Communication method, apparatus, and storage medium

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method, an apparatus, and a storage medium, capable of initiating cell measurement at a suitable occasion, and then continuing a mobility management process, effectively avoiding the problem of communication interruption. The method comprises: a network device determines a ground coverage area of a first cell, the first cell being a cell to which a terminal device accesses, and the ground coverage area of the first cell belonging to a first ground coverage area that comprises ground coverage areas of a plurality of cells; the network device sends first information to the terminal device on the basis of the ground coverage area of the first cell; and accordingly, the terminal device receives the first information, and determines the ground coverage area of the first cell on the basis of the first information.

Description

Communication methods, devices and storage media

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411531918.9, filed on October 29, 2024, entitled "Communication Method, Apparatus and Storage Medium", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, apparatus and storage medium. Background Technology

[0003] Satellite communication has a large coverage area, which may include various environments (e.g., rural areas, cities, oceans, deserts, mountains, etc.). Different environments have significantly different requirements for satellite access, so synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) with different periods can be configured according to different access requirements.

[0004] The ground coverage area of ​​SSBs in different cycles can be divided into different cells. The ground coverage areas of different cells may not all be regular shapes, and the signal strength between multiple cells has no fixed relationship. In this situation, terminal devices in a disconnected state cannot initiate neighbor cell measurements based on signal quality, causing the terminal devices to be unable to continue subsequent mobility management processes, which may lead to communication interruption. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method, apparatus, and storage medium to find a suitable time to initiate cell measurement and avoid communication interruption.

[0006] Firstly, this application provides a communication method that can be applied to the terminal side, such as a terminal or a communication module within a terminal, or a circuit or chip (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip or system-in-package (SIP) chip containing a modem core) responsible for communication functions within the terminal. The method is described below using a terminal as an example.

[0007] For example, the method includes: receiving first information, the first information being used to determine the ground coverage area of ​​a first cell, the first cell being a cell accessed by a terminal device, the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell belonging to a first ground coverage area that includes the ground coverage areas of multiple cells; and determining the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell based on the first information.

[0008] The first piece of information is used to determine the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0009] Optionally, the first information is used to determine the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell from within the first ground coverage area. Alternatively, the first information is used to determine the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell from a portion of the ground coverage area of ​​the first ground coverage area. It is understood that the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell belongs to a portion of the ground coverage area of ​​the first ground coverage area.

[0010] Based on this technical solution, the terminal device determines the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell based on the first information from the network device used to determine the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell; then the terminal device can determine the edge location of the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell. In this way, when the terminal device is located at the edge location of the first cell, it can start neighbor cell measurement and continue the subsequent mobility management process, thereby effectively avoiding communication interruption.

[0011] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the ground coverage of multiple cells includes the ground coverage of multiple SSBs, and the ground coverage of the first cell among the multiple cells is the ground coverage of at least one of the multiple SSBs.

[0012] Here, the ground coverage area of ​​the SSB can be replaced by the coverage area of ​​the SSB beam. The first ground coverage area includes multiple SSBs, which may include SSBs with the same period and SSBs with different periods.

[0013] Optionally, each of the multiple cells can be the terrestrial coverage area of ​​one SSB, or the terrestrial coverage area of ​​multiple SSBs. When each cell is the terrestrial coverage area of ​​multiple SSBs, the cycles of the multiple SSBs included in each cell are the same. That is, when the terrestrial coverage of the first cell is the terrestrial coverage area of ​​multiple SSBs, the cycles of those multiple SSBs are the same.

[0014] Optionally, any two cells in the multiple cells may have different SSB periods.

[0015] Based on this, the terminal device can determine the ground coverage area of ​​different cells from the ground coverage areas of multiple SSBs based on the SSB period.

[0016] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the aforementioned first information is specifically used to indicate the location of the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell within the first ground coverage area.

[0017] One possible implementation is that the ground coverage area of ​​each SSB in the first ground coverage area corresponds to an identifier or SSB index; the first information includes the identifier or SSB index corresponding to the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0018] Optionally, the terrestrial coverage area of ​​each SSB corresponds to an identifier or SSB index, which can be predefined or indicated by the network device.

[0019] Based on this, signaling overhead can be effectively saved by indicating the ground coverage of the first cell using a representation or SSB index.

[0020] It is understandable that when the coverage area of ​​the first cell is indicated by the SSB index, the SSB indices corresponding to the ground coverage areas of multiple SSBs in the first ground coverage area are different from each other.

[0021] Another possible implementation is that the first ground coverage area is represented by an N1-row, M1-column matrix, where each element in the N1-row, M1-column matrix corresponds to one of the ground coverage areas of multiple SSBs, and N1 and M1 are both positive integers; the aforementioned first information includes the sequence X corresponding to the N1i-th row of the N1-row, M1-column matrix. i The ground coverage area of ​​the first cell includes sequence X. i The ground coverage area corresponding to a specific value element in the data.

[0022] Optionally, the aforementioned first information also includes the sequence X corresponding to the N1s-th row in the matrix with N1 rows and M1 columns. s The ground coverage area of ​​the first cell does not include sequence X. s The ground coverage area corresponding to a specific value element in the formula, where s≠i.

[0023] In other words, the first information may include a sequence corresponding to each row of a matrix with N1 rows and M1 columns. Each sequence may or may not include elements with specific values. That is, among the multiple sequences included in the first information, not every element in each row of the sequence corresponds to a ground coverage area that exists within the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0024] Optionally, the method further includes: receiving second information, the second information being used to indicate the N1th... i The elements in the row correspond to a portion or all of the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0025] Optionally, the second information can also be used to indicate that the ground coverage area corresponding to the element in the N1s row does not contain part or all of the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell. That is, the second information can be used to indicate whether the ground coverage area corresponding to the element in each row of the matrix with N1 rows and M1 columns contains the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0026] This method of indicating with the second information allows the first information to avoid indicating the sequence corresponding to all rows, thus effectively saving signaling overhead.

[0027] Another possible implementation is that the first ground coverage area is represented by an N2-row, M2-column matrix, where one element in the N2-row, M2-column matrix corresponds to one of the ground coverage areas of multiple cells; the first information includes the N2th element in the N2-row, M2-column matrix. i The sequence Y corresponding to the row i The ground coverage area of ​​the first cell includes sequence Y. i The ground coverage area corresponding to a specific value element in the data.

[0028] Where N2 and M2 are both positive integers.

[0029] Similar to the other possible implementation described above, the first information may include a sequence corresponding to each row of an N2-row, M2-column matrix. Each row's sequence may or may not include elements with specific values. That is, not every element in the sequence corresponding to a row in the first information corresponds to a ground coverage area that is within the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0030] Optionally, the method further includes: receiving third information, the third information indicating the N2nd... j The ground coverage area corresponding to the element in the row exists within the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0031] Similar to the second information, this third information can be used to indicate whether the ground coverage area corresponding to each element in the N1-row, M1-column matrix exists in the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0032] This method of indicating through third information allows the first information to avoid indicating the sequence corresponding to all rows, thereby effectively saving signaling overhead.

[0033] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving fourth information, the fourth information being used to indicate a first ground coverage area.

[0034] Optionally, the first information includes the ground coverage area of ​​each SSB in the first ground coverage area.

[0035] Optionally, the first information may include the location of the center point of the ground coverage area of ​​each SSB in the first ground coverage area, and the ground coverage radius of each SSB.

[0036] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first information is specifically used to indicate the location of the first cell within a portion of the ground coverage area of ​​the first ground coverage area.

[0037] One possible implementation is that the ground coverage area of ​​each SSB in a portion of the ground coverage area of ​​the first ground coverage area corresponds to a number; the first information includes the number corresponding to the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0038] Optionally, the number corresponding to the ground coverage area of ​​each SSB can be predefined or indicated by the network device.

[0039] This method of indicating the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell by number can effectively save signaling overhead.

[0040] Another possible implementation is that a portion of the ground coverage area of ​​the first ground coverage area is represented by a matrix of P1 rows and Q1 columns, where each element in the matrix corresponds to one of the ground coverage areas of one or more SSBs, and P1 and B1 are both positive integers; the first information includes the P1th element in the matrix of P1 rows and B1 columns. i The sequence A corresponding to the row i The ground coverage area of ​​the first cell includes the sequence A. i The ground coverage area corresponding to a specific value element in the data.

[0041] The partial ground coverage area of ​​the first ground coverage range includes the ground coverage areas of one or more SSBs. This partial ground coverage area of ​​the first ground coverage range can be a regular shape that includes the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell. For example, the regular shape can be a rectangle, the long side of which includes the ground coverage areas of Q1 SSBs, and the short side of which includes the ground coverage areas of P1 SSBs.

[0042] Optionally, the first information also includes the P1th column of the matrix in row P1 and column B1. s The sequence A corresponding to the row s The ground coverage area of ​​the first cell includes sequence A. sThe ground coverage area corresponding to a specific value element in the matrix, where i ≠ s. That is, the first information can include the sequence corresponding to each row of the matrix (row P1, column B1). Each row's sequence may or may not contain a specific value. In other words, not every element in each row's sequence corresponds to a ground coverage area that is part of the first cell's ground coverage area.

[0043] Optionally, the method further includes: receiving sixth information, the sixth information indicating the P1th column in the matrix of row P1 and column Q1. i The elements in the row correspond to a portion or all of the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0044] Optionally, this sixth piece of information can also be used to indicate the N1th... j The elements in a row correspond to a ground coverage area that contains part or all of the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell. In other words, this sixth piece of information can be used to indicate whether the ground coverage area corresponding to each element in row P1 contains the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0045] This method of indicating with the sixth information allows the first information to avoid indicating the sequence corresponding to all rows, thus effectively saving signaling overhead.

[0046] Another possible implementation is that the first ground coverage area is represented by a matrix of P2 rows and Q2 columns, where one element in the matrix corresponds to one of the ground coverage areas of one or more cells, and P2 and Q2 are both positive integers; the first information includes the P1th element in the matrix of P2 rows and Q2 columns. i The sequence B corresponding to the row i The ground coverage area of ​​the first cell includes sequence B. i The ground coverage area corresponding to a specific value element in the data.

[0047] Similar to the other possible implementation described above, the first information may include a sequence corresponding to each row of a matrix with rows P2 and columns Q2. Each row's sequence may or may not include elements with specific values. That is, not every element in the sequence corresponding to a row in the first information corresponds to a ground coverage area that is within the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0048] Optionally, the method further includes: receiving seventh information, the seventh information indicating the P2th column in the matrix of row P2 and column Q2. j The ground coverage area corresponding to the element in the row exists in the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0049] Similar to the sixth information, this sixth information can be used to indicate whether the ground coverage area corresponding to each element in the matrix of row P2 and column Q2 is covered by the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0050] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving fifth information, the fifth information being used to indicate a portion of the ground coverage area of ​​the first ground coverage area.

[0051] This method of indicating a portion of the first ground coverage area can effectively save signaling overhead compared to the method of indicating the entire first ground coverage area.

[0052] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first information is specifically used to indicate the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0053] Optionally, the first information may include the location of the center point of the ground coverage area of ​​each SSB in the ground coverage area of ​​at least one SSB included in the first cell, and the ground coverage radius of each SSB.

[0054] Optionally, the first information may include the center point location of the ground coverage area of ​​each SSB located at the edge of the first cell, and the ground coverage radius of each SSB.

[0055] Secondly, this application provides a communication method that can be applied to the network side, such as access network equipment, modules (e.g., circuits, chips, or chip systems) within the access network equipment, or logical nodes, logical modules, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the access network equipment. The method is described below using a network device as an example.

[0056] For example, the method includes: determining the ground coverage area of ​​a first cell, the first cell being the cell accessed by the terminal device, the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell belonging to a first ground coverage area that includes the ground coverage areas of multiple cells; and sending first information based on the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0057] Based on this technical solution, the network device sends first information to the terminal device to determine the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell, enabling the terminal device to determine the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell based on the received first information; furthermore, the terminal device can determine the edge location of the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell. In this way, when the terminal device is located at the edge of the first cell, it can initiate neighbor cell measurement and continue the subsequent mobility management process, thereby effectively avoiding communication interruptions.

[0058] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the ground coverage of multiple cells includes the ground coverage of multiple SSBs, wherein the ground coverage of the first cell among the multiple cells is the ground coverage of at least one of the multiple SSBs.

[0059] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the aforementioned first information is used to indicate the location of the first cell within the first ground coverage area.

[0060] One possible implementation is that the ground coverage area of ​​each SSB in the first ground coverage area corresponds to an identifier or SSB index; the aforementioned first information includes an identifier or SSB index corresponding to the ground coverage area of ​​at least one SSB.

[0061] Another possible implementation is that the first ground coverage area is represented by an N1-row, M1-column matrix, where each element in the N1-row, M1-column matrix corresponds to one of the ground coverage areas of multiple SSBs, and N1 and M1 are both positive integers; the aforementioned first information includes the sequence X corresponding to the N1i-th row of the N1-row, M1-column matrix. i The ground coverage area of ​​the first cell includes sequence X. i The ground coverage area corresponding to a specific value element in the data.

[0062] Optionally, the method further includes: sending a second message, the second message being used to indicate the N1th... i The elements in the row correspond to a portion or all of the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0063] Another possible implementation is that the first ground coverage area is represented by a matrix of N2 rows and M2 columns, where one element in this matrix corresponds to one of the ground coverage areas of multiple cells, and N2 and M2 are both positive integers; the aforementioned first information includes the N2th element in the matrix of N2 rows and M2 columns. i The sequence Y corresponding to the row i The ground coverage area of ​​the first cell includes sequence Y. i The ground coverage area corresponding to a specific value element in the data.

[0064] Optionally, the method further includes: sending a third message, the third message indicating the N2nd... j The ground coverage area corresponding to the element in the row exists in part or all of the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0065] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: sending a fourth message, the fourth message being used to indicate the first ground coverage area.

[0066] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the aforementioned first information is specifically used to indicate the location of the first cell within a portion of the ground coverage area of ​​the first ground coverage area.

[0067] One possible implementation is that the ground coverage area of ​​each SSB in a portion of the ground coverage area of ​​the first ground coverage area corresponds to a number; the aforementioned first information includes the number corresponding to the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0068] Another possible implementation is that a portion of the ground coverage area of ​​the first ground coverage area is represented by a matrix of P1 rows and Q1 columns, where each element in the matrix corresponds to one of the ground coverage areas of one or more SSBs, and P1 and B1 are both positive integers; the first information includes the sequence A corresponding to the P1i-th row of the matrix of P1 rows and B1 columns. i The ground coverage area of ​​the first cell includes the sequence A. i The ground coverage area corresponding to a specific value element in the data.

[0069] Optionally, the method further includes: sending a sixth message, the sixth message indicating the P1th column in the matrix of row P1 and column Q1. i The elements in the row correspond to a portion or all of the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0070] Another possible implementation is that the first ground coverage area is represented by a matrix of P2 rows and Q2 columns, where one element in the matrix corresponds to one of the ground coverage areas of one or more cells, and P2 and Q2 are both positive integers; the aforementioned first information includes the P1th element in the matrix of P2 rows and Q2 columns. i The sequence B corresponding to the row i The ground coverage area of ​​the first cell includes B. i The ground coverage area corresponding to a specific value element in the data.

[0071] Optionally, the method further includes: sending a seventh message indicating the P2th column in the matrix at row P2 and column Q2. j The ground coverage area corresponding to the element in the row exists in the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0072] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: sending fifth information, the fifth information being used to indicate a portion of the ground coverage area of ​​the first ground coverage area.

[0073] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the aforementioned first information is specifically used to indicate the coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0074] The description of the method in any possible implementation of the second aspect can be found in the description of any possible implementation of the first aspect above, and will not be repeated here.

[0075] Thirdly, this application provides a communication device, including modules or units for implementing the methods of any of the above aspects and any possible implementations of any of the above aspects. It should be understood that each module or unit can implement its corresponding function by executing a computer program.

[0076] Fourthly, this application provides a communication device including a processor, the processor being configured to perform the methods described in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations of any of the above aspects.

[0077] The apparatus may further include a memory for storing instructions and data. The memory is coupled to the processor, which, when executing the instructions stored in the memory, can implement the methods described in the foregoing aspects.

[0078] The device may also include a communication interface for communicating with other devices. For example, the communication interface may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module or other type of communication interface.

[0079] Fifthly, this application provides a chip system including at least one processor for supporting the implementation of the functions involved in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations of any of the above aspects, such as receiving or processing data and / or information involved in the above methods.

[0080] In one possible design, the chip system also includes a memory for storing program instructions and data, which may be located within or outside the processor.

[0081] The chip system can consist of chips or include chips and other discrete components.

[0082] Sixthly, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium including a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to implement the methods in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations of any of the above aspects.

[0083] In a seventh aspect, this application provides a computer program product comprising: a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when run, causes a computer to perform the methods described in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations of any of the above aspects.

[0084] Eighthly, this application provides a communication system including the aforementioned terminal device and network device. The terminal device is used to implement the methods of the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof; the network device is used to implement the methods of the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0085] It should be understood that the third to eighth aspects of this application correspond to the technical solutions of the first or second aspects of this application, and the beneficial effects achieved by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation are similar, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0086] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system applicable to the method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0087] Figure 2 illustrates a transparent forwarding scenario provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0088] Figure 3 illustrates a regeneration mode scenario provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0089] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the coverage range of multiple cells in a single-satellite coverage scenario provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0090] Figure 5 is another schematic diagram of the coverage range of multiple cells in a single-satellite coverage scenario provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0091] Figure 6 is a schematic flowchart of the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0092] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the markings corresponding to the ground coverage areas of multiple SSBs provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0093] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the elements corresponding to the ground coverage range of multiple SSBs provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0094] Figure 9 is another schematic diagram of the elements corresponding to the ground coverage range of the multiple SSBs provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0095] Figure 10 is another schematic diagram of the identification corresponding to the ground coverage area of ​​multiple SSBs provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0096] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the edge coverage range of the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0097] Figure 12 is a schematic block diagram of the device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0098] Figure 13 is another schematic block diagram of the device provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0099] The technical solutions in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0100] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the following points are explained first:

[0101] First, in the embodiments of this application, the use of prefixes such as "first" and "second" is merely for the purpose of distinguishing and describing different things belonging to the same name category, and does not constrain the order, size, or quantity of things. For example, "first information" and "second information" are simply different pieces of information, and there is no temporal sequence, size, or priority relationship between them.

[0102] Second, in the embodiments of this application, "send" and "receive" indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "send first information to a terminal device" can be understood as the destination of the first information being the terminal device, which may include direct transmission via the air interface or indirect transmission via the air interface by other units or modules. "Receive second information from a network device" can be understood as the source of the second information being the network device, which may include direct reception from the network device via the air interface or indirect reception from the network device via the air interface by other units or modules. "Send" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receive" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface.

[0103] In other words, sending and receiving can occur between devices, such as between terminal devices and network devices; or they can occur within a device, such as between components, modules, chips, software modules, or hardware modules within a device via a bus, wiring, or interface.

[0104] It is understandable that information may undergo necessary processing, such as encoding and modulation, before being sent from the source to the destination. Similarly, the destination, upon receiving information from the source, can also perform corresponding processing, such as decoding and demodulation, to interpret the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be understood in a similar way and will not be elaborated further.

[0105] Third, in the embodiments of this application, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "more than one" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates an "or" relationship between the preceding and following related objects, but it does not exclude the possibility of indicating an "and" relationship. The specific meaning can be understood in conjunction with the context. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c; a and b; a and c; b and c; or a and b and c. Here, a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0106] Fourth, in the embodiments of this application, "instruction" can include direct instruction and indirect instruction, as well as explicit instruction and implicit instruction. The information indicated by a certain piece of information (the first information described below) is called the information to be instructed. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to instruct the information to be instructed, such as, but not limited to, directly instructing the information to be instructed, such as the information to be instructed itself or its index. It can also indirectly instruct the information to be instructed by instructing other information, where there is a correlation between the other information and the information to be instructed; or it can only instruct a part of the information to be instructed, while the other parts of the information to be instructed are known or pre-agreed upon. For example, the instruction of specific information can be achieved by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol predefined) arrangement order of various pieces of information, thereby reducing the instruction overhead to a certain extent. This application does not limit the specific method of instruction.

[0107] It is understandable that, for the sender of the instruction information, the instruction information can be used to indicate the information to be indicated, and for the receiver of the instruction information, the instruction information can be used to determine the information to be indicated.

[0108] Fifth, the tables in the embodiments of this application are merely examples. The values ​​of the information in each table are only examples and can be configured to other values; this application is not limited thereto. The tables do not limit the scope of protection of this application. For example, appropriate modifications and adjustments can be made based on the tables described above, such as splitting, merging, etc. Furthermore, the parameter names shown in the headings of each table can also use other names understandable to the communication device, and the values ​​or representations of the parameters can also be other values ​​or representations understandable to the communication device. Moreover, in the implementation of the above tables, other data structures can also be used, such as arrays, queues, containers, stacks, linear lists, pointers, linked lists, trees, graphs, structures, classes, heaps, hash tables, or hash tables, etc.

[0109] Sixth, in the embodiments of this application, descriptions such as "when," "under the circumstances," "if," and "if" all refer to the fact that the device (e.g., network device or terminal device) will make corresponding processing under certain objective circumstances. They are not time limits, nor do they require the device (e.g., network device or terminal device) to make a judgment action when implementing it, nor do they mean that there are other limitations.

[0110] Seventh, the predefined terms in this application can be understood as: definition, pre-defined, storage, pre-storage, pre-negotiation, pre-configuration, solidification, or pre-firing.

[0111] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) systems, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems, 5th Generation (5G) mobile communication systems, New Radio Access Technology (NR), satellite communication systems, or future communication networks. Among these, 5G mobile communication systems can include non-standalone (NSA) and / or standalone (SA) networks.

[0112] The network device in this application can be a radio access network (RAN) device. An RAN is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities. A RAN device can provide wireless communication services, allowing terminal devices to access the wireless network. An RAN device can be a node in the radio access network, referred to simply as an RAN node.

[0113] In one possible scenario, a RAN node can be a base station (BS), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a home evolved NodeB (or home Node B, HNB), an access point (AP) for wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), a mobile switching center, a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, or a base station in a future mobile communication system. A RAN node can also be a device that performs base station functions in an Internet to Things (IoT) communication system. A RAN node can also be a RAN node in a non-terrestrial network (NTN), meaning it can be deployed on a high-altitude platform, drone, or satellite. A RAN node can be a macro base station, a micro base station, an indoor station, a relay node, a donor node, or a radio controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario, or a node in an open radio access network (O-RAN or ORAN) scenario.

[0114] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist terminal devices in achieving wireless access, with different RAN nodes each implementing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), CU-control planes (CPs), CU-user planes (UPs), or radio units (RUs), etc. CUs and DUs can be set up separately or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0115] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in the ORAN system, CU can also be called open CU (O-CU), DU can also be called open DU (O-DU), CU-CP can also be called open CU-CP (O-CU-CP), CU-UP can also be called open CU-UP (O-CU-UP), and RU can also be called open RU (O-RU).

[0116] Any one of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU units can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules. That is, the wireless access network device in this application can be a virtualized device, for example, implemented through general-purpose hardware and instantiated virtualization functions, or dedicated hardware and instantiated virtualization functions. The general-purpose hardware can be a server, such as a cloud server.

[0117] The terminal equipment in this application may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication equipment, user agent, or user device.

[0118] Terminal devices can be devices that provide voice / data connectivity to users, such as handheld devices with wireless connectivity, in-vehicle devices, etc. Currently, examples of terminal devices include: mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities (such as laptops, PDAs, etc.), mobile internet devices (MIDs), virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving vehicles, drones, wireless terminals in remote medical care, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, cellular phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices or other processing devices connected to wireless modems, in-vehicle devices, wearable devices, terminal devices in 5G networks, or terminal devices in future communication networks, etc.

[0119] Terminal devices can also be terminal devices in IoT systems. IoT is an important component of future information technology development. Its main technical characteristic is connecting objects to networks through communication technologies, thereby realizing an intelligent network that enables human-machine interconnection and machine-to-machine interconnection. IoT technology can achieve massive connectivity, deep coverage, and low power consumption at the terminal level through technologies such as narrowband (NB).

[0120] In addition, terminal devices may also include sensors such as smart printers, train detectors, and gas stations. Their main functions include collecting data (for some terminal devices), receiving control information and downlink data from network devices, and sending electromagnetic waves to transmit uplink data to network devices.

[0121] The terminal device in this application can be a virtualized device, for example, implemented through general-purpose hardware and instantiated virtualization functions, or dedicated hardware and instantiated virtualization functions. The general-purpose hardware can be a server, such as a cloud server.

[0122] It should be understood that this application does not limit the specific form of network equipment and terminal equipment.

[0123] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system 100 applicable to the method provided in the embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 100 includes a wireless access network 10 and a core network 20. Optionally, the communication system 100 may also include an Internet 30. The wireless access network 10 may include at least one wireless access network device (110a and 110b in Figure 1) and at least one terminal device (120a-120j in Figure 1).

[0124] Terminal devices can connect to radio access network (RAN) devices wirelessly, and RAN devices can connect to the core network wirelessly or via wired connections. Core network devices and RAN devices can be independent, separate physical devices, or they can integrate the functions of core network devices and the logical functions of RAN devices onto a single physical device. Alternatively, a single physical device can integrate some core network device functions and some RAN device functions. Terminal devices and RAN devices can be interconnected via wired or wireless connections.

[0125] Communication between wireless access network devices and terminal devices, between wireless access network devices, and between terminal devices can all be conducted using licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or a combination of both. Communication can be conducted using spectrum below 6 GHz, spectrum above 6 GHz, or a combination of both. The embodiments of this application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0126] Among them, the wireless access network equipment can be a base station deployed in the air, such as a satellite base station 110a; or it can be a base station deployed indoors, such as a micro base station or an indoor station 110b.

[0127] The terminal equipment can be a terminal device deployed in the air, such as a helicopter or drone 120i in Figure 1; or it can be a terminal deployed on the ground, such as mobile phones 120a, 120e, 120f and 120j, vehicle 120b, computer 110b, printer 120h, etc. in Figure 1.

[0128] It is understood that wireless access network equipment and terminal equipment can be fixed in location or mobile. For example, wireless access network equipment and terminals can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can also be deployed in the air on airplanes, balloons, and artificial satellites.

[0129] It can also be understood that the roles of wireless access network devices and terminal devices can be relative. For example, the helicopter or drone 120i in Figure 1 can be configured as a mobile base station. For those 120j that access the wireless access network 10 through 120i, 120i is a base station; but for 110a, 120i is a terminal device, that is, 110a and 120i communicate through a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, 110a and 120i can also communicate through an interface protocol between wireless access network devices. In this case, relative to 110a, 120i is also a base station. Therefore, both wireless access network devices and terminal devices can be collectively referred to as communication devices. 110a, 110b, and 120a-120j in Figure 1 can be called communication devices with their respective corresponding functions, such as communication devices with base station functions or communication devices with terminal device functions.

[0130] It should be understood that Figure 1 is only a schematic diagram, and the communication system may also include other devices, such as wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices, which are not shown in Figure 1. That is, the wireless access network devices in Figure 1 can communicate with terminal devices through relay stations. The terminal device can communicate with multiple wireless access network devices of different technologies. For example, the terminal device can communicate with a base station that supports LTE networks, or it can communicate with a base station that supports 5G networks, and it can also support dual connectivity with both LTE and 5G base stations.

[0131] Non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) refer to networks that use radio frequency resources on platforms such as satellites (including low Earth orbit (LEO), medium Earth orbit (MEO), and geostationary Earth orbit (GEO)), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or high altitude platform stations (HAPS) to provide communication services. NTNs are characterized by wider coverage, higher path loss, greater latency, higher speed, and lower cost.

[0132] As a supplement and extension to terrestrial networks, NTN effectively solves the internet access problem in areas with scarce communication infrastructure. For example, by deploying a large number of satellites in LEO (Light Optical Orbit) networks, seamless ground coverage can be achieved through reasonable constellation construction. Furthermore, the round-trip latency of data transmission between satellites and ground terminal equipment is significantly reduced compared to GEO satellites, reaching the tens of milliseconds level. With the use of technologies such as high-frequency bands, multi-beamforming, and frequency reuse, satellite communication capabilities have been significantly improved, while simultaneously reducing the unit broadband cost, thus meeting the demands of high-data-rate services.

[0133] The following describes two scenarios for satellite communication applicable to embodiments of this application: transparent forwarding scenario and regeneration mode scenario.

[0134] Figure 2 illustrates a transparent forwarding scenario provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 2, the terminal device accesses the core network via satellite, where the satellite is a transport layer node (TLN) that does not process the data; hence, it can be called a transparent satellite. In this architecture, the satellite is located in the fronthaul portion, used to connect the terminal device and the base station. The NTN gateway is a gateway station, another transport layer node connecting the satellite and the ground.

[0135] In other words, in a transparent forwarding scenario, the satellite only acts as a frequency converter, essentially functioning as an analog radio frequency repeater. Therefore, the satellite replicates the NR Uu radio interface signal from the feed link (the link between the NTN gateway and the satellite) to the service link (the link between the satellite and the terminal equipment), and vice versa. That is, the satellite radio interface on the feed link transmits the NR-Uu interface signal; the satellite does not terminate the NR Uu interface signal but rather replicates it. The NTN gateway supports all necessary functions for forwarding the NR-Uu interface signal. Different transmitting satellites can connect to the same terrestrial gNB.

[0136] Figure 3 illustrates a regeneration mode scenario provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 3, the terminal device accesses the core network via satellite, where the satellite acts as a base station; in other words, the base station is located on the satellite. The terminal device connects to the terrestrial core network via the satellite base station and then through the NTN gateway.

[0137] In other words, in the regeneration mode scenario: the satellite contains gNB equipment or DU. In this architecture, the satellite acts as a base station, receiving signals from the ground. Specifically, NR-Uu radio interface signals are transmitted on the service link between the terminal equipment and the satellite, and satellite radio interface (SRI) signals are transmitted on the feeder link between the NTN gateway and the satellite. SRI is a transmission link between the NTN gateway and the satellite. NG interface signals are transmitted to the NTN gateway via SRI, and then forwarded by the NTN gateway to the core network equipment on the ground.

[0138] Understandably, in the regeneration mode scenario, in addition to the base station function, the satellite can also have other functions, such as some or all of the core network functions.

[0139] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, definitions of technical terms that may appear in the embodiments of this application are given below. The terminology used in the implementation section of this application is only used to explain specific embodiments of this application and is not intended to limit this application.

[0140] 1. Beam.

[0141] The beam is the main lobe of the directional array pattern. In the NR protocol, it can also be represented as a spatial domain filter, a spatial filter, or a spatial domain parameter, etc.

[0142] 2. Coverage area.

[0143] Coverage range refers to the projection range of a beam on the ground surface, also referred to as ground coverage range in this application. Network devices can adjust the antenna weights so that the beams transmitted by the network devices can point in different directions, resulting in different coverage ranges. It is understandable that the coverage range will change as the base station moves and the weights are adjusted.

[0144] 3. Broadcast beam of the synchronization signal block (SSB).

[0145] Communication systems typically rely on several broadcast beams in different directions to send SSBs to users for terminal equipment synchronization during the initial access phase. A terrestrial system can cover the service area of ​​a single base station with a maximum of 8 SSBs (within frequency range FR1) or 64 SSBs (FR2), while an NTN system may require hundreds or even thousands of broadcast beams. For example, an NTN system with an orbital altitude of 600 kilometers (km) can provide a service area of ​​hundreds of thousands of square kilometers for a single satellite.

[0146] To overcome path loss caused by transmission distance, satellites typically employ large-scale antenna arrays to provide higher array gain, but this also results in a narrower main lobe. For example, a 3-decibel (dB) beamwidth has a coverage radius of only a few tens of kilometers, covering an area of ​​approximately several hundred square kilometers. Therefore, achieving seamless coverage of a single satellite's service area using narrow beams would require thousands of beams. Furthermore, even with some beam widening, hundreds of beams are still needed to maintain the required gain. For instance, the number of beams might be 64, 128, 256, or 512.

[0147] 4. Community search.

[0148] During the initial access phase, network equipment needs to scan all beams sequentially and configure random access resources for terminal equipment. For terminal equipment, after powering on, SSB search is performed, which requires scanning the candidate sync raster on the corresponding band. Based on the band and subcarrier spacing (SCS), the candidate sync raster and the SSB pattern to be used can be determined.

[0149] The SSB pattern defines different maximum candidate SSB numbers and the symbol positions occupied by SSBs represented by different SSB indices. Different maximum candidate SSB numbers correspond to different SSB scan periods, and the corresponding access latency will also be different.

[0150] It is understandable that satellite communication requires a large number of scanning beams due to its wide coverage area. For example, satellite coverage may encompass various environments such as rural areas, cities, oceans, deserts, and mountains, each with significantly different coverage needs. For instance, in scenario 1 – a coexistence of terrestrial networks (TN) and NTN: terrestrial cellular network coverage is good, resulting in low demand for satellite access; while in the ocean, where there is virtually no cellular coverage, the demand for satellite access is high. In scenario 2 – a standalone NTN: areas like oceans and tourist islands have dense user distribution, leading to a high demand for satellite network access; while in uninhabited areas like deserts, the demand for network access is lower.

[0151] Network devices can be flexibly configured with SSB periods according to different access requirements (existing protocols support SSB periods of 5ms, 20ms, 40ms, 80ms, and 160ms). Specifically, for areas with high access demand, a shorter SSB period can be configured to allow terminal devices in that area to complete cell synchronization faster; for areas with low access demand, a longer SSB period can be configured to ensure coverage and more rational use of overall resources.

[0152] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the coverage range of multiple cells in a single-satellite coverage scenario provided in this application embodiment. As shown in Figure 4, assuming the coverage range of a satellite is a rectangle, each small cell in the matrix represents the ground coverage range (also called the coverage area) of an SSB. Area 1 is an area with low access demand, and Area 2 is an area with high access demand. For Area 1, a long SSB period of 160ms can be configured; for Area 2, a short SSB period of 20ms can be configured. Under this configuration, Area 2, with its high access demand, uses a short period, allowing terminal devices located in this area to receive the SSB faster and correspondingly have more random access channel occasion (RO) resources, thus meeting the access needs of users in Area 2. Area 1, with its low access demand, uses a long period. Terminal devices located in this area have low access demand and do not need to quickly access the network. This long-period SSB configuration can save on the transmission resource overhead of the network-side common channel.

[0153] It should be noted that the ratio of low access demand areas to high access demand areas in Figure 4 is only an example; in practice, the ratio can be any, and areas 1 and 2 can be irregularly shaped. Access demand can be determined based on population density distribution maps, historical user data heatmaps, etc.

[0154] 5. Mobility management.

[0155] 1) For terminal devices in Radio Resource Control (RRC) connected state, to enable handover, the network device instructs the terminal device to measure and report the signal quality of the target device on a frequency-point basis according to the measurement configuration information. The network device then generates a target cell list based on the measurement reports submitted by the terminal device. The measurement configuration information is typically sent from the network device to the terminal device via an RRC reconfiguration message. The terminal device then performs the relevant measurements based on the measurement configuration information and reports the results to the network device via a measurement report. Table 1 below shows the main contents included in the measurement configuration information.

[0156] Table 1

[0157] 2) Terminal devices in RRC disconnected state will measure the signal quality of the serving cell and neighboring cells. If the signal quality of the serving cell is poor and the signal quality of the neighboring cells is good, the terminal device will actively reselect a cell with higher priority or better signal quality as the serving cell. This process is called cell reselection.

[0158] For a terminal device to initiate neighbor cell measurement, the following two initiation conditions must be met. Based on these conditions, a decision is made on the current serving cell. Only after the decision is passed will the terminal device initiate neighbor cell measurement. This method of limiting measurement actions can save power for the terminal device. After initiating neighbor cell measurement, the terminal device calculates the R values ​​(R values ​​are R criterion variables, reflecting the signal quality level of the cell) for both the current serving cell and the neighboring cells, and then queues them for cell reselection decisions.

[0159] (1) The conditions for initiating normal neighbor cell measurement are: whether to initiate neighbor cell measurement mainly consider two factors: cell reselection priority and signal quality of the current serving cell. The variables involved are shown in Table 2 below.

[0160] Specifically, if the neighboring cell has a higher priority than the serving cell: regardless of how good the signal quality of the serving cell is, the terminal will unconditionally initiate neighboring cell measurement. If the neighboring cell has a lower priority than or equal to the serving cell: the terminal device will measure the signal quality of the current serving cell and compare it with the signal quality standard issued by the network: if it is better than the signal quality standard, neighboring cell measurement will not be initiated; if it is lower than or equal to the signal quality standard, neighboring cell measurement will be initiated.

[0161] Table 2

[0162] (2) Neighbor Cell Relaxation Measurement Initiation Conditions: Under normal measurement mode, terminal equipment periodically performs neighbor cell measurements, which generates significant power consumption. When the terminal equipment moves at a very low speed or is in the center of the cell, the cell it camps on will not change, and cell reselection is not involved. Normal periodic neighbor cell measurements result in wasted power consumption. Against this background, the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) proposed a relaxed measurement mode. The principle of this relaxed measurement mode is: when the terminal equipment determines that it is in the center of the cell or is in a low-speed movement state, the terminal equipment will increase the period of neighbor cell measurement or suspend the measurement of neighbor cells, thereby reducing the number of neighbor cell measurements and achieving the goal of saving power consumption.

[0163] To determine whether a terminal device is in the cell center or in a low-mobility state, two criteria are introduced for relaxed measurement: The "not-at-cell edge" criterion, based on the terminal device's location: When the terminal device is in the cell center, the serving cell quality is generally good, and relaxed measurement of neighboring cells can be considered. If the signal quality of the current serving cell is above a certain threshold, it indicates that the terminal device is in the cell center, and thus meets the "not-at-cell edge" criterion. The "low mobility" criterion, based on the terminal device's mobility: When the terminal device is moving at a low speed, relaxed measurement of neighboring cells can be considered. If the change in the serving cell's measurement results does not exceed a certain threshold within a certain time period, it indicates that the terminal device is in a low-mobility state, and thus meets the "low mobility" criterion.

[0164] In summary, access requirements may vary across different areas. Network devices can configure different SSB cycles based on the service demand density of different areas. The ground coverage areas of SSBs with different SSB cycles form the ground coverage areas of different cells. Since access requirements in different areas can be determined by ground population density distribution maps, historical user data heatmaps, etc., the ground coverage areas of different cells are not necessarily regular shapes (see Figure 5; cells 1 and 2 are irregular shapes), and there is no fixed relationship between the signal quality strength of different cells. In this situation, if the terminal device is in an RRC disconnected state, the process of initiating neighbor cell measurement based on signal quality in the mobility management process described above cannot be applied. That is, the terminal device cannot obtain the opportunity to initiate neighbor cell measurement, resulting in the inability to continue the subsequent mobility management process, which may lead to communication interruption. Therefore, a method is needed to enable the terminal device to initiate neighbor cell measurement at an appropriate time to complete the subsequent mobility management process and ensure normal communication.

[0165] In view of this, embodiments of this application provide a communication method, apparatus, and storage medium. In this method, a network device can indicate the ground coverage area of ​​the cell the terminal device is accessing to a terminal device. This allows the terminal device to determine the ground coverage area of ​​the currently accessing cell based on the indication from the network device, thereby determining the boundary of the accessing cell. Thus, when the terminal device is located at the cell boundary, it can initiate neighbor cell measurement and continue subsequent mobility management processes, effectively avoiding communication interruptions.

[0166] The communication method and apparatus provided in the embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The method provided in this application can be applied to the communication systems shown in Figures 1 to 3, but the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto.

[0167] The communication method provided by the embodiments of this application is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The method provided by this application can be applied to the communication systems shown in Figures 1 to 3, but the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto.

[0168] Figure 6 is a schematic flowchart of the communication method 600 provided in an embodiment of this application. The flowchart in Figure 6 illustrates the method from the perspective of interaction between the terminal device and the network device, but this application does not limit the entity executing the method. For example, the terminal device in Figure 6 can be replaced by a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the implementation of the method on the terminal device, or it can be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the terminal device. Similarly, the network device in Figure 6 can be replaced by a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the implementation of the method on the network device, or it can be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the network device.

[0169] As shown in Figure 6, method 600 may include steps S601 to S603. The steps in method 600 are described in detail below.

[0170] S601, the network equipment determines the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0171] The first cell is the cell where the terminal device accesses the network. The ground coverage area of ​​the first cell belongs to a first ground coverage area that includes the ground coverage areas of multiple cells. The first cell can be any one of the multiple cells, and the SSBs configured in every two cells have different cycles.

[0172] The first coverage area can be the ground coverage area of ​​all electromagnetic waves emitted by a network device, or the ground coverage area of ​​all electromagnetic waves emitted by multiple network devices.

[0173] S602, the network device sends first information to the terminal device based on the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first information from the network device, which is used to determine the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0174] Optionally, the first information is used to determine the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell from within the first ground coverage area. Alternatively, the first information is used to determine the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell from a portion of the ground coverage area of ​​the first ground coverage area. It is understood that the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell belongs to a portion of the ground coverage area of ​​the first ground coverage area.

[0175] Optionally, the first information may be carried in broadcast information sent by the network device, such as system information block 1 (SIB1), system information block 19 (SIB19), RRC signaling, etc.

[0176] S603, the terminal device determines the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell based on the first information.

[0177] In this embodiment, the network device sends first information to the terminal device to determine the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell, enabling the terminal device to determine the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell based on the received first information; subsequently, the terminal device can determine the edge location of the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell. In this way, when the terminal device is located at the edge of the first cell, it can initiate neighbor cell measurement and continue subsequent mobility management processes, thereby effectively avoiding communication interruptions.

[0178] One possible implementation is that the ground coverage area of ​​the multiple cells included in the first ground coverage area may include the ground coverage area of ​​multiple SSBs. It is understood that the ground coverage area of ​​each of the multiple cells may include the ground coverage area of ​​one SSB, or it may include the ground coverage area of ​​multiple SSBs.

[0179] Here, the ground coverage range of an SSB refers to the coverage area of ​​its transmission beam on the ground, or the projected area of ​​its transmission beam on the ground. Multiple SSBs may have the same or different SSB indices. The first ground coverage range may include SSBs with the same period and SSBs with different periods; or, the periods of the multiple SSBs included in the first ground coverage range may be different.

[0180] Since the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell belongs to the first ground coverage area, the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell is: the ground coverage area of ​​at least one of the multiple SSBs included in the first ground coverage area.

[0181] It is understandable that when the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell includes the ground coverage areas of multiple SSBs, these multiple SSBs have the same period. That is, the ground coverage area of ​​SSBs with the same period is defined as the ground coverage area of ​​a cell.

[0182] One possible implementation is that the aforementioned first information is specifically used to indicate one of the following: 1. The location of the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell within the first ground coverage area (hereinafter referred to as the first indication method); 2. The location of the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell within a portion of the ground coverage area of ​​the first ground coverage area (hereinafter referred to as the second indication method); 3. The ground coverage area of ​​the first cell (hereinafter referred to as the third indication method).

[0183] For the first indication method, the first information can indicate the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell in the following three possible ways:

[0184] In one possible implementation, the ground coverage area of ​​each SSB in the first ground coverage area corresponds to an identifier or SSB index; the first information includes the identifier or SSB index corresponding to the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0185] The identifiers corresponding to the ground coverage areas of the multiple SSBs included in the first ground coverage area can be predefined or indicated by the network device. For example, the terminal device can number the ground coverage areas of the multiple SSBs according to a predefined or network device-indicated numbering method.

[0186] The following example illustrates a ground coverage area comprising (N×M) SSBs. The numbering method for the (N×M) identifiers corresponding to the ground coverage areas of these (N×M) SSBs can be predefined or indicated by the network device. If the first ground coverage area is a rectangle, then the longer side of the rectangle includes the ground coverage areas of M SSBs, and the shorter side includes the ground coverage areas of N SSBs. The identifiers corresponding to the ground coverage areas of the (N×M) SSBs included in the first ground coverage area can be sequentially increased along the directions of the longer and shorter sides of the rectangle, starting from any number (e.g., 0) or sequentially decreased from a number greater than or equal to (N×M-1); or sequentially increased along the directions of the shorter and longer sides of the rectangle, starting from any number (e.g., 0) or sequentially decreased from a number greater than or equal to (N×M-1), where N and M are both positive integers.

[0187] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the identifiers corresponding to the ground coverage areas of multiple SSBs provided in this application embodiment. As shown in Figure 7, the rectangle comprises (8×16) small squares, each representing the ground coverage area of ​​one SSB, and each small square has a corresponding number. In the case where the first ground coverage area is the rectangle shown in Figure 7, the number corresponding to each small square can be sequentially increased from 0 along the satellite flight direction (the direction of the short side of the rectangle) and along the direction perpendicular to the satellite flight direction (the direction of the long side of the rectangle) to obtain 128 numbers. Among them, the identifiers corresponding to the ground coverage area of ​​cell 1 are 13, 21, 29, 36, 37, 43, 44, and 45.

[0188] Referring to the example in Figure 7, if cell 1 is the first cell, then the first information may include: 13, 21, 29, 36, 37, 43, 44, 45.

[0189] In the second possible implementation, the first ground coverage area is represented by a matrix of N1 rows and M1 columns. Each element in the N1 rows and M1 columns corresponds to one of the ground coverage areas of the multiple SSBs included in the first ground coverage area, and N1 and M1 are both positive integers.

[0190] Design 1: The first piece of information includes the N1th element in a matrix with N1 rows and M1 columns. i The sequence X corresponding to the row i The ground coverage area of ​​the first cell includes sequence X. i The ground coverage area corresponding to a specific value element in the data.

[0191] Optionally, the first information may also include the N1th column in the N1-row, M1-column matrix. j The sequence X corresponding to the row j The ground coverage area of ​​the first cell includes sequence X. j The ground coverage area corresponding to a specific value element in the table, where i ≠ j.

[0192] Optionally, the first information may also include the sequence X corresponding to the N1s-th row in the matrix with N1 rows and M1 columns. s The ground coverage area of ​​the first cell does not include sequence X. s The ground coverage area corresponding to a specific value element in the formula, where s≠i≠j.

[0193] In other words, the first information may include a sequence corresponding to each row of a matrix with N1 rows and M1 columns. Each sequence may or may not include elements with specific values. That is, among the multiple sequences included in the first information, not every element in each row of the sequence corresponds to a ground coverage area that exists within the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0194] It should be noted that not every element in the matrix of rows N1 and columns M1 actually corresponds to one of the multiple SSBs included in the first ground coverage area. That is, the number of multiple SSBs included in the first ground coverage area is less than (N1 × M1). In this case, the values ​​of the elements in the ground coverage areas that do not correspond to SSBs can be set to default values.

[0195] Optionally, the method 600 further includes: the network device sending second information to the terminal device, the second information being used to indicate the N1th... i The elements in the row correspond to a portion or all of the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives second information from the network device.

[0196] Optionally, the second information can also be used to indicate the N1th... j The elements in the row correspond to a portion or all of the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0197] Optionally, the second information can also be used to indicate that the ground coverage area corresponding to the element in the N1s row does not contain part or all of the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0198] In other words, this second information can be used to indicate whether the ground coverage area corresponding to each element in the N1-row, M1-column matrix exists within the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0199] Design 2: The first piece of information includes the M1th element in the matrix with N1 rows and M1 columns. i The sequence Z corresponding to the column i The ground coverage area of ​​the first cell includes sequence Z. i The ground coverage area corresponding to a specific value element in the data.

[0200] Optionally, the first information may also include the M1th column in the N1-row, M1-column matrix. i The sequence Z corresponding to the column j The ground coverage area of ​​the first cell includes sequence Z. j The ground coverage area corresponding to a specific value element in the table, where i ≠ j.

[0201] Optionally, the method 600 further includes: the network device sending a signal to the terminal device to indicate the M1 i The elements in the column correspond to ground coverage areas containing some or all of the information from the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives this information.

[0202] The way the first information is indicated in Design 2 is similar to that in Design 1; for a more detailed description, please refer to the description in Design 1. This refers to the N1st information in Design 1.j Replace line M1 i Column N1 j Replace line M1 j Column, row N1s is replaced with column M1s; sequence X i Replace with sequence Z j Sequence X j Replace with sequence Z j Sequence X s Replace with sequence Z s That's it. For the sake of brevity, I won't go into details here.

[0203] The following section uses N1=8, M1=16, and Figure 8 to introduce the indication method of the first information in the second possible implementation.

[0204] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing the elements corresponding to the ground coverage areas of multiple SSBs provided in the embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 8, the rectangle comprises (8×16) small grids, each representing the ground coverage area of ​​one SSB, and each small grid has a corresponding element. When the first ground coverage area is the rectangle shown in Figure 8, the first ground coverage area can be represented by an 8-row, 16-column matrix. In the 8-row, 16-column matrix, cell 1 includes the ground coverage areas of 8 SSBs, and the elements corresponding to the ground coverage areas of these 8 SSBs are all 1 (i.e., the specific value elements mentioned above), while the elements corresponding to the ground coverage areas of the multiple SSBs included in cell 2 are all 0.

[0205] Referring to the example in Figure 8, when cell 1 is the first cell, the first information in Design 1 may include: 0000000000000000, 000000000000000, 000000000000000, 0000010000000000, 0000110000000000, 0111110000000000, 00000000000000, 00000000000 000000; The first information in Design 2 may include: 00000000, 00100000, 00100000, 00100000, 00110000, 00111000, 0000000, 00000000, 00000000, 00000000, 00000000, 00000000, 00000000, 00000000, 00000000, 00000000.

[0206] Referring to the example in Figure 8, corresponding to Design 1, the second information may include: 00011100 (as shown in Figure 9(a)). Corresponding to Design 2, the first information may include: 01111100000000000 (as shown in Figure 9(b)). Each element in 00011100 corresponds to a row in row N1, where 1 indicates that the ground coverage area corresponding to the element in the corresponding row exists within the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell, and 0 indicates that the ground coverage area corresponding to the element in the corresponding row does not exist within the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell. Each element in 0111110000000000 corresponds to a row in column M1, where 1 indicates that the ground coverage area corresponding to the element in the corresponding column exists within the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell, and 1 indicates that the ground coverage area corresponding to the element in the corresponding column does not exist within the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0207] It is understood that when the network device sends the second information, and the second information includes 00011100, the first information may include 0000010000000000, 0000110000000000, and 0111110000000000. Alternatively, when the network device sends the second information, and the second information includes 0111110000000000, the first information may include 00100000, 00100000, 00100000, 00110000, and 00111000. In other words, when sending the second information, the first information may include a sequence of rows containing elements corresponding to the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell, but may not include sequences containing rows containing elements not corresponding to the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0208] It should be noted that the above explanation uses an example where the first ground coverage area includes two cells. If the first ground coverage area includes more cells, the element values ​​corresponding to the ground coverage area of ​​the SSB included in the ground coverage area of ​​different cells will be different. That is, the elements with the same value corresponding to the ground coverage area of ​​the SSB included in the ground coverage area of ​​each cell will have elements with different values ​​corresponding to the ground coverage area of ​​the SSB included in the ground coverage area of ​​different cells.

[0209] A third possible implementation is that the first ground coverage area is represented by an N2-row, M2-column matrix, where one element in the N2-row, M2-column matrix corresponds to one of the ground coverage areas of multiple cells included in the first ground coverage area; the first information includes the N2th element in the N2-row, M2-column matrix. i The sequence Y corresponding to the row i The ground coverage area of ​​the first cell includes Y i The ground coverage area corresponding to a specific value element in the formula, where N2 and M2 are both positive integers.

[0210] Optionally, the first information may also include the N2th column of the matrix with N2 rows and M2 columns. j The sequence Y corresponding to the row j The ground coverage area of ​​the first cell includes Y j The ground coverage area corresponding to a specific value element in the data.

[0211] Optionally, the method 600 further includes: the network device sending third information to the terminal device, the third information indicating the N2 j The ground coverage area corresponding to the element in the row exists within the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives third information from the network device.

[0212] Optionally, this third information can also be used to indicate the N2th... j The ground coverage area corresponding to the element in the row contains the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0213] The third possible implementation is similar to the second, except that the ground coverage areas of multiple SSBs in the first ground coverage area package in the first possible implementation are replaced with the ground coverage areas of multiple first cells. Therefore, the description of the third possible implementation can be found in the description of the second possible implementation, and will not be repeated here.

[0214] For the first to third possible implementations, prior to S602, method 600 may further include: the network device sending fourth information to the terminal device, the fourth information indicating a first ground coverage area. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the fourth information from the network device and determines the first ground coverage area based on the fourth information.

[0215] For example, the first information includes the ground coverage of each SSB in the first ground coverage area.

[0216] For example, the first information may include: the location of the center point of the ground coverage area of ​​each SSB in the first ground coverage area, and the ground coverage radius of each SSB.

[0217] For example, when the first ground coverage area is a regular shape (e.g., a rectangle as shown in Figure 8), the first information may include: the number of SSB species included on one side of the regular shape (e.g., the long side of the rectangle) and the ground coverage area of ​​each SSB; and the number of SSB species included on the other side of the regular shape (the short side of the rectangle) and the ground coverage area of ​​each SSB.

[0218] Alternatively, the first information may include: the location of the center point of the regular shape, the number of SSB species included on one side of the regular shape and the coverage radius of the ground coverage area of ​​each SSB, and the number of SSB species included on the other side of the regular pattern and the ground coverage radius of each SSB.

[0219] The location of the center point of the ground coverage area of ​​each SSB can be indicated by geographic coordinates or latitude and longitude information.

[0220] Optionally, the fourth information and the first information can be sent simultaneously or separately. When the fourth information and the first information are sent separately, the fourth information can be carried in a broadcast message, and the first information can be carried in a message sent to different terminal devices; that is, the first information can be UE-level information.

[0221] For the second indication method, the first information can indicate the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell in the following three possible ways:

[0222] The fourth possible implementation is that each SSB in the partial ground coverage area of ​​the first ground coverage area (hereinafter referred to as the first sub-coverage area for ease of description) corresponds to a number (or identifier); the first information includes the number corresponding to the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0223] The first sub-coverage area can be a regular shape. This first sub-coverage area can be the smallest regular shape including the ground cover of the first cell.

[0224] Optionally, the number corresponding to the ground coverage area of ​​each SSB included in the first coverage area can be predefined or indicated by the network device. This numbering method can refer to the numbering method for the identifiers corresponding to the ground coverage areas of multiple SSBs included in the first indication method described above, but the first ground coverage area needs to be replaced with the first sub-coverage area. For simplicity, it will not be elaborated further here.

[0225] Figure 10 is another schematic diagram of the identifiers corresponding to the ground coverage areas of multiple SSBs provided in the embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 10, the rectangle includes (8×16) small grids, each representing the ground coverage area of ​​one SSB. If the first ground coverage area is the rectangle shown in Figure 10, then region 1 within it can be the first sub-coverage area. This region 1 is a rectangle including (3×5) small grids, and region 1 includes cell 1. The number corresponding to each small grid in region 1 can be sequentially increased from 0 along the satellite flight direction and along the vertical satellite flight direction. The ground coverage area corresponding to the first SSB is numbered 0, and the ground coverage area corresponding to the (3×5)th SSB is numbered 14. The ground coverage areas corresponding to cell 1 are numbered 2, 5, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14.

[0226] Referring to the example in Figure 10, the first information may include: 2, 5, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14.

[0227] The fifth possible implementation is that a portion of the ground coverage area of ​​the first coverage area is represented by a matrix with rows P1 and columns Q1. Each element in rows P1 and columns B1 corresponds to one of the ground coverage areas of one or more SSBs, and P1 and B1 are both positive integers.

[0228] Design 3: The first piece of information includes the P1th element in the matrix with row P1 and column B1. i The sequence A corresponding to the row i The ground coverage area of ​​the first cell includes sequence A. i The ground coverage area corresponding to a specific value element in the data.

[0229] Optionally, the first information may also include the P1th element in the matrix of row P1 and column B1. i The sequence A corresponding to the row j The ground coverage area of ​​the first cell includes sequence A. j The ground coverage area corresponding to a specific value element in the table, where i ≠ j.

[0230] Optionally, the first information may also include the P1th element in the matrix of row P1 and column B1. s The sequence A corresponding to the row s The ground coverage area of ​​the first cell includes sequence A. s The ground coverage area corresponding to a specific value element in the formula, i≠j≠s.

[0231] In other words, the first information may include the sequence corresponding to each row of the matrix with row P1 and column B1. Each row's sequence may or may not include specific values. That is, not every element in the sequence corresponds to a ground coverage area that is within the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0232] Optionally, the method 600 further includes: the network device sending sixth information to the terminal device, the sixth information being used to indicate the P1th column in the matrix of row P1 and column Q1. i The elements in the row correspond to a portion or all of the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the sixth information from the network device.

[0233] Optionally, this sixth piece of information can also be used to indicate the N1th... j The elements in the row correspond to a portion or all of the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0234] In other words, this sixth piece of information can be used to indicate whether the ground coverage area corresponding to each element in row P1 contains the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0235] Design 4: The first piece of information includes the Q1th element in the matrix with row P1 and column Q1. i The sequence D corresponding to the column i The ground coverage area of ​​the first cell includes sequence D. i The ground coverage area corresponding to a specific value element in the data.

[0236] Optionally, the first information may also include the Q1th element in the matrix with row P1 and column Q1. i The sequence D corresponding to the column j The ground coverage area of ​​the first cell includes sequence D. j The ground coverage area corresponding to a specific value element in the table, where i ≠ j.

[0237] Optionally, the method 600 further includes: the network device sending a signal to the terminal device to indicate Q1. i The elements in the column correspond to ground coverage areas containing some or all of the information from the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives this information.

[0238] For further descriptions in Design 4, please refer to the descriptions in Design 3. That is, the descriptions in section P1 above. j Replace line with Q1 i Column, P1 j Replace line with Q1 j Column, row P1s is replaced with column Q1s; sequence X i Replace with sequence Dj Sequence X j Replace with sequence D j Sequence X s Replace with sequence D s That's all. For the sake of brevity, I will not go into further detail here.

[0239] A sixth possible implementation is that the first coverage area is represented by a matrix of rows O2 and columns Q2, where one element in row P2 and column Q2 corresponds to one of the ground coverage areas of one or more cells; the first information includes the P1th element in the matrix of rows P2 and columns Q2. i The sequence B corresponding to the row i The ground coverage area of ​​the first community includes B. i The ground coverage area corresponding to a specific value element in the formula, where P2 and Q2 are both positive integers.

[0240] Optionally, the method 600 further includes: the network device sending a seventh message to the terminal device, the seventh message indicating the P2th column in the matrix of row P2 and column Q2. j The ground coverage area corresponding to the element in the row exists within the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the seventh information from the network device.

[0241] The sixth possible implementation is similar to the fifth, except that the ground coverage areas of the multiple SSBs in the first ground coverage area package in the fifth implementation are replaced with the ground coverage areas of multiple first cells. For the sake of simplicity, it will not be elaborated here.

[0242] For the fourth to sixth possible implementations, prior to S602, method 600 may further include: the network device sending fifth information to the terminal device, the fifth information indicating a portion of the ground coverage area of ​​the first ground coverage area. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the fifth information from the network device; and based on the fifth information, determines a portion of the ground coverage area of ​​the first ground coverage area.

[0243] Optionally, the fifth message can be sent simultaneously with the first message or sent separately. Regarding the description of the fifth message indicating a portion of the first ground coverage area, refer to the previous description of the fourth message indicating the first ground coverage area, simply replacing the first ground coverage area with the first sub-coverage area; therefore, it will not be repeated here.

[0244] For the third indication method, the first information may include the location of the center point of the ground coverage area of ​​each SSB in the ground coverage area of ​​at least one SSB included in the first cell, and the ground coverage radius of each SSB.

[0245] Alternatively, the first information may include the center point location of the ground coverage area of ​​each SSB located at the edge of the first cell, and the ground coverage radius of each SSB. (The edge location of the first cell can be seen in Figure 11, where the rectangle includes (8×16) small grids, each representing the ground coverage area of ​​an SSB).

[0246] It is understandable that if the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell is a regular shape, the way the first information is directed to the first cell can refer to the way the fourth information is directed to the first ground coverage area, which will not be elaborated here.

[0247] One possible implementation, prior to S601, is that the method 600 further includes: the terminal device receiving an SSB from the network device, camping on the first cell, and initiating random access to access the network.

[0248] One possible implementation, following S603, further includes the following: If the terminal device has not moved, it determines whether it is at the edge of the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell based on its own location and ephemeris; if it is at the edge, it initiates neighbor cell measurement. In this case, the mobility management process in 3GPP releases (R) 17 / R18 can be reused.

[0249] Alternatively, if the terminal device moves but remains within the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell, it can determine whether it is at the edge of the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell based on its own location and ephemeris; if it is at the edge, neighbor cell measurement is activated.

[0250] Alternatively, when a terminal device moves and, based on its own movement and the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell, determines that it is about to move out of the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell, it can initiate neighbor cell measurement when it passes the last local wavelet in the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0251] The method provided by the embodiments of this application has been described in detail above with reference to Figures 1 to 11. The apparatus provided by the implementation of this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 12 and 13.

[0252] Figures 12 and 13 are schematic diagrams of possible apparatuses provided in embodiments of this application. These apparatuses can be used to implement the functions of terminal devices or network devices in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments.

[0253] Figure 12 is a schematic block diagram of the device provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 12, the device 1200 includes a transceiver module 1210 and a processing module 1220.

[0254] One possible design is that the device 1200 is used to implement the functions of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in FIG6 above.

[0255] For example, the transceiver module 1210 is configured to: receive first information, the first information being used to determine the ground coverage area of ​​a first cell, the first cell being a cell accessed by a terminal device, and the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell being a first ground coverage area that includes the ground coverage areas of multiple cells; the processing module 1220 is configured to: determine the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell based on the first information.

[0256] Optionally, the transceiver module 1210 is further configured to: receive second information, the second information being used to indicate the N1th... i The elements in the row correspond to a portion or all of the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0257] Optionally, the transceiver module 1210 is further configured to: receive third information, the third information indicating the N2... j The ground coverage area corresponding to the element in the row exists in the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0258] Optionally, the transceiver module 1210 is further configured to: receive fourth information, which is used to indicate the first ground coverage area.

[0259] Optionally, the transceiver module 1210 is further configured to: receive fifth information, which is used to indicate a portion of the ground coverage area of ​​the first ground coverage area.

[0260] Optionally, the transceiver module 1210 is further configured to: receive sixth information, the sixth information indicating the P1th column in the matrix of row P1 and column Q1. i The elements in the row correspond to a portion or all of the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0261] Optionally, the transceiver module 1210 is further configured to: receive seventh information, the seventh information indicating the P2th column in the matrix of row P2 and column Q2. j The ground coverage area corresponding to the element in the row exists in the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0262] A more detailed description of the transceiver module 1210 and the processing module 1220 can be obtained directly from the relevant description in the embodiment shown in Figure 6, and will not be repeated here.

[0263] Another possible design is that the device 1200 is used to implement the functions of the network device in the method embodiment shown in FIG6 above.

[0264] For example, the processing module 1220 is used to: determine the ground coverage area of ​​a first cell, which is the cell accessed by the terminal device, and the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell belongs to a first ground coverage area that includes the ground coverage areas of multiple cells; the transceiver module 1210 is used to: send first information based on the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0265] Optionally, the transceiver module 1210 is further configured to: send second information, the second information being used to indicate the N1th... i The elements in the row correspond to a portion or all of the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0266] Optionally, the transceiver module 1210 is further configured to: send third information, the third information indicating the N2nd... j The ground coverage area corresponding to the element in the row exists in the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0267] Optionally, the transceiver module 1210 is further configured to: send a fourth message, the fourth message being used to indicate the first ground coverage area.

[0268] Optionally, the transceiver module 1210 is further configured to: send fifth information, which is used to indicate a portion of the ground coverage area of ​​the first ground coverage area.

[0269] Optionally, the transceiver module 1210 is further configured to: send a sixth message, the sixth message indicating the P1th column in the matrix of row P1 and column Q1. i The elements in the row correspond to a portion or all of the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0270] Optionally, the transceiver module 1210 is further configured to: send a seventh message, the seventh message indicating the P2th column in the matrix of row P2 and column Q2. j The ground coverage area corresponding to the element in the row exists in the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell.

[0271] A more detailed description of the transceiver module 1210 and the processing module 1220 can be obtained directly from the relevant description in the embodiment shown in Figure 6, and will not be repeated here.

[0272] It should be noted that device 1200 may include a transmitting module but not a receiving module. Alternatively, device 1200 may include a receiving module but not a transmitting module. Specifically, it depends on whether the above-described scheme executed by device 1200 includes both transmitting and receiving actions. It is understood that because device 1200 has communication capabilities, it can also be called a communication device.

[0273] Figure 13 is another schematic block diagram of the device provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 13, the device 1300 includes one or more processors 1310. The processor 1310 may be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor, etc. For example, it may be a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor may be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit may be used to control the device (e.g., terminal device, network device, or chip, etc.), execute software programs, and process data of the software programs.

[0274] Alternatively, in one design, processor 1310 may include a program (also referred to as code or instructions) that can be executed on processor 1310, causing device 1300 to perform the methods executed by the terminal device or network device in the above method embodiments. In yet another possible design, device 1300 includes circuitry (not shown in FIG13) for implementing the functions of the terminal device or network device in the above method embodiments.

[0275] For example, the processor 1310 can be used to execute computer programs or instructions in memory to implement the steps performed by the terminal device or network device in any of the embodiments shown in FIG6.

[0276] Optionally, the device 1300 may include one or more memories 1320 storing programs (sometimes referred to as code or instructions) that can be run on the processor 1310, causing the device 1300 to perform the methods executed by the terminal device or network device in the above embodiments.

[0277] Optionally, the processor 1310 and / or memory 1320 may also store data. The processor and memory may be configured separately or integrated together.

[0278] Optionally, the device 1300 may further include a communication interface 1330. The processor 1310, sometimes referred to as a processing unit, controls the device (e.g., a terminal device or a network device). The communication interface 1330, sometimes referred to as a transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, or transceiver, is used to implement the device's transceiver functions.

[0279] Optionally, the device 1300 also includes a communication interface 1330. The processor 1310 and the communication interface 1330 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the communication interface 1330 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface.

[0280] It is understandable that since device 1300 has communication capabilities, it can also be called a communication device.

[0281] When device 1300 is used to implement the method of FIG6, processor 1310 is used to execute the functions of the aforementioned processing unit, and communication interface 1330 is used to execute the functions of the aforementioned transceiver module. Whether communication interface 1330 is used for sending or receiving depends on whether the scheme executed by device 1300 is used to perform a sending action or a receiving action.

[0282] When the aforementioned device 1300 is a chip applied to a terminal device, the chip implements the functions of the terminal device in the above method embodiments. The chip of the terminal device receives signals from other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the terminal device, and these signals may be sent to the terminal device by the network device; or, the chip of the terminal device sends signals to other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the terminal device, and these signals may be sent to the network device by the terminal device.

[0283] When the aforementioned device 1300 is a chip applied to a network device, the chip implements the functions of the network device in the above method embodiments. The chip of the network device receives signals from other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the network device, and these signals may be sent from the terminal device to the network device; or, the chip of the network device sends signals to other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the network device, and these signals may be sent from the network device to the terminal device.

[0284] It is understood that when the device 1300 is a terminal device or a network device, the communication interface 1330 can be a transceiver, specifically including a transmitter and a receiver, with the transmitter used to send signals and the receiver used to receive signals. When the device 1300 is a chip applied to a terminal device or a network device, the communication interface 1330 can be an input / output circuit, wherein the input circuit can be used for receiving and the output interface can be used for sending.

[0285] It should be noted that the above method embodiments can be applied to a processor, or implemented by a processor. A processor may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method embodiments can be completed by integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by software instructions.

[0286] The aforementioned processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0287] The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly manifested as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules can reside in mature storage media in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, or registers. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

[0288] The memory in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory used in the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0289] The methods provided in the above embodiments can be implemented, in whole or in part, by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, they can be implemented, in whole or in part, in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product may include 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 may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center 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 may be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic disk), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid-state disk (SSD)).

[0290] This application also provides a computer program product that, when run on a processor, can implement the methods shown in the above method embodiments.

[0291] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium containing computer instructions that, when executed on a processor, can implement the methods shown in the above-described method embodiments.

[0292] This application also provides a chip, including a processor, for reading instructions stored in a memory. When the processor executes the stored instructions, the chip can implement the method shown in the above method embodiments.

[0293] This application also provides a communication system, including the aforementioned terminal device and network device.

[0294] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software 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.

[0295] 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.

[0296] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can 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 coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0297] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0298] 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.

[0299] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory, random access memory, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0300] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

A communication method, characterized in that, include: Receive first information, the first information is used to determine the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell, the first cell is the cell accessed by the terminal device, and the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell belongs to a first ground coverage area that includes the ground coverage areas of multiple cells. Based on the first information, the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell is determined. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ground coverage of the plurality of cells includes the ground coverage of the plurality of Synchronization Signal Blocks (SSBs), and the ground coverage of the first cell among the plurality of cells is the ground coverage of at least one of the plurality of SSBs. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first information is specifically used to indicate the location of the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell within the first ground coverage area. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, Each SSB in the first ground coverage area corresponds to an identifier or SSB index. The first information includes the identifier or SSB index corresponding to the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first ground coverage area is represented by a matrix of N1 rows and M1 columns, where each element in the N1 rows and M1 columns corresponds to one of the ground coverage areas of the plurality of SSBs, and N1 and M1 are both positive integers; The first information includes the sequence X corresponding to the N1i-th row in the matrix with N1 rows and M1 columns. i The ground coverage area of ​​the first cell includes the sequence X. i The ground coverage area corresponding to a specific value element in the data. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive second information, the second information being used to indicate the N1th i The elements in the row correspond to a portion or all of the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The first ground coverage area is represented by a matrix of N2 rows and M2 columns, where one element in the N2 rows and M2 columns corresponds to one of the ground coverage areas of the plurality of cells, and N2 and M2 are both positive integers; The first information includes the N2th column in the matrix with N2 rows and M2 columns. i The sequence Y corresponding to the row i The ground coverage area of ​​the first cell includes the sequence Y. i The ground coverage area corresponding to a specific value element in the data. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive third information, the third information indicating the N2nd j The ground coverage area corresponding to the element in the row exists within the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 8, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive fourth information, which is used to indicate the first ground coverage area. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first information is specifically used to indicate the location of the first cell within a portion of the ground coverage area of ​​the first ground coverage area. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive fifth information, which is used to indicate a portion of the ground coverage area of ​​the first ground coverage area. The method according to claim 10 or 11 is characterized in that, Each SSB in the partial ground coverage area of ​​the first ground coverage area has a corresponding number; the first information includes the number corresponding to the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell. The method according to claim 10 or 11 is characterized in that, A portion of the first ground coverage area is represented by a matrix with rows P1 and columns B1. Each element in this matrix corresponds to one of the ground coverage areas of one or more SSBs, where P1 and B1 are both positive integers. The first information includes the P1th element in the matrix with rows P1 and columns B1. i The sequence A corresponding to the row i The ground coverage area of ​​the first cell includes the sequence A. i The ground coverage area corresponding to a specific value element in the data. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive sixth information, the sixth information indicating the P1th column in the matrix of row P1 and column Q1. i The elements in the row correspond to a portion or all of the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell. The method according to claim 10 or 11 is characterized in that, The first ground coverage area is represented by a matrix of P2 rows and Q2 columns, where one element in the matrix corresponds to one of the ground coverage areas of one or more cells, and P2 and Q2 are both positive integers; the first information includes the P1th element in the matrix of P2 rows and Q2 columns. i The sequence B corresponding to the row i The ground coverage area of ​​the first cell includes the sequence B. i The ground coverage area corresponding to a specific value element in the data. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive the seventh message, which indicates the P2th column in the matrix at row P2 and column Q2. j The ground coverage area corresponding to the element in the row exists in the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first information is specifically used to indicate the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell. A communication method, characterized in that, include: The ground coverage area of ​​the first cell is determined. The first cell is the cell that the terminal device accesses. The ground coverage area of ​​the first cell belongs to the first ground coverage area that includes the ground coverage areas of multiple cells. Based on the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell, the first information is sent. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that, The ground coverage of the multiple cells includes the ground coverage of multiple synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), and the ground coverage of the first cell among the multiple cells is the ground coverage of at least one of the multiple SSBs. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, The first information is used to indicate the location of the first cell within the first ground coverage area. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, Each SSB in the first ground coverage area corresponds to an identifier or SSB index. The first information includes the identifier or SSB index corresponding to the ground coverage area of ​​the at least one SSB. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The first ground coverage area is represented by a matrix of N1 rows and M1 columns, where each element in the N1 rows and M1 columns corresponds to one of the ground coverage areas of the plurality of SSBs, and N1 and M1 are both positive integers; The first information includes the sequence X corresponding to the N1i-th row in the matrix with N1 rows and M1 columns. i The ground coverage area of ​​the first cell includes the sequence X. i The ground coverage area corresponding to a specific value element in the data. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a second message, the second message being used to instruct the N1st... i The elements in the row correspond to a portion or all of the ground coverage area of ​​the first cell. The method according to any one of claims 20 to 23 is characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a fourth message, which indicates the first ground coverage area. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, The first information is specifically used to indicate the location of the first cell within a portion of the ground coverage area of ​​the first ground coverage area. The method according to claim 25, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a fifth message, which is used to indicate a portion of the ground coverage area of ​​the first ground coverage area. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes modules for implementing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 17; or, it includes modules for implementing the method as described in any one of claims 18 to 26. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes at least one processor for causing the communication device to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 17 by executing a computer program and / or by logic circuitry; or causing the communication device to implement the method as described in any one of claims 18 to 26. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by a processor, the method of any one of claims 1 to 17 is executed; or, the method of any one of claims 18 to 26 is executed. A computer program product, characterized in that, It includes a computer program, which, when run, performs the method of any one of claims 1 to 17 or the method of any one of claims 18 to 26.

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