority of the non-serving cell. The present application does not limit this.

[0441] Based on this implementation manner, it can be ensured that the signal reception power of the target cell of the cell reselection is good enough and there is a long enough coverage time to provide services, which is beneficial to avoid frequent reselection.

[0442] It can also be understood that the example threshold values a, b, and c described above in relation to the first threshold value in combination with the non-serving cell signal reception quality and the example threshold values g and h described in relation to the first threshold value in combination with the non-serving cell signal reception power have no relationship with each other, and they can be the same or different. The network device can indicate respective values to the terminal device according to different requirements for different non-serving cells. These threshold values can be configured per cell, per beam, per frequency point, or per high-priority, equal-priority, and low-priority of the non-serving cell. The present application does not limit this. That is to say, when the first criterion includes both the condition of the non-serving cell coverage remaining time threshold in combination with the non-serving cell signal reception quality and the condition of the non-serving cell coverage remaining time threshold in combination with the non-serving cell signal reception power, the non-serving cell coverage remaining time threshold can be configured in relation to the non-serving cell signal reception quality and the non-serving cell signal reception power, respectively. These threshold values can be independently configured by the network device.

[0443] In some implementation manners, the first configuration further includes a second threshold value, and the second threshold value indicates a coverage remaining time threshold of the current serving cell in the first criterion.

[0444] The configuration information received by the terminal device from the network device can further include a second threshold value, and the second threshold value can indicate a coverage remaining time threshold of the current serving cell in the first criterion.

[0445] The terminal device can determine the first cell reselected in the cell reselection process based on that the non-serving cell satisfies the first criterion.

[0446] In some embodiments, if only one non-serving cell satisfies the first criterion, the non-serving cell can be determined as the first cell for cell reselection; if there are multiple non-serving cells satisfying the first criterion, one of the multiple non-serving cells can be determined as the first cell for cell reselection by a suitable method (e.g., ranking).

[0447] Optionally, the first criterion can also be referred to as a reselection criterion, or have other suitable names, which are not limited in the present application.

[0448] In some embodiments, the first cell can be a cell selected by the idle-state terminal device.

[0449] In some embodiments, the first cell can be a cell selected by the inactive-state terminal device.

[0450] It can be understood that the second threshold value can be used to ensure that the terminal device is prompted to perform cell reselection before the service of the serving cell ends, so as to avoid service loss and / or reselection delay caused by the end of the service of the current serving cell.

[0451] In some implementations, the first criterion comprises that the coverage remaining time of the current serving cell is less than or not greater than the second threshold value.

[0452] In some embodiments, based on the indication of the second threshold value, the operation of performing cell reselection by the terminal device can comprise: determining the first cell for cell reselection based on that the coverage remaining time of the current serving cell in the NTN cell is less than or not greater than the second threshold value, and based on that the signal reception quality of the non-serving cell is greater than or equal to or not less than the first quality threshold value.

[0453] In some embodiments, the first criterion for cell reselection of the high-priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cell can comprise: the non-serving cell S qual > Thresh X,HighQ , and the coverage remaining time of the current serving cell < threshold value d.

[0454] That is, based on that the NTN non-serving cell satisfies the condition of S qual > Thresh X,HighQ , and based on that the current serving cell satisfies the condition of coverage remaining time < threshold value d, the first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the NTN non-serving cell; based on that the NTN non-serving cell does not satisfy the condition of S qual > Thresh X,HighQ , or based on that the current serving cell does not satisfy the condition of coverage remaining time < threshold value d, the first cell for cell reselection is not determined from the NTN non-serving cell.

[0455] Further, the first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the non-serving cells satisfying the first criterion.

[0456] Optionally, together with the current serving cell, if only one NTN non-serving cell satisfies the first criterion, the NTN non-serving cell can be determined as the first cell selected by the cell reselection procedure.

[0457] Optionally, together with the current serving cell, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells satisfying the first criterion, the non-serving cell with the highest signal reception quality can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by ordering the signal quality.

[0458] In some embodiments, the first criterion for cell reselection regarding the intra-frequency non-serving cell or the inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cell with the same priority can include: the first non-serving cell satisfies the S criterion and R n > R s , and the remaining time of coverage of the current serving cell < threshold e.

[0459] That is, based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell satisfies the S rxlev > 0 and S qual > 0, R n > R s , and based on the condition that the current serving cell satisfies the remaining time of coverage < threshold e, the first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the NTN non-serving cell; based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell does not satisfy S rxlev > 0 and S qual > 0, R n > R s , or the condition that the current serving cell does not satisfy the remaining time of coverage < threshold e, the first cell for cell reselection is not determined from the NTN non-serving cell.

[0460] Further, the first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the non-serving cell satisfying the first criterion.

[0461] Optionally, together with the current serving cell, if only one NTN non-serving cell satisfies the first criterion, the NTN non-serving cell can be determined as the first cell selected by the cell reselection procedure.

[0462] Optionally, together with the current serving cell, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells satisfying the first criterion, the non-serving cell with the highest R n value can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by ordering the signal quality.

[0463] In some embodiments, the first criterion for cell reselection regarding the low-priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cell can include: the first non-serving cell S qual > Thresh X,LowQ , and the remaining time of coverage of the current serving cell < threshold f.

[0464] i.e., based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell satisfies S qual > Thresh X,LowQ , and based on the condition that the current serving cell satisfies the remaining coverage time < threshold f, a first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the NTN non-serving cell; based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell does not satisfy S qual > Thresh X,LowQ , or based on the condition that the current serving cell does not satisfy the remaining coverage time < threshold f, a first cell for cell reselection is not determined from the NTN non-serving cell.

[0465] Further, a first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the non-serving cells that satisfy the first criterion.

[0466] Optionally, together with the current serving cell, if only one NTN non-serving cell satisfies the first criterion, the NTN non-serving cell can be determined as the first cell for cell reselection.

[0467] Optionally, together with the current serving cell, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells that satisfy the first criterion, the non-serving cell with the highest signal reception quality can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by sorting according to signal quality.

[0468] It can be understood that the example thresholds d, e, and f described above in relation to the second threshold have no relationship with each other in the high-priority, equal-priority, and low-priority cell reselection in combination with the signal reception quality of the non-serving cell, and they can be the same or different. The network device can indicate respective values to the terminal device according to different requirements for different non-serving cells. These thresholds can be configured per cell, per beam, per frequency point, or per high-priority, equal-priority, and low-priority of the non-serving cell, which is not limited in the present application.

[0469] Based on this implementation manner, cell reselection can be implemented in time before the end of the coverage of the current serving cell, which is beneficial to avoid service loss and / or reselection delay caused by cell reselection only after the end of the coverage of the current serving cell.

[0470] In some embodiments, based on the indication of the second threshold, the operation of performing cell reselection by the terminal device can include: determining a first cell for cell reselection based on the remaining coverage time of the current serving cell in the NTN cell being less than or not greater than the second threshold, and based on the signal reception power of the non-serving cell being greater than or not less than the first power threshold.

[0471] In some embodiments, the first criterion for cell reselection of the high-priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cell can include: the non-serving cell Srxlev Thresh X,HighP and the remaining time of coverage of the current serving cell < threshold i.

[0472] That is, based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell satisfies S rxlev Thresh X,HighP and the condition that the current serving cell satisfies the remaining time of coverage < threshold i, a first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the NTN non-serving cell; based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell does not satisfy S rxlev Thresh X,HighP or the condition that the current serving cell does not satisfy the remaining time of coverage < threshold i, a first cell for cell reselection is not determined from the NTN non-serving cell.

[0473] Further, a first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the non-serving cells that satisfy the first criterion.

[0474] Optionally, together with the current serving cell, if there is only one NTN non-serving cell satisfying the first criterion, the NTN non-serving cell can be determined as the first cell selected by the cell reselection process.

[0475] Optionally, together with the current serving cell, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells satisfying the first criterion, the non-serving cell with the highest signal reception power can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by sorting according to signal quality.

[0476] In some embodiments, the first criterion for cell reselection regarding low-priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cells can be: the non-serving cell S rxlev Thresh X,LowP and the remaining time of coverage of the current serving cell < threshold j.

[0477] That is, based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell satisfies S rxlev Thresh X,LowP and the condition that the current serving cell satisfies the remaining time of coverage < threshold j, a first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the NTN non-serving cell; based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell does not satisfy S rxlev Thresh X,LowP or the condition that the current serving cell does not satisfy the remaining time of coverage < threshold j, a first cell for cell reselection is not determined from the NTN non-serving cell.

[0478] Further, a first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the non-serving cells that satisfy the first criterion.

[0479] Optionally, together with the current serving cell, if only one NTN non-serving cell satisfies the first criterion, the NTN non-serving cell can be determined as the first cell for cell reselection.

[0480] Optionally, together with the current serving cell, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells satisfying the first criterion, the non-serving cell with the highest signal reception power can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by ordering according to signal quality.

[0481] It can be understood that the above-mentioned example thresholds i, j related to the second threshold in the high-priority, low-priority cell reselection in combination with the non-serving cell signal reception power have no relationship with each other, and they can be the same or different. The network device can indicate respective values to the terminal device according to different requirements for different non-serving cells. These thresholds can be configured per cell, per beam, per frequency point, or per high-priority, equal-priority, and low-priority of the non-serving cell, which is not limited in the present application.

[0482] Based on this implementation manner, cell reselection can be timely implemented before the end of the current serving cell coverage, which is beneficial to avoid service loss and / or reselection delay caused by cell reselection only after the end of the current serving cell coverage.

[0483] It can also be understood that the above-mentioned example thresholds d, e, f related to the second threshold in combination with the non-serving cell signal reception quality, and the example thresholds i, j related to the second threshold in combination with the non-serving cell signal reception power have no relationship with each other, and they can be the same or different. The network device can indicate respective values to the terminal device according to different requirements for different non-serving cells. These thresholds can be configured per cell, per beam, per frequency point, or per high-priority, equal-priority, and low-priority of the non-serving cell, which is not limited in the present application. That is to say, when the first criterion includes both the condition of the threshold of the remaining time of the current serving cell coverage in combination with the non-serving cell signal reception quality, and the condition of the threshold of the remaining time of the current serving cell coverage in combination with the non-serving cell signal reception power, the thresholds of the remaining time of the non-serving cell coverage and the thresholds of the remaining time of the current serving cell coverage can be respectively configured in combination with the non-serving cell signal reception quality and the non-serving cell signal reception power, which can be independently configured by the network device.

[0484] In some implementation manners, based on the first configuration, performing cell reselection includes: based on the first configuration, performing cell reselection related measurement; and based on a measurement result of the cell reselection related measurement, performing cell reselection.

[0485] The terminal device can first perform cell reselection related measurement based on the first configuration, or more specifically, based on the coverage time of the NTN learned through the first configuration, and then perform cell reselection based on the measurement result, thereby avoiding the situation of reselection delay or frequent reselection.

[0486] At least in relation to the aforementioned scenario 1: the terminal device can timely perform neighbor cell measurement and then perform cell reselection before the satellite beam shutdown causes the SSB signal to suddenly disappear, thereby avoiding loss of service and / or reselection delay.

[0487] At least in relation to the aforementioned scenario 2: the terminal device can not perform measurement on the neighbor cell that has no SSB signal transmission due to satellite beam shutdown, thereby avoiding the waste of power consumption caused by continuously searching and measuring this part of the neighbor cell.

[0488] At least in relation to the aforementioned scenario 3: the terminal device can not perform measurement on the cell that will lose SSB signal coverage due to satellite beam shutdown, thereby saving computing resources.

[0489] At least in relation to the aforementioned scenario 4: the terminal device can wait for a certain time until the high-priority cell corresponding to the beam is turned on, and then perform measurement on the high-priority cell, and then determine the target cell according to the reselection criterion, i.e., it can directly reselect to the high-priority cell, thereby avoiding frequent reselection.

[0490] In some implementations, the first configuration further includes a third threshold, the third threshold indicating a threshold of a remaining coverage time of a non-serving cell in the second criterion, the second criterion being used for performing cell reselection related measurement.

[0491] The configuration information received by the terminal device from the network device can further include a third threshold, the third threshold indicating a threshold of a remaining coverage time of a non-serving cell in the second criterion.

[0492] The terminal device can perform corresponding measurement on the non-serving cell based on the non-serving cell satisfying the second criterion, for example, immediately perform measurement on the non-serving cell.

[0493] Optionally, the second criterion can also be referred to as a measurement criterion, or have other suitable names, which are not limited in the present application.

[0494] It is not difficult to understand that the third threshold can be used to ensure that the non-serving cell to be measured has the ability to provide service for a long enough time, and the terminal device can immediately perform cell reselection related measurement, thereby saving computing resources by only measuring the non-serving cell with a long enough remaining coverage time. Moreover, advantageously, if the non-serving cell is determined as the first cell for cell reselection, it can also provide service for a long enough time.

[0495] In some implementations, the second criterion comprises: a coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell being greater than or not less than a third threshold.

[0496] In some embodiments, based on the indication of the third threshold, the operation of performing the cell reselection related measurement by the terminal device can comprise: performing the cell reselection related measurement on the non-serving cell based on the coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell in the NTN cell being greater than or not less than the third threshold.

[0497] In some embodiments, the second criterion for performing the cell reselection related measurement on the high-priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cell can comprise: a coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell > threshold k.

[0498] That is, based on the NTN non-serving cell satisfying the condition of coverage remaining time > threshold k, the NTN non-serving cell can be measured; based on the NTN non-serving cell not satisfying the condition of coverage remaining time > threshold k, the NTN non-serving cell can not be measured.

[0499] Optionally, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells satisfying the second criterion, the non-serving cell with the longest coverage remaining time can be selected for measurement in priority.

[0500] In some embodiments, the second criterion for performing the cell reselection related measurement on the same-frequency non-serving cell or the same-priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cell can comprise: a coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell > threshold l.

[0501] That is, based on the NTN non-serving cell satisfying the condition of coverage remaining time > threshold l, the NTN non-serving cell can be measured; based on the NTN non-serving cell not satisfying the condition of coverage remaining time > threshold l, the NTN non-serving cell can not be measured.

[0502] Optionally, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells satisfying the second criterion, the non-serving cell with the longest coverage remaining time can be selected for measurement in priority.

[0503] In some embodiments, the second criterion for performing the cell reselection related measurement on the low-priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cell can comprise: a coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell > threshold m.

[0504] That is, based on the NTN non-serving cell satisfying the condition of coverage remaining time > threshold m, the NTN non-serving cell can be measured; based on the NTN non-serving cell not satisfying the condition of coverage remaining time > threshold m, the NTN non-serving cell can not be measured.

[0505] Optionally, if multiple non-served cells of the NTN satisfy the second criterion, the non-served cell with the longest remaining coverage time can be selected for measurement in priority.

[0506] It can be understood that the example thresholds k, l, and m described above in relation to the third threshold in the cell reselection related measurement of the high priority, equal priority, and low priority non-served cells have no relationship with each other, and they can be the same or different. The network device can indicate respective values to the terminal device according to different requirements for different non-served cells. These thresholds can be configured per cell, per beam, per frequency point, or per high priority, equal priority, and low priority of the non-served cell, which is not limited in the present application.

[0507] Based on this implementation, measuring the non-served cell with a long enough remaining coverage time is beneficial to save computing resources. Moreover, if such a non-served cell is determined as the first cell for cell reselection, it can also provide service for a long enough time, which is beneficial to avoid frequent reselection.

[0508] In some implementations, the first configuration further includes a fourth threshold, and the fourth threshold indicates a threshold of the remaining coverage start time of the non-served cell of the second criterion. The second criterion is used for the cell reselection related measurement.

[0509] The configuration information accepted by the terminal device from the network device can further include a fourth threshold, and the fourth threshold can indicate a threshold of the remaining coverage start time of the non-served cell in the second criterion.

[0510] The terminal device can perform corresponding measurement on the non-served cell based on the non-served cell satisfying the second criterion, for example, delay measurement on the non-served cell.

[0511] Optionally, the second criterion can also be referred to as a measurement criterion, or have other suitable names, which are not limited in the present application.

[0512] It is not difficult to understand that the fourth threshold can be used by the terminal device to determine the waiting to delay the measurement on the non-served cell with the coverage about to start, which is beneficial to avoid frequent reselection and waste of power consumption of the non-served cell with the coverage about to start due to higher priority or better signal reception quality / signal reception power.

[0513] In some implementations, the second criterion includes that the remaining coverage start time of the non-served cell is less than or not greater than the fourth threshold.

[0514] In some embodiments, based on the indication of the fourth threshold value, the operation of the terminal device performing the cell reselection related measurement can include: delaying the cell reselection related measurement on the non-serving cell in the NTN cell based on that the coverage on time of the non-serving cell is less than or not greater than the fourth threshold value.

[0515] In some embodiments, the second criterion of delaying the cell reselection related measurement on the high priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cell can include: the coverage on time of the non-serving cell < threshold value n.

[0516] That is, based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell satisfies the coverage on time < threshold value n, the measurement on the NTN non-serving cell can be delayed; based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell does not satisfy the coverage on time < threshold value n, the measurement on the NTN non-serving cell can not be performed.

[0517] Optionally, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells satisfying the second criterion, the measurement on the non-serving cell with the earliest coverage opening time can be delayed until the coverage of the non-serving cell is opened, or the measurement can be performed after the coverage of multiple non-serving cells is opened.

[0518] In some embodiments, the second criterion of delaying the cell reselection related measurement on the intra-frequency non-serving cell or the same priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cell can include: the coverage on time of the non-serving cell < threshold value o.

[0519] That is, based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell satisfies the coverage on time < threshold value o, the measurement on the NTN non-serving cell can be delayed; based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell does not satisfy the coverage on time < threshold value o, the measurement on the NTN non-serving cell can not be performed.

[0520] Optionally, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells satisfying the second criterion, the measurement on the non-serving cell with the earliest coverage opening time can be delayed until the coverage of the non-serving cell is opened, or the measurement can be performed after the coverage of multiple non-serving cells is opened.

[0521] In some embodiments, the second criterion of delaying the cell reselection related measurement on the low priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cell can be: the coverage on time of the non-serving cell < threshold value p.

[0522] That is, based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell satisfies the coverage on time < threshold value p, the measurement on the NTN non-serving cell can be delayed; based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell does not satisfy the coverage on time < threshold value p, the measurement on the NTN non-serving cell can not be performed.

[0523] Optionally, if multiple non-served cells of the NTN satisfy the second criterion, the measurement on the non-served cell can be delayed until the coverage of the non-served cell that opens coverage earliest, or the measurement can be performed after the coverage of multiple non-served cells is opened.

[0524] It can be understood that the example threshold values n, o, and p of the fourth threshold value in the cell reselection related measurement on the high priority, equal priority, and low priority non-served cells do not have a relationship with each other, and they can be the same or different. The network device can indicate respective values to the terminal device according to different requirements for different non-served cells. These threshold values can be configured per cell, per beam, per frequency point, or per high priority, equal priority, and low priority of the non-served cell. The present application does not limit this.

[0525] Based on this implementation manner, it is beneficial to avoid frequent reselection and power waste caused by the coverage opening of the cell with higher priority or better signal reception quality / signal reception power.

[0526] In some implementation manners, the first configuration further includes a fifth threshold value, and the fifth threshold value indicates a threshold of a coverage remaining time of the current served cell in the third criterion, and the third criterion is used to limit the cell reselection related measurement.

[0527] The configuration information received by the terminal device from the network device can further include a fifth threshold value, and the fifth threshold value can indicate a threshold of a coverage remaining time of the current served cell in the third criterion.

[0528] The terminal device can limit the measurement on the non-served cell based on the current served cell satisfying the third criterion, for example, whether the measurement on the non-served cell should be performed.

[0529] Optionally, the third criterion can also be referred to as a limiting criterion, or have other suitable names, which are not limited in the present application.

[0530] It is not difficult to understand that the fifth threshold value can be used to ensure that the terminal device performs measurement on the non-served cell before the service of the current served cell ends. Advantageously, it can prompt the terminal device to perform cell reselection based on the measurement result, and is beneficial to avoid service loss and / or reselection delay caused by the end of the service of the current served cell.

[0531] In some implementation manners, the third criterion includes that the coverage remaining time of the current served cell is less than or not greater than the fifth threshold value.

[0532] In some embodiments, based on the indication of the fifth threshold value, the operation of the terminal device performing the cell reselection related measurement can include: based on the coverage remaining time of the current serving cell in the NTN cell being less than or not greater than the fifth threshold value, performing the cell reselection related measurement on the non-serving cell.

[0533] In some embodiments, with respect to the inter-frequency, inter-RAT frequency of higher priority than the existing frequency, the criterion of the measurement can include: the coverage remaining time of the current serving cell < threshold value q.

[0534] That is, based on the condition that the current serving cell satisfies the coverage remaining time < threshold value q, the terminal device should perform the inter-frequency, inter-RAT frequency measurement of high priority; based on the condition that the current serving cell does not satisfy the coverage remaining time < threshold value q, the terminal device is not required to perform the inter-frequency, inter-RAT frequency measurement of high priority.

[0535] In some embodiments, with respect to the inter-frequency, inter-RAT frequency of the same frequency or the same priority as the existing frequency, the criterion of the measurement can include: the coverage remaining time of the current serving cell < threshold value r.

[0536] That is, based on the condition that the current serving cell satisfies the coverage remaining time < threshold value r, the terminal device should perform the inter-frequency, inter-RAT frequency measurement of the same frequency or the same priority; based on the condition that the current serving cell does not satisfy the coverage remaining time < threshold value r, the terminal device is not required to perform the inter-frequency, inter-RAT frequency measurement of the same frequency or the same priority.

[0537] In some embodiments, with respect to the inter-frequency, inter-RAT frequency of lower priority than the existing frequency, the criterion of the measurement can include: the coverage remaining time of the current serving cell < threshold value s.

[0538] That is, based on the condition that the current serving cell satisfies the coverage remaining time < threshold value s, the terminal device should perform the inter-frequency, inter-RAT frequency measurement of low priority; based on the condition that the current serving cell does not satisfy the coverage remaining time < threshold value s, the terminal device is not required to perform the inter-frequency, inter-RAT frequency measurement of low priority.

[0539] It can be understood that the above-mentioned example threshold values q, threshold values r, threshold values s with respect to the fifth threshold value in the restriction of performing the cell reselection related measurement on the non-serving cell of high priority, same priority, low priority are not related to each other, they can be the same or different, the network device can indicate the respective values to the terminal device according to different requirements for different non-serving cells, these threshold values can be configured per cell, or per beam, or per frequency point, or per high priority, same priority, low priority of the non-serving cell, the present application does not limit this.

[0540] In some embodiments, the fifth threshold value can be implemented as a cell reselection timer configured by the network device, in which case the value of the cell reselection timer of the terminal device can be the smaller of the remaining time of the configured cell reselection timer and the remaining time of the coverage of the current serving cell.

[0541] Based on this implementation, the cell reselection related measurement can be performed in time before the end of the coverage of the current serving cell, so as to perform cell reselection, which is conducive to avoiding service loss and / or reselection delay caused by performing cell reselection only after the end of the coverage of the current serving cell.

[0542] It can be understood that the foregoing process of performing cell reselection related measurement based on the first configuration is not necessarily subordinate to the cell reselection process, in other words, the measurement process can be implemented independently of the cell reselection process, and the implementation has been described in detail before, which will not be repeated here.

[0543] It can be understood that the first threshold value to the fifth threshold value described in the foregoing various implementations have no relationship with each other, and they can be the same or different, and the network device can indicate respective values to the terminal device according to different requirements for different non-serving cells. These threshold values can be configured per cell, per beam, per frequency point, or per high priority, equal priority, and low priority of the non-serving cell, which is not limited in the present application.

[0544] In some implementations, the first indication information indicates the coverage time of the NTN beam.

[0545] That is, the first indication information can be beam-level (e.g., per beam) coverage management indication information, which can indicate the coverage time of the NTN beam, for example, through ssb-ToMeasure.

[0546] The terminal device can obtain the coverage time information of each cell of the NTN according to the coverage time of the NTN beam, including the coverage time of the current serving cell and the coverage time of the non-serving cell.

[0547] For example, for any cell in the NTN, the coverage time of the cell can be represented by the average coverage time or weighted coverage time of each beam in the cell.

[0548] In the case where the first indication information included in the first configuration is beam-level coverage management indication information, the cell reselection operation thereof can be the same as that in the case where the first indication information is cell-level coverage management indication information, which will not be repeated here.

[0549] It can be understood that coverage management in units of beams can make coverage management more fine-grained, which is conducive to improving spectrum utilization efficiency.

[0550] It should also be understood that the method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be executed alone or together with some methods in the embodiments of the present application or some methods in related technologies.

[0551] FIG. 13 is a flow diagram of a communication processing method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method execution subject shown in FIG. 13 can be a network device, or the subject can be a chip in the network device. Wherein:

[0552] S1301, sending a first configuration to a terminal device, the first configuration comprising first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate a coverage time of a non-terrestrial network NTN.

[0553] It can be found that, based on the method of the present application, the network device can indicate the coverage time of the NTN to the terminal device through the indication information, which is conducive to the terminal device performing a cell reselection operation based on the coverage time information of the NTN, and effectively avoids the situation of reselection delay or frequent reselection.

[0554] In some embodiments, the configuration information can be common configuration information associated with multiple terminal devices.

[0555] In some embodiments, the configuration information can be dedicated configuration information associated with a single terminal device.

[0556] The configuration information can be carried by one message as a whole, or multiple parts can be carried by multiple messages respectively, which is not limited by the present application.

[0557] In some embodiments, the configuration information can be carried by an RRC message or an SIB message. For example, the NTN coverage information for intra-frequency, inter-frequency, and inter-RAT cell reselection can be carried by an RRC message or an SIB message.

[0558] In some embodiments, the configuration information can be jointly carried by an RRC message and / or multiple SIB messages. For example, taking the coverage information of an NTN cell as an example, the coverage time information of a serving cell related to intra-frequency, inter-frequency, and inter-RAT cell reselection can be carried by an SIB2 message; the coverage time information of a neighboring cell related to intra-frequency cell reselection can be carried by an SIB3 message; the coverage time information of a neighboring cell related to inter-frequency cell reselection can be carried by an SIB4 message; and the coverage time information of a neighboring cell related to inter-RAT cell reselection can be carried by an SIB5 message.

[0559] The terminal device can obtain the indication information indicating the coverage time of the NTN by receiving the configuration information from the network device, and then can learn the coverage time of the NTN according to the indication information.

[0560] The information of the coverage time of the NTN includes a start time and an end time of coverage of the satellite. The coverage in a service period can be a continuous complete time period, including only one pair of start time and end time; or can also be multiple time periods, including multiple pairs of start time and end time.

[0561] Referring to FIG. 11, FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of the coverage time of the NTN provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 11, in the service period of the satellite, there are 3 time periods, including three pairs of start time and end time. In the time sequence relationship between the current time and the corresponding start time and end time:

[0562] For the coverage of start time < current time < end time (for example, start time 1 < current time a < end time 1 shown in FIG. 11), the terminal device can obtain the remaining time length of the coverage by calculating the difference between the current time and the end time of the current coverage.

[0563] For the coverage of current time < start time < end time (for example, current time b < start time 3 < end time 3 shown in FIG. 11), the terminal device can obtain the remaining time length of the start of the coverage by calculating the difference between the current time and the start time of the next coverage.

[0564] In the NTN, each cell or beam can have a corresponding coverage time.

[0565] The terminal device can perform cell reselection according to the coverage time of the NTN, so as to avoid the situation of reselection delay or frequent reselection. For example:

[0566] At least for the foregoing scenario 1, the terminal device learns the coverage time information of the NTN, and can perform cell reselection or cell search in time before the satellite beam is closed and the SSB signal suddenly disappears, so as to avoid losing service and / or reselection delay.

[0567] At least for the foregoing scenario 2: the terminal device learns the coverage time information of the NTN, and when performing cell reselection, can not measure the neighbor cell without SSB signal transmission due to the closure of the satellite beam, so as to avoid the waste of power consumption caused by continuous search and measurement of this part of the neighbor cell.

[0568] At least for the foregoing scenario 3: the terminal device learns the coverage time information of the NTN, so as to avoid reselecting to the cell that will lose SSB signal coverage due to the closure of the satellite beam, thereby avoiding losing service or triggering reselection soon after camping.

[0569] At least in relation to the aforementioned scenario 4: the terminal device learns the coverage time information of the NTN, and can wait for a certain time until the beam corresponding to the high-priority cell is turned on, and then determines the target cell according to the reselection criterion, that is, can directly reselect to the high-priority cell, thereby avoiding frequent reselection.

[0570] In some implementations, the first indication information indicates the coverage time of the NTN cell.

[0571] That is, the first indication information can be coverage management indication information at a cell level (for example, per cell), which indicates the coverage time of the NTN cell.

[0572] The terminal device can learn the coverage time information of the currently serving cell and the coverage time information of the neighboring cell according to the coverage time of the NTN cell.

[0573] Further, the terminal device can calculate the coverage remaining time or coverage start remaining time corresponding to each cell, and then perform a cell reselection operation, and determine the reselected cell based on the coverage remaining time or coverage start remaining time corresponding to each cell.

[0574] It can be understood that, based on the cell level for coverage management, the coverage information management complexity can be effectively reduced while achieving coverage of a larger geographical area of the NTN.

[0575] It should be clear that the non-serving cell in the present application can be a suitable cell, that is, a cell that meets the S criterion, or a network-configured neighbor cell, a cell participating in ranking in the cell reselection process, and the like, and can also be understood as an intra-frequency, inter-frequency, or inter-RAT frequency outside the serving cell. In addition, each criterion in the present application includes at least one condition or judgment, that is, the terminal device needs to complete the execution of the process based on all conditions related to the criterion.

[0576] In some implementations, the first configuration further includes a first threshold, and the first threshold indicates a threshold of the coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell in the first criterion, and the first criterion is used for cell reselection.

[0577] The terminal device receiving the configuration information from the network device can further include a first threshold, and the first threshold can indicate a threshold of the coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell in the first criterion.

[0578] The terminal device can determine the first cell reselected in the cell reselection process based on the non-serving cell meeting the first criterion.

[0579] In some embodiments, if only one non-serving cell satisfies the first criterion, the non-serving cell can be determined as the first cell for cell reselection; if there are multiple non-serving cells satisfying the first criterion, one of the multiple non-serving cells can be determined as the first cell for cell reselection by a suitable method (e.g., ranking).

[0580] Optionally, the first criterion can also be referred to as a reselection criterion, or have other suitable names, which are not limited in the present application.

[0581] In some embodiments, the first cell can be a cell selected by the idle-state terminal device.

[0582] In some embodiments, the first cell can be a cell selected by the inactive-state terminal device.

[0583] It can be understood that the first threshold value can be used to ensure that the first cell determined based on the non-serving cell can provide service for a long enough time, which is conducive to avoiding frequent reselection.

[0584] In some implementations, the first criterion comprises: a coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell being greater than or not less than a first threshold value.

[0585] In some embodiments, based on the indication of the first threshold value, the operation of performing cell reselection by the terminal device can comprise: determining the first cell for cell reselection based on the coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell in the NTN cell being greater than or not less than the first threshold value.

[0586] In some embodiments, based on the indication of the first threshold value, the operation of performing cell reselection by the terminal device can comprise: determining the first cell for cell reselection based on the coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell in the NTN cell being greater than or not less than the first threshold value, and based on the signal reception quality of the non-serving cell being greater than or not less than the first quality threshold value.

[0587] In some embodiments, the first criterion for cell reselection of the high-priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cell can comprise: the non-serving cell S qual > Thresh X,HighQ , and the coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell > threshold value a.

[0588] That is, based on the NTN non-serving cell satisfying the condition of S qual > Thresh X,HighQ , and based on the non-serving cell satisfying the condition of coverage remaining time > threshold value a, the first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the NTN non-serving cell; based on the NTN non-serving cell not satisfying S qual > Thresh X,HighQThe first cell for cell reselection is not determined from the non-serving NTN cell if the condition is met, or if the non-serving cell does not meet the condition that the remaining coverage time is greater than the threshold a.

[0589] Furthermore, the first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the non-serving cells that meet the first criterion.

[0590] Optionally, if only one NTN non-serving cell satisfies the first criterion, then that NTN non-serving cell can be identified as the first cell for cell reselection.

[0591] Optionally, if multiple NTN non-serving cells meet the first criterion, the non-serving cell with the highest signal reception quality can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by sorting according to signal quality, or the non-serving cell with the longest remaining coverage time can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by sorting according to coverage remaining duration.

[0592] In some embodiments, the first criterion for cell reselection of non-serving cells in the same frequency or in different frequencies and different RATs with the same priority may include: the non-serving cell satisfies the S criterion and R... n >R s And the remaining coverage time of non-serving cells is greater than the threshold b.

[0593] That is, based on NTN non-serving cells, S rxlev >0 and S qual >0、R n >R s Based on the conditions, and the condition that the non-serving cell satisfies the remaining coverage time > threshold b, the first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the NTN non-serving cell; based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell does not satisfy S rxlev >0 and S qual >0、R n >R s The first cell for cell reselection is not determined from the non-serving NTN cell if the condition is met, or if the non-serving cell does not meet the condition that the remaining coverage time is greater than the threshold b.

[0594] Furthermore, the first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the non-serving cells that meet the first criterion.

[0595] Optionally, if only one NTN non-serving cell satisfies the first criterion, then that NTN non-serving cell can be identified as the first cell for cell reselection.

[0596] Optionally, if multiple NTN non-serving cells meet the first criterion, R can be selected by sorting them according to signal quality. nThe non-serving cell with the highest value can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection, or the non-serving cell with the longest remaining coverage time can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by sorting the remaining coverage time.

[0597] In some embodiments, the first criterion for cell reselection with respect to low-priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cells can comprise that the non-serving cell S qual > Thresh X,LowQ and the non-serving cell has a remaining coverage time > threshold c. Generally, threshServingLowQ can be carried in system information (SIB), in which case the first criterion preferably further comprises that the serving cell S qual <ThreshServingLowQ.

[0598] That is, based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell S qual > Thresh X,LowQ (preferably and the serving cell S qual <ThreshServingLowQ), and based on the condition that the non-serving cell has a remaining coverage time > threshold c, the first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the NTN non-serving cell; based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell does not satisfy S qual > Thresh X,LowQ (preferably and the serving cell S qual <ThreshServingLowQ), or based on the condition that the non-serving cell does not have a remaining coverage time > threshold c, the first cell for cell reselection is not determined from the NTN non-serving cell.

[0599] Further, the first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the non-serving cells that satisfy the first criterion.

[0600] Optionally, if there is only one NTN non-serving cell that satisfies the first criterion, the NTN non-serving cell can be determined as the first cell for cell reselection.

[0601] Optionally, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells that satisfy the first criterion, the non-serving cell with the highest signal reception quality can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by sorting the signal quality, or the non-serving cell with the longest remaining coverage time can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by sorting the remaining coverage time.

[0602] It can be understood that the example threshold values a, b and c described above in relation to the first threshold value in the high-priority, equal-priority and low-priority cell reselection in combination with the signal reception quality of the non-serving cell have no relationship with each other, and they can be the same or different. The network device can indicate respective values to the terminal device according to different requirements for different non-serving cells. These threshold values can be configured per cell, per beam, per frequency point, or per high-priority, equal-priority and low-priority of the non-serving cell. The present application does not limit this.

[0603] Based on this implementation manner, it can be ensured that the signal reception quality of the target cell for cell reselection is good enough to provide services that meet the quality requirements, and the target cell has a long enough coverage time to provide services, which is beneficial to avoid frequent cell reselection.

[0604] In some embodiments, based on the indication of the first threshold value, the operation of the terminal device performing cell reselection can include: determining a first cell for cell reselection based on the coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell in the NTN cell being greater than or not less than the first threshold value, and based on the signal reception power of the non-serving cell being greater than or not less than the first power threshold value.

[0605] In some embodiments, the first criterion for cell reselection of the high-priority inter-frequency and inter-RAT non-serving cell can include: the non-serving cell S rxlev > Thresh X,HighP , and the coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell > threshold value g.

[0606] That is, based on the NTN non-serving cell satisfying the condition of S rxlev > Thresh X,HighP , and based on the non-serving cell satisfying the condition of coverage remaining time > threshold value g, a first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the NTN non-serving cell; based on the NTN non-serving cell not satisfying the condition of S rxlev > Thresh X,HighP , or based on the non-serving cell not satisfying the condition of coverage remaining time > threshold value g, a first cell for cell reselection is not determined from the NTN non-serving cell.

[0607] Further, a first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the non-serving cell satisfying the first criterion.

[0608] Optionally, if only one NTN non-serving cell satisfies the first criterion, the NTN non-serving cell can be determined as the first cell for cell reselection.

[0609] Optionally, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells satisfying the first criterion, the non-serving cell with the highest signal reception power can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by sorting in terms of acceptance quality, or the non-serving cell with the longest remaining coverage time can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by sorting in terms of remaining coverage time.

[0610] In some embodiments, the first criterion for cell reselection with respect to low-priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cells can include that the non-serving cell S rxlev > Thresh X,LowP and the non-serving cell has a remaining coverage time > threshold h. Generally, threshServingLowP can be carried in system information (SIB), in which case the first criterion preferably further includes that the serving cell S rxlev <ThreshServingLowP.

[0611] That is, based on the condition that an NTN non-serving cell S rxlev > Thresh X,LowP (preferably and the serving cell S rxlev <ThreshServingLowP), and based on the condition that the non-serving cell has a remaining coverage time > threshold h, the first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the NTN non-serving cell; based on the condition that an NTN non-serving cell does not satisfy the aforementioned S rxlev > Thresh X,LowP (preferably and the serving cell S rxlev <ThreshServingLowP), or based on the condition that the non-serving cell does not have a remaining coverage time > threshold h, the first cell for cell reselection is not determined from the NTN non-serving cell.

[0612] Further, the first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the non-serving cells satisfying the first criterion.

[0613] Optionally, if there is only one NTN non-serving cell satisfying the first criterion, the NTN non-serving cell can be determined as the first cell for cell reselection.

[0614] Optionally, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells satisfying the first criterion, the non-serving cell with the highest signal reception power can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by sorting in terms of signal quality, or the non-serving cell with the longest remaining coverage time can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by sorting in terms of remaining coverage time.

[0615] It can be understood that the example threshold values g and h described above in relation to the first threshold value in the high-priority, low-priority cell reselection in combination with the non-serving cell signal reception power have no relationship with each other, and they can be the same or different. The network device can indicate respective values to the terminal device according to different requirements for different non-serving cells. These threshold values can be configured per cell, per beam, per frequency point, or per high-priority, equal-priority, and low-priority of the non-serving cell. The present application does not limit this.

[0616] Based on this implementation manner, it can be ensured that the signal reception power of the target cell of the cell reselection is good enough and there is a long enough coverage time to provide services, which is beneficial to avoid frequent reselection.

[0617] It can also be understood that the example threshold values a, b, and c described above in relation to the first threshold value in combination with the non-serving cell signal reception quality and the example threshold values g and h described in relation to the first threshold value in combination with the non-serving cell signal reception power have no relationship with each other, and they can be the same or different. The network device can indicate respective values to the terminal device according to different requirements for different non-serving cells. These threshold values can be configured per cell, per beam, per frequency point, or per high-priority, equal-priority, and low-priority of the non-serving cell. The present application does not limit this. That is to say, when the first criterion includes both the condition of the non-serving cell coverage remaining time threshold in combination with the non-serving cell signal reception quality and the condition of the non-serving cell coverage remaining time threshold in combination with the non-serving cell signal reception power, the non-serving cell coverage remaining time threshold can be configured in relation to the non-serving cell signal reception quality and the non-serving cell signal reception power, respectively. These threshold values can be independently configured by the network device.

[0618] In some implementation manners, the first configuration further includes a second threshold value, and the second threshold value indicates a coverage remaining time threshold of the current serving cell in the first criterion.

[0619] The configuration information received by the terminal device from the network device can further include a second threshold value, and the second threshold value can indicate a coverage remaining time threshold of the current serving cell in the first criterion.

[0620] The terminal device can determine the first cell reselected in the cell reselection process based on that the non-serving cell satisfies the first criterion.

[0621] In some embodiments, if only one non-serving cell satisfies the first criterion, the non-serving cell can be determined as the first cell for cell reselection; if there are multiple non-serving cells satisfying the first criterion, one of the multiple non-serving cells can be determined as the first cell for cell reselection by a suitable method (e.g., ranking).

[0622] Optionally, the first criterion can also be referred to as a reselection criterion, or have other suitable names, which are not limited in the present application.

[0623] In some embodiments, the first cell can be a cell selected by the idle-state terminal device.

[0624] In some embodiments, the first cell can be a cell selected by the inactive-state terminal device.

[0625] It can be understood that the second threshold value can be used to ensure that the terminal device is prompted to perform cell reselection before the service of the serving cell ends, so as to avoid service loss and / or reselection delay caused by the end of the service of the current serving cell.

[0626] In some implementations, the first criterion comprises that the coverage remaining time of the current serving cell is less than or not greater than the second threshold value.

[0627] In some embodiments, based on the indication of the second threshold value, the operation of performing cell reselection by the terminal device can comprise: determining the first cell for cell reselection based on that the coverage remaining time of the current serving cell in the NTN cell is less than or not greater than the second threshold value, and based on that the signal reception quality of the non-serving cell is greater than or equal to or not less than the first quality threshold value.

[0628] In some embodiments, the first criterion for cell reselection of the high-priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cell can comprise: the non-serving cell S qual > Thresh X,HighQ , and the coverage remaining time of the current serving cell < threshold value d.

[0629] That is, based on that the NTN non-serving cell satisfies the condition of S qual > Thresh X,HighQ , and based on that the current serving cell satisfies the condition of coverage remaining time < threshold value d, the first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the NTN non-serving cell; based on that the NTN non-serving cell does not satisfy the condition of S qual > Thresh X,HighQ , or based on that the current serving cell does not satisfy the condition of coverage remaining time < threshold value d, the first cell for cell reselection is not determined from the NTN non-serving cell.

[0630] Further, the first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the non-serving cells satisfying the first criterion.

[0631] Optionally, together with the current serving cell, if only one NTN non-serving cell satisfies the first criterion, the NTN non-serving cell can be determined as the first cell selected by the cell reselection procedure.

[0632] Optionally, together with the current serving cell, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells satisfying the first criterion, the non-serving cell with the highest signal reception quality can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by ordering the signal quality.

[0633] In some embodiments, the first criterion for cell reselection regarding the intra-frequency non-serving cell or the inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cell with the same priority can include: the first non-serving cell satisfies the S criterion and R n > R s , and the remaining time of coverage of the current serving cell < threshold e.

[0634] That is, based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell satisfies the S rxlev > 0 and S qual > 0, R n > R s , and based on the condition that the current serving cell satisfies the remaining time of coverage < threshold e, the first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the NTN non-serving cell; based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell does not satisfy S rxlev > 0 and S qual > 0, R n > R s , or the condition that the current serving cell does not satisfy the remaining time of coverage < threshold e, the first cell for cell reselection is not determined from the NTN non-serving cell.

[0635] Further, the first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the non-serving cell satisfying the first criterion.

[0636] Optionally, together with the current serving cell, if only one NTN non-serving cell satisfies the first criterion, the NTN non-serving cell can be determined as the first cell selected by the cell reselection procedure.

[0637] Optionally, together with the current serving cell, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells satisfying the first criterion, the non-serving cell with the highest R n value can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by ordering the signal quality.

[0638] In some embodiments, the first criterion for cell reselection regarding the low-priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cell can include: the first non-serving cell S qual > Thresh X,LowQ , and the remaining time of coverage of the current serving cell < threshold f.

[0639] That is, based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell satisfies S qual > Thresh X,LowQ , and based on the condition that the current serving cell satisfies the remaining coverage time < threshold f, a first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the NTN non-serving cell; based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell does not satisfy S qual > Thresh X,LowQ , or based on the condition that the current serving cell does not satisfy the remaining coverage time < threshold f, a first cell for cell reselection is not determined from the NTN non-serving cell.

[0640] Further, a first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the non-serving cell that satisfies the first criterion.

[0641] Optionally, together with the current serving cell, if only one NTN non-serving cell satisfies the first criterion, the NTN non-serving cell can be determined as the first cell for cell reselection.

[0642] Optionally, together with the current serving cell, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells that satisfy the first criterion, the non-serving cell with the highest signal reception quality can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by sorting according to signal quality.

[0643] It can be understood that the example thresholds d, e, and f described above with respect to the second threshold have no relationship with each other in the high-priority, equal-priority, and low-priority cell reselection in combination with the signal reception quality of the non-serving cell, and they can be the same or different. The network device can indicate respective values to the terminal device according to different requirements for different non-serving cells. These thresholds can be configured per cell, per beam, per frequency point, or per high-priority, equal-priority, and low-priority of the non-serving cell, which is not limited in the present application.

[0644] Based on this implementation manner, cell reselection can be implemented in time before the end of the coverage of the current serving cell, which is beneficial to avoid service loss and / or reselection delay caused by cell reselection only after the end of the coverage of the current serving cell.

[0645] In some embodiments, based on the indication of the second threshold, the operation of the terminal device performing cell reselection can include: determining a first cell for cell reselection based on the remaining coverage time of the current serving cell in the NTN cell being less than or not greater than the second threshold, and based on the signal reception power of the non-serving cell being greater than or not less than the first power threshold.

[0646] In some embodiments, the first criterion for cell reselection of the high-priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cell can include: the non-serving cell Srxlev Thresh X,HighP and the remaining time of coverage of the current serving cell < threshold i.

[0647] That is, based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell satisfies S rxlev Thresh X,HighP and the condition that the current serving cell satisfies the remaining time of coverage < threshold i, a first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the NTN non-serving cell; based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell does not satisfy S rxlev Thresh X,HighP or the condition that the current serving cell does not satisfy the remaining time of coverage < threshold i, a first cell for cell reselection is not determined from the NTN non-serving cell.

[0648] Further, the first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the non-serving cells that satisfy the first criterion.

[0649] Optionally, together with the current serving cell, if there is only one NTN non-serving cell that satisfies the first criterion, the NTN non-serving cell can be determined as the first cell selected by the cell reselection process.

[0650] Optionally, together with the current serving cell, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells that satisfy the first criterion, the non-serving cell with the highest signal reception power can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by sorting according to signal quality.

[0651] In some embodiments, the first criterion for cell reselection regarding low-priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cells can be: the non-serving cell S rxlev Thresh X,LowP and the remaining time of coverage of the current serving cell < threshold j.

[0652] That is, based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell satisfies S rxlev Thresh X,LowP and the condition that the current serving cell satisfies the remaining time of coverage < threshold j, a first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the NTN non-serving cell; based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell does not satisfy S rxlev Thresh X,LowP or the condition that the current serving cell does not satisfy the remaining time of coverage < threshold j, a first cell for cell reselection is not determined from the NTN non-serving cell.

[0653] Further, the first cell for cell reselection can be determined from the non-serving cells that satisfy the first criterion.

[0654] Optionally, together with the current serving cell, if only one NTN non-serving cell satisfies the first criterion, the NTN non-serving cell can be determined as the first cell for cell reselection.

[0655] Optionally, together with the current serving cell, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells satisfying the first criterion, the non-serving cell with the highest signal reception power can be selected as the first cell for cell reselection by ordering according to signal quality.

[0656] It can be understood that the above-mentioned example thresholds i, j related to the second threshold in the high-priority, low-priority cell reselection in combination with the non-serving cell signal reception power have no relationship with each other, and they can be the same or different. The network device can indicate respective values to the terminal device according to different requirements for different non-serving cells. These thresholds can be configured per cell, per beam, per frequency point, or per high-priority, equal-priority, and low-priority of the non-serving cell, which is not limited in the present application.

[0657] Based on this implementation manner, cell reselection can be timely implemented before the end of the current serving cell coverage, which is beneficial to avoid service loss and / or reselection delay caused by cell reselection only after the end of the current serving cell coverage.

[0658] It can also be understood that the above-mentioned example thresholds d, e, f related to the second threshold in combination with the non-serving cell signal reception quality, and the example thresholds i, j related to the second threshold in combination with the non-serving cell signal reception power have no relationship with each other, and they can be the same or different. The network device can indicate respective values to the terminal device according to different requirements for different non-serving cells. These thresholds can be configured per cell, per beam, per frequency point, or per high-priority, equal-priority, and low-priority of the non-serving cell, which is not limited in the present application. That is to say, when the first criterion includes both the condition of the threshold of the remaining time of the current serving cell coverage in combination with the non-serving cell signal reception quality, and the condition of the threshold of the remaining time of the current serving cell coverage in combination with the non-serving cell signal reception power, the thresholds of the remaining time of the non-serving cell coverage and the thresholds of the remaining time of the current serving cell coverage can be respectively configured in combination with the non-serving cell signal reception quality and the non-serving cell signal reception power, which can be independently configured by the network device.

[0659] In some implementation manners, based on the first configuration, performing cell reselection includes: based on the first configuration, performing cell reselection related measurement; and based on a measurement result of the cell reselection related measurement, performing cell reselection.

[0660] The terminal device can first perform cell reselection related measurement based on the first configuration, or more specifically, based on the coverage time of the NTN learned through the first configuration, and then perform cell reselection based on the measurement result, thereby avoiding the situation of reselection delay or frequent reselection.

[0661] At least in relation to the aforementioned scenario 1: the terminal device can timely perform neighbor cell measurement and then perform cell reselection before the satellite beam shutdown causes the SSB signal to suddenly disappear, thereby avoiding loss of service and / or reselection delay.

[0662] At least in relation to the aforementioned scenario 2: the terminal device can not perform measurement on the neighbor cell that has no SSB signal transmission due to satellite beam shutdown, thereby avoiding the waste of power consumption caused by continuously searching and measuring this part of the neighbor cell.

[0663] At least in relation to the aforementioned scenario 3: the terminal device can not perform measurement on the cell that will lose SSB signal coverage due to satellite beam shutdown, thereby saving computing resources.

[0664] At least in relation to the aforementioned scenario 4: the terminal device can wait for a certain time until the high-priority cell corresponding to the beam is turned on, and then perform measurement on the high-priority cell, and then determine the target cell according to the reselection criterion, i.e., it can directly reselect to the high-priority cell, thereby avoiding frequent reselection.

[0665] In some implementations, the first configuration further includes a third threshold, the third threshold indicating a threshold of a remaining coverage time of a non-serving cell in the second criterion, and the second criterion is used for performing cell reselection related measurement.

[0666] The configuration information received by the terminal device from the network device can further include a third threshold, and the third threshold can indicate a threshold of a remaining coverage time of a non-serving cell in the second criterion.

[0667] The terminal device can perform corresponding measurement on the non-serving cell based on the non-serving cell satisfying the second criterion, for example, immediately perform measurement on the non-serving cell.

[0668] Optionally, the second criterion can also be referred to as a measurement criterion, or have other suitable names, which are not limited in the present application.

[0669] It is not difficult to understand that the third threshold can be used to ensure that the non-serving cell to be measured has the ability to provide service for a long enough time, and the terminal device can immediately perform cell reselection related measurement, and by only measuring the non-serving cell with a long enough remaining coverage time, computing resources can be saved. Moreover, if the non-serving cell is determined as the first cell for cell reselection, it can also provide service for a long enough time.

[0670] In some implementations, the second criterion comprises: a coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell being greater than or not less than a third threshold.

[0671] In some embodiments, based on the indication of the third threshold, the operation of performing the cell reselection related measurement by the terminal device can comprise: performing the cell reselection related measurement on the non-serving cell based on the coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell in the NTN cell being greater than or not less than the third threshold.

[0672] In some embodiments, the second criterion for performing the cell reselection related measurement on the high-priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cell can comprise: a coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell > threshold k.

[0673] That is, based on the NTN non-serving cell satisfying the condition of coverage remaining time > threshold k, the NTN non-serving cell can be measured; based on the NTN non-serving cell not satisfying the condition of coverage remaining time > threshold k, the NTN non-serving cell can not be measured.

[0674] Optionally, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells satisfying the second criterion, the non-serving cell with the longest coverage remaining time can be selected for measurement in priority.

[0675] In some embodiments, the second criterion for performing the cell reselection related measurement on the same-frequency non-serving cell or the same-priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cell can comprise: a coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell > threshold l.

[0676] That is, based on the NTN non-serving cell satisfying the condition of coverage remaining time > threshold l, the NTN non-serving cell can be measured; based on the NTN non-serving cell not satisfying the condition of coverage remaining time > threshold l, the NTN non-serving cell can not be measured.

[0677] Optionally, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells satisfying the second criterion, the non-serving cell with the longest coverage remaining time can be selected for measurement in priority.

[0678] In some embodiments, the second criterion for performing the cell reselection related measurement on the low-priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cell can comprise: a coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell > threshold m.

[0679] That is, based on the NTN non-serving cell satisfying the condition of coverage remaining time > threshold m, the NTN non-serving cell can be measured; based on the NTN non-serving cell not satisfying the condition of coverage remaining time > threshold m, the NTN non-serving cell can not be measured.

[0680] Optionally, if multiple non-served cells of the NTN satisfy the second criterion, the non-served cell with the longest remaining coverage time can be selected for measurement in priority.

[0681] It can be understood that the example threshold values k, l, and m described above in relation to the third threshold value in the cell reselection related measurement of the high priority, equal priority, and low priority non-served cells have no relationship with each other, and they can be the same or different. The network device can indicate respective values to the terminal device according to different requirements for different non-served cells. These threshold values can be configured per cell, per beam, per frequency point, or per high priority, equal priority, and low priority of the non-served cell, which is not limited in the present application.

[0682] Based on this implementation, measuring the non-served cell with a long enough remaining coverage time is beneficial to save computing resources. Moreover, if such a non-served cell is determined as the first cell for cell reselection, it can also provide service for a long enough time, which is beneficial to avoid frequent reselection.

[0683] In some implementations, the first configuration further includes a fourth threshold value, and the fourth threshold value indicates a threshold of the remaining coverage start time of the non-served cell of the second criterion, and the second criterion is used for performing the cell reselection related measurement.

[0684] The configuration information accepted by the terminal device from the network device can further include a fourth threshold value, and the fourth threshold value can indicate a threshold of the remaining coverage start time of the non-served cell in the second criterion.

[0685] The terminal device can perform corresponding measurement on the non-served cell based on the non-served cell satisfying the second criterion, for example, delay measurement on the non-served cell.

[0686] Optionally, the second criterion can also be referred to as a measurement criterion, or have other suitable names, which are not limited in the present application.

[0687] It is not difficult to understand that the fourth threshold value can be used by the terminal device to determine the waiting to delay the measurement on the non-served cell with the coverage about to start, which is beneficial to avoid frequent reselection and waste of power consumption of the non-served cell with the coverage about to start due to higher priority or better signal reception quality / signal reception power.

[0688] In some implementations, the second criterion includes that the remaining coverage start time of the non-served cell is less than or not greater than the fourth threshold value.

[0689] In some embodiments, based on the indication of the fourth threshold value, the operation of the terminal device performing the cell reselection related measurement can include: delaying the cell reselection related measurement on the non-serving cell in the NTN cell based on that the coverage on time of the non-serving cell is less than or not greater than the fourth threshold value.

[0690] In some embodiments, the second criterion of delaying the cell reselection related measurement on the high priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cell can include: the coverage on time of the non-serving cell < threshold value n.

[0691] That is, based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell satisfies the coverage on time < threshold value n, the measurement on the NTN non-serving cell can be delayed; based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell does not satisfy the coverage on time < threshold value n, the measurement on the NTN non-serving cell can not be performed.

[0692] Optionally, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells satisfying the second criterion, the measurement on the non-serving cell with the earliest coverage opening time can be delayed until the coverage of the non-serving cell is opened, or the measurement can be performed after the coverage of multiple non-serving cells is opened.

[0693] In some embodiments, the second criterion of delaying the cell reselection related measurement on the intra-frequency non-serving cell or the same priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cell can include: the coverage on time of the non-serving cell < threshold value o.

[0694] That is, based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell satisfies the coverage on time < threshold value o, the measurement on the NTN non-serving cell can be delayed; based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell does not satisfy the coverage on time < threshold value o, the measurement on the NTN non-serving cell can not be performed.

[0695] Optionally, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells satisfying the second criterion, the measurement on the non-serving cell with the earliest coverage opening time can be delayed until the coverage of the non-serving cell is opened, or the measurement can be performed after the coverage of multiple non-serving cells is opened.

[0696] In some embodiments, the second criterion of delaying the cell reselection related measurement on the low priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cell can be: the coverage on time of the non-serving cell < threshold value p.

[0697] That is, based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell satisfies the coverage on time < threshold value p, the measurement on the NTN non-serving cell can be delayed; based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell does not satisfy the coverage on time < threshold value p, the measurement on the NTN non-serving cell can not be performed.

[0698] Optionally, if multiple non-served cells of the NTN satisfy the second criterion, the measurement on the non-served cell can be delayed until the coverage of the non-served cell that opens coverage earliest, or the measurement can be performed after the coverage of multiple non-served cells is opened.

[0699] It can be understood that the example threshold values n, o, and p of the fourth threshold value in the cell reselection related measurement on the high priority, equal priority, and low priority non-served cells do not have a relationship with each other, and they can be the same or different. The network device can indicate respective values to the terminal device according to different requirements for different non-served cells. These threshold values can be configured per cell, per beam, per frequency point, or per high priority, equal priority, and low priority of the non-served cell. The present application does not limit this.

[0700] Based on this implementation manner, it is beneficial to avoid frequent reselection and power waste caused by the coverage opening of the cell with higher priority or better signal reception quality / signal reception power.

[0701] In some implementation manners, the first configuration further includes a fifth threshold value, and the fifth threshold value indicates a threshold of a coverage remaining time of the current served cell in the third criterion, and the third criterion is used to limit the cell reselection related measurement.

[0702] The configuration information received by the terminal device from the network device can further include a fifth threshold value, and the fifth threshold value can indicate a threshold of a coverage remaining time of the current served cell in the third criterion.

[0703] The terminal device can limit the measurement on the non-served cell based on the current served cell satisfying the third criterion, for example, whether the measurement on the non-served cell should be performed.

[0704] Optionally, the third criterion can also be referred to as a limiting criterion, or have other suitable names, which are not limited in the present application.

[0705] It is not difficult to understand that the fifth threshold value can be used to ensure that the terminal device performs measurement on the non-served cell before the service of the current served cell ends. Advantageously, it can prompt the terminal device to perform cell reselection based on the measurement result, and is beneficial to avoid service loss and / or reselection delay caused by the end of the service of the current served cell.

[0706] In some implementation manners, the third criterion includes that the coverage remaining time of the current served cell is less than or not greater than the fifth threshold value.

[0707] In some embodiments, based on the indication of the fifth threshold value, the operation of the terminal device performing the cell reselection related measurement can include: based on the coverage remaining time of the current serving cell in the NTN cell being less than or not greater than the fifth threshold value, performing the cell reselection related measurement on the non-serving cell.

[0708] In some embodiments, with respect to the inter-frequency, inter-RAT frequency of higher priority than the existing frequency, the criterion of the measurement can include: the coverage remaining time of the current serving cell < threshold value q.

[0709] That is, based on the condition that the current serving cell satisfies the coverage remaining time < threshold value q, the terminal device should perform the inter-frequency, inter-RAT frequency measurement of high priority; based on the condition that the current serving cell does not satisfy the coverage remaining time < threshold value q, the terminal device is not required to perform the inter-frequency, inter-RAT frequency measurement of high priority.

[0710] In some embodiments, with respect to the inter-frequency, inter-RAT frequency of the same frequency or the same priority as the existing frequency, the criterion of the measurement can include: the coverage remaining time of the current serving cell < threshold value r.

[0711] That is, based on the condition that the current serving cell satisfies the coverage remaining time < threshold value r, the terminal device should perform the inter-frequency, inter-RAT frequency measurement of the same frequency or the same priority; based on the condition that the current serving cell does not satisfy the coverage remaining time < threshold value r, the terminal device is not required to perform the inter-frequency, inter-RAT frequency measurement of the same frequency or the same priority.

[0712] In some embodiments, with respect to the inter-frequency, inter-RAT frequency of lower priority than the existing frequency, the criterion of the measurement can include: the coverage remaining time of the current serving cell < threshold value s.

[0713] That is, based on the condition that the current serving cell satisfies the coverage remaining time < threshold value s, the terminal device should perform the inter-frequency, inter-RAT frequency measurement of low priority; based on the condition that the current serving cell does not satisfy the coverage remaining time < threshold value s, the terminal device is not required to perform the inter-frequency, inter-RAT frequency measurement of low priority.

[0714] It can be understood that the above-mentioned example threshold values q, threshold values r, threshold values s with respect to the fifth threshold value in the restriction of performing the cell reselection related measurement on the non-serving cell of high priority, same priority, low priority are not related to each other, they can be the same or different, the network device can indicate the respective values to the terminal device according to different requirements for different non-serving cells, these threshold values can be configured per cell, or per beam, or per frequency point, or per high priority, same priority, low priority of the non-serving cell, the present application does not limit this.

[0715] In some embodiments, the fifth threshold value can be implemented as a cell reselection timer configured by the network device, in which case the value of the cell reselection timer of the terminal device can be the smaller of the remaining time of the configured cell reselection timer and the remaining time of the coverage of the current serving cell.

[0716] Based on this implementation manner, the cell reselection related measurement can be performed in time before the end of the coverage of the current serving cell, so as to perform cell reselection, which is conducive to avoiding service loss and / or reselection delay caused by performing cell reselection only after the end of the coverage of the current serving cell.

[0717] It can be understood that the foregoing measurement process based on the first configuration does not necessarily belong to the cell reselection process, in other words, the measurement process can be implemented independently of the cell reselection process, and the implementation manner has been described in detail before, which will not be described here again.

[0718] It can be understood that the first threshold value to the fifth threshold value described in the foregoing various implementation manners have no relationship with each other, and they can be the same or different. The network device can indicate respective values to the terminal device according to different requirements for different non-serving cells. These threshold values can be configured per cell, per beam, per frequency point, or per high priority, equal priority, and low priority of the non-serving cell, which is not limited in the present application.

[0719] In some implementation manners, the first indication information indicates the coverage time of the NTN beam.

[0720] That is, the first indication information can be beam-level (e.g., per beam) coverage management indication information, which can indicate the coverage time of the NTN beam, for example, through ssb-ToMeasure.

[0721] The terminal device can obtain the coverage time information of each cell of the NTN according to the coverage time of the NTN beam, including the coverage time of the current serving cell and the coverage time of the non-serving cell.

[0722] For example, for any cell in the NTN, the coverage time of the cell can be represented by the average coverage time or weighted coverage time of each beam in the cell.

[0723] In the case where the first indication information included in the first configuration is beam-level coverage management indication information, the cell reselection operation thereof can be the same as that in the case where the first indication information is cell-level coverage management indication information, which will not be described here again.

[0724] It can be understood that coverage management in units of beams can make coverage management more fine-grained, which is conducive to improving the spectrum utilization efficiency.

[0725] It can also be understood that the method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be executed alone or together with some methods in the embodiments of the present application or some methods in related technologies.

[0726] Referring to FIG. 14, FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a communication processing method according to an embodiment of the present application. The execution subject of the method shown in FIG. 14 can be a terminal device, or the subject can be a chip in the terminal device. Wherein:

[0727] S1401, receiving a first configuration from a network device, the first configuration including first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate a coverage time of a non-terrestrial network (NTN).

[0728] S1402, performing a measurement related to cell reselection based on the coverage time of the NTN.

[0729] It can be found that, based on the method of the present application, the terminal device learns the coverage time of the NTN through the indication information, and can perform the measurement operation based on the coverage time information of the NTN, which is beneficial to avoid the situation of reselection delay or frequent reselection.

[0730] In some implementations, the first indication information indicates the coverage time of the NTN cell.

[0731] That is, the first indication information can be coverage management indication information at a cell level (for example, per cell), for example, the coverage time of the NTN cell can be indicated through an RRC and / or SSB message.

[0732] The terminal device can learn the coverage time information of each NTN cell according to the coverage time of the NTN cell.

[0733] Further, the terminal device can calculate the coverage remaining time or coverage start remaining time corresponding to each cell, and then perform the measurement operation, and perform the corresponding measurement based on the coverage remaining time or coverage start remaining time corresponding to each cell.

[0734] It can be understood that, based on the coverage management at the cell level, the coverage of a larger geographical area of the NTN can be implemented while the management complexity of the coverage information can be effectively reduced.

[0735] It should be noted that the non-serving cell in the present application can be a suitable cell, i.e., a cell satisfying the S criterion, or a network-configured neighbor cell, a cell participating in ranking in the cell reselection process, etc., and can also be understood as an intra-frequency, inter-frequency, inter-RAT frequency outside the serving cell. Moreover, each criterion in the present application includes at least one condition or judgment, i.e., the terminal device needs to complete the execution of the process based on all conditions related to the criterion.

[0736] In some implementations, the first configuration further includes a third threshold value, the third threshold value indicating a threshold of a coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell in the second criterion, the second criterion being used for performing the cell reselection related measurement.

[0737] The terminal device receiving the configuration information from the network device can further include a third threshold value, which can indicate a threshold of a coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell in the second criterion.

[0738] The terminal device can perform a corresponding measurement on the non-serving cell based on the non-serving cell satisfying the second criterion, for example, immediately performing a measurement on the non-serving cell.

[0739] Optionally, the second criterion can also be referred to as a measurement criterion, or have other suitable names, which are not limited in the present application.

[0740] It is not difficult to understand that the third threshold value can be used to ensure that the non-serving cell to be measured has the ability to provide service for a long enough time, and the terminal device can immediately perform the cell reselection related measurement, and by performing measurement only on the non-serving cell with a long enough coverage remaining time, the calculation resources can be saved. Moreover, advantageously, the non-serving cell, if determined as the first cell for cell reselection, can also provide service for a long enough time.

[0741] In some implementations, the second criterion includes: the coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell being greater than or not less than the third threshold value.

[0742] In some embodiments, based on the indication of the third threshold value, the operation of the terminal device performing the cell reselection related measurement can include: performing the cell reselection related measurement on the non-serving cell in the NTN cell based on the coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell being greater than or not less than the third threshold value.

[0743] In some embodiments, the second criterion for performing the cell reselection related measurement on the high-priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-serving cell can include: the coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell > threshold value k.

[0744] That is, based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell satisfies the condition of coverage remaining time > threshold value k, the NTN non-serving cell can be measured; based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell does not satisfy the condition of coverage remaining time > threshold value k, the NTN non-serving cell can not be measured.

[0745] Optionally, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells satisfying the second criterion, the non-serving cell with the longest coverage remaining time can be selected for measurement in priority.

[0746] In some embodiments, the second criterion for performing cell reselection related measurement on the high priority, same priority, and low priority non-serving cells can include: the coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell > threshold value k.

[0747] That is, based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell satisfies the condition of coverage remaining time > threshold value k, the NTN non-serving cell can be measured; based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell does not satisfy the condition of coverage remaining time > threshold value k, the NTN non-serving cell can not be measured.

[0748] Optionally, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells satisfying the second criterion, the non-serving cell with the longest coverage remaining time can be selected for measurement in priority.

[0749] In some embodiments, the second criterion for performing cell reselection related measurement on the low priority non-serving cell can include: the coverage remaining time of the non-serving cell > threshold value m.

[0750] That is, based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell satisfies the condition of coverage remaining time > threshold value m, the NTN non-serving cell can be measured; based on the condition that the NTN non-serving cell does not satisfy the condition of coverage remaining time > threshold value m, the NTN non-serving cell can not be measured.

[0751] Optionally, if there are multiple NTN non-serving cells satisfying the second criterion, the non-serving cell with the longest coverage remaining time can be selected for measurement in priority.

[0752] It can be understood that the example threshold values k, l, and m described above in the third threshold value for performing cell reselection related measurement on the high priority, same priority, and low priority non-serving cells have no relationship with each other, and they can be the same or different. The network device can indicate respective values to the terminal device according to different requirements for different non-serving cells. These threshold values can be configured per cell, per beam, per frequency point, or per high priority, same priority, and low priority of the non-serving cell, and the present application does not limit this.

[0753] Based on the implementation, the remaining non-served cells with sufficient long coverage time are measured, which is beneficial to save computing resources. Advantageously, such non-served cells can also provide sufficient long time service if determined as the first cell for cell reselection, which is beneficial to avoid frequent reselection.

[0754] In some implementations, the first configuration further includes a fourth threshold value, the fourth threshold value indicating a threshold of the remaining time of the coverage start of the non-served cell in the second criterion, the second criterion being used for performing the cell reselection related measurement.

[0755] The configuration information accepted by the terminal device from the network device can further include the fourth threshold value, which can indicate the threshold of the remaining time of the coverage start of the non-served cell in the second criterion.

[0756] The terminal device can perform corresponding measurement on the non-served cell based on the non-served cell satisfying the second criterion, for example, delay measurement on the non-served cell.

[0757] Optionally, the second criterion can also be referred to as a measurement criterion, or have other suitable names, which are not limited in the present application.

[0758] It is not difficult to understand that the fourth threshold value can be used by the terminal device to determine the waiting to delay the measurement on the non-served cell with the coverage about to start, which is beneficial to avoid frequent reselection and power waste of the non-served cell with the coverage about to start due to higher priority or better signal reception quality / signal reception power.

[0759] In some implementations, the second criterion includes: the remaining time of the coverage start of the non-served cell is less than or not greater than the fourth threshold value.

[0760] In some embodiments, based on the indication of the fourth threshold value, the operation of the terminal device performing the cell reselection related measurement can include: delaying the cell reselection related measurement on the non-served cell in the NTN cell based on the remaining time of the coverage start of the non-served cell being less than or not greater than the fourth threshold value.

[0761] In some embodiments, the second criterion for delaying the cell reselection related measurement on the high-priority inter-frequency, inter-RAT non-served cell can include: the remaining time of the coverage start of the non-served cell < threshold value n.

[0762] That is, based on the NTN non-served cell satisfying the condition of the remaining time of the coverage start < threshold value n, measurement on the NTN non-served cell can be delayed; based on the NTN non-served cell not satisfying the condition of the remaining time of the coverage < threshold value n, measurement on the NTN non-served cell can not be performed.

[0763] Optionally, if there are multiple NTN non-served cells satisfying the second criterion, the measurement on the non-served cell can be delayed until the coverage of the non-served cell that starts the coverage earliest, or the measurement can be performed after the coverage of multiple non-served cells is started.

[0764] In some embodiments, the second criterion for performing the cell reselection related measurement on the high-priority, same-priority, or low-priority non-served cell can include: the remaining time for starting the coverage of the non-served cell < threshold n.

[0765] That is, based on the condition that the NTN non-served cell satisfies the remaining time for starting the coverage < threshold n, the measurement on the NTN non-served cell can be delayed; based on the condition that the NTN non-served cell does not satisfy the remaining time for starting the coverage < threshold n, the measurement on the NTN non-served cell can not be performed.

[0766] Optionally, if there are multiple NTN non-served cells satisfying the second criterion, the measurement on the non-served cell can be delayed until the coverage of the non-served cell that starts the coverage earliest, or the measurement can be performed after the coverage of multiple non-served cells is started.

[0767] In some embodiments, the second criterion for delaying the cell reselection related measurement on the low-priority non-served cell can be: the remaining time for starting the coverage of the non-served cell < threshold p.

[0768] That is, based on the condition that the NTN non-served cell satisfies the remaining time for starting the coverage < threshold p, the measurement on the NTN non-served cell can be delayed; based on the condition that the NTN non-served cell does not satisfy the remaining time for starting the coverage < threshold p, the measurement on the NTN non-served cell can not be performed.

[0769] Optionally, if there are multiple NTN non-served cells satisfying the second criterion, the measurement on the non-served cell can be delayed until the coverage of the non-served cell that starts the coverage earliest, or the measurement can be performed after the coverage of multiple non-served cells is started.

[0770] It can be understood that the above-mentioned example threshold n, threshold o, and threshold p for the fourth threshold in the cell reselection related measurement on the high-priority, same-priority, and low-priority non-served cell have no relationship with each other, and they can be the same or different. The network device can indicate the respective values to the terminal device according to different requirements for different non-served cells. These thresholds can be configured per cell, per beam, per frequency point, or per high-priority, same-priority, and low-priority of the non-served cell, which is not limited in the present application.

[0771] Based on the implementation manner, it is beneficial to avoid frequent reselection and waste of power consumption caused by coverage opening of the cell with higher priority or better signal reception quality / signal reception power.

[0772] In some implementation manners, the first configuration further includes a fifth threshold value, the fifth threshold value indicating a threshold of a coverage remaining time of the current serving cell in the third criterion, the third criterion being used for limiting the cell reselection related measurement.

[0773] The terminal device receiving the configuration information from the network device can further include a fifth threshold value, which can indicate a threshold of a coverage remaining time of the current serving cell in the third criterion.

[0774] The terminal device can limit the measurement on the non-serving cell based on the current serving cell satisfying the third criterion, for example, whether the measurement on the non-serving cell should be performed.

[0775] Optionally, the third criterion can also be referred to as a limiting criterion, or have other suitable names, which are not limited in the present application.

[0776] It is not difficult to understand that the fifth threshold value can be used to ensure that the terminal device performs measurement on the non-serving cell before the service of the current serving cell ends. Advantageously, the terminal device can be prompted to perform cell reselection based on the measurement result, which is beneficial to avoid service loss and / or reselection delay caused by the end of the service of the current serving cell.

[0777] In some implementation manners, the third criterion includes: a coverage remaining time of the current serving cell being less than or not greater than the fifth threshold value.

[0778] In some embodiments, based on the indication of the fifth threshold value, the operation of the terminal device performing the cell reselection related measurement can include: performing the cell reselection related measurement on the non-serving cell based on the coverage remaining time of the current serving cell in the NTN cell being less than or not greater than the fifth threshold value.

[0779] In some embodiments, the criterion for measurement on the inter-frequency, inter-RAT frequency with higher priority than the existing frequency can include: a coverage remaining time of the current serving cell < threshold value q.

[0780] That is, based on the current serving cell satisfying the condition of the coverage remaining time < threshold value q, the terminal device should perform the inter-frequency, inter-RAT frequency measurement with high priority; based on the current serving cell not satisfying the condition of the coverage remaining time < threshold value q, the terminal device is not required to perform the inter-frequency, inter-RAT frequency measurement with high priority.

[0781] In some embodiments, the criterion for measurement on the inter-frequency, inter-RAT frequency with the same frequency or same priority as the existing frequency can include: a coverage remaining time of the current serving cell < threshold value r.

[0782] That is, based on the condition that the current serving cell satisfies the condition of coverage remaining time < threshold r, the terminal device should perform intra-frequency or inter-frequency, inter-RAT frequency measurement of the same priority; based on the condition that the current serving cell does not satisfy the condition of coverage remaining time < threshold r, the terminal device is not required to perform intra-frequency or inter-frequency, inter-RAT frequency measurement of the same priority.

[0783] In some embodiments, the criterion for measuring the inter-frequency, inter-RAT frequency of a lower priority than the existing frequency can include: the coverage remaining time of the current serving cell < threshold s.

[0784] That is, based on the condition that the current serving cell satisfies the condition of coverage remaining time < threshold s, the terminal device should perform inter-frequency, inter-RAT frequency measurement of a lower priority; based on the condition that the current serving cell does not satisfy the condition of coverage remaining time < threshold s, the terminal device is not required to perform inter-frequency, inter-RAT frequency measurement of a lower priority.

[0785] It can be understood that the example threshold values q, threshold r, threshold s of the fifth threshold value described above in the measurement related to cell reselection of the high priority, the same priority, the low priority non-serving cell restriction are not related to each other, they can be the same or different, the network device can indicate the respective values to the terminal device according to different requirements for different non-serving cells, these threshold values can be configured per cell, or per beam, or per frequency point, or per high priority, same priority, low priority of the non-serving cell, the present application does not limit this.

[0786] In some embodiments, the fifth threshold value can be implemented as a cell reselection timer configured by the network device, in which case the value of the cell reselection timer of the terminal device can be the smaller value between the remaining time of the configured cell reselection timer and the coverage remaining time of the current serving cell.

[0787] Based on this implementation, the measurement related to cell reselection can be performed in time before the end of the coverage of the current serving cell in order to perform cell reselection, which is beneficial to avoid service loss and / or reselection delay caused by performing cell reselection only when the coverage of the current serving cell ends.

[0788] It can be understood that the foregoing measurement process based on the first configuration does not necessarily belong to the cell reselection process, in other words, the measurement process can be implemented independently of the cell reselection process as described above.

[0789] It can be understood that the third threshold to the fifth threshold described above in various implementations have no relationship with each other, and they can be the same or different. The network device can indicate respective values to the terminal device according to different requirements for different non-service cells. These thresholds can be configured per cell, per beam, per frequency point, or per high priority, equal priority, and low priority of the non-service cell. The present application does not limit this.

[0790] In some implementations, the first indication information indicates a coverage time of the NTN beam.

[0791] That is, the first indication information can be beam-level (for example, per beam) coverage management indication information, which can indicate the coverage time of the NTN beam, for example, through ssb-ToMeasure.

[0792] The terminal device can obtain coverage time information of each cell of the NTN according to the coverage time of the NTN beam, including the coverage time of the current service cell and the coverage time of the non-service cell.

[0793] For example, for any cell in the NTN, the coverage time of the cell can be represented by the average coverage time or weighted coverage time of each beam in the cell.

[0794] In the case where the first indication information included in the first configuration is beam-level coverage management indication information, the cell reselection operation can be the same as that in the case where the first indication information is cell-level coverage management indication information, which will not be repeated here.

[0795] It can be understood that coverage management in units of beams can make coverage management more precise and help improve spectrum utilization efficiency.

[0796] It can also be understood that the method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be executed alone or together with some methods in some methods or related technologies in the embodiments of the present application.

[0797] Based on the coverage time information of the NTN, the present application further provides a method for cell selection.

[0798] Referring to FIG. 15, FIG. 15 is a flowchart of a communication processing method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method execution subject shown in FIG. 15 can be a terminal device, or the subject can be a chip in the terminal device. Wherein:

[0799] S1501, receiving a first configuration from a network device, the first configuration including first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate a coverage time of a non-terrestrial network (NTN).

[0800] S1502, performing cell selection based on the coverage time of the NTN.

[0801] It can be found that, based on the method of the present application, the terminal device learns the coverage time of the NTN through the indication information, and can perform the cell selection operation based on the coverage time information of the NTN, which is conducive to obtaining stable services.

[0802] It should be clear that each criterion in the present application includes at least one condition or judgment, i.e., the terminal device needs to complete the execution of the process based on all conditions related to the criterion.

[0803] In some implementations, the first indication information indicates the coverage time of the NTN cell.

[0804] That is, the first indication information can be coverage management indication information at the cell level (e.g., per cell), for example, the coverage time of the NTN cell can be indicated through the RRC and / or SSB message.

[0805] The terminal device can learn the coverage time information of each NTN cell according to the coverage time of the NTN cell.

[0806] Further, the terminal device can calculate the coverage remaining time or coverage start remaining time corresponding to each cell, and then perform the cell selection operation, and determine the selected cell based on the coverage remaining time or coverage start remaining time corresponding to each cell.

[0807] It can be understood that, based on the cell level for coverage management, the coverage information management complexity can be effectively reduced while achieving the coverage of a larger geographic area of the NTN.

[0808] In some implementations, the first configuration further includes a first threshold, the first threshold indicating a threshold of the coverage remaining time of the NTN cell in the first criterion, and the first criterion is used for performing the cell selection.

[0809] The configuration information received by the terminal device from the network device can further include the first threshold, which can indicate the threshold of the coverage remaining time of the NTN cell in the first criterion.

[0810] The terminal device can determine the first cell selected by the cell selection process based on the first criterion being met by the NTN cell.

[0811] In some embodiments, if only one NTN cell meets the first criterion, the NTN cell can be determined as the first cell selected by the cell selection process; if there are multiple NTN cells meeting the first criterion, one of the multiple NTN cells can be determined as the first cell selected by the cell selection process through a suitable method (e.g., sorting).

[0812] Optionally, the first criterion can also be referred to as a selection criterion, or have other suitable names, which are not limited in the present application.

[0813] It can be understood that the first threshold value can be used to ensure that the selected first cell can provide services for a long enough time, and stable services can be obtained.

[0814] In some implementations, the first criterion includes that the coverage remaining time of the NTN cell is greater than or not less than the first threshold value.

[0815] In some embodiments, based on the indication of the first threshold value, the operation of performing cell selection by the terminal device can include: based on the coverage remaining time of the NTN cell being greater than or not less than the first threshold value, determining the NTN cell as the selected first cell in the cell selection process for the terminal device to access.

[0816] In some embodiments, based on the indication of the first threshold value, the operation of performing cell selection by the terminal device can include: based on the coverage remaining time of the NTN cell being greater than or not less than the first threshold value, and based on the cell satisfying the S criterion, determining the NTN cell as the selected first cell in the cell selection process for the terminal device to access.

[0817] That is, based on the NTN cell satisfying the condition that the coverage remaining time is greater than or not less than the first threshold value, and based on the cell satisfying the condition of the S criterion, the NTN cell can be determined as the selected first cell in the cell selection process; based on the NTN cell not satisfying the condition that the coverage remaining time is greater than or not less than the first threshold value, or based on the cell not satisfying the condition of the S criterion, the NTN cell can not be determined as the selected first cell in the cell selection process.

[0818] It can be understood that based on such an implementation, it can be ensured that the cell determined in the cell selection process has a long enough coverage time to provide services, and stable services can be obtained.

[0819] In some implementations, the first indication information indicates the coverage time of the NTN beam.

[0820] That is, the first indication information can be beam-level (e.g., per beam) coverage management indication information, which can indicate the coverage time of the NTN beam, such as through ssb-ToMeasure.

[0821] The terminal device can obtain the coverage time information of each cell of the NTN, including the coverage time of the current serving cell and the coverage time of the neighboring cell, according to the coverage time of the NTN beam.

[0822] For example, for any cell in the NTN cell, the coverage time of the cell can be represented by the average coverage time or the weighted coverage time of the beams in the cell.

[0823] In the case where the first indication information included in the first configuration is the beam-level coverage management indication information, the cell selection operation can be the same as that in the case where the first indication information is the cell-level coverage management indication information, and details are not repeated here.

[0824] It can be understood that coverage management in units of beams can make coverage management more fine-grained, which is conducive to improving spectrum utilization efficiency.

[0825] It can also be understood that the names of the criteria (for example, the reselection criteria, the measurement criteria, the restriction criteria, and the like) involved in the various communication processing methods provided in the present application are only names set for the convenience of description, and the names in the actual network can be different, and the names of the various criteria should not be understood as being limited by the present application. On the contrary, any name having the same or similar function as the criteria used in the present application is regarded as a method or equivalent replacement of the present application, and is within the protection scope of the present application.

[0826] FIG. 16 is a structural schematic diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication apparatus 1600 shown in FIG. 16 can be a terminal device, or a device in a terminal device, or a device capable of being used in matching with a terminal device; or the communication apparatus shown in FIG. 16 can be a network device, or a device in a network device, or a device capable of being used in matching with a network device.

[0827] The communication apparatus 1600 shown in FIG. 16 can include a communication unit 1601 and a processing unit 1602. Specifically, the processing unit 1602 is configured to process data, which can be data received by the communication unit 1601, and the processed data can also be transmitted by the communication unit 1601.

[0828] Specifically, the processing unit 1602 is configured to perform the function of processing data of the terminal device or the network device in the foregoing method embodiments. For other possible implementation manners of the communication apparatus, refer to the related description of the function of the terminal device or the network device in the corresponding method embodiments of FIGS. 12-15, which will not be repeated here.

[0829] FIG. 17 is a structural schematic diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication apparatus 1700 can be a terminal device or a network device in the foregoing method embodiments, and can also be a chip, a chip system, or a processor, etc. supporting the terminal device or the network device to implement the foregoing methods. The communication apparatus can be used to implement the methods described in the foregoing method embodiments, and details can be referred to the descriptions in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0830] The communication apparatus 1700 can include one or more processors 1701. The processor 1701 can be a general processor or a special purpose processor, etc. For example, it can be a baseband processor or a central processor. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processor can be used to control the communication apparatus (e.g., a base station, a baseband chip, a terminal, a terminal chip, a DU or a CU, etc.), execute software programs, and process data of the software programs.

[0831] Optionally, the communication apparatus 1700 can include one or more memories 1702, which can store instructions 1704 that can be executed on the processor 1701 to enable the communication apparatus 1700 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. Optionally, the memory 1702 can also store data. The processor 1701 and the memory 1702 can be separately arranged or integrated together.

[0832] Optionally, the communication apparatus 1700 can further include a transceiver 1705, an antenna 1706. The transceiver 1705 can be referred to as a transceiving unit, a transceiver, or a transceiving circuit, etc., and is used to implement the transceiving function. The transceiver 1705 can include a receiver and a transmitter. The receiver can be referred to as a receiver or a receiving circuit, etc., and is used to implement the receiving function. The transmitter can be referred to as a transmitter or a transmitting circuit, etc., and is used to implement the transmitting function. The processing unit 1602 shown in FIG. 16 can be the processor 1701. The communication unit 1601 can be the transceiver 1705.

[0833] In another possible design, the processor 1701 can include a transceiver for implementing the receiving and transmitting functions. For example, the transceiver can be a transceiving circuit, or an interface, or an interface circuit. The transceiving circuit, the interface, or the interface circuit for implementing the receiving and transmitting functions can be separate or integrated together. The transceiving circuit, the interface, or the interface circuit can be used for reading and writing codes / data, or the transceiving circuit, the interface, or the interface circuit can be used for signal transmission or transfer.

[0834] In yet another possible design, optionally, the processor 1701 can store instructions 1703, which, when executed on the processor 1701, can enable the communication apparatus 1700 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. The instructions 1703 can be fixed in the processor 1701, and in this case, the processor 1701 can be implemented by hardware.

[0835] The communication apparatus described in the above embodiments can be a terminal device or a network device, but the scope of the communication apparatus described in the embodiments of the present application is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication apparatus can not be limited by FIG. 17. The communication apparatus can be a standalone device or a part of a larger device. For example, the communication apparatus can be:

[0836] (1) independent integrated circuit (IC), or chip, or chip system or subsystem;

[0837] (2) a set of one or more ICs, optionally including storage for data, instructions, etc.

[0838] (3) an ASIC, such as a modem (MSM);

[0839] (4) a module that can be embedded within other devices;

[0840] (5) a receiver, terminal, intelligent terminal, cellular phone, wireless device, handset, mobile unit, vehicle-mounted device, network device, cloud device, artificial intelligence device, etc.

[0841] (6) and / or the like.

[0842] For the case that the communication apparatus can be a chip or chip system, refer to the structural diagram of the chip shown in FIG. 18. The chip 1800 shown in FIG. 18 includes a processor 1801, an interface 1802. Optionally, it can also include a memory 1803. Among them, the number of processors 1801 can be one or more, and the number of interfaces 1802 can be multiple.

[0843] For the case that the chip is used to implement the terminal device or network device in the embodiments of the present application:

[0844] The interface 1802 is configured to receive or output a signal.

[0845] The processor 1801 is configured to perform data processing operations of the terminal device or network device.

[0846] It can be understood that some optional features in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented independently in some scenarios, without relying on other features, such as the scheme currently based on, to solve the corresponding technical problems and achieve the corresponding effects. In some scenarios, it can also be combined with other features according to the needs. Correspondingly, the communication apparatus given in the embodiments of the present application can also correspondingly implement these features or functions, which will not be described here.

[0847] It should be understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application can be an integrated circuit chip with a processing capability of signals. In the implementation process, each step of the method embodiments described above can be completed by an integrated logic circuit of hardware in the processor or an instruction in the form of software. The processor described above can be a general processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components.

[0848] It can be understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application can be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or can include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory can be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically EPROM (EEPROM) or a flash memory. The volatile memory can be a random access memory (RAM) used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM) and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the system and method described herein is intended to include but not limited to these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0849] The present application also provides a computer readable medium, and the computer program or instructions are stored in the storage medium, and when the computer program or instructions are executed by the communication device, the functions of any one of the above method embodiments are realized.

[0850] The application further provides a computer program product including instructions, which, when read and executed by a computer, cause the computer to implement the functions of any of the above method embodiments.

[0851] The application provides a communication system including a terminal device and a network device; wherein the terminal device is configured to perform the method performed by the terminal device in the above embodiments, and the network device is configured to perform the method performed by the network device in the above embodiments.

[0852] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions according to the embodiments of the application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, 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.) mode. 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. containing one or more available media sets. The available media can be magnetic media (such as floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), optical media (such as high-density digital video disc (digital video disc, DVD)), or semiconductor media (such as solid state disk (solid state disk, SSD)) and the like.

[0853] It should be noted that for the above method embodiments, in order to simply describe, they are all expressed as a series of action combinations, but those skilled in the art should know that the application is not limited by the order of the described actions, because according to the application, certain operations can be performed in other order or simultaneously. Secondly, those skilled in the art should know that the embodiments described in the specification are all preferred embodiments, and the actions and modules involved are not necessarily necessary for the application.

[0854] The descriptions of the various embodiments provided in the present application can be referred to each other, and the descriptions of the various embodiments are each focused on. The parts not described in detail in a certain embodiment can be referred to the related descriptions of other embodiments. For the convenience and brevity of description, for example, the functions of the various devices and the operations performed by the devices provided in the embodiments of the present application can be referred to the related descriptions of the method embodiments of the present application, and the various method embodiments can also be referred to, combined or cited each other.

[0855] Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, but not to limit them; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that: it can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments, or make equivalent replacement for part or all of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A communication processing method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: receiving a first configuration from a network device, the first configuration comprising first indication information, the first indication information indicating a coverage time of a non-terrestrial network, NTN; performing cell reselection based on the first configuration.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first indication information indicates a coverage time of an NTN cell or an NTN beam.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first configuration further comprises a first threshold value, the first threshold value indicating a threshold of a remaining coverage time of a non-serving cell in a first criterion, the first criterion being used for cell reselection.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, The first criterion comprises that the remaining coverage time of the non-serving cell is greater than or not less than the first threshold value.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first configuration further comprises a second threshold value, the second threshold value indicating a threshold of a remaining coverage time of a current serving cell in the first criterion, the first criterion being used for cell reselection.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, The first criterion comprises that the remaining coverage time of the current serving cell is less than or not greater than the second threshold value.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first configuration further comprises configuration information of a cell reselection related measurement. The first configuration further comprises configuration information of a cell reselection related measurement. The first configuration further comprises configuration information of a cell reselection related measurement.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The first configuration further comprises a third threshold value, the third threshold value indicating a threshold of a remaining coverage time of a non-serving cell in a second criterion, the second criterion being used for performing the cell reselection related measurement.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, The second criterion comprises that the remaining coverage time of the non-serving cell is greater than or not less than the third threshold value.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein, The first configuration further comprises a fourth threshold value, the fourth threshold value indicating a threshold of a remaining coverage on time of a non-serving cell in a second criterion, the second criterion being used for performing the cell reselection related measurement.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The second criterion comprises that the remaining coverage on time of the non-serving cell is less than or not greater than the fourth threshold value.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein, The first configuration further comprises a fifth threshold value, the fifth threshold value indicating a threshold of a remaining coverage time of a current serving cell in a third criterion, the third criterion being used for limiting the cell reselection related measurement.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, The third criterion comprises that the remaining coverage time of the current serving cell is less than or not greater than the fifth threshold value.

14. A communication processing method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: sending a first configuration to a terminal device, the first configuration comprising first indication information, the first indication information being used for indicating a coverage time of a non-terrestrial network, NTN.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, The first indication information indicates a coverage time of an NTN cell or an NTN beam.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein, The first configuration further comprises a first threshold value, the first threshold value indicating a threshold of a remaining coverage time of a non-serving cell in a first criterion, the first criterion being used for cell reselection.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein, The first criterion comprises that the remaining coverage time of the non-serving cell is greater than or not less than the first threshold value.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein, The first configuration further comprises a second threshold value, the second threshold value indicating a threshold of a remaining coverage time of a current serving cell in the first criterion, the first criterion being used for cell reselection.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein, The first criterion comprises that the remaining coverage time of the current serving cell is less than or not greater than the second threshold value.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein, The first configuration further comprises configuration information of a cell reselection related measurement. The first configuration further comprises configuration information of a cell reselection related measurement.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein, The first configuration further includes a third threshold indicating a threshold of a remaining time of coverage of the non-serving cell in a second criterion for performing a cell reselection related measurement.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein, The second criterion includes that the remaining time of coverage of the non-serving cell is greater than or not less than the third threshold.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein, The first configuration further includes a fourth threshold indicating a threshold of a remaining time of coverage on of the non-serving cell in a second criterion for performing a cell reselection related measurement.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein, The second criterion includes that the remaining time of coverage on of the non-serving cell is less than or not greater than the fourth threshold.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein, The first configuration further includes a fifth threshold indicating a threshold of a remaining time of coverage of a current serving cell in a third criterion for limiting a cell reselection related measurement.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein, The third criterion includes that the remaining time of coverage of the current serving cell is less than or not greater than the fifth threshold.

27. A communication processing method characterized by comprising: The method includes: receiving a first configuration from a network device, the first configuration including first indication information indicating a coverage time of a non-terrestrial network (NTN); performing cell selection based on the first configuration.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein, The first indication information indicates a coverage time of an NTN cell or an NTN beam.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein, The first configuration further includes a first threshold indicating a threshold of a remaining time of coverage of the NTN cell in a first criterion for performing cell selection.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein, The first criterion includes that the remaining time of coverage of the NTN cell is greater than or not less than the first threshold.

31. A communications device, characterized by comprising means for performing the method of any one of claims 1-13, or comprising means for performing the method of any one of claims 14-26, or comprising means for performing the method of any one of claims 27-30.

32. A communications device, characterized by comprising a processor and a memory coupled to the processor, the processor configured to implement a method recited in any one of claims 1-13, or the processor configured to implement a method recited in any one of claims 14-26, or the processor configured to implement a method recited in any one of claims 27-30.

33. A chip, characterized by comprising a processor and an interface coupled to the processor; the interface configured to receive or output signals, and the processor configured to execute code instructions to cause the method recited in any one of claims 1-13 to be performed, or to cause the method recited in any one of claims 14-26 to be performed, or to cause the method recited in any one of claims 27-30 to be performed.

34. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium has stored therein computer executable instructions which, when invoked by the computer, cause the computer to perform the method recited in any one of claims 1-13, or cause the computer to perform the method recited in any one of claims 14-26, or cause the computer to perform the method recited in any one of claims 27-30.

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