Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus, which are beneficial to reducing the delay in a cell reselection process and improving the efficiency of cell reselection. The method comprises: when a terminal meets a trigger condition for cell reselection, first triggering a first orientation adjustment process, adjusting, by means of orientation adjustment, the terminal to a target orientation determined on the basis of the position of a first network device, then acquiring the signal quality of a first cell managed by the first network device when the terminal is in the target orientation, and if the signal quality of the first cell meets a cell reselection criterion, reselecting the first cell.

Description

Communication methods and devices

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411449740.3, filed on October 16, 2024, entitled "Communication Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly to communication methods and apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] With the development of communication technology, non-terrestrial network (NTN) technology has emerged. NTN technology is a communication technology that enables terminals to directly connect to satellites. By integrating satellite communication networks with terrestrial cellular communication networks, it provides superior coverage capabilities regardless of terrain, meeting the access needs of terminals in different scenarios. Compared to terrestrial network communication, NTN communication has the advantages of large coverage area and flexible networking.

[0004] However, due to the high-speed movement of satellites, in communication systems based on NTN technology, the cell where the terminal camps usually needs to be frequently reselected and handed over. The current cell reselection and handover have a large delay, resulting in a poor user experience. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method and apparatus that can reduce latency during cell reselection and improve cell reselection efficiency.

[0006] Firstly, a communication method is provided, which is applied to a terminal. For example, the method can be executed by the terminal itself, by components applied to the terminal (such as processors, circuits, chips, or chip systems), or by logical nodes, logical modules, or software capable of implementing all or part of the terminal's functions. The method includes: triggering a first attitude change procedure when the terminal meets a first condition, wherein the target attitude of the first attitude change procedure is determined based on the location of a first network device, which is one of at least two second network devices, and the terminal is located within the coverage area of ​​the second network device; and, when the terminal is in the target attitude, if the signal quality of a first cell meets the cell reselection criteria, reselecting to the first cell, where the first cell is the cell corresponding to the first network device.

[0007] Based on this scheme, the terminal triggers cell reselection when the first condition is met. During the cell reselection process, a first attitude change procedure is first triggered to adjust the terminal's attitude to a target attitude determined based on the location of a first network device. The first network device is one of at least two second network devices whose coverage includes the terminal's current location. In other words, after triggering cell reselection, the terminal promptly changes to the target attitude by triggering the first attitude change procedure, ensuring good adaptability to the first network device as a candidate. Then, while in the target attitude, the terminal detects the signal quality of the first cell corresponding to the first network device. If the signal quality of the first cell meets the cell reselection criteria, the terminal reselects the first cell. Because the terminal is well-adaptable to the first network device while in the target attitude, the probability that the signal quality of the first cell meets the cell reselection criteria is significantly increased. This avoids the first cell failing to meet the cell reselection criteria due to the terminal's attitude, reduces the probability of the terminal needing to perform multiple signal quality checks, and improves cell reselection efficiency.

[0008] In one possible design, the first condition includes at least one of the following: a first distance is greater than or equal to a first threshold; the first distance is greater than or equal to the first threshold, and the third network device is far from the terminal; the signal quality of the currently camped cell is less than or equal to a second threshold; the duration for which the signal quality of the currently camped cell is less than or equal to the second threshold is greater than or equal to a first duration; the signal quality of the currently camped cell is less than or equal to a third threshold, and media synchronization is lost; the signal quality of the currently camped cell is less than or equal to the third threshold, and the duration for which media synchronization is lost is greater than or equal to the second duration; wherein, the third network device is the network device corresponding to the cell where the terminal is currently camped, and the first distance is the distance between the terminal and the third network device.

[0009] Based on this scheme, the terminal can use different first conditions as the triggering conditions for cell reselection according to the current scenario, which helps to reduce the probability of the terminal performing meaningless cell reselection.

[0010] In one possible design, the third network device being far from the terminal includes: the angle between the first vector and the second vector being greater than 90°, the first vector being the velocity vector of the third network device, and the second vector pointing from the beam center of the third network device to the terminal; and / or, the first remaining service time being greater than the second remaining service time, the first remaining service time being the remaining service time of the third network device at a first moment, the second remaining service time being the remaining service time of the third network device at a second moment, and the first moment being earlier than the second moment.

[0011] Based on this scheme, the terminal can accurately determine the movement trend between the third network device and the terminal according to the ephemeris information of the third network device and / or the system information broadcast by the third network device, thereby further reducing the probability of triggering meaningless cell reselection.

[0012] In one possible design, the communication method further includes receiving first information, which indicates at least one of the following: a first duration, a second duration, a first threshold, a second threshold, or a third threshold.

[0013] In one possible design, the cell reselection criteria include: the duration for which a first signal quality is greater than a second signal quality is greater than or equal to a third duration, where the first signal quality is the signal quality of the first cell and the second signal quality is the signal quality of the cell where the terminal is currently camped.

[0014] In one possible design, the communication method further includes: starting a first timer when the first attitude change process ends; the signal quality of the first cell meets the cell reselection criteria, including: during the operation of the first timer, the signal quality of the first cell meets the cell reselection criteria.

[0015] Based on this scheme, the total time for the terminal to detect and judge the signal quality of the first cell during the cell reselection process can be effectively controlled. This avoids the terminal performing meaningless detection on whether to reselect to the first cell after the first network device moves away from the terminal, which helps to improve the cell reselection efficiency of the terminal.

[0016] In one possible design, the communication method further includes receiving second information used to determine the duration of the first timer.

[0017] In one possible design, the second information includes the duration of the first timer; or, the second information includes a fourth duration, the duration of which is determined based on the fourth duration and the remaining service time corresponding to the first network device, the fourth duration being the minimum time interval for the terminal to change its posture.

[0018] In one possible design, the first network device is the network device with the largest remaining service time among at least one second network device; and / or, the first network device is the network device with the smallest distance to the terminal among at least one second network device.

[0019] In one possible design, the communication method further includes: triggering a second attitude change procedure when the signal quality of the first cell does not meet the cell reselection criteria. The target attitude of the second attitude change procedure is determined based on the location of a fourth network device, which is at least one of the second network devices that is different from the first network device.

[0020] Based on this scheme, if the cell reselection criteria cannot be met in the first cell, the terminal selects a new network device (the fourth network device) as a candidate network device, and changes the terminal's attitude to the target attitude adapted to the fourth network device through the second attitude change process. This is beneficial for accurately detecting whether the cell corresponding to the fourth network device meets the cell reselection criteria and improving the cell reselection efficiency.

[0021] Secondly, a communication method is provided, which is applied to a network device. For example, the method can be executed by the network device, by components applied to the network device (e.g., processors, circuits, chips, or chip systems), or by logical nodes, logical modules, or software capable of implementing all or part of the network device's functions. The method includes: sending first information, which is used by the terminal to determine a first condition for triggering an attitude change procedure; wherein the attitude change procedure is used to change the terminal's attitude before the terminal determines whether to reselect to a first cell, the first cell being a cell corresponding to a first network device, the first network device being one of at least one second network device, and the terminal being located within the coverage area of ​​the second network device.

[0022] In one possible design, the first condition includes at least one of the following: a first distance is greater than or equal to a first threshold; the first distance is greater than or equal to the first threshold, and the third network device is far from the terminal; the signal quality of the currently camped cell is less than or equal to a second threshold; the duration for which the signal quality of the currently camped cell is less than or equal to the second threshold is greater than or equal to a first duration; the signal quality of the currently camped cell is less than or equal to a third threshold, and media synchronization is lost; the signal quality of the currently camped cell is less than or equal to the third threshold, and the duration for which media synchronization is lost is greater than or equal to the second duration; wherein, the third network device is the network device corresponding to the cell where the terminal is currently camped, and the first distance is the distance between the terminal and the third network device.

[0023] In one possible design, the first information is used to indicate at least one of the following: a first duration, a second duration, a first threshold, a second threshold, or a third threshold.

[0024] In one possible design, the communication method further includes: sending second information, which is used by the terminal to determine the duration of a first timer, the duration of which is the maximum detection duration for the terminal to detect whether the signal quality of the first cell meets the cell reselection rules.

[0025] In one possible design, the second information includes the duration of the first timer; or, the second information includes a fourth duration, the duration of which is determined based on the fourth duration and the remaining service time corresponding to the first network device, the fourth duration being the minimum time interval for the terminal to change its posture.

[0026] The technical effects of the second aspect and its various possible designs can be referenced from the technical effects of similar or identical designs in the first aspect, and will not be elaborated here.

[0027] Combining the first and second aspects, in one possible design, the first information and / or the second information are carried in a broadcast message.

[0028] Thirdly, a communication device is provided for implementing various methods. The communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the implementation of the methods, which can be implemented in hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the functions.

[0029] In some possible designs, the communication device may include a processing module and a transceiver module. The processing module can be used to implement the processing functions in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof. The transceiver module may include a receiving module and a transmitting module, respectively used to implement the receiving function and the transmitting function in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof.

[0030] In some possible designs, the transceiver module can consist of transceiver circuits, transceivers, transceivers, or communication interfaces.

[0031] Fourthly, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and a memory; the memory being used to store computer instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the communication device to perform the method described in either aspect.

[0032] Fifthly, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and a communication interface; the communication interface being used to communicate with a module outside the communication device; the processor being used to execute a computer program or instructions to cause the communication device to perform the method described in any one of these aspects.

[0033] A sixth aspect provides a communication device comprising: at least one processor; said processor being configured to execute a computer program or instructions stored in a memory to cause the communication device to perform the method described in any of the aspects. The memory may be coupled to the processor, or may be independent of the processor.

[0034] In a seventh aspect, a communication device (e.g., the communication device may be a chip or a chip system) is provided, the communication device including a processor for implementing the functions involved in any one of the first to fourth aspects.

[0035] In some possible designs, the communication device includes a memory for storing necessary program instructions and data.

[0036] In some possible designs, when the device is a chip system, it can be composed of chips or contain chips and other discrete components.

[0037] It is understood that the communication device provided in the third to seventh aspects may be the terminal in the first aspect, or a module or unit (e.g., a chip, chip system, or circuit) in the terminal that performs the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the first aspect, or a module or unit that can be used in conjunction with the terminal, or a logical node, logical module, or software that can realize all or part of the terminal's functions; or, the communication device may be the network device in the second aspect, or a module or unit (e.g., a chip, chip system, or circuit) in the network device that performs the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the second aspect, or a module or unit that can be used in conjunction with the network device, or a logical node, logical module, or software that can realize all or part of the network device's functions.

[0038] It is understandable that when the communication device provided by any of the third to seventh aspects is a chip, the sending action / function of the communication device can be understood as outputting information, and the receiving action / function of the communication device can be understood as inputting information.

[0039] Eighthly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a communication device, enable the communication device to perform the method described in either the first or second aspect.

[0040] A ninth aspect provides a computer program product containing instructions that, when run on a communication device, enables the communication device to perform the method described in either the first or second aspect.

[0041] A tenth aspect provides a communication system comprising a terminal and a network device. The terminal is configured to perform the methods described in the first aspect and any possible design thereof, and the network device is configured to perform the methods described in the second aspect and any possible design thereof.

[0042] The technical effects of any of the design methods in aspects three through ten can be found in the technical effects of different design methods in aspects one and two, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0043] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the beam coverage range in non-staring mode and staring mode of an NTN provided in this application;

[0044] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a station center coordinate system and antenna array signal gain provided in this application;

[0045] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in this application;

[0046] Figure 4 is a system architecture diagram of an O-RAN system provided in this application;

[0047] Figure 5 is a system architecture diagram of an ATG scenario provided in this application;

[0048] Figure 6 is a satellite network architecture diagram in a transparent transmission mode provided in this application;

[0049] Figure 7 is a diagram of a satellite network architecture under a regeneration mode provided in this application;

[0050] Figure 8 is a diagram of a satellite network architecture under another regeneration mode provided in this application;

[0051] Figure 9 is a diagram of a satellite network architecture under another regeneration mode provided in this application;

[0052] Figure 10 is a network architecture diagram of NTN and terrestrial network convergence provided in this application;

[0053] Figure 11 is a network architecture diagram of another NTN and terrestrial network convergence provided in this application;

[0054] Figure 12 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in this application;

[0055] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of a terminal interface provided in this application;

[0056] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario provided by this application;

[0057] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of a cell reselection process provided in this application;

[0058] Figures 16-19 are schematic diagrams of the communication device provided in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0059] In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, " / " indicates that the objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B can mean A or B. "And / or" in this application is merely a description of the relationship between the related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. A and B can be singular or plural.

[0060] In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" means two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of a single item or a plurality of items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0061] Furthermore, to facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used in the embodiments of this application to distinguish identical or similar items with substantially the same function and effect. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and the terms "first" and "second" are not necessarily different.

[0062] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design that is described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design. Specifically, the use of terms such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner to facilitate understanding.

[0063] It is understood that the term "embodiment" used throughout the specification means that a specific feature, structure, or characteristic related to an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of this application. Therefore, various embodiments throughout the specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, these specific features, structures, or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. It is understood that in the various embodiments of this application, the sequence number of each process does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0064] It is understood that in this application, "...when" and "if" both refer to the corresponding processing that will be carried out under certain objective circumstances, and are not limited to a specific time, nor do they require a judgment action to be performed during implementation, nor do they imply any other limitations.

[0065] It is understood that some optional features in the embodiments of this application can be implemented independently in certain scenarios without relying on other features, such as the current solution on which they are based, to solve the corresponding technical problems and achieve the corresponding effects. Alternatively, they can be combined with other features as needed in certain scenarios. Correspondingly, the apparatus given in the embodiments of this application can also implement these features or functions, which will not be elaborated here.

[0066] In this application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other. In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be mutually referenced. Technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships. The following descriptions of the embodiments of this application do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

[0067] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, a brief introduction to the relevant technologies of this application is given below.

[0068] 1. Non-terrestrial network (NTN):

[0069] Currently, 5G New Radio (NR) has moved from the standardization stage to the commercial deployment stage. The NR standard was designed specifically for the characteristics of terrestrial communication and features high-speed, high-reliability, and low-latency communication for user terminals.

[0070] NTN communication is a direct communication technology between terminals and satellites based on New Radio (NR) technology, developed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) in Release 17. Compared to terrestrial network communication, NTN communication features wider coverage and more flexible networking. Currently, various research institutes, communication organizations, and companies are participating in the research of NTN communication technology and standards, striving to build a unified communication network integrating space, air, and ground communications.

[0071] In NTN communication, equipment such as flight platforms are used to form a network to provide terminals with data transmission, voice communication and other services. According to the altitude of the flight platform above the ground, NTN can include a low altitude platform (LAP) subnetwork, a high altitude platform (HAP) subnetwork, and a satellite communication subnetwork.

[0072] For example, in the LAP subnetwork, base stations or base station functions are deployed on low-altitude flight platforms (e.g., drones) at an altitude of 0.1km to 1km above the ground to provide coverage for terminals; in the HAP subnetwork, base stations or base station functions are deployed on high-altitude flight platforms (e.g., airplanes) at an altitude of 8km to 50km above the ground to provide coverage for terminals; and in the SATCOM subnetwork, base stations or base station functions are deployed on satellites at an altitude of more than 50km above the ground to provide coverage for terminals.

[0073] Satellite communication has significant advantages such as global coverage, long-distance transmission, flexible networking, convenient deployment, and no geographical restrictions. It has been widely used in many fields such as maritime communication, positioning and navigation, disaster relief, scientific experiments, video broadcasting, and Earth observation.

[0074] Furthermore, based on the satellite's orbital altitude, satellite communication systems can be divided into geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite communication systems, medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite communication systems, and low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite communication systems.

[0075] The GEO satellite communication system, also known as the geostationary orbit satellite system, operates at an altitude of 35,786 km. Its orbital speed is the same as the Earth's rotation speed, meaning GEO satellites can remain stationary relative to the ground. The GEO satellite communication system can provide large cell coverage, typically with a cell diameter of 500 km. However, GEO satellite communication also has significant drawbacks: 1) The high distance between GEO satellites and Earth's orbits results in significant free-space propagation loss, leading to tight communication link budgets and requiring larger antennas to increase transmit / receive gain; 2) Large communication transmission delays, such as a round-trip delay of approximately 500 milliseconds, cannot meet the demands of real-time services; 3) GEO orbital resources are relatively scarce, launch costs are high, and coverage of the polar regions is not available.

[0076] MEO satellites orbit at altitudes between 2000 and 35786 km, enabling global coverage with a relatively small number of satellites. However, MEO satellites orbit at higher altitudes than LEO satellites, resulting in longer transmission delays. Therefore, considering both the advantages and disadvantages of MEO satellite communication, it is primarily used for positioning and navigation.

[0077] LEO satellites orbit at altitudes between 300 and 2000 km, lower than those of MEO satellites. They offer advantages such as low transmission latency, low transmission loss, and relatively low launch costs, making LEO satellite communication a focus of widespread attention in recent years.

[0078] In satellite communication, beam operation modes are generally categorized into non-staring (earth-moving) and staring (earth-fixed or quasi-earth fixed) modes. As shown in Figure 1(a), in non-staring mode, the satellite does not adjust the beam for a period of time (e.g., between time t0 and time t2); the beam moves with the satellite, and the coverage area of ​​the satellite beam moves along with the satellite. As shown in Figure 1(b), in staring mode, for a period of time (e.g., between time t0 and time t2), the satellite dynamically adjusts the beam direction to approximately cover the same area of ​​the ground, providing staring service to that area. In staring mode, the coverage area of ​​the beam still experiences some degree of jitter over time.

[0079] Furthermore, due to limitations in manufacturing and launch costs, satellite equipment's onboard data processing capabilities and transmission power are restricted. Currently, satellite communication networks cannot provide terminals with communication rates comparable to terrestrial communication networks. To overcome these limitations and improve the overall signal processing capabilities and communication throughput of satellite networks, satellite operators are preparing to launch giant low-Earth orbit constellations, compensating for the limitations of a single satellite's communication capacity by increasing the number of satellites. In future NTN communication systems, after a terminal connects to the system, it will be "visible" to multiple communicable satellites for a period of time. At this time, multiple satellites can provide communication services to the terminal, providing the foundation for multi-satellite collaborative transmission.

[0080] 2. Community reselection:

[0081] For NTN systems, when a terminal accesses the system via satellite, the coverage capability of the satellite belonging to the cell the terminal is accessing, or the service quality of the cell the terminal is camped on, changes over time because MEO or LEO satellites are not relatively stationary with respect to the ground, even when the satellite is operating in staring mode. Therefore, if the signal quality of the cell the terminal is currently camped on is poor, the distance between the satellite and the terminal is too great, or the time the terminal has been camped on the cell reaches a preset value, the terminal typically needs to determine whether the currently camped cell is suitable and decide whether to reselect a new cell through cell reselection.

[0082] Currently, in Release 17, extensive discussions have been held regarding staring mode scenarios in satellite operations within the NTN system. Regarding cell reselection triggering, Release 17 standardized location-based and time-based reselection triggering conditions. In Release 18, location-based reselection triggering conditions have been standardized for non-staring mode scenarios in satellite operations within the NTN system.

[0083] Similar to terminals in NR systems, terminals in NTN systems currently perform cell reselection measurements on the currently camped cell and neighboring cells (denoted as neighboring cells) after triggering the cell reselection procedure. During the cell reselection measurement process, the terminal maintains a connection with the satellite to which the currently camped cell belongs, and performs cell reselection measurements on both the currently camped cell and neighboring cells while maintaining attitude A. Specifically, when the terminal is in attitude A, it can align itself with the satellite to which the currently camped cell belongs.

[0084] In the same-frequency, same-priority cell reselection process, the cell reselection uses the R criterion, which is based on signal quality for cell reselection measurements. The two core parameters involved in the R criterion are as follows: R s =Q meas，s +Q hyst -Q offset temp R n =Q meas，n -Q offset -Q offset temp

[0085] Among them, R s R is used to characterize the signal quality of the currently camped cell. n Q is used to characterize the signal quality of neighboring cells. meas，s Q is the actual value of the reference signal receiving power (RSRP) measured by the terminal for the currently camped cell. hyst Q is the reselection hysteresis value of the currently occupied cell. offset temp is the signal quality offset value of the terminal, Q meas，s Q represents the actual RSRP value of the neighboring cell measured by the terminal. offset This represents the cell offset of the neighboring cell.

[0086] In other words, the decision of the target cell for reselection during the cell reselection process is based on signal quality, and the terminal needs to meet the following two conditions for cell reselection: 1. The candidate cell (or best cell) satisfies R during the reselection measurement time (TreselectionRAT). n >R s 2. The terminal stays in the cell where it is currently stationed for more than 1 second (s).

[0087] In one possible scenario, the terminal accessing the NTN system is a non-ideal terminal. A non-ideal terminal can be understood as a terminal whose antenna array radiation pattern is not ideal.

[0088] Referring to Figure 2(a), in the local Cartesian coordinate system, the X-axis points east, the Y-axis points north, and the Z-axis points to the sky. Therefore, it can also be called the ENU (Northeast-Sky) local coordinate system. When the geocentric coordinate system is replaced with the local coordinate system, a local coordinate system that conforms to the common perception of geographical location is formed. When the location of the central point is reasonably selected (usually the center point of the geographical area is selected), the expressed geographical coordinates will be very small values. Therefore, the local coordinate system is often used for spatial calculations, for example, it can be used to determine the radiation pattern of the antenna array of a terminal.

[0089] For example, the radiation pattern of an antenna array for a non-ideal terminal can be seen in Figure 2(b). As can be seen from Figure 2(b), the radiation pattern of the antenna array of the non-ideal terminal has insufficient coverage angle, and can only cover part of the satellites. In addition, due to factors such as user touch and human body obstruction, the radiation pattern of the terminal's antenna array has concavity and convexity, and the gain of the antenna array in different directions exhibits discontinuous characteristics.

[0090] When the terminal is not an ideal terminal, since the terminal maintains attitude A aligned with the satellite corresponding to the currently camped cell, during the cell reselection measurement process between the currently camped cell and neighboring cells, if the terminal's radiation pattern is poor (e.g., the satellite corresponding to the neighboring cell is located in a region of poor gain in the terminal's radiation pattern), R obtained through the cell reselection measurement will be affected. s >R n This outcome is highly probable. Furthermore, the constellation is currently evolving towards a large-scale trend, with the Starlink 2 projected to launch 30,000 satellites. Currently, Starlink has over 6,200 satellites in orbit, meaning that during cell reselection, the satellite set of candidate cells is quite large.

[0091] In other words, during cell reselection in an NTN system, if the terminal's antenna array pattern is poor (or the terminal is not an ideal terminal), the terminal may still be unable to reselect the target cell after triggering cell reselection. Alternatively, the terminal may need to perform multiple cell reselection measurements on the target cell before it can complete the reselection. The cell reselection has a large delay and low efficiency, which makes it difficult for the terminal to reselect the target cell with higher signal quality in a timely manner, thus affecting the user experience.

[0092] Based on this, this application provides a communication method. During cell reselection, the terminal first triggers a first attitude change procedure to adjust its attitude to a target attitude determined by the location of a first network device. The first network device is one of at least two second network devices whose coverage includes the terminal's current location. That is, after triggering cell reselection, the terminal promptly changes to the target attitude by triggering the first attitude change procedure, enabling the terminal to adapt well to the first network device as a candidate network device. Then, while in the target attitude, the terminal detects the signal quality of the first cell corresponding to the first network device. If the signal quality of the first cell meets the cell reselection criteria, the terminal reselects the first cell. Because the terminal adapts well to the first network device while in the target attitude, the probability that the signal quality of the first cell meets the cell reselection criteria is significantly increased. This avoids the first cell failing to meet the cell reselection criteria due to the terminal's attitude, reduces the probability of the terminal needing to perform multiple signal quality checks, and improves cell reselection efficiency.

[0093] The technical solutions of this application embodiment can be used in various communication systems, including 3GPP communication systems such as 4th generation (4G) systems (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems), 5G systems (e.g., New Radio (NR) systems), NTN, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) systems, LTE and 5G hybrid networking systems, device-to-device (D2D) communication systems, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, and other future communication systems. The communication system can also be a non-3GPP communication system; there are no limitations.

[0094] The communication systems described above are merely illustrative examples, and are not limited to those described herein. The communication systems provided in this application do not impose any limitations on the solutions described herein. This will be explained uniformly here and will not be repeated below.

[0095] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating one possible, non-limiting system. As shown in Figure 3, the communication system may include terminals and network devices. The number of network devices and terminals in Figure 3 is merely an example, and the communication system may include more or fewer network devices or terminals than shown in Figure 3.

[0096] Optionally, terminals can communicate with each other, with network devices, and with each other via wired or wireless means. When network devices or terminals move rapidly, the relative motion between the data transmitter and receiver can cause Doppler shift and sampling point timing drift.

[0097] Optionally, the terminal can be a user-side device with wireless transceiver capabilities, or a chip or chip system embedded in that device. The terminal can also be referred to as user equipment (UE), terminal equipment, access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station (MS), remote station, remote terminal, mobile terminal (MT), user terminal, wireless communication equipment, user agent, or user device, etc. For example, the terminal can be a terminal in IoT, V2X, D2D, M2M, 5G networks, or future evolved public land mobile networks (PLMNs). The terminal can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; it can also be deployed on water (such as on ships); and it can also be deployed in the air (such as on airplanes, balloons, and satellites).

[0098] For example, a terminal can be a drone, an IoT device (e.g., a sensor, an electricity meter, a water meter, etc.), a V2X device, a station (ST) in a wireless local area network (WLAN), a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA) device, a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device (also known as a wearable smart device), a tablet computer or a computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, a virtual reality (VR) terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical care, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, or a wireless terminal in a smart home. Wireless terminals (such as those in the home), vehicle-mounted terminals, vehicles with vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication capabilities, intelligent connected vehicles, and drones with unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to UAV (U2U) communication capabilities, etc. Terminals can be mobile or fixed; this application does not specifically limit their location.

[0099] Optionally, the network device can be a network-side device with wireless transceiver capabilities, or it can be a chip, chip system, or module installed in the device. The network device is located in the radio access network (RAN) of the mobile communication system and is used to provide access services to terminals.

[0100] As one possible implementation, the network device can be a wireless relay node or a wireless backhaul node. For example, the network device can act as a Layer 1 relay device to regenerate physical layer signals (i.e., wireless frequency filtering, frequency conversion, and amplification processing) without having other higher protocol layers.

[0101] As another possible implementation, network devices can implement some or all of the functions of a base station. For example, network devices can be evolved Node Bs (eNBs or eNodeBs) in LTE or evolved LTE systems (LTE-Advanced, LTE-A), such as traditional macro base stations (eNBs) and micro base stations (eNBs) in heterogeneous network scenarios; or they can be next-generation node Bs (gNodeBs or gNBs) in 5G systems; or they can be transmission reception points (TRPs); or they can be base stations in future evolved PLMNs; or they can be devices that implement base station functions in IoT, V2X, D2D, or M2M.

[0102] Alternatively, network equipment can be modules or units capable of performing some or all of the functions of a base station. For example, network equipment can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), CU and DU, CU (control plane, CP), CU (user plane, UP), or a radio unit (RU), etc. CU and DU can be set up separately or included in the same network element, such as in a baseband unit (BBU). RU can be included in radio equipment or radio units, such as in a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0103] In Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, the CU and DU decompose the eNB's protocol layers. Some protocol layer functions are centrally controlled by the CU, while the remaining or all protocol layer functions are distributed across the DU, which is centrally controlled by the CU. The CU and DU can be separate entities or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio frequency (RF) devices or RF units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs). In different systems, the CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning.

[0104] Optionally, the network device can also be an access node in an open radio access network (O-RAN) system, or a module in an O-RAN system. A possible, non-limiting O-RAN system diagram can be found in Figure 4(a). In this system, the CU, DU, and RU cooperate to assist the terminal in achieving radio access. The CU, DU, and RU can be included in the access network equipment, and the CU and DU can be included in the BBU of the access network equipment.

[0105] Referring to Figure 4(a), access network devices communicate with core network (CN) devices via a backhaul link and with terminals via an air interface. Specifically, the access network device's BBU communicates with the core network device via the backhaul link, and the access network device's RU communicates with at least one terminal device via the air interface. The BBU communicates with at least one RU via a fronthaul link, and the CU communicates with at least one DU via a midhaul link. The BBU and RU may or may not be co-located. The BBU includes at least one CU and at least one DU, which can communicate via a midhaul link.

[0106] As one possible implementation, the CU and DU respectively implement some of the protocol layer functions of the access network device. For example, some protocol layer functions are implemented in the CU, and the remaining or all protocol layer functions are implemented in the DU. The CU can control one or more DUs.

[0107] In addition, when the network equipment is a spaceborne base station or a satellite base station, the configuration of information such as communication angle / time / orbit angle / Doppler frequency modulation slope parameter range to the terminal can be achieved through CU or DU.

[0108] For example, Figure 4(b) illustrates the system architecture of an O-RAN system, which mainly includes a service management and orchestration framework (SMO), a non-real time RAN intelligent controller (Non-RT RIC), a near-real time RAN intelligent controller (Near-RT RIC), an O-RAN central unit (O-CU), an O-RAN central unit control plane (O-CU-CP), an O-RAN central unit user plane (O-CU-UP), an O-RAN distributed unit (O-DU), an O-RAN radio unit (O-RU), and an O-RAN cloud (O-Cloud).

[0109] The SMO (System Management Center) functions similarly to network management, responsible for the use, integration, and coordination of hardware and software resources to monitor, test, configure, analyze, evaluate, and control network resources. The Non-RT RIC (Near-RT Resource Identifier) ​​resides within the SMO and is used to implement non-real-time intelligent management of RAN functions. For example, it implements AI or machine learning workflows including model training and updates, and guides applications or functions within the Near-RT RIC based on policies. The Near-RT RIC enables near real-time intelligent management of the RAN, achieving near real-time control and optimization of O-RAN modules and resources through data collection and related operations on the E2 interface.

[0110] The O-CU (Outer Cube) is used to implement the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer, and other control functions in the 3GPP standard. The O-CU includes O-CU-UP and O-CU-CP. O-CU-CP, similar to CU-CP, implements the functions of the RRC layer and the control plane functions of the PDCP layer. O-CU-UP, similar to CU-UP, implements the functions of the SDAP layer and the user plane functions of the PDCP layer.

[0111] O-DU is used to implement the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, Media Access Control (MAC) layer, and Higher Physical Layer (PHY) in the 3GPP standard. The functions of the Higher Physical Layer include one or more of the following: forward error correction (FEC), encoding / decoding, scrambling / descrambling, or modulation / demodulation.

[0112] The O-RU is used to implement lower physical layer (PHY) functions and radio frequency (RF) functions in the 3GPP standard. These PHY functions include one or more of the following: Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) / Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (iFFT), digital beamforming, or extraction and filtering of the Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH). The O-RU functions similarly to a Transmission Reception Point (TRP) or Remote Radio Head (RRH) in 3GPP, but it includes PHY functions such as FFT / iFFT or PRACH extraction.

[0113] O-Cloud, as a cloud computing platform, includes physical infrastructure nodes for hosting O-RAN functions such as RIC or O-DU; O-Cloud also supports software component functions (such as operating systems, virtual machine monitoring or container runtimes), management functions and orchestration functions.

[0114] For an O-RAN system, the main interfaces include: A1 interface, E2 interface, O1 interface, O2 interface, and Open Fronthaul CUS-Plane interface. The A1 interface connects the Non-RT RIC and Near-RT RIC, enabling intelligent and dynamic control of radio resources within the O-RAN. The Non-RT RIC provides policies, rich information, and machine learning model updates to the Near-RT RIC via the A1 interface, while the Near-RT RIC provides policy feedback to the Non-RT RIC via the A1 interface. The E2 interface is an open interface between two endpoints, connecting the Near-RT RIC and RAN nodes. RAN nodes include, for example, CUs and DUs in 5G, O-RAN compatible eNBs in 4G, O-CUs (O-CU-CP and / or O-CU-UP) in O-RAN, and / or O-DUs, etc. The RIC can obtain RAN node data collection and feedback through the E2 node, and the RAN node can obtain control feedback from the Near-RT RIC through the E2 node. The O1 interface is the interface between the management entity in the SMO and the O-RAN module, used for operation management. It enables FCAPS management, software management, and file management. The O2 interface is the interface between the SMO and the infrastructure management framework that supports O-RAN virtual network functions. The Open Fronthaul CUS-Plane interface comprises the control plane C-Plane, user plane U-Plane, and synchronization plane S-Plane. On the control plane, it supports real-time control between O-DUs and O-RUs, such as transmitting beamforming weights from the O-DU to the O-RU or performing power control from the O-DU to the O-RU. On the user plane, it supports the transmission of communication data between network devices and terminals between the DU and RU. On the synchronization plane, it supports clock synchronization between the O-DU and the O-RU.

[0115] In addition, the O-RAN system includes several other interfaces. The NG interface is the interface between NR RAN equipment (such as base stations, CUs, CU-CPs, or CU-UPs) and the NR core network; NG-u is the user plane NG interface, and NG-c is the control plane NG interface. The Xn interface is the interface between NR RAN equipment (such as base stations, CUs, CU-CPs, or CU-UPs); Xn-u is the user plane Xn interface, and Xn-c is the control plane Xn interface. The X2 interface is the interface between LTE RAN equipment; X2-u is the user plane X2 interface, and X2-c is the control plane X2 interface. In NR, the X2 interface is mainly used in E-UTRA-NR dual connectivity (EN-DC) scenarios, where the master station is an LTE RAN equipment connected to the LTE core network via the X2 interface. The E1 interface is the interface between CU-CPs and CU-UPs; the F1-C interface is the interface between CU-CPs and DUs; and the F1-U interface is the interface between CU-UPs and DUs.

[0116] In an O-RAN system, a CU can also be called an O-CU, a DU can also be called an O-DU, a CU-CP can also be called an O-CU-CP, a CU-UP can also be called an O-CU-UP, and a RU can also be called an O-RU. Any of the units among the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0117] For example, the base station in the embodiments of this application may include various forms of base stations, such as macro base stations, micro base stations (also known as small stations), relay stations, access points, etc., and the embodiments of this application do not specifically limit them.

[0118] As one possible implementation, the network device in this application embodiment can be deployed on a ground platform. For example, the network device is a ground base station or a module that implements some functions of a ground base station, and the terminal can be a device deployed on a non-ground platform.

[0119] For example, referring to Figure 5, the network device and terminal are network devices and terminals in an air-to-ground (ATG) communication scenario. The network device is a base station deployed on the ground, and the terminal is a high-altitude aircraft or an onboard handheld terminal, etc. In this case, due to the high speed of the terminal's movement, there is a high-speed relative motion between the terminal and the network device.

[0120] As another possible implementation, the network device in this application embodiment can be deployed on a non-terrestrial platform, such as a low-altitude platform (e.g., a drone), a high-altitude platform (e.g., an aircraft), or a satellite. Therefore, the network device in this application embodiment can also be referred to as a non-terrestrial network device.

[0121] For example, taking a network device deployed on a satellite, or a satellite as an example, the communication system may also include an NTN gateway (or gateway station). Typically, the NTN gateway is deployed on the ground. The NTN gateway can communicate with the satellite; the link between the satellite and the NTN gateway is called a feeder link, and the link between the satellite and the terminal is called a service link.

[0122] As shown in Figure 6, when the satellite acts as a wireless relay node, or in other words, the satellite has relay forwarding capabilities, the NTN gateway possesses the functions of a base station or some of the functions of a base station. In this case, the NTN gateway can function as a base station. Alternatively, the NTN gateway can be deployed separately from the base station; that is, in addition to the NTN gateway, the communication system also includes a base station. Figure 6 illustrates this using the example of deploying the NTN gateway and base station separately.

[0123] As shown in Figure 7, when a satellite can perform some or all of the functions of a base station, and has data processing capabilities, it can be used as a base station. In this case, the NTN gateway and the satellite can transmit user plane data of the terminal through the satellite radio interface (SRI).

[0124] Furthermore, in scenarios where satellites can perform some or all of the functions of a base station, as shown in Figure 8, there are inter-satellite links (ISLs) between different satellites, allowing them to communicate. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 9, a satellite can have the DU processing function of a base station, or in other words, the satellite can act as a DU. In this scenario, the CU processing function of the base station can be deployed on the ground, and the CU and DU communicate via the F1 interface through an NTN gateway.

[0125] In the architectures shown in Figures 6 to 9, NG refers to the interface between the base station and the core network. Uu refers to the interface between the base station and the terminal. Xn refers to the interface between base stations. It is understood that as the communication system evolves, the names of the interfaces between the base station and the core network, between the base station and the terminal, and between base stations may also change, and this application does not specifically limit them.

[0126] Optionally, when a satellite acts as a wireless relay node with relay forwarding capabilities, it can be considered to be operating in transparent mode. When a satellite has data processing capabilities and can perform some or all of the functions of a base station, it can be considered to be operating in regenerative mode. For a given satellite, it may support only transparent mode, only regenerative mode, or both transparent and regenerative modes, and it may be able to switch between transparent and regenerative modes.

[0127] Furthermore, when the satellite operates in transparent transmission mode, the power supply link delay includes two parts: the delay from the NTN equipment to the gateway station and the delay from the gateway station to the gNB. When the gateway station and gNB are located together or close to each other, the delay from the gateway station to the gNB can be ignored; when the gateway station and gNB are far apart, the power supply link delay can be determined by adding the delay from the NTN equipment to the gateway station and the delay from the gateway station to the gNB.

[0128] In some implementation scenarios, NTN and terrestrial networks can be integrated. For example, Figures 10 and 11 illustrate an integrated network architecture of NTN and terrestrial networks provided in an embodiment of this application. In the architecture shown in Figure 10, the satellite operates in transparent transmission mode, thus requiring the additional deployment of NTN base stations. In the architecture shown in Figure 11, the satellite operates in regenerative mode, and the satellite can function as an NTN base station, or in other words, NTN base stations can be deployed on the satellite. Here, NTN base station refers to a base station within the NTN network.

[0129] Furthermore, in the architectures shown in Figures 10 and 11, terrestrial base stations refer to base stations in the terrestrial network. NTN base stations and terrestrial base stations can be interconnected through a common core network, or through interfaces defined between base stations to achieve more timely assistance and interconnection. For example, the interface between base stations can be an Xn interface, and the interface between a base station and the core network can be an NG interface. Of course, the interfaces between base stations and the interfaces between base stations and the core network can also have other implementations, and this application does not specifically limit them.

[0130] It is understandable that the satellites in the architectures described in Figures 6 to 11 can all be replaced by non-ground payloads on other flight platforms such as drones and airplanes.

[0131] It should be noted that the communication system described in the embodiments of this application is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0132] The communication method provided in this application will be described below with reference to the communication system shown in Figures 3 to 11, taking the interaction between the terminal and the third network device as an example. It should be noted that in the following embodiments of this application, the message names, parameter names, or information names between the terminal and the third network device are just examples, and other names may be used in other embodiments. The method provided in this application does not specifically limit these names.

[0133] It is understood that in the embodiments of this application, the terminal and the third network device may execute some or all of the steps in the embodiments of this application. These steps or operations are merely examples, and the embodiments of this application may also execute other operations or variations thereof. Furthermore, the steps may be executed in different orders as presented in the embodiments of this application, and it is not necessary to execute all the operations in the embodiments of this application.

[0134] It is understood that this application uses a terminal and a third network device as examples to illustrate the execution of the interaction, but this application does not limit the execution subject of the interaction. For example, the method executed by the third network device in this application can also be executed by a module applied to the third network device (e.g., a chip, chip system, or processor), or by a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the third network device; similarly, the method executed by the terminal in this application can also be executed by a module applied to the terminal (e.g., a chip, chip system, or processor), or by a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the terminal.

[0135] Furthermore, in this application, "sending information" can be understood as one device sending information to another device, or it can also be understood as one logical module within a device sending information to another logical module. For example, "a third network device sending information" can be understood as a third network device sending information to another device (such as a terminal), or it can be understood as logical module 1 (such as a processing module) in the third network device sending information to logical module 2 (such as a transceiver module) in the third network device.

[0136] In this application, "receiving information" can be understood as one device receiving information from another device, or it can also be understood as a logical module within a device receiving information from another logical module. For example, "terminal receiving information" can be understood as the terminal receiving information from another device (such as a third network device), or it can be understood as logical module 1 (such as a processing module) in the terminal receiving information from logical module 2 (such as a transceiver module) in the terminal.

[0137] In this application, phrases such as "sending information to... (e.g., a terminal)" or related illustrations in the accompanying drawings can be understood as indicating that the destination of the information is a terminal. This can include sending information directly or indirectly to a terminal. Similarly, phrases such as "receiving information from... (e.g., a third network device)," "receiving information from... (e.g., a third network device)," or "receiving information sent (e.g., by a third network device)," or related illustrations in the accompanying drawings, can be understood as indicating that the source of the information is a network device. This can include receiving information directly or indirectly from a network device. Information may undergo necessary processing between the source and destination, such as format changes, but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be interpreted similarly and will not be elaborated further here.

[0138] Figure 12 is a flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. The method may include the following steps:

[0139] S1201. If the terminal meets the first condition, trigger the first posture change process.

[0140] For example, the terminal can determine whether it meets the first condition based on the signal quality detection result of the currently camped cell, or based on the location detection result of the network device corresponding to the currently camped cell. If the terminal meets the first condition, it enters the cell reselection state or triggers the cell reselection process, and triggers the terminal's first attitude change process. The first condition and the implementation method for determining whether the terminal meets the first condition are described in subsequent embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0141] In other words, the first condition can be seen as both the triggering condition for the attitude change process and the triggering condition for cell reselection. The attitude change process can be understood as the new process before cell reselection, or as the process before cell reselection measurement during cell reselection.

[0142] The target attitude of the first attitude change process is determined based on the location of the first network device.

[0143] For example, the target orientation is determined based on the location of the first network device. This can be understood as the antenna array pointing towards the first network device when the terminal is in the target orientation, or it can also be understood as the gain of the antenna array at the location of the first network device being greater than a given value when the terminal is in the target orientation.

[0144] As one possible implementation, the method by which the terminal triggers the first attitude change procedure to adjust to the target attitude can be referred to Figure 13. After triggering the first attitude change procedure, the terminal first selects a network device as the target network device (i.e., the first network device) based on its current location. The user is then shown the area with good signal gain and the current position of the first network device relative to the terminal through a graphical interface. Then, by displaying the current signal strength and attitude adjustment direction of the first network device in the graphical interface, the user is guided to adjust the terminal to the target attitude according to the position of the first network device.

[0145] The first network device is one of at least one second network device, and the terminal is located within the coverage area of ​​the second network device.

[0146] For example, the fact that the terminal is within the coverage area of ​​the second network device can be understood as the coverage area of ​​the second network device including the current location of the terminal, or it can also be understood as the second network device being a visible device of the terminal when the terminal is at its current location. That is to say, when the terminal is at its current location, it can receive wireless signals from the second network device.

[0147] Optionally, the second network device can be a base station deployed on a non-terrestrial platform and operating in a non-starring mode. For example, the second network device can be a satellite base station operating in a non-starring mode, or an aircraft with a base station deployed in a non-starring mode. Alternatively, the second network device can be a base station deployed on a ground platform, with the terminal being a device on a high-speed moving non-terrestrial platform. For example, the second network device can be a ground base station, with the terminal being a high-altitude aircraft or an onboard handheld terminal.

[0148] In one possible implementation, the first network device may be one of at least one second network device that satisfies any of the following: the network device with the largest remaining service time, the network device with the smallest distance from the terminal, or the network device with the largest first value.

[0149] For example, the remaining service time of the second network device can be determined based on the current location of the terminal and the location information of the second network device. For instance, if the second network device is a satellite or a network device deployed on a satellite, the remaining service time can be determined based on the current location of the terminal and the ephemeris information of the second network device. If the second network device is deployed on other flight platforms such as drones or airplanes, the remaining service time can be determined based on the motion trajectory information of the flight platform on which the second network device is located, and the motion trajectory information can reflect the location of the flight platform on which the second network device is located at different times.

[0150] For example, the distance between the second network device and the terminal can be understood as the distance between the center of the second network device and the location of the terminal, or it can be understood as the distance between the location of the terminal and the reference point (movRefLoc) corresponding to the second network device.

[0151] As one possible implementation, the first value can be understood as a weighted sum of the remaining service time corresponding to the second network device (denoted as A1) and the distance between the second network device and the terminal (denoted as A2). For example, the first value can be (A1+A2), (0.3A1+0.7A2), or (0.25A1+0.75A2), etc. This embodiment is only for ease of understanding, listing several possible weights for the remaining service time and the distance during the weighted summation process. In application, the weights for each parameter can also be other values, without limitation.

[0152] Based on this scheme, the terminal can select one network device from at least one second network device as the first network device by combining the remaining service time of the network device and / or the distance to the terminal (which can also be understood as communication latency). Thus, before the cell reselection measurement, the terminal's attitude can be adjusted to a target attitude that is well adapted to the first network device according to the location of the first network device, which is conducive to improving the success rate of cell reselection.

[0153] Furthermore, when the first network device is the network device with the longest remaining service time, after the terminal reselects to a cell managed by the first network device through the cell reselection process, the terminal stays in the new cell for a longer period of time, which helps to reduce the frequency of cell reselection. When the first network device is the network device with the shortest distance from the terminal, after the terminal reselects to a cell managed by the first network device through the cell reselection process, the communication latency between the terminal and the first network device is smaller, which helps to improve communication quality.

[0154] S1202. When the terminal is in the target orientation, if the signal quality of the first cell meets the cell reselection criteria, the terminal reselects to the first cell. Here, the first cell is the cell corresponding to the first network device.

[0155] For example, the first cell corresponding to the first network device can be understood as the first cell being a cell managed by the first network device, or it can also be understood as the first network device being the network device to which the first cell belongs.

[0156] The signal quality of the first cell can be characterized by the reference signal received quality (RSRQ) and / or the reference signal received power (RSRP) of the first cell.

[0157] For example, the signal quality of the first cell can be directly characterized by RSRQ and RSRP, or the signal quality of the first cell can also be characterized by RSRP, RSRQ, and Rs. The meaning of Rs can be referred to the meaning of Rs in the R criterion in the previous embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0158] For example, the signal quality of the first cell satisfying the cell reselection criterion can be understood as the first cell's RSRP and RSRQ both being greater than a given value, or one of the first cell's RSRP and RSRQ being greater than a given value, or both the first cell's RSRP and RSRQ being greater than a given value, and the first cell's Rs satisfying the cell reselection R criterion. The meaning of Rs satisfying the cell reselection R criterion can be referred to the relevant description in the foregoing embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0159] As one possible implementation, the cell reselection criterion includes: the duration for which a first signal quality is greater than a second signal quality is greater than or equal to a third duration. Here, the first signal quality refers to the signal quality of the first cell, and the second signal quality refers to the signal quality of the cell the terminal is currently camped on.

[0160] For example, the duration during which the first signal quality is greater than the second signal quality is greater than or equal to the third duration can also be understood as the first signal quality value at every moment being greater than the second signal quality value at the same moment within a time interval with a duration greater than or equal to the third duration. The third duration can be predefined by the protocol or pre-agreed upon by the terminal and the network equipment corresponding to the currently camped cell; there are no restrictions.

[0161] For example, the first signal quality is at least one of the RSRQ, RSRP, and Rs determined based on RSRP of the first cell. Correspondingly, the second signal quality is at least one of the RSRQ, RSRP, and Rn determined based on RSRP of the cell where the terminal is currently camped. The meaning of Rn can be referred to the relevant description of Rn in the R criterion in the foregoing embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0162] For example, let's take the RSRP of the first cell (denoted as B1) as the first signal quality and the RSRP of the cell where the terminal is currently camped (denoted as B2) as the second signal quality. If the duration of B1 being greater than B2 is greater than or equal to the third duration, the terminal determines that the first cell meets the cell reselection criteria.

[0163] For example, let's take the first signal quality as Rn (denoted as C1) corresponding to the first cell, the second signal quality as Rs (denoted as C2) corresponding to the cell the terminal is currently camped on, and the third duration as the duration corresponding to the reselection measurement time. If the terminal determines that the first cell meets the R criterion when the duration of C1 being greater than C2 is greater than or equal to the third duration, then the first cell can be used as the target cell for cell reselection.

[0164] Based on this scheme, the terminal can accurately detect whether the first cell is suitable as the target cell for cell reselection based on the signal quality of the first cell. If the first cell meets the cell reselection criteria, the terminal can use the first cell as the target cell for cell reselection, thereby completing the cell reselection accurately and efficiently, which helps to ensure the service quality of the terminal after reselecting the first cell.

[0165] Based on the scheme in the above embodiments, the terminal triggers cell reselection when the first condition is met. During the cell reselection process, a first attitude change procedure is first triggered to adjust the terminal's attitude to the target attitude determined based on the location of the first network device. The first network device is one of at least two second network devices whose coverage includes the terminal's current location. That is, after triggering cell reselection, the terminal promptly changes to the target attitude by triggering the first attitude change procedure, enabling the terminal to have good adaptability to the first network device as a candidate network device. Then, while in the target attitude, the terminal detects the signal quality of the first cell corresponding to the first network device. If the signal quality of the first cell meets the cell reselection criteria, the terminal reselects the cell it is camped on to the first cell. Because the terminal has good adaptability to the first network device while in the target attitude, the probability that the signal quality of the first cell meets the cell reselection criteria is significantly increased. This avoids the first cell failing to meet the cell reselection criteria due to the terminal's attitude, reduces the probability of the terminal needing to perform multiple signal quality checks, and improves cell reselection efficiency.

[0166] The overall process of the communication method provided in this application has been described above. The specific implementation of each step is described below.

[0167] In one possible implementation, the first condition includes at least one of the following: a first distance is greater than or equal to a first threshold; the first distance is greater than or equal to the first threshold, and the third network device is far from the terminal; the signal quality of the currently camped cell is less than or equal to a second threshold; the duration for which the signal quality of the currently camped cell is less than or equal to the second threshold is greater than or equal to a first duration; the signal quality of the currently camped cell is less than or equal to a third threshold, and media synchronization is lost; the signal quality of the currently camped cell is less than or equal to the third threshold, and the duration for which media synchronization is lost is greater than or equal to the second duration.

[0168] In this context, the third network device is the network device corresponding to the cell where the terminal is currently camped, and the first distance is the distance between the terminal and the third network device. The meaning of the distance between the terminal and the third network device can be found in the description of the distance between the terminal and the network device in the preceding embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0169] For example, the distance between the third network device and the terminal can be understood as the distance between the third network device and the terminal gradually increasing, or it can be understood as the reduction in the remaining service time of the third network device to the terminal being greater than the offset of the system time.

[0170] As one possible implementation, the third network device being located away from the terminal includes: the angle between the first vector and the second vector being greater than 90°.

[0171] The first vector is the velocity vector of the third network device, and the second vector points from the beam center of the third network device to the terminal.

[0172] For example, taking a satellite as the third network device, after the terminal accesses the cell managed by the third network device, it can obtain the ephemeris and beam information of the third network device based on the system information broadcast by the third network device. Based on the ephemeris information, it determines the velocity vector (i.e., the first vector) corresponding to the third network device, and based on the beam information, it determines the beam center of the third network device. Combining this with the terminal's current position, the vector pointing from the beam center of the third network device to the terminal's current position is taken as the second vector. Then, the angle between the first and second vectors is obtained. If the angle between the first and second vectors is greater than 90°, it is determined that the third network device is moving away from the terminal.

[0173] Furthermore, when the third network device is a ground base station and the terminal is a device located on a non-ground platform, the distance between the third network device and the terminal can also be understood as the angle between the terminal's velocity vector and the second vector being greater than 90°. The terminal's velocity vector can be determined directly through the measurement results of the velocity sensor or through the terminal's motion trajectory.

[0174] As another possible implementation, the third network device being located away from the terminal includes: a first remaining service time being greater than a second remaining service time.

[0175] Wherein, the first remaining service time is the remaining service time of the third network device at the first moment, and the second remaining service time is the remaining service time of the third network device at the second moment, with the first moment being earlier than the second moment.

[0176] For example, taking a satellite operating in non-staring mode as the third network device, the terminal can obtain the ephemeris information (also known as the ephemeris time series starting from T1) of the third network device from a first time point (T1). Based on the terminal's location and the ephemeris information of the third network device starting from T1, the terminal calls the remaining service time calculation module to obtain the remaining service time (T2) of the third network device corresponding to the first time point. Similarly, the terminal can also obtain the ephemeris information (also known as the ephemeris time series starting from T3) of the third network device from a second time point (T3). Based on the terminal's location and the ephemeris information of the third network device starting from T3, the terminal calls the remaining service time calculation module to obtain the remaining service time (T4) of the third network device corresponding to the second time point. Then, the terminal compares the values ​​of T3 and T4. If T3 is greater than T4, the terminal determines that the third network device is in a state far away from the terminal.

[0177] Furthermore, the above example uses the deployment of the third network device on a non-ground platform. When the third network device is a ground base station and the terminal is a device located on a non-ground platform, the distance between the third network device and the terminal can also be understood as the distance between the terminal and the third network device at the first moment being greater than the distance between the terminal and the third network device at the second moment.

[0178] For example, media synchronization loss can be understood as the terminal and the third network device not being in a time-frequency synchronized state, or it can be understood as the terminal and the third network device having different understandings of the time-frequency resources occupied during uplink and downlink transmission.

[0179] The terminal determines whether to trigger the cell reselection and first attitude change process based on the first condition in the following two possible ways:

[0180] Method 1: Determine whether to trigger cell reselection and first attitude change procedures based on the location relationship between the third network device and the terminal.

[0181] In other words, the terminal obtains the motion trajectory information of the third network device, obtains the distance between the third network device and the terminal and / or the motion trend of the third network device based on the terminal's location, and determines whether to trigger the cell reselection and first attitude change process based on the first condition.

[0182] As one possible implementation, the first condition is that the first distance is greater than or equal to the first threshold.

[0183] In other words, the terminal directly uses the location relationship as the trigger condition for cell reselection and attitude change. When the distance between the terminal and the third network device is too large, cell reselection and attitude change are triggered.

[0184] For example, taking a satellite operating in non-staring mode as the third network device, after the terminal accesses the currently camped cell, it can obtain the ephemeris information of the third network device based on the system information broadcast by the third network device, and determine the position of the third network device at the current time by combining the system time. Then, based on the position of the third network device and the terminal's current position, the terminal determines whether the distance between the terminal and the third network device (denoted as D1) is greater than a predetermined distance threshold (i.e., the first threshold). If D1 is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the first attitude change procedure is triggered and cell reselection is performed.

[0185] Based on this scheme, if the distance between the terminal and the network equipment of the cell to which it currently resides is too large, the terminal can immediately trigger attitude adjustment and cell reselection, enabling the terminal to reselect to a new cell as efficiently as possible, which is beneficial to improving the overall service quality of the terminal from the network side.

[0186] As another possible implementation, the first condition is that the first distance is greater than or equal to a first threshold, and the third network device is far away from the terminal.

[0187] In other words, the terminal uses both location relationship and movement trend as triggering conditions for cell reselection and attitude change. When the distance between the terminal and the third network device is too large and tends to continue to increase, cell reselection and attitude change are triggered.

[0188] For example, after the terminal accesses the currently camped cell, it obtains the motion trajectory information of the third network device based on the system information broadcast by the third network device. Combining this information with the terminal's current location and system time, it determines the distance between the third network device and the terminal at the current moment (denoted as D2). If D2 is greater than or equal to a first threshold, it detects whether the third network device is moving away from the terminal based on the motion trajectory information. If the third network device is detected to be moving away from the terminal, a first attitude change procedure is triggered, and cell reselection is performed. The determination of D2 and whether the third network device is moving away from the terminal can be referred to the relevant descriptions in the preceding embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0189] For example, referring to Figure 14(a), the third network device is a satellite operating in non-staring mode, and its direction of movement is the first direction. The cell where the terminal is currently camped includes positions 1, 2, and 3 arranged sequentially along the first direction. The distance between positions 1 and 3 and the current position of the third network device is greater than a first threshold, while the distance between position 2 and the current position of the third network device is less than the first threshold. If the terminal's current position is position 1, since the distance between the terminal and the third network device is greater than the first threshold, and the third network device is moving away from the terminal (i.e., the distance between the terminal and the third network device tends to increase), the terminal triggers the first attitude change procedure and performs cell reselection. If the terminal's current position is position 2, since the distance between the terminal and the third network device is less than the first threshold, the terminal continues to camp in the current cell and does not perform cell reselection. If the terminal's current position is position 3, although the distance between the terminal and the third network device is greater than the first threshold, since the third network device is moving away from the terminal (i.e., the distance between the terminal and the third network device tends to decrease), the terminal continues to camp in the current cell and does not perform cell reselection.

[0190] Based on this scheme, the terminal can determine whether to trigger the attitude change procedure for cell reselection by combining the distance between the terminal and the third network device and the movement trend of the third network device relative to the terminal. This avoids triggering meaningless attitude changes and cell reselection when the service quality of the currently camped cell meets the requirements and the service quality trend is upward. This reduces the probability of the terminal triggering unnecessary cell reselection and improves the user experience.

[0191] Method 2: Determine whether to trigger cell reselection and first attitude change procedures based on the signal quality of the currently occupied cell.

[0192] In other words, the terminal obtains the signal quality of the cell it is currently camping on, and determines whether to trigger the cell reselection and first attitude change process based on the signal quality of the cell it is currently camping on and / or the trend of the signal quality of the cell it is currently camping on, combined with the first condition.

[0193] As the first possible implementation, the first condition is that the signal quality of the currently occupied cell is less than or equal to the second threshold.

[0194] In other words, the terminal directly uses signal quality as the trigger condition for cell reselection and attitude change. When the signal quality of the currently camped cell does not meet the requirements, it triggers cell reselection and attitude change. Signal quality can be characterized by at least one of RSRQ and RSRP. The meaning of signal quality can be referred to the relevant descriptions in the preceding embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0195] For example, consider a cell's signal quality characterized by RSRQ and RSRP. When a cell's signal quality is characterized by RSRQ and RSRP, the second threshold includes both the RSRQ threshold and the RSRP threshold. After a terminal accesses a cell managed by a third network device via random access, it detects the RSRQ and RSRP of the cell it is currently camping on. Similar to the S criterion for cell reselection, if RSRQ is less than or equal to the RSRQ threshold and RSRP is less than or equal to the RSRP threshold, a first attitude change procedure is triggered, and cell reselection is performed. If RSRQ is greater than the RSRQ threshold and / or RSRP is greater than the RSRP threshold, the terminal continues to camp on the current cell.

[0196] Furthermore, the above example uses signal quality as a representation of RSRQ and RSRP. When signal quality is represented by either RSRQ or RSRP, the second threshold may only include the parameter threshold representing the signal quality. If the signal quality of the cell is less than or equal to the second threshold, the first attitude change procedure is triggered and cell reselection is performed; otherwise, the cell continues to camp on the current cell.

[0197] Based on this scheme, the terminal can immediately trigger attitude adjustment and cell reselection when the signal quality of the currently camped cell does not meet the requirements, enabling the terminal to reselect to a new cell as soon as possible, which is beneficial to improving the overall service quality of the terminal from the network side.

[0198] As a second possible implementation, the first condition is that the duration for which the signal quality of the currently camped cell is less than or equal to the second threshold is greater than or equal to the first duration.

[0199] In other words, the terminal uses both signal quality and its changing trend as triggering conditions for cell reselection and attitude change. When the signal quality of the currently camped cell fails to meet requirements, cell reselection and attitude change are triggered. The characterization of signal quality can be found in the descriptions in the preceding embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0200] For example, taking the signal quality of a cell as characterized by RSRP, after the terminal accesses a cell managed by a third network device through random access, it detects the RSRP of the cell it is currently camping on. If the RSRP of the cell it is currently camping on is less than or equal to a second threshold, it detects the RSRP of the cell it is currently camping on at subsequent times. If the duration for which the RSRP of the cell it is currently camping on is less than or equal to the second threshold is greater than or equal to a first duration, it triggers cell reselection and attitude change; if the duration for which the RSRP of the cell it is currently camping on is less than or equal to the second threshold is less than the first duration, it continues to camp on the current cell.

[0201] For example, consider a third network device operating as a satellite in non-staring mode, and a terminal as a ground device in an urban area. After the terminal accesses a cell managed by the third network device, it checks the RSRP of the currently camped cell. If the detected RSRP is less than or equal to a second threshold, a radio link failure (RLF) timer is started, with a duration of one period. During the RLF timer's operation (which can also be understood as before the RLF timer expires), the terminal continues to check the RSRP of the currently camped cell multiple times. If, during the RLF timer's operation, the terminal detects an RSRP greater than the second threshold, it resets the RLF timer and continues camping in the current cell. Upon the next detection of an RSRP less than or equal to the second threshold, the RLF timer is restarted. If, during the RLF timer's operation, all detected RSRPs are less than or equal to the second threshold, cell reselection and attitude change are triggered after the RLF timer expires.

[0202] Referring to Figure 14(b), taking the third network device as a satellite and the terminal as a ground device in the city as an example, after the terminal accesses the cell managed by the third network device, the signal quality of the cell where the terminal is currently camped may be less than or equal to the second threshold due to short-term obstruction caused by buildings. In this case, as the third network device moves, the signal quality of the cell where the terminal is currently camped may recover to a level greater than the second threshold. Therefore, if the terminal immediately triggers cell reselection and attitude change when it detects that the signal quality of the cell it is currently camped in does not meet the requirements, meaningless cell reselection may easily occur. Therefore, before triggering cell reselection and attitude change, the terminal can determine whether the signal quality of the cell it is currently camped in being less than or equal to the second threshold is caused by short-term obstruction based on the skyline information of the current location and the ephemeris information of the third network device. If it is determined that the signal quality of the cell is less than or equal to the second threshold due to short-term obstruction, the triggering of cell reselection is delayed, and the signal quality of the cell is checked to see if it has recovered to a level greater than the second threshold.

[0203] The skyline information can be requested temporarily by the terminal or stored in advance by the terminal. Furthermore, a similar situation may occur when the third network device is a ground-based device and the terminal is located on a non-ground platform. The difference is that the relative motion between the third network device and the terminal is caused by the motion of the terminal, which will not be elaborated further.

[0204] Based on this scheme, if the signal quality of the currently camped cell does not meet the requirements, the terminal continuously detects the signal quality of the currently camped cell within the first time period. If the signal quality of the currently camped cell recovers to the required level within the first time period, the terminal continues to camp in the current cell. If the signal quality of the currently camped cell does not meet the requirements within the first time period, the terminal triggers the attitude change process and cell reselection, effectively reducing the probability of triggering unnecessary cell reselection under the influence of short-term occlusion of the terminal.

[0205] As a third possible implementation, the first condition is that the signal quality of the currently occupied cell is less than or equal to the second threshold, and the media synchronization is lost.

[0206] In other words, the terminal uses both signal quality and media synchronization status as triggering conditions for cell reselection and attitude change. When the signal quality of the currently camped cell fails to meet requirements and media synchronization is lost, cell reselection and attitude change are triggered. The characterization of signal quality and the meaning of media synchronization loss can be found in the relevant descriptions in the preceding embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0207] For example, let's take the signal quality of a cell as characterized by RSRP. After a terminal accesses a cell managed by a third network device via random access, it checks the RSRP of the cell it is currently camping on. If the RSRP is less than or equal to the RSRQ threshold, the terminal then checks whether a media synchronization loss has occurred. If the RSRP is less than or equal to the second threshold and the terminal has experienced a media synchronization loss, the first attitude change procedure is triggered and cell reselection is performed. If the RSRP is less than or equal to the second threshold but the terminal has not experienced a media synchronization loss, or if the RSRP is greater than the second threshold, the terminal continues to camp on the current cell.

[0208] In addition, the above embodiment takes the example of the terminal first detecting whether the signal quality of the cell where the terminal is currently camped is less than or equal to the second threshold, and then detecting whether the terminal has lost media synchronization. The terminal can also first detect its own media synchronization status, and then detect whether the signal quality of the cell where the terminal is currently camped is less than or equal to the second threshold, without restriction.

[0209] Furthermore, the above example uses RSRP to characterize signal quality. Signal quality can also be characterized by RSRQ, or by a combination of RSRQ and RSRP.

[0210] Based on this scheme, if the signal quality of the cell in which the terminal is currently camped does not meet the requirements and the terminal experiences a loss of media synchronization, the terminal can immediately trigger attitude adjustment and cell reselection, enabling the terminal to reselect to a new cell as quickly as possible, which is beneficial to improving the overall service quality of the terminal from the network side.

[0211] As a fourth possible implementation, the first condition is that the signal quality of the currently residing cell is less than or equal to the third threshold, and the duration of the media synchronization loss is greater than or equal to the second duration.

[0212] In other words, the terminal uses signal quality, media synchronization status, and the trend of media synchronization status changes as triggering conditions for cell reselection and attitude change. When the signal quality and media synchronization status of the currently camped cell consistently fail to meet requirements, cell reselection and attitude change are triggered. The characterization of signal quality and the meaning of media synchronization loss can be found in the relevant descriptions in the preceding embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0213] For example, taking the signal quality of a cell as represented by RSRP, after a terminal accesses a cell managed by a third network device through random access, it detects the RSRP of the cell it is currently camping on. If the RSRP of the cell it is currently camping on is less than or equal to a third threshold, it detects the RSRP of the cell it is currently camping on at subsequent times and whether the terminal has experienced a media synchronization loss. If the RSRP of the cell it is currently camping on is continuously less than or equal to the third threshold, and the duration of the media synchronization loss is greater than or equal to a second duration, it triggers cell reselection and attitude change. If the duration of the media synchronization loss is less than the second duration, and the RSRP of the cell it is currently camping on recovers to a level greater than the third threshold, or the terminal recovers media synchronization, it continues to camp on the current cell.

[0214] For example, consider a third network device operating as a satellite in non-staring mode, and a terminal as a ground device in an urban area. After the terminal accesses a cell managed by the third network device, it checks the RSRP of the currently camped cell. If the detected RSRP is less than or equal to the third threshold, and the terminal experiences a media synchronization loss, it starts an RLF timer and attempts to restore media synchronization. The RLF timer duration is the second duration. During the RLF timer's operation (which can also be understood as before the RLF timer expires), the terminal continues to check the RSRP of the currently camped cell and the terminal's media synchronization status. During the RLF timer's operation, if the detected RSRP is greater than the third threshold, or if the terminal restores media synchronization, the RLF timer is reset and the terminal continues to camp on the current cell. The next time the detected RSRP is less than or equal to the third threshold, and the terminal experiences a media synchronization loss, the RLF timer is restarted. During the RLF timer's operation, if the terminal consistently detects an RSRP less than or equal to the third threshold, and the terminal remains in a media synchronization loss state, then after the RLF timer expires, cell reselection and attitude change are triggered.

[0215] Based on this scheme, if the signal quality of the currently camped cell does not meet the requirements and the terminal experiences media synchronization loss, it will continuously detect the signal quality of the currently camped cell and attempt to restore media synchronization within a second time period. If the signal quality of the currently camped cell recovers to the required level within the second time period, or if the terminal restores media synchronization within the second time period, it will continue to camp in the current cell. If the signal quality of the currently camped cell does not meet the requirements within the second time period, and the terminal remains in a media synchronization loss reloading state within the second time period, it will trigger an attitude change procedure and cell reselection, effectively reducing the probability of the terminal triggering unnecessary cell reselection under the influence of factors such as short-term obstruction.

[0216] In addition, it is worth mentioning that the above embodiments are described by taking each possible implementation of the first condition as an example of independent application. In the application process, the various possible implementations of the first condition mentioned in the above embodiments can also be used in combination without conflict. For example, the first condition includes a first distance greater than or equal to a first threshold, and the third network device being far away from the terminal, and the duration of the signal quality of the currently camped cell being less than or equal to a second threshold being greater than or equal to a first duration, which is not limited.

[0217] Optionally, the first threshold, second threshold, third threshold, first duration, and second duration can all be predefined by the protocol or pre-agreed upon by the terminal and the third network device. For example, the third network device sends first information, and correspondingly, the terminal receives the first information. The first information is used to indicate at least one of the first threshold, second threshold, third threshold, first duration, and second duration.

[0218] In other words, the terminal receives the first information from the third network device and determines the triggering conditions for cell reselection and the first attitude change process based on the first information. That is, the first information is used by the terminal to determine the first condition for triggering the attitude change process or cell reselection, or in other words, the first information is used by the terminal to determine the specific value of the threshold value in the triggering conditions for the attitude change process or cell reselection.

[0219] For example, the first information may be carried in system messages, MAC control element (MAC CE) messages, RRC messages, or downlink control information (DCI) broadcast by the third network device.

[0220] Furthermore, the second and third thresholds can be determined by a third network device based on the synchronization maintenance time. For example, at least one of the second and third thresholds can be exactly equal to the synchronization maintenance time (12s), or equal to N times the synchronization maintenance time, where N is greater than 0. For example, N can be 0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.25, 1.5, or 2. The values ​​of the second and third thresholds can be the same or different. Similarly, the second and third durations can be the same or different, without restriction.

[0221] In one possible implementation, the terminal starts a first timer at the end of the first attitude change procedure. During the operation of the first timer, if the signal quality of the first cell meets the cell reselection criteria, the first attitude change procedure is triggered and cell reselection is performed. That is to say, when the terminal is determining whether to reselect to the first cell, the fact that the signal quality of the first cell meets the cell reselection criteria can be understood as the signal quality of the first cell meeting the cell reselection criteria during the operation of the first timer (or before the first timer expires).

[0222] For example, after the terminal changes its current attitude to the target attitude through the first attitude change procedure, at the end of the first attitude change procedure (or when entering the target attitude), a first timer (SatValidTimer) is started. During the execution of the first timer, no attitude adjustment is performed, but cell reselection measurement is conducted to obtain the signal quality of the first cell and the signal quality of the currently camped cell. Then, according to the cell reselection measurement time defined in the cell reselection rules, a signal quality comparison window with a duration greater than or equal to the cell reselection measurement time is generated, and during the execution of the first timer, the signal quality comparison results of the first cell and the currently camped cell in multiple different signal quality comparison windows are obtained. After detecting that the signal quality of the first cell meets the cell reselection rules in a certain signal quality comparison window, the cell reselection measurement is stopped and the terminal reselects to the first cell.

[0223] Based on this scheme, the cell reselection measurement time for the terminal to determine whether to reselect to the first cell is less than or equal to the duration of the first timer. In other words, the maximum cell reselection measurement time during the terminal's process of determining whether to reselect to a particular cell is the duration of the first timer. This avoids excessively long cell reselection measurement times and reduces unnecessary cell reselection measurements when the network device is in a faulty state (i.e., the network device is too far from the terminal or the terminal is no longer within the network device's coverage area). Furthermore, the terminal does not perform attitude changes during the first timer's operation, avoiding frequent attitude adjustments and improving user experience.

[0224] Optionally, the positions of different signal quality comparison windows on the time axis may not overlap, that is, the interval between the start times of adjacent signal quality comparison windows is greater than the duration corresponding to the signal quality comparison window; or, the positions of different signal quality comparison windows on the time axis may partially overlap, that is, the interval between the start times of adjacent signal quality comparison windows is less than or equal to the duration corresponding to the signal quality comparison window.

[0225] For example, taking the cell reselection criterion R as an example, after the terminal changes its current attitude to the target attitude through the first attitude change procedure, it starts the first timer. During the operation of the first timer, it acquires the values ​​of Rn corresponding to the first cell and Rs corresponding to the cell currently camped by the terminal at each sampling moment from the start time of the first timer. Then, according to the duration corresponding to the reselection measurement time in the R criterion (denoted as L1), the start time of the first timer is taken as the start time, and the time interval of the start time of the first timer is L1 as the end time, thus generating the first comparison window. The terminal can then detect whether Rn at the same time point within the first comparison window is greater than Rs. If Rn at the same time point within the first comparison window is greater than Rs, the first cell is determined to meet the R criterion, and the cell is reselected to the first cell. If the value of Rn at at least one time point within the first comparison window is less than or equal to the value of Rs at the same time point, the first cell does not meet the R criterion. The start time of the first comparison window is then shifted forward by a preset value (e.g., 1s, 2s, 3.5s, 5s, 7.5s, or 10s), and a second comparison window is generated. Within the second comparison window, the terminal checks whether the first cell meets the R criterion. This process continues until the first cell in the second comparison window meets the R criterion, and the cell is reselected to the first cell. If the first cell in the second comparison window does not meet the R criterion, the next comparison window is generated, until the first cell is detected to meet the R criterion in a certain comparison window, or the first timer expires, at which point the cell is determined not to meet the cell reselection rules.

[0226] Based on this scheme, when the interval between adjacent comparison windows is less than the length of the comparison window, the terminal can generate a larger number of comparison windows during the first timer operation, and the granularity of the detection of whether the first cell meets the cell reselection rules is also smaller, which is conducive to improving the probability of detecting that the first cell meets the cell reselection rules.

[0227] Optionally, the duration of the first timer can be predefined by the protocol or agreed upon in advance by the terminal and the network device.

[0228] For example, the third network device sends the second information, and the terminal receives the second information accordingly. The second information is used by the terminal to determine the duration of the first timer.

[0229] As one possible implementation, the second information can explicitly indicate the duration of the first timer. For example, the second information includes the duration of the first timer, or the second information includes the start and end times of the first timer, and the terminal directly uses the second information to determine the duration of the first timer.

[0230] For example, the second information may include the common timer duration (common SatValidTimer) broadcast by the third network device, and the terminal directly uses the common timer duration as the duration of the first timer; or, the second information may also include multiple information elements, each information element containing a terminal identifier and the independent timer duration (UE-specific SatValidTimer) corresponding to the terminal, and the terminal uses the independent timer duration in the information element containing ID1 in the second information as the duration of the first timer according to its corresponding terminal identifier (denoted as ID1).

[0231] As another possible implementation, the second information can implicitly indicate the duration of the first timer. For example, the second information may include the duration level corresponding to the first timer, with different duration levels corresponding to different timing durations. Alternatively, the second information may also include a fourth duration for determining the duration of the first timer, the duration of which is determined based on the fourth duration and the remaining service time corresponding to the first network device.

[0232] The fourth duration is the minimum time interval for the terminal to change its posture. This fourth duration can be predefined by the protocol or agreed upon in advance by the terminal and the third-party network device.

[0233] The terminal determines the duration of the first timer based on the fourth duration in two possible ways:

[0234] Method 1: Use the difference between the remaining service time corresponding to the first network device and the fourth duration as the duration of the first timer.

[0235] In other words, after obtaining the fourth duration through the second information, the terminal obtains the remaining service time (denoted as t) corresponding to the first network device. remaining The difference between the remaining service time of the first network device and the fourth duration (denoted as Tmin) (denoted as tSatValidTimer) is used as the duration of the first timer. That is, the duration of the first timer tSatValidTimer = (t... remaining -T min The method for obtaining the remaining service time corresponding to the first network device can refer to the relevant description of obtaining the remaining service time corresponding to the second network device in the previous embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0236] Method 2: Use the difference between the remaining service time corresponding to the first network device and the fourth duration, and the maximum value between the fourth durations, as the duration of the first timer.

[0237] In other words, tSatValidTimer = max(Tmin,t remaining -Tmin), where t remaining Tmin represents the remaining service time for the first network device, and Tmin represents the fourth duration.

[0238] Based on this scheme, the terminal can accurately determine the maximum detection duration (duration of the first timer) of whether the terminal meets the cell reselection rules for the first cell according to the remaining service time of the first network device and the minimum time interval (fourth duration) of the terminal's attitude adjustment. This effectively controls the judgment duration of the terminal in deciding whether to reselect to the first cell during the cell reselection process, which is conducive to improving the cell reselection efficiency.

[0239] For example, the second information may be carried in a system message, a MAC control element (MAC CE) message, an RRC message, or downlink control information (DCI) broadcast by the third network device. The first and second information may be carried in the same message or in different messages, without limitation.

[0240] In one possible implementation, if the signal quality of the first cell does not meet the cell reselection criteria, the terminal triggers a second attitude change procedure. The target attitude of the second attitude change procedure is determined based on the location of a fourth network device, which is at least one of the second network devices that is different from the first network device.

[0241] In other words, after a certain period of time, if the signal quality of the first cell fails to meet the cell reselection criteria, the terminal determines that the first cell is unsuitable as the target cell after cell reselection. The terminal can then directly trigger a second attitude change procedure. From at least one second network device, another network device (i.e., the fourth network device) is selected as the new target device. Based on the location of the fourth network device, the target attitude of the terminal after the second attitude change procedure is determined. The user is then guided to adjust the terminal's attitude, and the cell managed by the fourth network device (denoted as the second cell) is selected as the new candidate target cell. While the terminal is in the target attitude of the second attitude change procedure, the signal quality of the second cell is checked to ensure it meets the cell reselection criteria. If the signal quality of the second cell meets the criteria, the terminal reselects to the second cell.

[0242] The method for determining the fourth network device among at least one second network device is similar to the method for determining the first network device in the aforementioned embodiments. The difference is that the network device that is the first network device among at least one second network device needs to be excluded first. The implementation method of the second attitude change process is similar to the implementation method of the first attitude change process. The implementation method of detecting whether the second cell meets the cell reselection criterion is also similar to the implementation method of detecting whether the first cell meets the cell reselection criterion. Please refer to the relevant descriptions in the aforementioned embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0243] It is worth mentioning that at least one second network device mentioned in the second attitude change process can be a set of network devices that the terminal can see when the terminal triggers the second attitude change process. Therefore, the network devices included in the network device set 1 (i.e., at least one second network device) in the second attitude change process can be the same as or different from the network devices included in the network device set 2 (i.e., at least one second network device) in the first attitude change process.

[0244] Furthermore, if the cell reselection criteria are not met in the second cell, the second attitude change procedure (also known as the third attitude change procedure) can be triggered again to re-determine the network device as the target device and further change the attitude of the terminal to perform cell reselection until a new cell is successfully selected.

[0245] Based on this scheme, when the terminal detects that the first cell is not suitable as the target cell for cell reselection, it can promptly adjust to an attitude suitable for the fourth network device, thereby increasing the probability that the cell managed by the fourth network device can meet the cell reselection criteria. This is beneficial to further improve the efficiency and probability of the terminal reselecting a new cell in a timely manner.

[0246] For example, one application flow of the method shown in Figure 12 can be referred to Figure 15, and the flow may include the following steps:

[0247] Step 1: Check if the terminal meets the first condition.

[0248] For example, the terminal can detect whether it meets a first condition through the first module and the second module. If the terminal meets the first condition, it triggers an attitude change procedure and cell reselection. The first module is a functional entity (e.g., a modem) for implementing modulation and demodulation functions, and the second module is a functional entity for implementing application layer (AP) functions. Both the first and second modules can be modules within the terminal.

[0249] For example, taking a satellite as the third network device. The terminal can use the first module to detect whether the signal quality of the cell it is currently camping is less than or equal to a second threshold based on the received wireless signal. For example, it can detect whether the reference signal received level (SRXLV) of the currently camped cell is less than or equal to the same-frequency measurement threshold (SLNTRASearch) for cell reselection, or whether the RSRP of the currently camped cell is less than or equal to the second threshold. If the signal quality of the currently camped cell is detected to be greater than the second threshold, it is determined that the first condition is not met, and the terminal continues to camp in the current cell. If the signal quality of the currently camped cell is detected to be less than the second threshold, the first module can start a first timer (or a cell reselection timer or cell reselection delay timer), and continue to detect the signal quality of the cell the terminal is currently camping during the operation of the first timer. If, during the operation of the first timer, the signal quality of the cell the terminal is currently camping recovers to a level greater than the second threshold, it is determined that the first condition is not met, and the terminal continues to camp in the current cell. If, during the operation of the first timer, the signal quality of the cell the terminal is currently camping is always less than or equal to the second threshold, it is determined that the first condition is met.

[0250] The first module sends a satellite connection request to the second module, triggering an attitude change procedure and cell reselection. Upon receiving the satellite connection request, the second module triggers the first attitude change procedure.

[0251] The terminal can also use the second module to calculate whether the distance (first distance) between the third network device and the terminal is greater than or equal to a first threshold based on the ephemeris information of the third network device and the terminal's current position, and detect the relative motion trend between the third network device and the terminal. If the distance between the third network device and the terminal is greater than or equal to the first threshold and the third network device is moving away from the terminal, the first condition is determined to be met, and the first attitude change procedure and cell reselection are triggered. If the distance between the third network device and the terminal is less than the first threshold, and / or the third network device is moving closer to the terminal or the distance between them has not changed, the first condition is determined not to be met, and the terminal continues to camp in the current cell.

[0252] Step 2: Adjust the terminal's attitude to the target attitude through the first attitude change process.

[0253] For example, the terminal uses the second module to obtain network devices covering the current location of the terminal, and uses a set of other network devices besides the third network device as a candidate network device set. Then, it determines the first network device from at least one second network device included in the candidate network device set, and then determines the target posture based on the location of the first network device, and guides the user to adjust the terminal's posture to the target posture. The specific implementation of the first posture change process can be referred to the relevant description in the foregoing embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0254] After the second module implements the first attitude change process, the second module starts the first timer and sends a cell reselection measurement request to the first module. The cell reselection measurement request is used to trigger the first module to detect whether the first cell meets the cell reselection criteria.

[0255] Furthermore, if only the coverage area of ​​the third network device includes the terminal's current location, or if the first network device does not offer any selectable angles, the terminal can terminate the first attitude change process and continue camping in the cell managed by the third network device. The lack of selectable angles for the first network device can be understood as the terminal being unable to adjust its antenna array to face the first network device through attitude change, or being unable to adjust the area with good radiation gain of the terminal's antenna array to cover the first network device through attitude change.

[0256] Step 3: Determine whether to reselect to the first cell based on the signal quality of the first cell.

[0257] For example, after receiving the cell reselection measurement request from the second module, the first module checks whether the first cell meets the cell reselection criteria during the first timer's operation. If the first cell meets the cell reselection criteria during the first timer's operation, it reselects to the first cell managed by the first network device; if the first cell does not meet the cell reselection criteria during the first timer's operation, it remains in the current cell or triggers a new attitude change procedure. The implementation method for checking whether the first cell meets the cell reselection criteria during the first timer's operation can be referred to the relevant description in the foregoing embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0258] Based on the above scheme, the terminal triggers cell reselection when the first condition is met. During the cell reselection process, a first attitude change procedure is first triggered to adjust the terminal's attitude to the target attitude determined by the location of the first network device. The first network device is one of at least two second network devices whose coverage includes the terminal's current location. That is, after triggering cell reselection, the terminal promptly changes to the target attitude by triggering the first attitude change procedure, making the terminal highly adaptable to the first network device as a candidate network device. Then, while in the target attitude, the terminal detects the signal quality of the first cell corresponding to the first network device. If the signal quality of the first cell meets the cell reselection criteria, the terminal reselects the first cell. Because the terminal is highly adaptable to the first network device while in the target attitude, the probability that the signal quality of the first cell meets the cell reselection criteria is significantly increased. This avoids the first cell failing to meet the cell reselection criteria due to the terminal's attitude, reduces the probability of the terminal needing to perform multiple signal quality checks, and improves cell reselection efficiency.

[0259] The method provided in this application has been described above. In addition, this application also provides a communication device for implementing the functions described in the above method embodiments.

[0260] It is understood that, in order to achieve the aforementioned functions, the communication device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and algorithm steps of the examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0261] This application embodiment can divide the communication device into functional modules according to the above method embodiment. For example, each function can be divided into a separate functional module, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional module. It should be noted that the module division in this application embodiment is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods.

[0262] Figure 16 shows a schematic diagram of a communication device 160. The communication device 160 includes a processing module 1601 and a transceiver module 1602. The communication device 160 can be used to implement the functions of the aforementioned terminal or third network device.

[0263] In some embodiments, the communication device 160 may further include a storage module (not shown in FIG16) for storing program instructions and data.

[0264] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1602, also referred to as a transceiver unit, is used to implement sending and / or receiving functions. The transceiver module 1602 may consist of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver unit, or a communication interface.

[0265] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1602 may include a receiving module and a sending module, respectively configured to perform the receiving and sending steps performed by the terminal or a third network device in the above method embodiments, and / or other processes to support the technology described herein; the processing module 1601 may be configured to perform the processing steps performed by the terminal or a RAN node in the above method embodiments, and / or other processes to support the technology described herein.

[0266] When the communication device 160 is used to implement the functions of a terminal, in one possible implementation: the transceiver module 1602 is used to receive first information, the first information being used to indicate at least one of the following: a first duration, a second duration, a first threshold, a second threshold, or a third threshold.

[0267] In one possible implementation, the processing module 1601 is used to start a first timer when the first attitude change process ends, and the signal quality of the first cell meets the cell reselection criteria, including: during the operation of the first timer, the signal quality of the first cell meets the cell reselection criteria.

[0268] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module 1602 is used to receive second information, which is used to determine the duration of the first timer.

[0269] In one possible implementation, the processing module 1601 is used to trigger a second attitude change process when the signal quality of the first cell does not meet the cell reselection criteria. The target attitude of the second attitude change process is determined based on the location of a fourth network device, which is at least one of the second network devices that is different from the first network device.

[0270] When the communication device 160 is used to implement the functions of a network device, in one possible implementation: the transceiver module 1602 is used to send second information, the second information is used by the terminal to determine the duration of the first timer, the duration of the first timer is the maximum detection duration for the terminal to detect whether the signal quality of the first cell meets the cell reselection rules.

[0271] All relevant content of each step involved in the above method embodiments can be referenced from the functional description of the corresponding functional module, and will not be repeated here.

[0272] In this application, the communication device 160 can be presented in an integrated manner by dividing it into various functional modules. Here, "module" can refer to an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a circuit, a processor and memory that executes one or more software or firmware programs, integrated logic circuits, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions.

[0273] In some embodiments, when the communication device 160 in FIG16 is a chip or chip system, the function / implementation process of the transceiver module 1602 can be implemented through the input / output interface (or communication interface) of the chip or chip system, and the function / implementation process of the processing module 1601 can be implemented through the processor (or processing circuit) of the chip or chip system.

[0274] Since the communication device 160 provided in this embodiment can execute the above method, the technical effects it can achieve can be referred to the above method embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0275] As a possible product form, the terminal or third network device described in the embodiments of this application can be implemented using the following: one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), controllers, state machines, gate logic, discrete hardware components, any other suitable circuits, or any combination of circuits capable of performing the various functions described throughout this application.

[0276] As another possible product form, the terminal or third network device described in this application embodiment can be implemented using a general bus architecture. For ease of explanation, refer to FIG17, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 1700 provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device 1700 includes a processor 1701 and a transceiver 1702. The communication device 1700 can be a terminal, or a chip or chip system therein; or, the communication device 1700 can be a third network device, or a chip or module therein. FIG17 only shows the main components of the communication device 1700. In addition to the processor 1701 and transceiver 1702, the communication device may further include a memory 1703 and input / output devices (not shown in the figure).

[0277] For example, processor 1701 is mainly used to process communication protocols and communication data, control the entire communication device, execute software programs, and process the data of the software programs, thereby implementing the methods provided in the above-described method embodiments. Memory 1703 is mainly used to store software programs and data. Transceiver 1702 may include radio frequency (RF) circuitry and an antenna. The RF circuitry is mainly used for converting baseband signals to RF signals and processing RF signals. The antenna is mainly used for transmitting and receiving RF signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input / output devices, such as touchscreens, displays, and keyboards, are mainly used to receive user input data and output data to the user.

[0278] Optionally, the processor 1701, transceiver 1702, and memory 1703 can be connected via a communication bus.

[0279] When the communication device is powered on, the processor 1701 can read the software program in the memory 1703, interpret and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be transmitted wirelessly, the processor 1701 performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted and outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency (RF) circuit. The RF circuit processes the baseband signal and transmits the RF signal outward in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the communication device, the RF circuit receives the RF signal through the antenna, converts the RF signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 1701. The processor 1701 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0280] In another implementation, the radio frequency circuitry and antenna can be set up independently of the processor performing baseband processing. For example, in a distributed scenario, the radio frequency circuitry and antenna can be arranged remotely, independent of the communication device.

[0281] In some embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the above-described communication device 160 can be implemented in the form of the communication device 1700 shown in FIG17.

[0282] As an example, the function / implementation of the processing module 1601 in Figure 16 can be achieved by the processor 1701 in the communication device 1700 shown in Figure 17 calling computer execution instructions stored in the memory 1703. The function / implementation of the transceiver module 1602 in Figure 16 can be achieved by the transceiver 1702 in the communication device 1700 shown in Figure 17.

[0283] As another possible product form, the terminal or third network device in this application may adopt the composition structure shown in FIG18, or include the components shown in FIG18. FIG18 is a schematic diagram of the composition of a communication device 1800 provided in this application. The communication device 1800 may be a terminal or a chip or system-on-a-chip in a terminal; or, it may be a third network device or a module, chip or system-on-a-chip in a third network device.

[0284] As shown in Figure 18, the communication device 1800 includes at least one processor 1801 and at least one communication interface (Figure 18 is merely an example illustrating the inclusion of a communication interface 1804 and a processor 1801). Optionally, the communication device 1800 may also include a communication bus 1802 and a memory 1803.

[0285] Processor 1801 can be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a general-purpose processor, a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a PLD, or any combination thereof. Processor 1801 can also be other devices with processing functions, such as circuits, devices, or software modules, without limitation.

[0286] Communication bus 1802 is used to connect different components in communication device 1800, enabling communication between them. Communication bus 1802 can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. This bus can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is used in Figure 18, but this does not indicate that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0287] Optionally, the bus can also link various other circuits, such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art and therefore will not be described further. The bus interface provides the interface between the bus and the transceiver, as well as between the bus and the interface.

[0288] Communication interface 1804 is used for communicating with other devices or communication networks. For example, communication interface 1804 can be a module, circuit, transceiver, or any device capable of communication. Optionally, communication interface 1804 can also be an input / output interface located within processor 1801, used to implement signal input and signal output for the processor.

[0289] The memory 1803 may be a device with storage function, used to store instructions and / or data. The instructions may be computer programs.

[0290] For example, the memory 1803 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device capable of storing static information and / or instructions; it may also be a random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device capable of storing information and / or instructions; it may also be an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital universal optical discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, etc., without limitation.

[0291] It should be noted that the memory 1803 can exist independently of the processor 1801, or it can be integrated with the processor 1801. The memory 1803 can be located inside or outside the communication device 1800, without limitation. The processor 1801 can be used to execute the instructions stored in the memory 1803 to implement the methods provided in the following embodiments of this application.

[0292] As an optional implementation, the communication device 1800 may also include an output device 1805 and an input device 1806. The output device 1805 communicates with the processor 1801 and can display information in various ways. For example, the output device 1805 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED) display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or a projector, etc. The input device 1806 communicates with the processor 1801 and can receive user input in various ways. For example, the input device 1806 may be a mouse, keyboard, touchscreen device, or sensing device, etc.

[0293] In some embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the communication device 160 shown in FIG16 can take the form of the communication device 1800 shown in FIG18 in terms of hardware implementation.

[0294] As an example, the function / implementation process of the processing module 1601 in Figure 16 can be implemented by the processor 1801 in the communication device 1800 shown in Figure 18 calling computer execution instructions stored in the memory 1803. The function / implementation process of the transceiver module 1602 in Figure 16 can be implemented by the communication interface 1804 in the communication device 1800 shown in Figure 18.

[0295] It should be noted that the structure shown in Figure 18 does not constitute a specific limitation on the terminal or third network device. For example, in other embodiments of this application, the terminal or network device may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine some components, or split some components, or have different component arrangements. The components shown in the figure may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0296] In some embodiments, this application also provides a communication device, which includes a processor for implementing the methods in any of the above method embodiments.

[0297] As one possible implementation, the communication device also includes a memory. This memory stores necessary computer programs and data. The computer program may include instructions, which a processor can invoke to instruct the communication device to execute the methods described in any of the above method embodiments. Alternatively, the memory may not be present in the communication device.

[0298] As another possible implementation, the communication device also includes an interface circuit, which is a code / data read / write interface circuit, used to receive computer execution instructions (which are stored in memory and may be read directly from memory or may be transmitted through other devices) and transmit them to the processor.

[0299] As another possible implementation, the communication device also includes a communication interface for communicating with modules outside the communication device.

[0300] It is understood that the communication device can be a chip or a chip system. When the communication device is a chip system, it can be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices. This application does not specifically limit this.

[0301] For example, referring to FIG19, when the communication device 1900 is a chip, the chip can be implemented using a processing system including one or more processors. For example, the processor may include a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor (DSP), field-programmable gate array (FPGA), GPU, programmable logic device (PLD), state machine, gated logic, discrete hardware circuitry, and other suitable hardware configured to perform various functions.

[0302] The processing system can be implemented using a bus architecture, typically represented by a bus. The bus can include any number of interconnect buses and bridges, depending on the specific application and overall design constraints of the processing system. The bus couples various circuits together, including one or more processors (typically represented by a processor), memory, and computer-readable storage media (typically represented by a computer-readable medium). The bus can also link various other circuits, such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art and will therefore not be described further. The bus interface provides the interface between the bus and transceivers, as well as between the bus and the interface.

[0303] Optionally, the processor manages the bus and general processing, including executing software stored on a computer-readable medium. When the processor executes the software, it causes the processing system to perform the various functions described below for any particular device. Functions that the processor, memory, and computer-readable medium can implement include: encoding, decoding, rate matching, derate matching, scrambling, descrambling, modulation, demodulation, layer mapping, precoding, channel equalization, etc.

[0304] Optionally, the chip may also include a transceiver. The transceiver provides a communication interface or means for communicating with various other devices via a wireless transmission medium. The transceiver may be coupled to an antenna array, and the transceiver and antenna array may be used together for communication with a corresponding network type. At least one interface (e.g., a network interface and / or a user interface) provides a communication interface or means for communication via an internal bus or via an external transmission medium.

[0305] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program or instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a computer, implements the functions of any of the above-described method embodiments.

[0306] This application also provides a computer program product that, when executed by a computer, implements the functions of any of the above method embodiments.

[0307] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0308] It is understood that the systems, apparatuses, and methods described in this application can also be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the couplings or direct couplings or communication connections shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; indirect couplings or communication connections between devices or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0309] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0310] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0311] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software programs, implementation can be, in whole or in part, in the form of a computer program product. This computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this 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. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device containing one or more servers, data centers, etc., that can be integrated with the medium. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid-state drive (SSD)). In this embodiment, the computer may include the aforementioned apparatus.

[0312] Although this application has been described herein in conjunction with various embodiments, those skilled in the art, by reviewing the accompanying drawings, disclosure, and appended claims, will understand and implement other variations of the disclosed embodiments in carrying out the claimed application. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps, and "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit can implement several functions listed in the claims. While different dependent claims may recite certain measures, this does not mean that these measures cannot be combined to produce good results.

[0313] Although this application has been described in conjunction with specific features and embodiments, it is obvious that various modifications and combinations can be made thereto without departing from the scope of this application. Accordingly, this specification and drawings are merely illustrative descriptions of the application as defined by the appended claims, and are considered to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents within the scope of this application. Clearly, those skilled in the art can make various alterations and modifications to this application without departing from its scope. Thus, if such modifications and modifications fall within the scope of the claims and their equivalents, this application is also intended to include such modifications and modifications.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method includes: When the terminal meets the first condition, a first attitude change process is triggered. The target attitude of the first attitude change process is determined based on the location of the first network device. The first network device is one of at least two second network devices, and the terminal is located within the coverage area of ​​the second network device. When the terminal is in the target posture, if the signal quality of the first cell meets the cell reselection criteria, it will reselect to the first cell, which is the cell corresponding to the first network device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first condition includes at least one of the following: The first distance is greater than or equal to the first threshold; The first distance is greater than or equal to the first threshold, and the third network device is far away from the terminal; The signal quality of the cell currently in use is less than or equal to the second threshold; The duration for which the signal quality of the currently occupied cell is less than or equal to the second threshold is greater than or equal to the first duration; The signal quality of the currently occupied cell is less than or equal to the third threshold, and media synchronization is lost; The signal quality of the currently occupied cell is less than or equal to the third threshold, and the duration of the media synchronization loss is greater than or equal to the second duration; The third network device is the network device corresponding to the cell where the terminal is currently camped, and the first distance is the distance between the terminal and the third network device.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The third network device being farther away from the terminal includes: the angle between the first vector and the second vector being greater than 90°, the first vector being the velocity vector of the third network device, and the second vector pointing from the beam center of the third network device towards the terminal; and / or The first remaining service time is greater than the second remaining service time. The first remaining service time is the remaining service time of the third network device at the first moment, and the second remaining service time is the remaining service time of the third network device at the second moment. The first moment is earlier than the second moment.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: receiving first information, the first information being used to indicate at least one of the following: the first duration, the second duration, the first threshold, the second threshold, or the third threshold.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The cell reselection criteria include: the duration for which a first signal quality is greater than a second signal quality is greater than or equal to a third duration, wherein the first signal quality is the signal quality of the first cell, and the second signal quality is the signal quality of the cell in which the terminal is currently camped.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The method further includes: starting a first timer when the first attitude change process ends; The signal quality of the first cell meets the cell reselection criteria, including: during the operation of the first timer, the signal quality of the first cell meets the reselection criteria.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, The method further includes receiving second information, the second information being used to determine the duration of the first timer.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The second information includes the duration of the first timer; or, The second information includes a fourth duration, the duration of which is determined based on the fourth duration and the remaining service time corresponding to the first network device. The fourth duration is the minimum time interval for the terminal to change its posture.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The first network device is the network device with the largest remaining service time among the at least one second network device; and / or, The first network device is the network device with the smallest distance from the terminal among the at least one second network device.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The method further includes: If the signal quality of the first cell does not meet the cell reselection criteria, a second attitude change procedure is triggered. The target attitude of the second attitude change procedure is determined based on the location of the fourth network device, which is a network device that is different from the first network device among the at least one second network device.

11. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method includes: Send first information, which is used by the terminal to determine the first condition for triggering the attitude change process; The attitude change process is used to change the attitude of the terminal before the terminal determines whether to reselect to the first cell. The first cell is the cell corresponding to the first network device, the first network device is one of at least one second network device, and the terminal is located within the coverage area of ​​the second network device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The first condition includes at least one of the following: The first distance is greater than or equal to the first threshold; The first distance is greater than or equal to the first threshold, and the third network device is far away from the terminal; The signal quality of the cell currently in use is less than or equal to the second threshold; The duration for which the signal quality of the currently occupied cell is less than or equal to the second threshold is greater than or equal to the first duration; The signal quality of the currently occupied cell is less than or equal to the third threshold, and media synchronization is lost; The signal quality of the currently occupied cell is less than or equal to the third threshold, and the duration of the media synchronization loss is greater than or equal to the second duration; The third network device is the network device corresponding to the cell where the terminal is currently camped, and the first distance is the distance between the terminal and the third network device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, The first information is used to indicate at least one of the following: the first duration, the second duration, the first threshold, the second threshold, or the third threshold.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a second message, which is used by the terminal to determine the duration of a first timer. The duration of the first timer is the maximum detection duration for the terminal to detect whether the signal quality of the first cell meets the cell reselection rules.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, The second information includes the duration of the first timer; or, The second information includes a fourth duration, the duration of which is determined based on the fourth duration and the remaining service time corresponding to the first network device. The fourth duration is the minimum time interval for the terminal to change its posture.

16. A communications device, characterized by The communication device includes a processor; the processor is configured to run a computer program or instructions to cause the communication device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-10, or to cause the communication device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 11-15.

17. A chip or chip system, characterized by The chip or chip system includes a processor coupled to a memory for storing programs or instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the method as described in any one of claims 1-10 to be performed, or cause the method as described in any one of claims 11-15 to be performed.

18. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions or programs that, when executed on a computer, cause the method described in any one of claims 1-10 to be performed, or cause the method described in any one of claims 11-15 to be performed.

19. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer program product includes computer instructions; when some or all of the computer instructions are run on a computer, they cause the method of any one of claims 1-10 to be performed, or cause the method of any one of claims 11-15 to be performed.

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